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0 The fight is on for the right to host one of the most iconic contests in world rugby.
In 2025, the British & Irish Lions will visit Australia to face the Wallabies in a three-match Test series.
Exactly which cities will host the series is yet to be determined, although Sydney and Melbourne are thought to have locked away agreements.
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That leaves one opening, and the key contenders for a Test are said to be Adelaide and Perth.
Speaking on Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven, former Wallabies star Tim Horan said Brisbane looks likely to miss out entirely.
In every tour that the British & Irish Lions have played Australia since 1950, Brisbane has hosted a Test – whether that be at The Gabba, Brisbane Showgrounds, Ballymore Stadium or Lang Park.
If Adelaide and Perth are successful in their respective bids, that would mark the first time in 75 years that Brisbane hasn’t hosted a Test between the two teams.
“There is talk Sydney’s got one, Melbourne’s got one, and there’s talk that Adelaide and Perth are throwing big numbers at Rugby Australia to host a British & Irish Lions Test match in either Perth or Adelaide, which would be fantastic,” Horan explained.
“That means Brisbane misses out on the Test match. The Queensland government really have to start talking to Rugby Australia and saying, ‘listen, these two other states – Perth and I’ll see you in Adelaide – they’re throwing 10 to $12 million just to get this Test match’.
“So that’s for the Lions, but also the Queensland Government are very slow from what I’m hearing for Rugby World Cup to host quarterfinals or pool stages. So, kick to come there on who will host that third Test match for the Lions?”
Questions around Brisbane’s possible absence from the British & Irish Lions tour and the Rugby World Cup come as the Queensland Government pours money into the 2032 Summer Olympics.
Horan said there is a clear debate between returning to rugby strongholds and heading to new venues.
“The challenge for Rugby Australia very quickly will be the balance between taking a lesser amount of money from, say the state government in Queensland compared to Perth or Adelaide, because finances have been tight for a long period of time and we’d all talk about this golden era now coming through,” said Horan.
“So Rugby Australia, they have to make wind in ’25. They also have to make it worthwhile in ’27 depending on where these test matches will be held.”
Another former international, Justin Harrison, said the forthcoming British & Irish Lions series is of particular importance with a Rugby World Cup at home to follow in 2027.
“They’re marquee events, there’s market tension in Australia. We know Australia is great at hosting sporting events, international sporting events,” said Harrison.
“One of the things about the British & Irish Lions tour is we want to see a compelling, high-performance product on the field every time.
“When we start to think about invitational teams, we also need to think about how they’re put together and how much time together they’re going to have this concept of cohesion, make sure that it’s compelling matches all the time because we are also setting up for leading into a home hosted Australian World Cup.
“We want to capture fans all the way through and bring them through the Australian rugby ecosystem.”
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