News, Rugby December 6, 2020

The British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa 2021……November News Bites

The British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa 2021……November News Bites
Well here we are eight months away and closing from one of the most exciting contests on offer in world rugby in the New Year. The British & Irish Lions go head-to-head with the world champion Springboks in South Africa. A not to be missed event: three colossal Tests preceded by five warm-up matches against, an Invitational South Africa side, the best of South Africa’s provincial clubs and South Africa A, running from July 3rd to August 7th 2021. Rugby might have had to make the best of a bad job in 2020 in the thrall of the coronavirus pandemic but as 2021 approaches there’s much more to look forward to. And this edition of The British & Irish Lions Tour is quite simply special as are the people and scenery of their host nation South Africa. So don’t forget to book your Lions tickets and tour packages without delay and we’ll keep you up to date with latest news. Sleep, who needs it!

South African rugby fans snap up tickets for The British & Irish Lions Tour 2021 Tickets to watch the British & Irish Lions take on a special South Africa Invitational side and later South Africa ‘A’‚ as well as games against provincial teams the Stormers‚ Sharks and Bulls priced at R100 went on general sale in South Africa on a first-come-first-served basis on the 18th of November, but soon sold out. SA Rugby reported in a statement that sales had reopened following a complete reconciliation of the ballot process‚ which evidenced that all three-Test matches had been over-subscribed by as much as 574 percent. “Those who were unlucky enough to miss out in the ballot have been notified by email of the second chance‚ which will commence at 10h00 on Wednesday‚ November 18 via www.lionstour2021.co.za (SA time)‚” the statement read. Jurie Roux‚ SA Rugby’s chief executive commented. “We had a tremendous uptake when the ballot opened; with the ‘sold out’ signs going up for the Tests and close to sold out for the provincial matches.”.“Now that those sales have been confirmed, we can put the balance of the tickets into the market to give more people the chance to be part of this once-in-a-decade experience. “Lions tours of South Africa come around less frequently than do Rugby World Cups. They are occasions that make rugby history in the biggest way. This is another chance to be part of the magic.”In terms of the Lions’ schedule building up to the three Tests: First up Cape Town stadium and the first international rugby match to be played there, an opening contest against a strong Stormers side on the 3rd of July. The Lions then visit Port Elizabeth to play a South Africa Invitational team on the 7th of July. This will be followed by a trip to Durban to face the Sharks on the 10th of July‚ then on to Nelspruit to meet South Africa ‘A’ on the14th of July and finally Pretoria to take on the Bulls on the 17th of July.

The British & Irish Lions agree media services partnership with PT SportSuite

Digital platform innovators PT SportSuite have been selected by The British & Irish Lions as media services partner to help the Lions’ to deliver the story of their 2021 tour to South Africa. The partnership will establish a cloud media ecosystem to transform the way in which the Lions collect, manage and share their digital media, also enabling the capture and collection of media content from players and supporters. Transformation of the Lions’ digital media workflow will unlock the power of their digital media archive and provide video OTT distribution to the tour mobile app and web platform, allowing supporters to enjoy higher grade sporting content than ever before. In a key decision factor for The British & Irish Lions is that PT SportSuite will work with existing partners to ensure complete collaboration among all stakeholders through the provision of an official media portal that offers sponsors real-time access to exclusive Lions media. The ‘sea of red’ Lions supporters are, as ever, considered the largest stakeholders. As a result as part of the effort to make South Africa 2021 a truly fan-first affair, supporters will be given an opportunity to add their own stamp on the touring team’s rich history by making their own Lions media submissions via a series of fan content challenges. PT SportSuite CEO Rich Cheary commented on the partnership: “It’s a great honour for our team to be working with the British & Irish Lions – one of the world’s great sporting brands – and their partners. “We’re looking forward to working with the Lions digital team to provide a sound and scalable foundation upon which to unearth the digital gems of past tours on a level not seen before, while providing passionate Lions fans with the opportunity to make an indelible mark on future tours. Their media contributions will add immense value to the ever growing Lions archive of tour-generated media.”

British & Irish Lions director of digital, media and communication Shane Whelan responded to Rich Cheary’s remarks:

“We are delighted to have partnered with PT SportSuite, who we have worked closely with over the past few months. The digital archive is a fantastic addition and allows us to be more efficient in terms of storage of key digital assets.

“In addition, we have already seen the benefit of the video platform in terms of our new look website and recently launched app. We look forward to maximising the broad offering of fan engagement functionality that PT boasts over the next few months.” The PT SportSuite key objective is to transform sporting organisations into digital media powerhouses.