2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa
Coach(es)	Warren Gatland
Tour captain(s)	Alun Wyn Jones Conor Murray (temporary)[lower-alpha 1]
Top point scorer(s)	Dan Biggar (47)
Top try scorer(s)	Josh Adams (8)
Summary	P W D L
Total	09 06 00 03
Test match	03 01 00 02
Opponent	P W D L
South Africa	3 1 0 2
Tour chronology
Previous tour	New Zealand 2017
Next tour	Australia 2025

The 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour that took place in South Africa in July and August 2021. The British & Irish Lions, a team selected from players eligible to represent England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, played a three-match test series against South Africa, and tour matches against three of South Africa's four United Rugby Championship teams and South Africa A.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted the tour, leading to numerous schedule changes and the matches in South Africa taking place without fans present. Before leaving for South Africa, the Lions beat Japan in a warm-up match at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. They won all of their matches against the South African franchises, but lost to South Africa A.

South Africa won the test series by two matches to one. The Lions won the first test 22–17 on 24 July, but South Africa won the second test 27–9 a week later before winning the third test 19–16 with a late penalty on 7 August.

Warren Gatland was the Lions' head coach, making him only the second coach to lead the team on three consecutive tours.^{[lower-alpha 2]} Alun Wyn Jones of Wales was the Lions' tour captain, but was injured in the home match against Japan on 26 June; he initially withdrew from the squad before returning three weeks later. Ireland's Conor Murray took over as captain during Jones' absence.

Schedule

The eight-match schedule was announced on 4 December 2019,^[1] and confirmed on 14 May 2021. The Lions also scheduled a home match against Japan for 26 June, the first time the teams had met, and the first game to be hosted by the Lions since they played Argentina at the Millennium Stadium in 2005.^[2] Unlike recent tours, when the Lions played seven games against non-national teams, in 2021 there are only five.^[3][4]

Due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was reported in early 2021 that the tour could be held in Britain and Ireland instead of South Africa, postponed to 2022 or cancelled altogether.^[5] With the Lions traditionally being a touring side, thousands of fans signed a petition to put pressure on the Lions board to keep the tour in South Africa and postpone until 2022. In January 2021, Rugby Australia offered to host the tournament in Australia if it could not be held in South Africa,^[6] but this was rejected.^[7] In March 2021, it was confirmed that the tour would go ahead as planned.^[8]

Originally, the eight matches were to be played in the home stadiums of the Lions' opponents. Due to COVID, the schedule was changed so that all eight matches would be played in only four venues, all in Gauteng or Cape Town, to reduce the teams' travel requirements.^[9] A match against an SA Invitational team was replaced by one against the South African Lions franchise to reduce the risks associated with drawing a squad from around the country.^[10] The match against the Bulls was cancelled due to several positive COVID tests in the Bulls' camp, and a second match against the Sharks was added instead.^[11][12] On 20 July, it was announced that the second and third tests would be moved from Johannesburg to Cape Town.^[13]

Squads

Lions

Lions chairman Jason Leonard announced an initial squad of 37 on 6 May 2021, made up of 11 players from England, 10 from Wales, 8 from Ireland and 8 from Scotland.^[14]

Prop Andrew Porter withdrew from the squad on 5 June because of a toe injury; he was replaced by Kyle Sinckler.^[15]

Rónan Kelleher joined the pre-tour training camp in Jersey to cover for hookers Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickie, who had club commitments. Kelleher was not added to the touring squad at the time,^[16][17] but was called up to the squad on 14 July.^[18]

On 26 June, tour captain Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric withdrew from the tour after being injured against Japan; Adam Beard and Josh Navidi were called up as their replacements.^[19] On 14 July, Jones returned to the squad, having overcome his shoulder injury.^[20]

On 10 July, Marcus Smith was called up as Finn Russell was injured, with Russell remaining on the tour.^[21]

Notes: Ages listed are as of the first tour match on 26 June. Player positions are per the Lions' website.^[22] Bold denotes that the player was selected for a previous Lions squad. Italic denotes a player that withdrew from the squad following selection.

