British Lions to face Indigenous stars

The British and Irish Lions rugby team will face an Indigenous team and Pacific heritage during their 2025 tour.

The match will take place against the First Nations and Pasifika XV on July 22, three days after the first Test.

Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said the match at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium will be a “great celebration” of communities which contribute to Australian rugby.

The announcement comes 100 days from the opening match of the tour against Western Force in Perth on June 28 and as the final tickets for the tour are released.

Lions chief executive Ben Calveley described the match as one which “everyone at the Lions is hugely excited about”.

Waugh played down speculation that Australia would not pick players against the Lions who were heading to play overseas.

He told the Sydney Morning Herald: “We’ve got to win the Lions series… we’ve got to be as competitive as we can be in the Lions series.