The 2017 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand itinerary has been announced overnight, with 10 matches scheduled on the land of the long white cloud.
The tour is shorter than the one taken in back in 2005 when New Zealand last hosted the Lions, which ended in a 3-0 test series win for the All Blacks.
Auckland to host two Test matches
In a slight surprise to the schedule, Auckland's Eden Park will host both the First and Third Test matches, with the Westpac Stadium in Wellington hosting the Second Test.
It means all of the Test matches will be played in the North of the country, with the South Island completely ignored for the main matches of the tour.
All five Super Rugby franchises to host Lions
Each of the five Kiwi Super Rugby franchises will host the Lions in 2017, throughout the tour, making it one of the toughest schedules possible.
The recent Super Rugby champion Highlanders will welcome the Lions to Forsyth Barr Stadium on June 13th, with losing finalists, the Hurricanes, taking on the tourists in between the First and Second Tests.
The Crusaders, Blues and Chiefs will also take on the British squad in June 2017, which will really test the strength of the squad which travels over as there will be no let-ups from the opposition.
Tourists given chance to re-write Maori wrongs
Another of the scheduled tour matches, sees the Lions travel to Rotorua to take on a New Zealand Maori side at the International Stadium.
Back in 2005, the Lions were handed a 19-13 defeat by a Maori side, which was seen as a marker for the Test series where the Lions were trounced in all three matches by a Dan Carter insprired All Blacks side.
Playing against the Maori's a week out from the 2017 Test series, the Lions will be under pressure to lay down a marker against a group of players who will be doing their upmost to ruin the tourists build-up before the main leg of the tour as they did 12 year's previously.
Full Schedule:
3 June - Provincial union team - Toll Stadium, Whangarei
7 June - Blues - Eden Park, Auckland
10 June - Crusaders - AMI Stadium, Christchurch
13 June - Highlanders - Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
17 June - Maori - International Stadium, Rotorua
20 June - Chiefs - Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
24 June - New Zealand - First Test, Eden Park, Auckland
27 June - Hurricanes - Westpac Stadium, Wellington
1 July - New Zealand - Second Test, Westpac Stadium, Wellington
8 July - New Zealand - Third Test, Eden Park, Auckland.