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.

Quick Facts & Irish Lions tour to South Africa, Coach(es) ...

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

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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.

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]