Home tour.

The British and Irish Lions have put in a request to move their tour of South Africa this summer to the UK and Ireland.

The famous touring side has put in an official request to the Government to underwrite a home ‘tour’ this summer, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

Following a board meeting last week, the report claims the Lions approached the Government to obtain financial guarantees which would clear the way for arrangements to be made for fixtures to be played in Britain and Ireland this summer.

The response was reportedly “positive” with Lions officials confident they will get the backing they need.

South Africa has not yet launched a vaccination programme, ruling out any chance of them hosting the Lions later this year. Australia has also offered to hos the tour and while that remains on the table, a home ‘tour’ seems to be the favoured option.

Crowd limits are in line to be lifted on June 21 in the UK, just in time for the Lions’ clash with Japan at Murrayfield, with Ireland expected to announce reopening plans in the coming weeks too.

Dublin, Edinburgh, London and Cardiff are being lined up as potential cities with the likes of Croke Park, Murrayfield, Twickenham and the Principality Stadium mooted as venues.