Scotland have confirmed details of their summer tour which will see them visit New Zealand for the first time in 25 years. They will take on the Māori All Blacks, Fiji and Samoa with a squad which is likely to feature a number of new and fringe players. The tour clashes with the British & Irish Lions’ tour of Australia so Scotland will be without their Lions contingent as well as forwards coach, John Dalziel, who was last week named as one of Andy Farrell’s assistants. Gregor Townsend, the Scotland head coach, wants to take an experienced core but much will depend on how many Scots are called up by Farrell. The tour kicks off against the Māori All Blacks in Whangārei on Saturday, July 5. Scotland will then head to Suva to play Fiji on Saturday, July 12. Scotland came a cropper on their last visit to Suva, losing 27-22 to Fiji in 2017 during Townsend's first tour in charge. They will return to New Zealand for the final match, playing Samoa at the famous Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, July 18. No details of a UK broadcaster have been released as yet and the matches fall at unsociable times. The Māori All Blacks kicks off at 4.35am in the UK; the Fiji game is scheduled for 4am and the Samoa match for 9.05am. Scotland’s last tour of New Zealand, in 2000, was a full blown affair which saw them play seven matches, including two Tests against the All Blacks, and featured Townsend as a player. This trip south is more low key and was hatched, according to Scottish Rugby “as per World Rugby’s San Francisco calendar agreement which was decided in 2017”. Townsend still believes it will be a valuable learning experience. “It’s the first time since 2000 that we’ve been to New Zealand and spending time in a country with such a deep rugby culture is a unique and special experience,” said the coach. “There are players and coaches within our group who have never been there before and I know they are looking forward to the opportunity as well as the challenges we will face on the Tour. “Playing against the Māori All Blacks will be a proper introduction to New Zealand rugby and they will provide a strong test, especially in the contact area. “Fiji have shown over the past few seasons that they are a rising force in world rugby and will relish the chance of playing a Six Nations country at home. We will be challenged in attack and defence as well as very different weather conditions that we are used to in the northern hemisphere. “Finally, Samoa are one of the most physical teams in world rugby with how hard they hit in the tackle. They were very competitive at the World Cup in 2023 and secured an impressive win over Italy last summer. Playing at Eden Park is a wonderful opportunity for both teams and it will be a great setting to end our tour of the South Pacific. “With the Lions tour happening at the same time, I’m expecting that we will have to call up some players that weren’t involved in the Six Nations. But it will be an experienced group overall that we are planning to take out on tour, as we know these are three very tough games for us.” - Māori All Blacks v Scotland: Saturday 5 July 2025, Semenoff Stadium – Whangārei, kick-off 3.35pm local time (4.35am UK time) - Fiji v Scotland: Saturday 12 July 2025, HFC Bank Stadium, Suva, kick-off 3pm local time (4am UK time) - Samoa v Scotland: Friday 18 July 2025, Eden Park, Auckland, kick-off 8.05pm local time (9.05am UK time)