The 2017 mid-year rugby union internationals (also known as the summer internationals in the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

) were international

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

matches that were mostly played in the Southern Hemisphere during the June international window. The matches were part of

World Rugby World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...

's Global rugby calendar (2012–19) that includes

Test matches Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

between the touring

nations and the home Southern Hemisphere nations. In addition to this, the global calendar gives Tier 2 nations the opportunity to play Tier 1 nations outside the November international window, increasing competitiveness from the Tier 2 sides.

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, the only southern hemisphere Tier 1 nation not to host a test series, staged three one-off test matches;

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and Fiji. The Fijian test was the first between the two sides in Australia since 2010, and was also the first Australia v Tier 2 nation match in Australia since Samoa visited in 2011. Fiji also played host to Italy and Scotland to become the second Tier 2 nation to play three back-back Tier 1 sides during an international window, after Samoa participated in the

South African quadrangular tournament South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

in 2013. En route to their test matches in Australia and Fiji, Italy and Scotland played each other in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, which was the first ever Tier 1 v Tier 1 match played in the country. For Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, the matches acted as warm-ups ahead of the

2017 Rugby Championship The 2017 Rugby Championship was the sixth edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, featuring Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The competition is operated by SANZAAR, a joint venture of the four c ...

. It was also a historic match when

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

hosted

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

as the teams had never played each other before.

Series

The international window coincided with the

2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand The British & Irish Lions toured New Zealand during June and July 2017. The Lions, a rugby union team selected from players eligible to represent England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, played ten matches: against all five New Zealand Super Rugby fr ...

, consisting of a three-test series between the

Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, plus seven non-test matches. Before the Lions series, New Zealand hosted

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

for the first time since 2008. This was the first time that New Zealand hosted a Tier 2 nation since they played

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

in June 2011. The All Black-Samoa clash followed a curtain raiser between

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, which was played at the same stadium, a neutral venue for the teams. Wales later travelled to Samoa, who hosted the Welsh for the first time since 1994.

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

hosted

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

for the first time since

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, while playing their first test series against the French since 2005.

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

hosted

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

for a two-test series, while

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

hosted

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

for the first time since 2005, the last time the two sides met. Before Ireland faced Japan, they played a one-off test away to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Other tours

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

travelled to the Americas where they played

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, the United States and Argentina across the three week window.

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, who no longer take part in the

World Rugby Nations Cup The Nations Cup is a rugby union competition that was first held in 2006 at Estádio Universitário in Lisbon with Argentina A, Italy A, Portugal and Russia taking part. The tournament is part of the International Rugby Board's US $50 million S ...

, played three one-off matches, against Japan, Canada and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The Brazilian test was a historic first between the two nations, who had never played each other before, and was the first time since Brazil played a France XV side in 1985 that Brazil have played a team in a higher tier than them outside any tournament or competition. Before that test, Brazil played host to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Fixtures

27–28 May

Notes: * This was the first meeting between the two nations. * Philip Ikambili, Bramwell Mayaka, George Nyambua, Leo Seje Owade and Oscar Simiyu (all Kenya) and Ben Ellermann and Marcel Henn (both Germany) made their international debuts. ----

1 June

10 June

Notes: *

Ned Hanigan Ned Hanigan (born 11 April 1995) is an Australian professional rugby union player who currently plays for the in the Super Rugby competition and the Australian Wallabies. His preferred positions are blindside flanker or lock. Early life and ...

, Richard Hardwick,

Karmichael Hunt Karmichael Neil Matthew Hunt (born 17 November 1986) is a former multi-code international rugby league footballer who last played for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL. Having played professional rugby league, rugby union and Australian rules ...

, Joe Powell (all Australia), Viliame Mata,

Kalivati Tawake Kalivati Tawake (born 16 November 1988) is a Fijian people, Fijian rugby union player who played for the in the Super Rugby competition. His position of choice is Rugby union positions, prop. He currently (2021) plays for Biarritz Olympique ...

and Jale Vatubua (all Fiji) made their international debuts. ---- Notes: *

Shota Horie (born 21 January 1986 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese rugby union player. His preferred position is hooker although he can also play in the back row. He represents Japan at the international level. He has played for the Panasonic Wild Knights i ...

(Japan) earned his 50th test cap. * Derek Carpenter and

Yusuke Niwai is a Japanese international rugby union player who plays as a Hooker. He currently plays for in Super Rugby and Canon Eagles The Yokohama Canon Eagles is a Japanese rugby union team founded in 1981 that competes in the Japan Rugby League ...

(both Japan) made their international debuts. ---- Notes: * John Hardie was named in the starting XV, but withdrew after getting injured during the warm-up. Ryan Wilson replaced Hardie in the starting XV,

Rory Hughes Rory Hughes (born 4 March 1993) is a Scottish people, Scottish rugby union player who recently played for Glasgow Warriors at the Rugby union positions#14. & 11. Wing, Wing or Rugby union positions#15. Full-back, Full-back positions. Rugby union ...

was added to the bench. *

Luca Bigi Luca Bigi (born 19 April 1991) is an Italian professional rugby union player who primarily plays hooker for Zebre Parma of the United Rugby Championship. He has also represented Italy at international level, having made his test debut against S ...

