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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Robert Kitson

British & Irish Lions strike deal with Premiership to boost preparation time

Lions Premiership Premiership Rugby Rugby Luke CowanDickie Australia The British Irish Lions United Rugby Championship
British & Irish Lions' Maro Itoje in action with South Africa's Eben Etzebeth
The Lions’ last tour to South Africa ended in defeat and was disrupted by a clash between their warm-up match again Japan in Edinburgh and the Premiership final. Photograph: Mike Hutchings/Reuters

After decades of shortsighted thinking the British & Irish Lions will finally be given more preparation time before their 2025 expedition to Australia. England-based squad members will now be available for all pre-tour activity with the Premiership final set to take place a week earlier to enhance the Lions’ chances.

The buildup to recent tours has been consistently overshadowed by rows over player release, with the Premiership final scheduled for the weekend before the opening tour game in both 2017 and 2021. A deal has now been struck to improve collaboration between the Lions, the Premiership and the United Rugby Championship, with the 2024-25 Premiership final pencilled in for 14 June.

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