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	National team	Club/­province	National caps (Lions caps)	Notes
Luke Cowan-Dickie	Hooker	(1993-06-20)20 June 1993 (aged 28)	England	Exeter Chiefs	31
Jamie George	Hooker	(1990-10-20)20 October 1990 (aged 30)	England	Saracens	59 (3)
Rónan Kelleher	Hooker	(1998-01-24)24 January 1998 (aged 23)	Ireland	Leinster	11	Called up as additional cover
Ken Owens	Hooker	(1987-01-03)3 January 1987 (aged 34)	Wales	Scarlets	82 (2)
Zander Fagerson	Prop	(1996-01-19)19 January 1996 (aged 25)	Scotland	Glasgow Warriors	38
Tadhg Furlong	Prop	(1992-11-14)14 November 1992 (aged 28)	Ireland	Leinster	49 (3)
Wyn Jones	Prop	(1992-02-26)26 February 1992 (aged 29)	Wales	Scarlets	35
Andrew Porter	Prop	(1996-01-16)16 January 1996 (aged 25)	Ireland	Leinster	37	Withdrew due to injury sustained before tour
Kyle Sinckler	Prop	(1993-03-30)30 March 1993 (aged 28)	England	Bristol Bears	47 (3)	Replaced Andrew Porter
Rory Sutherland	Prop	(1992-08-24)24 August 1992 (aged 28)	Scotland	Edinburgh	16
Mako Vunipola	Prop	(1991-01-14)14 January 1991 (aged 30)	England	Saracens	67 (6)
Adam Beard	Second row	(1996-01-07)7 January 1996 (aged 25)	Wales	Ospreys	25	Replaced Alun Wyn Jones
Tadhg Beirne	Second row	(1992-01-08)8 January 1992 (aged 29)	Ireland	Munster	22
Iain Henderson	Second row	(1992-02-21)21 February 1992 (aged 29)	Ireland	Ulster	63
Jonny Hill	Second row	(1994-06-08)8 June 1994 (aged 27)	England	Exeter Chiefs	9
Maro Itoje	Second row	(1994-10-28)28 October 1994 (aged 26)	England	Saracens	48 (3)
Alun Wyn Jones (c)	Second row	(1985-09-19)19 September 1985 (aged 35)	Wales	Ospreys	148 (9)	Missed three weeks of the tour due to injury
Courtney Lawes	Second row	(1989-02-23)23 February 1989 (aged 32)	England	Northampton Saints	87 (2)
Jack Conan	Back row	(1992-07-29)29 July 1992 (aged 28)	Ireland	Leinster	20
Tom Curry	Back row	(1998-06-15)15 June 1998 (aged 23)	England	Sale Sharks	33
Taulupe Faletau	Back row	(1990-11-12)12 November 1990 (aged 30)	Wales	Bath	86 (4)
Josh Navidi	Back row	(1990-12-30)30 December 1990 (aged 30)	Wales	Cardiff Blues	28	Replaced Justin Tipuric
Sam Simmonds	Back row	(1994-11-10)10 November 1994 (aged 26)	England	Exeter Chiefs	7
Justin Tipuric	Back row	(1989-08-06)6 August 1989 (aged 31)	Wales	Ospreys	85 (1)	Withdrew due to injury sustained during tour
Hamish Watson	Back row	(1991-10-15)15 October 1991 (aged 29)	Scotland	Edinburgh	41
Gareth Davies	Scrum-half	(1990-08-18)18 August 1990 (aged 30)	Wales	Scarlets	62
Conor Murray (c)	Scrum-half	(1989-04-20)20 April 1989 (aged 32)	Ireland	Munster	89 (5)	Replaced Alun Wyn Jones as tour captain[23]
Ali Price	Scrum-half	(1993-05-12)12 May 1993 (aged 28)	Scotland	Glasgow Warriors	42
Dan Biggar	Fly-half	(1989-10-16)16 October 1989 (aged 31)	Wales	Northampton Saints	92
Owen Farrell	Fly-half	(1991-09-24)24 September 1991 (aged 29)	England	Saracens	93 (4)
Finn Russell	Fly-half	(1992-09-23)23 September 1992 (aged 28)	Scotland	Racing 92	55
Marcus Smith	Fly-half	(1999-02-14)14 February 1999 (aged 22)	England	Harlequins	2	Called up as injury cover for Finn Russell
Bundee Aki	Centre	(1990-04-07)7 April 1990 (aged 31)	Ireland	Connacht	31
Elliot Daly	Centre	(1992-10-08)8 October 1992 (aged 28)	England	Saracens	52 (3)
Chris Harris	Centre	(1990-12-28)28 December 1990 (aged 30)	Scotland	Gloucester	28
Robbie Henshaw	Centre	(1993-06-12)12 June 1993 (aged 28)	Ireland	Leinster	52
Josh Adams	Wing	(1995-04-21)21 April 1995 (aged 26)	Wales	Cardiff Blues	32
Louis Rees-Zammit	Wing	(2001-02-02)2 February 2001 (aged 20)	Wales	Gloucester	9
Duhan van der Merwe	Wing	(1995-06-04)4 June 1995 (aged 26)	Scotland	Edinburgh	10
Anthony Watson	Wing	(1994-02-26)26 February 1994 (aged 27)	England	Bath	51 (3)
Stuart Hogg	Full back	(1992-06-24)24 June 1992 (aged 29)	Scotland	Exeter Chiefs	85
Liam Williams	Full back	(1991-04-09)9 April 1991 (aged 30)	Wales	Scarlets	71 (3)

