The British & Irish Lions are closing in on a historic first-ever meeting with Italy as preparations for their 2029 tour of New Zealand begin to take shape.
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According to The Telegraph, advanced discussions are underway for the Lions to take on the Azzurri in what would be the first fixture between the two sides. The match is expected to serve as a warm-up ahead of the 2029 tour, mirroring the Lions’ clash with Argentina in Dublin before travelling to Australia in 2025.
The report states that the Italy fixture is provisionally scheduled for June 23, 2029, with a second warm-up against France expected to follow a week later on June 30. While the France match is set to be played on French soil, the Italy encounter is understood to be planned for the United Kingdom as part of the Federazione Italiana Rugby’s centenary celebrations.
The Allianz Stadium at Twickenham is reportedly the leading contender to host the fixture, having never staged a Lions match in the professional era.
If confirmed, the additional warm-up matches would mean only eight of the Lions’ permitted 10 tour fixtures would take place in New Zealand. Those are expected to include the traditional three-Test series against the All Blacks alongside matches against the country’s Super Rugby franchises, with the future of fixtures against the Maori All Blacks and New Zealand Provincial Barbarians yet to be determined.
A British & Irish Lions spokesperson told The Telegraph: “Discussions around the schedule for the next Lions men’s tour are still ongoing and there is no confirmation of any fixtures at this stage.”
In summary
- The British & Irish Lions are in advanced talks to face Italy for the first time in history before the 2029 New Zealand tour.
- The fixture would form part of Italy’s centenary celebrations, with Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium the likely venue.
- According to The Telegraph, the Lions are also expected to play France a week later, although neither match has been officially confirmed.
PREDICTION: BRITISH & IRISH LIONS SQUAD FOR 2029 TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND
HOOKERS
TEST XV: Dan Sheehan (Ireland & Leinster)
TEST SUB: Dewi Lake (Wales & Ospreys)
MID WEEK: Theo Dan (England & Saracens)
Starting off in the hookers depth chart, and we see only one man as the out-right Test starter for the 2029 Lions tour. Dan Sheehan has already captained the British & Irish Lions in their mid-week match against Western Force, as Maro Itoje took a break fresh from arriving in Australia. Sheehan has been tremendous all tour and the Irishman is rightfully staking a claim to be the first name on the team sheet this Summer, never mind in four years time when he really comes into his prime.
We’ve opted for a new era of front rowers to support Sheehan out in New Zealand, with Wales’ Dewi Lake our pick to take the number 16 jersey for the Test series. Lake will be 30 by the time the New Zealand tour rolls around, and would likely be the first choice hooker should 31-year-old Elliot Dee hang up the Test match boots in the coming years. The same can be said about England’s Theo Dan, who looks ready to take the torch from his Saracens mentor Jamie George once the centurion calls it a day at Test level.
Dan looked all but set for a leading role for England’s 2nd Test against Argentina and the standalone fixture against the USA this Summer, as George was whisked away with the Lions following the injury to fellow countryman Luke Cowan-Dickie. However, Dan himself picked up an ankle injury, that has curtailed his Summer tour in dramatic fashion. Dan will be 28-years-old in 2029, with four more years of experience he will be ready for the enormity of the Lions tour.
PROPS
TEST XV: (LOOSE-HEAD): Andrew Porter (Ireland & Leinster)
TEST XV: (TIGHT-HEAD): Will Stuart (England & Bath)
TEST SUB: (LOOSE-HEAD): Asher Opoku-Fordjour (England & Sale Sharks)
TEST SUB (TIGHT-HEAD): Zander Fagerson (Scotland & Glasgow Warriors)
MID WEEK: (LOOSE-HEAD): Fin Baxter (England & Harlequins)
MID WEEK: (TIGHT-HEAD): Kieron Assiratti (Wales & Cardiff)
TRAINING SQUAD: Kemsley Mathias (Wales & Scarlets)
So, a real mix of propping talent from across the British & Irish isles, with each nation represented in our picks for the 2029 front row options. We’ll begin with the Test starters, and we can see a veteran pair of 33-year-olds nailed down for the one and three jerseys in Andrew Porter and Will Stuart. The duo have each emerged as the first-choice props for their respective nations, with Ireland’s legendary loose-head Cian Healy retiring this season, along with England’s grizzled tight-head Dan Cole.
In four years time, Porter and Stuart will be coming towards the tale end of their careers, with plentiful experience backing them to be the first choice pillars of the 2029 Lions scrum. On the bench for the Test series, we can see England’s enigmatic break-out prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour making a name for himself over the next four years, as the Sale man will be 25 when the next tour comes around. Opoku-Fordjour was called up to the Lions training camp after Zander Fagerson withdrew from the squad earlier this Summer due to a devastating injury. We can see both the England and Scotland props heading to New Zealand in four years time.
The baby-faced bruiser Fin Baxter then joins the tour, along with imposing Wales prop Kieron Assiratti. Baxter will be 27 and Assiratti 32 when the Lions jet off to New Zealand, with an array of international experience under their belts by the time they become Lions tourists. We’ve selected another Welsh prop to bolster the training squad, with Kemsley Mathias set to hit his on-field prime ahead of the tour.
LOCKS
TEST XV: (LOCK 4) Maro Itoje (C) (England & Saracens)
TEST XV: (LOCK 5) Joe McCarthy (Ireland & Leinster)
TEST SUB: Ollie Chessum (England & Leicester Tigers)
MID WEEK: George Martin (England & Leicester Tigers)
MID WEEK: Dafydd Jenkins (Wales & Exeter Chiefs)
TRAINING SQUAD: Junior Kpoku (England & Racing 92)
Onto the engine room now, with Maro Itoje our pick to retain the captain’s armband for a second consecutive tour. The lock would take up the Alun Wyn Jones role, as the experienced elder statesman to command his troops through the Test series against the All Blacks. Itoje’s Lions career would then come full circle, as the Saracens stalwart made his touring debut against New Zealand upon the 2017 tour that infamously ended in a drawn series.
Partnering Itoje in the Test match locks would be Ireland’s Joe McCarthy, who looks set to explode upon the Test match stage in the coming months. The 24-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance for Leinster, during their United Rugby Championship winning season, and with Ireland as he now has 19 caps under his belt. McCarthy has already been a stand-out performer in the Lions’ red, with an unrelenting work rate and dominance in contact making him former Lions skipper-turned pundit Sam Warburton’s pick to partner Itoje for the Test series against Australia. The same and more would be expected for NZ ’29.
Taking the number 19 jersey for the 2029 Lions tour in our eyes is Ollie Chessum, given how the England and Leicester Tigers man brings such valuable versatility to the Test stage. Comfortable at both lock and when called upon in the back row, Chessum is a phenomenal operator who will be hitting his prime at 28-years-old when the 2029 tour comes around.
We can also see space for Chessum’s England and Tigers teammate George Martin to make his Lions debut in 2029. Martin’s litany of injuries kept him side-lined for the trip ‘down under’, as he is spending the Summer rehabbing a problematic knee and arduous shoulder issue that hindered his latest season. We also predict a place for former Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins upon the 2029 tour, as the Exeter Chiefs man would be 26-year, and a battle-hardened Welsh stalwart when the Lions selectors come calling.
Rounding off the locks is our ‘bolter’ of a pick, as England U20s lock Junior Kpoku is making waves at such an early stage of his career. Kpoku is currently plying his trade with Racing 92, yet a move to the Premiership would bring him onto the England books and commence his four year run of Test match experience. Currently only 19, Kpoku would be a 23-year-old break-out star upon the 2029 tour.
