Andy Farrell will select a British and Irish Lions tour squad for this summer (Image: Getty)
British and Irish Lions fans will be able to watch the squad announcement in person for the first time. Around 2,700 tickets will be available for supporters to witness Andy Farrell’s selections made public on May 8. Lions chair Ieuan Evans will announce Farrell’s squad for this summer’s tour of Australia.
The tourists and their captain will be revealed at the O2 Arena in front of a live audience. Fans can win the first 20 per cent of the ticket allocation for the event through a free ballot. A second round of tickets will be available to purchase from £40, with Lions Rugby Club members given priority access. The event will take place at Indigo at the O2 Arena. Ireland’s Caelan Doris and Maro Itoje are among the favourites to be selected as captain for the tour. Whoever is picked will be present at the event.
Evans said: “There is no greater honour than being selected for The British & Irish Lions and as a player, you find it tough to sleep the night before as the anticipation builds. Hours feel like days as you wait to hear if you are lucky enough to get that dream call-up for the ultimate experience on and off the pitch.
“I was fortunate to go on three Lions Tours and I found out via a letter, a telegram and Ceefax – that was our version of the red button for younger supporters. And this squad announcement, in front of our loyal fans, will be so memorable in its own way too.
“There is a lot of rugby to be played between now and May and Andy and his coaching team will have some extremely tough decisions to make ahead of the Tour to Australia. The players will be doing all they can to book their places and we wish them all the very best over the coming weeks.”
The announcement for the 2021 tour included captain Alun Wyn Jones being unveiled via a hologram. This new format will involve live crowd reaction to the selections and an array of guests on stage.
Maro Itoje is among the favourites to be named British and Irish Lions tour captain (Image: Getty)
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“This will be our biggest and most special squad announcement yet,” said Ben Calveley, the chief executive of the Lions.
“We are absolutely delighted to see record numbers of fans already travelling to Australia this summer as the Sea of Red unites for the first time since 2017. But we also know there are millions of fans at home who also want to be brought closer to the action — and this unique event gives them the chance to do that.”
Ten matches will take place across the 10-week tour, including three tests against Australia.