Management and staff

Reported candidates to coach the 2021 Lions included Warren Gatland, Eddie Jones, Gregor Townsend, Joe Schmidt, Dai Young and Mark McCall.^[24] Gatland was announced as the head coach on 12 June 2019.^[25]

On 13 April 2021, Gatland announced his coaching team, including Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend as attack coach, Scotland defence coach Steve Tandy, Leinster forwards coach Robin McBryde and Wales kicking coach Neil Jenkins. This was the sixth tour for Jenkins (two as a player, four as a coach), for Townsend, Tandy and McBryde this is their first Lions tour as coaches.^[26]

Role	Name
Management
Chief executive	Steve Brown
Managing director	Ben Calveley
Chairman/Team manager	Jason Leonard
Coaches
Role	Name	Union/Club
Head coach	Warren Gatland	Chiefs
Assistant coach (attack)	Gregor Townsend	Scotland
Assistant coach (forwards)	Robin McBryde	Leinster
Assistant coach (defence)	Steve Tandy	Scotland
Assistant coach (kicking)	Neil Jenkins	Wales
Performance staff
Head of medical	Prabhat Mathema	Wales
Doctor	Dr Geoff Davies	Wales
Doctor	Dr Ciaran Cosgrove	Ireland
Physiotherapist	Bob Stewart	England
Physiotherapist	John Miles	Wales
Soft tissue therapist	Ann-Marie Birmingham	England
Soft tissue therapist	Hanlie Fouche	Wales
Head of strength & conditioning	Paul Stridgeon	Wales
Strength & conditioning coach	Jon Clarke	England
Strength & conditioning coach	Huw Bennett	Wales
Sports scientist	Brian Cunniffe	English Institute of Sport
Head of analysis	Rhodri Bown	Wales
Analyst	Vinny Hammond	Ireland
Analyst	Marc Kinnaird	Wales
Analyst	Gavin Vaughan	Scotland

South Africa

On 5 June, South Africa named a 46-man squad for their two-test series against Georgia and the three tests against the British & Irish Lions.^[27]

On 10 July, Lizo Gqoboka and Fez Mbatha were added to the squad as COVID-19 cover.^[28]

Coaching team:^[29]

• Head coach: Jacques Nienaber
• Forwards coach: Deon Davids
• Backs coach: Mzwandile Stick
• Assistant coach: Felix Jones
• Assistant coach: Daan Human

Note: Ages, caps and clubs as of first test match on 24 July 2021.

