One step back, and then another forwards again. On the day Louis Rees-Zammit, one of the brightest young stars of the last British & Irish Lions tour, announced he was quitting rugby to play American football, thousands of female players learned they will finally get a shot at the sort of opportunity from which he has just walked away. The Lions have announced they will send their first women’s team on tour to New Zealand in 2027, a welcome reminder that even if the men’s game is struggling there is still plenty of room left for the sport to grow.
The Lions will play three Tests against the Black Ferns in September 2027 and, they hope, five warmup matches against provincial teams. They have a series sponsor, Howden, and a shirt sponsor, Royal London, who have, impressively, already pledged to invest significant funding in the pathway systems of all four unions to help develop a larger pool of eligible players and coaches.
