BBC to broadcast 2019 Great Britain Lions tour

Great Britain’s return to the international rugby league stage after a 12-year absence will be televised exclusively on the BBC this autumn.

The Lions will play four matches on consecutive Saturdays from 26 October to 16 November – two against New Zealand, and one each against Tonga and Papua New Guinea, with all four Tests shown live and free-to-air on the BBC.

In addition to live coverage of all four matches on BBC network TV, there will be an extended highlights programme for each game later the same day on BBC One.

Great Britain’s last international appearances came in a 3-0 home whitewash of New Zealand in 2007, while the last GB Lions trip to the southern hemisphere came in the previous year’s Tri-Nations series.

Commenting on the BBC’s coverage of this series in the autumn, director of sport Barbara Slater said:

“We are delighted the Great Britain Rugby League Lions will be back in action and on BBC Sport this autumn.

“They have certainly provided some iconic moments over the years and with the Rugby League World Cup in the UK just two years away, this series will showcase some of the best talent and offer a taster of what’s to come.”

The famous white jersey with the red and blue chevron, first worn in 1924, has not been in action since 2007, having been retired when England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales all competed separately in the 2008 World Cup.

But throughout the history of rugby league, the Great Britain Lions have helped provide some of the sport’s most iconic memories at international level.

In 1914, inspired by the great Harold Wagstaff, Britain won a decider against Australia in Sydney, despite finishing the game with only 10 men because of injury. It became known as the “Rorke’s Drift Test”.

More recent highlights include Jonathan Davies’ solo effort that helped a 12-man Great Britain produce a win against the odds over Australia at Wembley in 1994, while the last GB victory on tour was a Sean Long-inspired defeat of the Australians in Sydney in November 2006.

Mark Foster, the RFL’s Chief Commercial Officer, added:

“It’s great to be able to announce that the return of Great Britain will be shown live to the nation by the BBC.

“There has been such a positive reaction from players and fans since the details of the 2019 Rugby League Lions tour were confirmed – and even more since the new Great Britain jersey was launched.

“So many of the iconic memories of the past, whether Great Britain winning in Sydney in 1988, or famous wins against Australia at Wembley in 1990 and 1994, were shown by the BBC.”

The 2019 Great Britain Lions tour will be covered across all platforms of the BBC, including online streaming via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website/app – bbc.co.uk/rugbyleague – as well as BBC Radio 5 Live. Dates and times for the BBC’s TV coverage can be found below.

–

SATURDAY 26th OCTOBER

–

SATURDAY 2nd NOVEMBER

–

SATURDAY 9th NOVEMBER

–

SATURDAY 16th NOVEMBER

–