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club/province
Joseph Dweba	Hooker	(1995-10-25)25 October 1995 (aged 25)	0	Bordeaux Bègles
Malcolm Marx	Hooker	(1994-07-13)13 July 1994 (aged 27)	34	Kubota Spears
Fez Mbatha	Hooker	(1999-08-02)2 August 1999 (aged 21)	0	Sharks
Bongi Mbonambi	Hooker	(1991-01-07)7 January 1991 (aged 30)	37	Stormers
Scarra Ntubeni	Hooker	(1991-02-18)18 February 1991 (aged 30)	1	Stormers
Thomas du Toit	Prop	(1995-05-05)5 May 1995 (aged 26)	12	Sharks
Lizo Gqoboka	Prop	(1990-03-24)24 March 1990 (aged 31)	2	Bulls
Steven Kitshoff	Prop	(1992-02-10)10 February 1992 (aged 29)	48	Stormers
Vincent Koch	Prop	(1990-03-13)13 March 1990 (aged 31)	21	Saracens
Frans Malherbe	Prop	(1991-03-14)14 March 1991 (aged 30)	39	Stormers
Ox Nché	Prop	(1995-07-23)23 July 1995 (aged 26)	2	Sharks
Trevor Nyakane	Prop	(1989-05-04)4 May 1989 (aged 32)	43	Bulls
Coenie Oosthuizen	Prop	(1989-03-22)22 March 1989 (aged 32)	30	Sale Sharks
Lood de Jager	Lock	(1992-12-17)17 December 1992 (aged 28)	45	Sale Sharks
Eben Etzebeth	Lock	(1991-10-29)29 October 1991 (aged 29)	86	Toulon
Nico Janse van Rensburg	Lock	(1994-05-06)6 May 1994 (aged 27)	0	Montpellier
Franco Mostert	Lock	(1990-11-27)27 November 1990 (aged 30)	40	Honda Heat
Marvin Orie	Lock	(1993-06-02)2 June 1993 (aged 27)	4	Stormers
RG Snyman	Lock	(1995-01-29)29 January 1995 (aged 26)	23	Munster
Dan du Preez	Loose forward	(1995-08-05)5 August 1995 (aged 26)	4	Sale Sharks
Jean-Luc du Preez	Loose forward	(1995-08-05)5 August 1995 (aged 25)	13	Sale Sharks
Pieter-Steph du Toit	Loose forward	(1992-08-20)20 August 1992 (aged 28)	56	Stormers
Rynhardt Elstadt	Loose forward	(1989-12-20)20 December 1989 (aged 31)	2	Toulouse
Siya Kolisi (c)	Loose forward	(1991-06-16)16 June 1991 (aged 30)	51	Sharks
Kwagga Smith	Loose forward	(1996-06-11)11 June 1996 (aged 25)	7	Yamaha Júbilo
Marco van Staden	Loose forward	(1995-08-25)25 August 1995 (aged 25)	3	Bulls
Duane Vermeulen	Loose forward	(1986-07-03)3 July 1986 (aged 35)	54	Bulls
Jasper Wiese	Loose forward	(1995-10-21)21 October 1995 (aged 25)	1	Leicester Tigers
Faf de Klerk	Scrum-half	(1991-10-19)19 October 1991 (aged 29)	30	Sale Sharks
Herschel Jantjies	Scrum-half	(1996-04-22)22 April 1996 (aged 25)	11	Stormers
Sanele Nohamba	Scrum-half	(1999-01-19)19 January 1999 (aged 22)	0	Sharks
Cobus Reinach	Scrum-half	(1990-02-07)7 February 1990 (aged 31)	15	Montpellier
Elton Jantjies	Fly-half	(1990-08-01)1 August 1990 (aged 30)	38	Pau
Handré Pollard	Fly-half	(1994-03-11)11 March 1994 (aged 27)	49	Montpellier
Morné Steyn	Fly-half	(1984-07-11)11 July 1984 (aged 37)	66	Bulls
Lukhanyo Am	Centre	(1993-11-28)28 November 1993 (aged 27)	15	Sharks
Damian de Allende	Centre	(1991-11-25)25 November 1991 (aged 29)	47	Munster
Jesse Kriel	Centre	(1994-02-15)15 February 1994 (aged 27)	47	Canon Eagles
Wandisile Simelane	Centre	(1998-03-21)21 March 1998 (aged 23)	0	Lions
François Steyn	Centre	(1987-05-14)14 May 1987 (aged 34)	68	Cheetahs
Cheslin Kolbe	Wing	(1993-10-28)28 October 1993 (aged 27)	14	Toulouse
Makazole Mapimpi	Wing	(1990-07-26)26 July 1990 (aged 30)	14	Sharks
Sbu Nkosi	Wing	(1996-01-21)21 January 1996 (aged 25)	11	Sharks
Yaw Penxe	Wing	(1997-04-03)3 April 1997 (aged 24)	0	Sharks
Rosko Specman	Wing	(1989-04-28)28 April 1989 (aged 32)	1	Cheetahs
Aphelele Fassi	Fullback	(1998-01-23)23 January 1998 (aged 23)	1	Sharks
Willie le Roux	Fullback	(1989-08-18)18 August 1989 (aged 31)	62	Toyota Verblitz
Damian Willemse	Fullback	(1998-05-07)7 May 1998 (aged 23)	7	Stormers

Matches

British & Irish Lions v Japan

The Lions began their 2021 tour with their first ever match in Scotland. Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones was substituted in the 7th minute after suffering a dislocated shoulder that seemed to rule him out of the tour. The Lions went 21–0 up in the first 23 minutes, through tries from Josh Adams, Duhan van der Merwe and Robbie Henshaw, all converted by Dan Biggar, but also lost flanker Justin Tipuric to a shoulder injury in the 21st minute. Tadhg Beirne added a fourth try after half-time, again converted by Biggar to make it 28–0. Japan responded with a try by Kazuki Himeno after 58 minutes, converted by Yu Tamura, who also kicked a penalty with 12 minutes to go to make the final score 28–10.^[30]

26 June 2021 15:00 BST (UTC+01)

British & Irish Lions	28–10	Japan
Try: Adams 11' c Van der Merwe 17' c Henshaw 22' c Beirne 48' c Con: Biggar (4/4) 13', 18', 23', 48'	Report	Try: Himeno 58' c Con: Tamura (1/1) 60' Pen: Tamura (1/2) 68'

Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 16,500 Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France)

