Women's British and Irish Lions to play France in Cardiff

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 10:15 · Archive

The first women's British and Irish Lions team will face France at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Friday 27 August before embarking on their inaugural tour to New Zealand. The match, called the Howden Lions Women's Cup, marks a historic first for women's rugby. Head coach Jo Yapp said the occasion would be 'incredibly special' and that France represented 'the ideal team for an occasion like this', bringing 'relentless defence and a real edge in attack'.

The tour begins the following week with a warm-up fixture against a Black Ferns XV in Whangarei on 4 September, followed by the first of three Tests against New Zealand on 11 September in Auckland. The Lions will then face an invitational XV in Hamilton before Tests in Wellington on 18 September and Christchurch on 25 September.

France, ranked fourth in the world, have consistently challenged England in recent years but have not beaten the Red Roses since 2018. The squad will be heavily composed of English players given the Red Roses' recent dominance of the game; they remain unbeaten in 40 matches stretching back to the 2021 World Cup final against their tour hosts New Zealand.

The choice of Cardiff over London raised some questions, given England Rugby's ability to draw crowds exceeding 60,000 in recent years. Lions chief Ben Calveley stated that 'the Principality Stadium is a special venue with a rich rugby heritage'. Carol Isherwood, chair of the Lions women's committee, said the fixture was 'a chance to grow the game and leave a legacy'.

The Principality Stadium last hosted a Lions fixture in 2005 when a men's team drew with Argentina. A crowd of 21,186 set a record for a Wales women's home game in any sport when watching the Six Nations match against England at the same venue in 2025.

How it is being reported

• British and Irish Lions Women to face France in first matchThe British and Irish Lions Women's team will face France at Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Friday August 27, marking the first-ever match played by a Lions Women's team.Sky Sports · 14 Oct, 10:12
• Lions to make history with France game in CardiffThe British and Irish Lions are to take on France at Cardiff's Principality Stadium before their historic three-Test 2027 tour to New Zealand.BBC Sport · 14 Oct, 10:00
• Women’s Lions to face France in Cardiff ahead of inaugural tourJo Yapp’s side will host France in their first fixture ahead of three Tests with New ZealandIndependent Sport · 14 Oct, 10:00
• Women’s British and Irish Lions to play first match in CardiffThe first ever women’s British and Irish Lions team will look to sell out the 74,000-capacity Principality Stadium before an inaugural tour to New Zealand. The touring team – made up of players from the Home Nations and the Republic of Ireland – will play France in a send-off match sponsored by insurance giant Howden [...]City AM · 14 Oct, 10:00

In this story: British and Irish Lions Women · France · New Zealand · Jo Yapp · England · Wales · Scotland · Ireland

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