The countdown to this summer’s Lions tour of South Africa has well and truly begun after the only question mark on the 10-match fixture list was officially answered this morning.
The date for the match between a Coastal XV and the Lions has been confirmed for June 16 in Port Elizabeth.
The fixture, which immediately precedes the first Test against the Springboks, take place on a Tuesday afternoon, three days after the Lions have faced Currie Cup outfit Western Province in Cape Town.
SA Rugby sought, and was granted, dispensation from the South African government to play the match on the Youth Day public holiday. The match will kick off at 3pm at the new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
The clash with the Coastal XV is the only midweek fixture to kick off at 3pm, with the matches against the Golden Lions, the Sharks and Emerging South Africa all beginning at 7.10pm.
The Lions begin their first tour of South Africa since 1997 with a match against a Highveld XV on Saturday, May 30, with the tour coming to an end after the third Test against the world champions in Johannesburg on Saturday, July 4.
The full schedule is now as follows:
Sat, May 30 (3pm) Highveld XV v Lions in Rustenburg
Wed, June 3 (7.10pm) Xerox Golden Lions v Lionsin Johannesburg
Sat, June 6 (3pm) Vodacom Free State Cheetahs v Lionsin Bloemfontein
Wed, June 10 (7.10pm) Sharks v Lions in Durban
Sat, June 13 (3pm) Vodacom Western Province v Lionsin Cape Town
Tues, June 16 (3pm) Coastal XV v Lionsin Port Elizabeth
Sat June 20 (3pm) South Africa v Lions in Durban
Tues, June 23 (7.10pm) Emerging SA v Lions in Cape Town
Sat, June 27 (3pm) South Africa v Lions in Pretoria
Sat, July 4 (3pm) South Africa v Lions in Johannesburg
