Lions Start 2013 Tour With Hong Kong Match

The British and Irish Lions has announced that it will kick off the 2013 tour to Australia with a match in Hong Kong.??

The game will see the Lions play the Barbarians and will be the first time the team has played in the region – which is becoming an increasingly popular venue for rugby matches.??

Hong Kong hosts the IRB Hong Kong Sevens, and is also set to stage a Bledisloe Cup game between New Zealand and Australia on later this month.??

It has been reported that HSBC will renew its sponsorship deal with the Lions until the end of the 2013 tour, a title it took in 2009, succeeding Zuruch Insurance.??

It has also been announced that Andy Irvine will be tour manager, succeeding Gerald Davies, who becomes Lions chairman.