The British & Irish Lions are in line to face New Zealand Maori in a lucrative warm-up match in preparation for their tour of South Africa in 2021.
The Lions are scheduled to play eight games on South African soil, including three Tests against the Springboks.
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Warren Gatland, who is currently coaching the Chiefs, will take a sabbatical next year to head up the Lions for a third time after also being in charge during the elite team’s tour of Australia in 2013 and New Zealand in 2017. And the experienced coach has revealed that negotiations with at least three parties are under way for a pre-tour match in the United Kingdom.
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‘The Lions are planning a warm-up game somewhere in either London, Wales or Edinburgh. There are two or three parties we are talking to – the Barbarians, New Zealand Māori and Japan,’ Gatland told Kyodo News.
The last time the Lions lost a series was in South Africa in 2009, when the Springboks beat them 2-1. The composite side defeated the Wallabies 2-1 in Australia seven years ago, while the series against the All Blacks ended in a 1-1 tie three years ago.
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Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.Photosport.nz
