Lions get Honkers date

The British and Irish Lions will begin their 2013 tour of Australia with a match en route in Hong Kong.

The British and Irish Lions will begin their 2013 tour of Australia with a match en route in Hong Kong.

The tourists will then play the rest of the ten-match tour in Australia, with three Tests at the end of June/beginning of July.

The Hong Kong date is likely to be June 1, and will be a match against the Barbarians rather than Argentina, as had been originally mooted. It is expected to generate up to GBP5m ($7.8m) for the tourists.

It is also thought that former Scotland and Irish Lions full-back Andy Irvine from the 1974 tour to South Africa is in line to manage the 2013 tour.

Fixtures for the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia are expected to be released later this year but it is expected the first Test will be on June the 22nd in Brisbane, the second Test on June the 29th in Melbourne and the third and final Test in Sydney on June the 6th.