Telegraph Sport understands that executives from the sport’s most famous invitational side are interested in prefacing the women’s tour in 2027 and the men’s in 2029, which are both to New Zealand, with a Test across the Channel − against Les Bleues and Les Bleus − in much the same way that this year’s tourists will face Argentina in Dublin before travelling to Australia for the tour proper. It is understood that talks between the Lions and the Fédération Française de Rugby have accelerated in recent weeks to the point where this is being explored in France as a viable option for the inaugural women’s tour in 2027 and two years later ahead of the men’s series against the All Blacks. Should negotiations continue as expected, the sticking point would centre around whether the FFR and the Lions could convince the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), the umbrella body for France’s clubs, to release their players for the fixture, given that any such meeting is likely to be outside of World Rugby’s Regulation Nine window, which does not begin until the first weekend of July. Therefore, the FFR and the Lions will either have to convince the LNR − one of rugby’s most powerful organisations − to release its players for a one-off Test, or come to an arrangement whereby a potential fixture does not include any players featuring in the French Top 14 final. This year, France’s men’s team will almost definitely tour New Zealand without any players featuring in the Top 14 final on June 28. Les Bleus face the All Blacks in the first Test a week later, on July 5. “The Lions are very interested but it relies on a frank and open conversation with the LNR,” an FFR source told Telegraph Sport. Talks have not yet progressed to potential venues but Paris, Bordeaux and Marseille would all come under strong consideration given the size of their stadiums and their historic success in hosting international rugby matches. Given the strength of the sport in France − Six Nations viewing figures across the Channel have dwarfed those of the French football team in the past month − and with its club game booming, the move could prove to be a shrewd one both in terms of economics but also as an option for fans who cannot travel to the other side of the world to watch the Lions. US tour plans At the end of last year, Telegraph Sport reported how the Lions and New Zealand Rugby were exploring staging a match in the United States ahead of the 2029 tour, with Las Vegas, Chicago and Los Angeles mooted as possible destinations. At this stage, it is unclear whether both matches could take place as part of the same tour, but an NZR source told Telegraph Sport that they were still hoping to convince the Lions to do a curtain-raiser match in either Asia or North America and that executives from the touring side were still keen. The concept of a Lions tour to France has long been debated, but there is no suggestion at this stage that the Australia-New Zealand-South Africa rotation will be interrupted. The one and only time the Lions have faced France was in 1989, in a non-cap friendly as part of the celebrations for the Bicentennial of the French Revolution. The match, which took place at the Parc des Princes in Paris − now occupied by the PSG football team − pitted a Lions side featuring the likes of Rory Underwood and Jeremy Guscott against a virtually full-strength France team; Philippe Sella and Serge Blanco both started alongside other stars. The Lions won 29-27 thanks to two tries from Gavin Hastings and another scored by Rob Andrew. Telegraph Sport has approached the Lions for comment.