Lions to make history with France game in Cardiff

Key points

• The British and Irish Lions women's team will play its first-ever home fixture against France on 27 August at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.
• The match precedes a five-match tour of New Zealand that includes three Tests against the Black Ferns in September.
• Head coach Jo Yapp called the occasion 'incredibly special' and a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

The British and Irish Lions will make history by playing their first women's fixture against France at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Friday, 27 August at 19:30 BST. The match will serve as a send-off before the team's 2027 tour to New Zealand.

France are ranked fourth in the world and reached the semi-finals of the 2025 World Cup. The Lions will then face a Black Ferns XV in Whangarei on 4 September before the first of three Tests against New Zealand on 11 September.

What officials said

Head coach Jo Yapp said, 'There are moments in sport that only come around once - and this is one of them.' She added that stepping onto the field for the first time on home soil in front of fans would be 'incredibly special.'

Carol Isherwood, chair of the Lions women's committee, said the match would be 'a tremendous rugby match and occasion' and help grow the game. She noted that a crowd of 21,186 set a record for a Wales women's home game in any sport at Principality Stadium in 2025.

There are moments in sport that only come around once - and this is one of them

— Jo Yapp

Tour schedule and challenges

The women will travel to New Zealand for a five-match tour with Tests in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The full schedule includes matches on 4, 11, 14, 18 and 25 September.

Isherwood acknowledged the difficulty of unifying players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales quickly, comparing it to assembling the Harlem Globetrotters without preparation. She said the opening game against France will be tough.