2027 British & Irish Lions Women's tour to New Zealand
| 2027 British & Irish Lions Women's tour to New Zealand | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 4 – 25 September 2027 | ||||
| Opponent |
| ||||
 New Zealand | |||||
| Tour chronology | |||||
The 2027 British & Irish Lions Women's tour to New Zealand, known for sponsorship reasons as the Howden British & Irish Lions Women's Series,[1] is a planned international women's rugby union tour of New Zealand scheduled for September 2027.
The British & Irish Lions Women, a team selected from players eligible to represent the women's national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, will play a three-match test series against New Zealand, alongside one game against Black Ferns XV, and one against an Invitational XV.
Schedule
The fixtures for the inaugural women's tour were announced on 21 January 2026.[2][3][4] The tour will culminate with a three-match test series between the Lions and New Zealand, and will also feature a game against an Invitational XV and one against the Black Ferns XV.
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 September | Black Ferns XV
|
v | British & Irish Lions | Okara Park, Whangārei | Match details |
| 11 September | New Zealand
|
v | British & Irish Lions | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Match details |
| 14 September | Invitational XV | v | British & Irish Lions | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton | Match details |
| 18 September | New Zealand
|
v | British & Irish Lions | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | Match details |
| 25 September | New Zealand
|
v | British & Irish Lions | Te Kaha, Christchurch | Match details |
Venues
| Wellington | Christchurch | Hamilton | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington Regional Stadium | Te Kaha | Waikato Stadium | |
| Capacity: 34,500[5] | Capacity: 30,000[6] | Capacity: 25,000[7] | |
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|  |
| |
| Auckland | Whangārei | ||
| Mount Smart Stadium | Okara Park | ||
| Capacity: 24,500[8] | Capacity: 18,500[9] | ||
 |
| ||
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Matches
Black Ferns XV v British & Irish Lions
New Zealand v British & Irish Lions (first test)
Invitational XV v British & Irish Lions (first test)
New Zealand v British & Irish Lions (second test)
| 18 September 2027 TBC NZST (UTC+12) |
| New Zealand | v | British & Irish Lions |
| Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington |
New Zealand v British & Irish Lions (third test)
References
- ^ "British & Irish Lions Women's team launched". British & Irish Lions. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ Orchard, Sara (21 January 2026). "British and Irish Lions: Tests on first women's tour to New Zealand will be played in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Fixtures announced for historic Howden British & Irish Lions Women's Series". British & Irish Lions. 21 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Fixtures announced for historic Howden British & Irish Lions Women's Series to New Zealand in 2027". NZ Rugby. 21 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Sky Stadium: Stadium Facts". Sky Stadium. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "New Christchurch Stadium | One NZ Stadium". Te-kaha. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "About FMG Stadium Waikato". FMG Stadium Waikato. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Football: Mount Smart to increase capacity for Auckland FC A-League playoffs". RNZ. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Semenoff Stadium (NZ) (Okara Park)". Austadiums. Retrieved 21 January 2026.