LIONS WOMEN TO PLAY FRANCE IN CARDIFF BEFORE NEW ZEALAND TOUR

The British and Irish Lions Women's team will play France at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Friday, 27 August, kicking off at 19:30 BST, according to the BBC. The fixture against France, ranked fourth in the world, will be the first match ever played by a Lions women's side. Head coach Jo Yapp said stepping onto the field for the first time, on home soil and in front of home fans, would be "incredibly special". The Cardiff match comes before the squad travels to New Zealand, where it will play a Black Ferns XV in Whangarei the following weekend, ahead of the first of three Tests against New Zealand on 11 September.

Men's Lions tours, which draw players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, have been held since 1888, the BBC reported. The women's tour will include five matches in total, with Tests scheduled in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Carol Isherwood, chair of the Lions women's committee, said the Cardiff fixture would be "a tremendous rugby match and occasion" and described it as a chance to grow the women's game and build a legacy for future Lions women's teams. Sky Sports separately confirmed the France fixture as the first-ever match for a Lions Women's team.

Organisers will be hoping for a large turnout at the Principality Stadium send-off, according to the BBC. A Wales women's fixture at the same stadium set a record attendance of 21,186 for a Wales women's home game in any sport, when Wales lost to England in the 2025 Six Nations. The report cited the atmosphere at England men's matches as a comparison for the kind of crowd noise organisers hope to generate. No further fixture details beyond the Cardiff and New Zealand matches were confirmed in the reporting.