MX23RW : Saturday, January 18 04:23:02| >> :600:32084404:32084404:

Crowd of 16,500 to watch British and Irish Lions clash with Japan

It will be the first time fans have been allowed into Murrayfield for an international match since March last year.

A crowd of 16,500 will watch the British and Irish Lions' match against Japan at BT Murrayfield on June 26.

The prelude to the summer tour to South Africa will take place with social distancing measures restricting the number able to attend the 67,144-capacity home of Scottish rugby.

It is likely to be the only occasion when the Lions play in front of fans, with SA Rugby planning for all eight fixtures, including the Test series against the world champions, to take place behind closed doors.

"It will be brilliant to see a passionate crowd back at Murrayfield for what promises to be a superb game of rugby before we embark on the tour to South Africa," Lions managing director Ben Calveley said.

"I'm sure it will give the entire touring party an enormous boost to play this fixture in front of Lions fans.

"We are very grateful to the Scottish Government for its commitment and support to ensure this fixture would be seen by a live audience."

It is set to be the only 2021 Lions game attended by fans
The Murrayfield clash is set to be the only 2021 Lions game attended by fans (David Davies/PA)

It will be the first time fans have been allowed into Murrayfield for an international match since Scotland's 28-17 victory over France in March last year.

With the size of the crowd smaller than the number of tickets sold, a number of refunds will be issued by May 28, with Government advice deciding who is able to attend the historic showdown with the 2019 World Cup hosts.

It has yet to be decided whether the match will be given Test status, resulting in caps being awarded.

ID:448148:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4523:
Written by
P A

Coronavirus outbreak - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about British and Irish Lions

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
England head coach Eddie Jones pictured during training on November 11, 2020
Read Next:
Eddie Jones warns England to prepare for "great challenge" in World Cup pool
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool20145148202847
2Arsenal21127241192243
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest21125430201041
4Newcastle UnitedNewcastle21115537221538
5Chelsea21107441261537
6Manchester CityMan City2110563829935
7Aston Villa2110563132-135
8Bournemouth219753225734
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2171043229331
10Fulham217953230230
11Brentford218494037328
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd217592629-326
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham217592741-1426
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs21731143321124
15Crystal Palace215972328-524
16Everton203891526-1117
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2144133148-1716
18Ipswich TownIpswich2137112037-1716
19Leicester CityLeicester2135132346-2314
20Southampton2113171347-346


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!