Team details

FB 15 Liam Williams  64' RW 14 Josh Adams OC 13 Robbie Henshaw IC 12 Bundee Aki  54' LW 11 Duhan van der Merwe FH 10 Dan Biggar SH 9 Conor Murray  60' N8 8 Jack Conan OF 7 Justin Tipuric  21' BF 6 Tadhg Beirne RL 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c)  7' LL 4 Iain Henderson TP 3 Tadhg Furlong  50' HK 2 Ken Owens  54' LP 1 Rory Sutherland  50' Replacements: HK 16 Jamie George  54' PR 17 Wyn Jones  50' PR 18 Kyle Sinckler  50' LK 19 Courtney Lawes  7' N8 20 Taulupe Faletau  21' SH 21 Ali Price  60' FH 22 Owen Farrell  54' WG 23 Anthony Watson  64' Coach: Warren Gatland FB 15 Ryohei Yamanaka RW 14 Kotaro Matsushima OC 13 Timothy Lafaele IC 12 Ryoto Nakamura LW 11 Siosaia Fifita FH 10 Yu Tamura SH 9 Kaito Shigeno  49' N8 8 Amanaki Mafi  49' OF 7 Lappies Labuschagné BF 6 Michael Leitch (c)  49' RL 5 James Moore LL 4 Wimpie van der Walt  60' TP 3 Koo Ji-won  49' HK 2 Atsushi Sakate LP 1 Keita Inagaki  53' Replacements: HK 16 Kosuke Horikoshi PR 17 Craig Millar  53' PR 18 Asaeli Ai Valu  49' FL 19 Jack Cornelsen  60' FL 20 Kazuki Himeno  49' N8 21 Tevita Tatafu  49' SH 22 Naoto Saito  49' FH 23 Rikiya Matsuda Coach: Jamie Joseph Player of the Match: Dan Biggar (British & Irish Lions) Assistant referees: Pierre Brousset (France) Ludovic Cayre (France) Television match official: Eric Gauzins (France) Notes: Hamish Watson and Zander Fagerson (British & Irish Lions) were named to start, but were withdrawn in the days leading up to the game due to injuries to the head and back respectively. Justin Tipuric replaced Watson, while Tadhg Furlong was promoted from the bench to replace Fagerson; Kyle Sinckler replaced Furlong on the bench.[31][32] No replacement was made for Jack Conan. Jack Cornelsen, Siosaia Fifita, Craig Millar and Naoto Saito (all Japan) made their international debuts. Japan became the eighth test nation to play the Lions.[33] Josh Adams, Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Wyn Jones, Ali Price, Rory Sutherland and Duhan van der Merwe all made their Lions debuts.[34]

Lions v British & Irish Lions

3 July 2021 18:00 SAST (UTC+02)

Lions	14–56	British & Irish Lions
Try: V. Tshituka 34' c Maxwane 43' c Con: Hendrikse (2/2) 35', 44'	Report	Try: Rees-Zammit 3' c H. Watson 6' c Price 32' c Adams (4) 41' c, 53' c, 67' c, 71' c Davies 65' c Con: Farrell (8/8) 4', 7', 33', 41', 55', 66', 68', 72'

Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg Attendance: 0 Referee: AJ Jacobs (South Africa)

Team details

FB 15 EW Viljoen RW 14 Jamba Ulengo OC 13 Mannie Rass IC 12 Burger Odendaal  55' LW 11 Rabz Maxwane FH 10 Jordan Hendrikse  66' SH 9 Dillon Smit  39'  40'  55' N8 8 Francke Horn (c) BF 7 Vincent Tshituka OF 6 Sibusiso Sangweni  66' RL 5 Reinhard Nothnagel  69' LL 4 Ruben Schoeman TP 3 Ruan Dreyer  55' HK 2 PJ Botha  55' LP 1 Nathan McBeth  55' Replacements: HK 16 Jaco Visagie  55' PR 17 Sti Sithole  55' PR 18 Carlü Sadie  55' LK 19 Ruhan Straeuli  66' FL 20 Emmanuel Tshituka  69' SH 21 Morné van den Berg  39'  40'  55' FH 22 Fred Zeilinga  55' CE 23 Dan Kriel  66' Coach: Ivan van Rooyen FB 15 Stuart Hogg (c) RW 14 Louis Rees-Zammit OC 13 Chris Harris  69' IC 12 Owen Farrell LW 11 Josh Adams FH 10 Finn Russell  60' SH 9 Ali Price  60' N8 8 Taulupe Faletau  55' OF 7 Hamish Watson BF 6 Courtney Lawes RL 5 Jonny Hill LL 4 Maro Itoje  69' TP 3 Kyle Sinckler  55' HK 2 Jamie George  69' LP 1 Wyn Jones  55' Replacements: HK 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie  69' PR 17 Mako Vunipola  55' PR 18 Zander Fagerson  55' LK 19 Iain Henderson  69' N8 20 Sam Simmonds  55' SH 21 Gareth Davies  60' CE 22 Bundee Aki  69' CE 23 Elliot Daly  60' Coach: Warren Gatland Player of the Match: Hamish Watson (British & Irish Lions) Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England) Jaco Peyper (South Africa) Television match official: Stuart Berry (South Africa)

Sharks v British & Irish Lions

7 July 2021 20:00 SAST (UTC+02)

Sharks	7–54	British & Irish Lions
Try: Venter 50' c Con: Bosch (1/1) 50'	Report	Try: Adams (3) 2' c, 56' c, 77' c Van der Merwe (3) 6' c, 25' m, 73' c Aki 38' c Rees-Zammit 60' c Con: Farrell (3/4) 3', 6', 40' Russell (4/4) 57', 61', 74', 79'

Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg Attendance: 0 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

Team details

FB 15 Manie Libbok  62' RW 14 Werner Kok 20' to 30' OC 13 Jeremy Ward IC 12 Marius Louw LW 11 Thaakir Abrahams FH 10 Curwin Bosch SH 9 Jaden Hendrikse  67' N8 8 Phepsi Buthelezi (c) BF 7 Thembelani Bholi  55' OF 6 James Venter RL 5 Hyron Andrews  8' LL 4 Ruben van Heerden  61' TP 3 Khutha Mchunu  45' HK 2 Fez Mbatha  55' LP 1 Khwezi Mona  45' Replacements: HK 16 Kerron van Vuuren  55' PR 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu  45' PR 18 Wiehahn Herbst  45' LK 19 JJ van der Mescht  61' LK 20 Reniel Hugo  8' FL 21 Dylan Richardson  55' SH 22 Grant Williams  67' WG 23 Anthony Volmink  62' Coach: Sean Everitt FB 15 Josh Adams RW 14 Louis Rees-Zammit OC 13 Elliot Daly IC 12 Bundee Aki LW 11 Duhan van der Merwe FH 10 Owen Farrell  51' SH 9 Ali Price N8 8 Sam Simmonds  61' OF 7 Tom Curry  61' BF 6 Josh Navidi  71' RL 5 Adam Beard LL 4 Iain Henderson (c)  67' TP 3 Zander Fagerson  51' HK 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie  55' LP 1 Mako Vunipola  51' Replacements: HK 16 Ken Owens  55' PR 17 Rory Sutherland  51' PR 18 Tadhg Furlong  51' LK 19 Maro Itoje  67' N8 20 Jack Conan  61' FL 21 Hamish Watson  71' FH 22 Finn Russell  51' N8 23 Taulupe Faletau  61' Coach: Warren Gatland Player of the Match: Duhan van der Merwe (British & Irish Lions) Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England) AJ Jacobs (South Africa) Television match official: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa) Notes: Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies, Anthony Watson, Liam Williams (all starting XV), Tadhg Beirne, Chris Harris, Stuart Hogg and Conor Murray (all replacements) were named in the Lions team, but were removed prior to the match, after either testing positive for COVID-19 or having close contact with a tour member who tested positive. They were replaced by Josh Adams, Taulupe Faletau, Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje, Ali Price, Finn Russell, Louis Rees-Zammit and Hamish Watson.[35]

Sharks v British & Irish Lions

10 July 2021 18:00 SAST (UTC+02)

Sharks	31–71	British & Irish Lions
Try: Volmink (2) 10' c, 35' c Abrahams 14' m Hendrikse 23' c Kok 52' m Con: Cronjé (3/5) 11', 24', 36'	Report	Try: Harris 4' c George (2) 20' m, 54' c Van der Merwe 25' c Beirne (2) 38' c, 63' c Conan 47' m Daly 50' c A. Watson (2) 58' c, 79' m Curry 66' c Con: Biggar (8/10) 5', 26', 39', 51', 55', 58', 64', 66'

Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria Attendance: 0 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

Team details

FB 15 Anthony Volmink RW 14 Marnus Potgieter OC 13 Werner Kok IC 12 Murray Koster  65' LW 11 Thaakir Abrahams FH 10 Lionel Cronjé  59' SH 9 Jaden Hendrikse  45' N8 8 Phepsi Buthelezi (c)  59' BF 7 Mpilo Gumede  49' OF 6 Dylan Richardson RL 5 Reniel Hugo LL 4 Le Roux Roets  49' TP 3 Wiehahn Herbst  53' HK 2 Kerron van Vuuren  59' LP 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu  51' Replacements: HK 16 Dan Jooste  59' PR 17 Mzamo Majola  51' PR 18 Khutha Mchunu FL 19 Thembelani Bholi  59' LK 20 Jeandre Labuschagne  49' SH 21 Cameron Wright  49' FH 22 Boeta Chamberlain  59' CE 23 Jeremy Ward PR 24 Lourens Adriaanse  53' CE 25 Rynhardt Jonker  65' FH 26 Curwin Bosch Coach: Sean Everitt FB 15 Liam Williams RW 14 Anthony Watson OC 13 Elliot Daly IC 12 Chris Harris  67' LW 11 Duhan van der Merwe FH 10 Dan Biggar SH 9 Gareth Davies  46' N8 8 Jack Conan  55' OF 7 Hamish Watson  59' BF 6 Tadhg Beirne RL 5 Jonny Hill LL 4 Courtney Lawes  65' TP 3 Tadhg Furlong  55' HK 2 Jamie George (c)  55' LP 1 Rory Sutherland  55' Replacements: HK 16 Ken Owens  55' PR 17 Wyn Jones  55' PR 18 Kyle Sinckler  55' LK 19 Adam Beard  65' N8 20 Sam Simmonds  55' FL 21 Tom Curry  59' SH 22 Conor Murray  75'  46' CE 23 Bundee Aki  67' Coach: Warren Gatland Player of the Match: Elliot Daly (British & Irish Lions) Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa) AJ Jacobs (South Africa) Television match official: Stuart Berry (South Africa) Notes: Maro Itoje (British & Irish Lions) was named to start but withdrew due to illness and was replaced by Courtney Lawes; Adam Beard took Lawes' place on the bench. Finn Russell was named on the bench, but also withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Bundee Aki. Jamie George became the first Englishman to captain a British & Irish Lions team since Phil Vickery captained the side against Western Province in 2009.

