The British & Irish Lions are "poised to make history by playing in front of what is expected to one of the largest crowds of the professional era" when they face South Africa's rugby team in '21. FNB Stadium in Johannesburg (88,000 capacity) will host the tour's first Test on July 24, 2021, and a sell-out crowd would be "higher than the 84,188 who witnessed the series decider against the Wallabies" in '01 at the Stadium Australia. The second Test "follows a week later at the Cape Town Stadium," with the final Test on Aug. 7 at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg. The three venus' combined capacity is "just below 205,000, which could make the three Tests" on the '21 tour the "best-attended of the professional era, potentially surpassing the 192,972 people who attended the three Tests in Australia" in '13 (London TELEGRAPH, 12/4).
The British & Irish Lions are to "continue pressing Premiership Rugby" to move their final from its scheduled slot on June 26, 2021, so that they can play" a $13.1M match in the U.K., probably at Twickenham Stadium, "ahead of departure for South Africa" (London TELEGRAPH, 12/4).
Meanwhile, England's Rugby Football Union has "moved into the black" in '18-19 as it "turned an operating profit" of $19.5M. Stronger sponsorship revenues, additional games staged at Twickenham and a "reduction in overall rugby investment and costs enabled the governing body to turn its financial picture around after it recorded a loss" of $32M the previous year. Total group revenues rose from $225.8M to $279M, of which $137.7M was "reinvested in the game at professional and community levels compared to a sum" of $141M over the previous year (RUGBYPASS, 12/4).
