Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Dan Sheridan/INPHO LIVE: First Nations & Pasifika XV v British & Irish Lions, Australia tour 2025 Owen Farrell captains the Lions at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, with kick-off at 11am Irish time. 10.00am, 22 Jul 2025 Share options About your hosts The First Nations & Pasifika side, meanwhile, is a fairly hastily-arranged team composed of First Nations peoples, i.e. those who hail from the Samoan, Fijian, Tongan, Māori, and Cook Island cultures which contribute to the rugby union community across Australia. They were chosen as the Lions’ final warm-up opponents due to the collapse last year of Super Rugby’s Melbourne Rebels, who had been due to fill this slot in their home city. Today will be the invitational side’s first ever game. The First Nations’ head coach is Tongan-Australian great Toutai Kefu, who won a World Cup in 1999 and starred in the Wallabies’ first ever series win over the Lions in 2001. Kefu’s assistant coach is All Blacks legend Tana Umaga, whom you might recall played a key role in the Lions’ 2005 tour of New Zealand… Toutai Kefu in action against Ireland in 2002.INPHO Tana Umaga (R) renewing acquaintances with Brian O'Driscoll for an advertising campaign in 2018.Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO Good morning! How’re we doing, folks? Welcome to The 42′s live coverage of the British & Irish Lions’ final midweek game in Australia. They’ll take on a First Nations & Pasifika side in Melbourne at 11am Irish time. It’s Gavan Casey with you here, and if you’re not at Marvel Stadium or don’t feel cheeky enough to watch the game during your workday, I’ll keep you up to date here. Lions fans in Melbourne.James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO Andy Farrell addressing his side ahead of kick-off.Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO The second Test between Australia and the Lions will take place at the 100,000-capacity MCG — known locally as “The ‘G” — in the same city on Saturday. Today will be the final chance for the likes of Ireland’s Josh van der Flier, Wales’ Jac Morgan and England’s Henry Pollock to force their way into Andy Farrell’s Test 23. Advertisement Gavan Casey View 4 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “LIVE: First Nations & Pasifika XV v British & Irish Lions, Australia tour 2025”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “LIVE: First Nations & Pasifika XV v British & Irish Lions, Australia tour 2025”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. 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