Quote:The British Lions will undertake a 10-match rugby tour of New Zealand next year.
The itinerary for the Lions' first visit to New Zealand since 1993 was released in Wellington today by the New Zealand Rugby Union.
The tour will feature three tests against the All Blacks, five matches against NPC first division opponents, one against second division opponents Manawatu and New Zealand Maori.
June 4: v Bay of Plenty @ Rotorua International Stadium: Rotorua
June 8: v Taranaki @ Yarrows Stadium : New Plymouth
June 11: v New Zealand Maori @ Waikato Stadium: Hamilton
June 15: v Wellington @ Westpac Stadium(the caketin): Wellington
June 18: v Otago @ Carisbrook: Dunedin
June 21: v Southland @ Homestead Stadium(Rugby Park): Invercargill June 25: v NZ All Blacks @ Jade Stadium: Christchurch (1st test)
June 28: v Manawatu @ Manawatu Showgrounds????: Palmerston North July 2: v NZ All Blacks @ Westpac Stadium: Wellington (2nd test) July 9: v NZ All Blacks @ Eden Park: Auckland (3rd test
Re: British Lions 2005 Tour Schedule of NZ Released
Less of the British please, Brian O'Driscoll, Geordan Murphy and Paul O'Connell (gauranteed test starters) are Irish. Look at any oficial crap and you'll find they're called the Lions at worst British & Irish Lions. Jesus I hate having to make this point but some things have to be said. Nearly as bad as the British including Northern Ireland in their Olympic team when they come under the jurisdiction of the Irish Olympic Committee and hence the reason we have an all Ireland rugby team!
Re: British Lions 2005 Tour Schedule of NZ Released
This seems like a very friendly schedule
For example I thoguht that the most successful home of the All Blacks is down in Dunedin,
and no match against Auckland
All very odd. Also all very short. I really miss the days of the proper tour, whether to the Southern Hemisphere, or them coming here. When I was a lad it was the only time my parents let me off school when the All Blacks or Wallabies were in town. Rugby is losing its soul having these mini tours.
Re: Re: British Lions 2005 Tour Schedule of NZ Released
It's a fair but challenging schedule I think, far better than that from the Australian tour they did .
Apart from the test matches, I think the obvious matches to look out for will be against Wellington, Otago and obviously the New Zealand Maori.
I am , like many others here in NZ, extremely disappointed that they aren't going to be taking on Auckland (who are the current NPC champions) or Canterbury.
Otago and Wellington aren't exactly 'that' crash hot.
Some media outlets have reported that the Lions said they didn't wanna play the Jafa's or the Cantabs, which could be seen as understandable considering they're the strongest NPC teams - but at the same time, abit dumb.
Bay of Plenty will be reasonably easy, although I'm quite pissed off that that match is not being played in my city - Tauranga(which is the homeground of the Bay Steamers) but instead in Rotorua. Perhaps they think they can use the stench of sulphur in Rotorua,in their favour to put the Lions off. lol.
Manawatu will be a cakewalk though.
It will be interesting also to see when the matches are played in terms of kickoff times.
There is a major move to take away night rugby from Dunedin coz it's so bloody cold down there in winter.
I'm surprised that Auckland doesn't have more than one match, considering that city does hold 1/3 of the entire population of New Zealand.
Still, it should be very interesting.
And yeah, I would like to see a return to lengthy tours including mid week matches that mean something.
But it's one of the down sides of the onset of professional rugby I suppose .
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