South Africa A v British & Irish Lions

14 July 2021 20:00 SAST (UTC+02)

South Africa A	17–13	British & Irish Lions
Try: Nkosi 12' c Am 31' c Con: Steyn (2/2) 13', 33' Pen: Steyn (1/2) 5'	Report	Try: Jones 43' c Con: Farrell (1/1) 44' Pen: Farrell (2/2) 27', 50'

Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Attendance: 0 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

Team details

FB 15 Willie le Roux  54' RW 14 Cheslin Kolbe OC 13 Lukhanyo Am (c) IC 12 Damian de Allende  52' LW 11 Sbu Nkosi FH 10 Morné Steyn SH 9 Faf de Klerk 38' to 48' N8 8 Jasper Wiese  72' BF 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit  42' OF 6 Marco van Staden 39' to 49'  64' RL 5 Franco Mostert LL 4 Eben Etzebeth TP 3 Trevor Nyakane  41' HK 2 Joseph Dweba  38' LP 1 Steven Kitshoff  60' Replacements: HK 16 Malcolm Marx  38' PR 17 Coenie Oosthuizen  60' PR 18 Vincent Koch  41' LK 19 Nico Janse van Rensburg  64' FL 20 Rynhardt Elstadt  42' SH 21 Herschel Jantjies  72' CE 22 Jesse Kriel  54' CE 23 Damian Willemse  52' FL 24 Kwagga Smith FH 25 Elton Jantjies Coach: Rassie Erasmus[lower-alpha 3] FB 15 Liam Williams  14' RW 14 Louis Rees-Zammit OC 13 Chris Harris IC 12 Bundee Aki LW 11 Anthony Watson FH 10 Owen Farrell SH 9 Conor Murray (c)  75' N8 8 Taulupe Faletau  47' OF 7 Tom Curry BF 6 Josh Navidi  69' RL 5 Iain Henderson  60' LL 4 Maro Itoje TP 3 Kyle Sinckler  62' HK 2 Ken Owens  50' LP 1 Wyn Jones  45' Replacements: HK 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie  50' PR 17 Mako Vunipola  45' PR 18 Zander Fagerson  62' LK 19 Adam Beard  60' FL 20 Tadhg Beirne  69' N8 21 Sam Simmonds  47' SH 22 Gareth Davies  75' CE 23 Elliot Daly  14' Coach: Warren Gatland Player of the Match: Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa A) Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England) Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa) Television match official: Marius Jonker (South Africa) Notes Josh Adams (British & Irish Lions) was withdrawn from the squad for personal reasons and was replaced by Liam Williams, meaning Anthony Watson shifted from fullback to wing.[37] Dan Biggar (British & Irish Lions) was also in the initial XV but was withdrawn from the squad prior to kick-off and replaced by Owen Farrell.[37]

Stormers v British & Irish Lions

17 July 2021 18:00 SAST (UTC+02)

Stormers	3–49	British & Irish Lions
Pen: Swiel (1/1) 19'	Report	Try: Beard 27' c Cowan-Dickie 33' c Hill 40' c Conan 49' c Fagerson 67' c Rees-Zammit 73' c Simmonds 77' c Con: Smith (7/7) 28', 34', 40', 50', 68', 75', 78'

Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Attendance: 0 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

