British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has reportedly opted for a warm-up match against the Barbarians at Twickenham before the South Africa tour in 2021.
A meeting is in the diary for later this week to put the finishing touches on confirming the fixture against the famous invitational side.
With the Gallagher Premiership final penciled in for Saturday June 26th, it had been thought Twickenham would be an unlikely venue.
Lions v Barbarians on June 25 or June 27, 2021 at Twickenham – before the tour of SA. @MailSport story… https://t.co/DSHdtArrPt
— Chris Foy (@FoyChris) February 25, 2020
However, the Mail Online has reported that the Lions v Barbarians fixture is set to be held at the same location in south west London, either on the Friday night – June 25 – or on Sunday, June 27.
Wales and Scotland had been interested in hosting a pre-tour friendly, but the Lions have a preference for London over Cardiff or Edinburgh.
British and Irish Lions Tour of South Africa 2021 – full schedule
3 July – DHL Stormers (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town)
7 July – South Africa Invitational (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth)
10 July – Cell C Sharks (Jonsson Kings Park, Durban)
14 July – South Africa ‘A’ Team (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)
17 July – Vodacom Bulls (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
24 July – First Test v Springboks (Soccer City, Johannesburg)
31 July – Second Test v Springboks (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town)
7 August – Third Test v Springboks (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)