Team details

FB 15 Sergeal Petersen RW 14 Leolin Zas  61' OC 13 Juan de Jongh IC 12 Dan du Plessis  65' LW 11 Edwill van der Merwe FH 10 Tim Swiel  48' SH 9 Godlen Masimla N8 8 Evan Roos  65' BF 7 Johan du Toit OF 6 Nama Xaba  61' RL 5 JD Schickerling LL 4 Ernst van Rhyn (c) TP 3 Neethling Fouché  66' HK 2 JJ Kotze  48' LP 1 Leon Lyons  65' Replacements: HK 16 Andre-Hugo Venter  48' PR 17 Dian Bleuler  65' PR 18 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko  66' LK 19 Justin Basson  65' FL 20 Marcel Theunissen  61' SH 21 Thomas Bursey  61' FH 22 Abner van Reenen  48' CE 23 Cornel Smit  65' FL 24 Niel Otto Coach: John Dobson FB 15 Stuart Hogg (c) RW 14 Josh Adams  57' OC 13 Elliot Daly IC 12 Robbie Henshaw  57' LW 11 Duhan van der Merwe FH 10 Marcus Smith SH 9 Ali Price  57' N8 8 Jack Conan  57' OF 7 Hamish Watson BF 6 Tadhg Beirne RL 5 Jonny Hill LL 4 Adam Beard  53' TP 3 Tadhg Furlong  53' HK 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie  48' LP 1 Rory Sutherland  48' Replacements: HK 16 Jamie George  48' PR 17 Mako Vunipola  48' PR 18 Zander Fagerson  53' LK 19 Alun Wyn Jones  53' N8 20 Sam Simmonds  57' SH 21 Gareth Davies  57' CE 22 Chris Harris  57' WG 23 Louis Rees-Zammit  57' Coach: Warren Gatland Player of the Match: Luke Cowan-Dickie (British & Irish Lions) Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa) AJ Jacobs (South Africa) Television match official: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa) Notes: Rikus Pretorius and Seabelo Senatla (starting XV) and Kwenzo Blose and Sazi Sandi (replacements) were named in the Stormers team, but were withdrawn ahead of the game, with Leolin Zas and Juan de Jongh being moved to the starting XV. The Stormers bench was reduced from twelve to nine, which included the addition of Dian Bleuler.

South Africa v British & Irish Lions (first test)

24 July 2021 18:00 SAST (UTC+02)

South Africa	17–22	British & Irish Lions
Try: De Klerk 49' m Pen: Pollard (4/5) 13', 17', 26', 30'	Report	Try: Cowan-Dickie 43' c Con: Biggar (1/1) 44' Pen: Biggar (4/5) 19', 52', 55', 62' Farrell (1/1) 78'

Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Attendance: 0 Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)

FB 15 Willie le Roux  66' RW 14 Cheslin Kolbe OC 13 Lukhanyo Am IC 12 Damian de Allende LW 11 Makazole Mapimpi FH 10 Handré Pollard  70' SH 9 Faf de Klerk  73' N8 8 Kwagga Smith  63' BF 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit OF 6 Siya Kolisi (c) RL 5 Franco Mostert  62' LL 4 Eben Etzebeth TP 3 Trevor Nyakane  40' HK 2 Bongi Mbonambi  40' LP 1 Ox Nché  40' Replacements: HK 16 Malcolm Marx  40' PR 17 Steven Kitshoff  40' PR 18 Frans Malherbe  40' LK 19 Lood de Jager  62' FL 20 Rynhardt Elstadt  63' SH 21 Herschel Jantjies  73' FH 22 Elton Jantjies  70' FB 23 Damian Willemse  66' Coach: Jacques Nienaber

FB 15 Stuart Hogg RW 14 Anthony Watson OC 13 Elliot Daly  64'  66' IC 12 Robbie Henshaw LW 11 Duhan van der Merwe  70' FH 10 Dan Biggar  66' SH 9 Ali Price  63' N8 8 Jack Conan OF 7 Tom Curry  56' BF 6 Courtney Lawes  72' RL 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c) LL 4 Maro Itoje TP 3 Tadhg Furlong  66' HK 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie  56' LP 1 Rory Sutherland  56' Replacements: HK 16 Ken Owens  56' PR 17 Mako Vunipola  56' PR 18 Kyle Sinckler  66' LK 19 Tadhg Beirne  72' FL 20 Hamish Watson  56' SH 21 Conor Murray  63' FH 22 Owen Farrell  64' FB 23 Liam Williams  70' Coach: Warren Gatland

Player of the Match: Maro Itoje (British & Irish Lions)[38] Assistant referees: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) Mathieu Raynal (France) Television match official: Marius Jonker (South Africa) [lower-alpha 4]

Notes:

• Wyn Jones (British & Irish Lions) was originally named in the starting XV, but withdrew ahead of the game due to injury. He was replaced by Rory Sutherland, who was replaced by Mako Vunipola on the bench.^[40]
• Tadhg Beirne, Dan Biggar, Tom Curry, Jack Conan, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Robbie Henshaw, Stuart Hogg, Ali Price, Rory Sutherland, Duhan van der Merwe and Hamish Watson all made their Lions test debuts.
• Handré Pollard (South Africa) earned his 50th test cap.
• With Stuart Hogg, Duhan van der Merwe, Ali Price and Rory Sutherland in the starting line-up, this match represented the first time since 2005 that any Scottish player started a British & Irish Lions test match, and the most Scottish players named in starting line-up since 1989.