Dean Budd Dean Budd (born 31 July 1986) is a retired New Zealand-born, Italian rugby union player and his usual position was at Lock (rugby union), Lock. Budd played in the National Provincial Championship (2006–present), NPC with Northland Rugby Union ...

and Federico Zani (all Italy) made their international debuts. ---- Notes: *

Andries Coetzee Andries 'Boeboes' Coetzee (born 1 March 1990) is a South African rugby union player for the in United Rugby Championship. He usually plays as a fullback. From 2011 to 2020, he played for in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup. In 2013 Coetze ...

, Ross Cronjé,

Dillyn Leyds Dillyn Yullrich Leyds (born 12 September 1992 in Somerset West, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player for the South Africa national team and Stade Rochelais in the French Top 14. He can play as a fullback, fly-half or wing. Career ...

, Raymond Rhule and Courtnall Skosan (all South Africa) and Mohamed Boughanmi and

Vincent Rattez Vincent Rattez (born 24 March 1992) is a French rugby union player who plays the regular position of wing and he currently plays for Montpellier and the France national team. International career Rattez was part of the French squad for the 2017 ...

(both France) made their international debuts. ---- Notes: * Jorge Abecassis, José Luis Cabral and Manuel Cardoso Pinto (all Portugal) made their international debuts. * Brazil defeated Portugal for the first time ever. ---- Notes: *

Emiliano Boffelli Emiliano Boffelli (born 16 January 1995) is an Argentine rugby union player who plays as a utility back for Edinburgh Rugby in the United Rugby Championship. He previously played for the in the international Super Rugby competition and als ...

(Argentina) and

Don Armand Donovan Wade Armand (born 23 September 1988) is a former Zimbabwean-born England international rugby union footballer. Originally from Zimbabwe, he played as a flanker for Exeter Chiefs in the English Premiership. Professional career Zimbab ...

Will Collier William St Lawrence W. Collier (born 5 May 1991) is an English rugby union player who plays as a tighthead prop for Harlequins in the Gallagher Premiership. Collier is a front row specialist who cites his interest in the 'dark arts' (of sc ...

, Tom Curry,

Piers Francis Piers Francis (born 20 June 1990) is an English rugby union footballer who plays in the fly-half and occasionally inside centre position. His current club is Bath in Premiership Rugby, he has previously played for Northampton Saints, the in ...

Nick Isiekwe Nick Isiekwe (born 20 April 1998) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a lock or flanker for Premiership Rugby side Saracens. Early life Isiekwe was born in Hemel Hempstead. Isiekwe first played rugby union at the age of ...

, Alex Lozowski,

Jack Maunder Jack Maunder (born 5 April 1997) is an English rugby union player who plays Scrum-half for Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiership. Club career In October 2016, Maunder made his club debut for the Exeter Chiefs against ASM Clermont Auvergne ...

Denny Solomona Denny Solomona (born 27 September 1993) is a rugby footballer who played rugby union as a Wing (rugby union), winger for England national rugby union team, England at international level. He previously played rugby union for Sale Sharks in Pre ...

, Harry Williams and Mark Wilson (all England) made their international debuts. ---- Notes: * Davit Kacharava (Georgia) earned his 100th test cap. * Andrew Coe, Anthony Luca and Shane O'Leary (all Canada) made their international debuts. * Canada failed to score in a match for the first time since losing 41–0 to

in 2008, while Georgia shut out an opponent for the first time since beating

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

35–0 in 2014. ---- Notes: *

Paddy Ryan Patrick Ryan (15 March 1851 – 14 December 1900) was an Irish American boxer, and became the bare-knuckle American heavyweight champion on May 30, 1880, after he won the title from Joe Goss. He retained the title until losing it to the exce ...

(United States) and Dave Heffernan, Andrew Porter, James Ryan,

Rory Scannell Rory Scannell (born 22 December 1993) is an Irish people, Irish rugby union player for Munster Rugby, Munster in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup. He plays primarily as a Rugby union positions#Centre, centre, but c ...

and Jacob Stockdale (all Ireland) made their international debuts.

16–17 June

Notes: * This was Wales' first win at Eden Park. * Michael Faleafa, Leva Fifita,

Leon Fukofuka Leon Fukofuka (born 8 September 1994) is a rugby union player who currently plays as a halfback for in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and is a international. Early career The son of former Auckland and Prop, Kalau Fukofuka, Leon was ...

Phil Kite Phil Kite (born 26 October 1962) is a former football goalkeeper, goalkeeping coach and physiotherapist. He retired in 2015 from his role as physio at Bristol Rovers, the club he supported as a boy. Playing career Born in Bristol, England, K ...

, Latu Talakai, Kiti Taimani Vaini and Ben Tameifuna (all Tonga) and Aled Davies,

Seb Davies Seb Davies (born 17 May 1996) is a Welsh rugby union player who plays for Cardiff Rugby as a lock and can also play flanker. He is an ex-Wales under-20 international and full Welsh international. Davies grew up in the Whitchurch area of Cardiff ...

Ryan Elias Ryan James Elias (born 7 January 1995) is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a hooker for the Scarlets and the Wales national team. Club career Elias played youth rugby for Carmarthen Athletic, where his grandfather once served as clu ...

, Steff Evans,

Ollie Griffiths Oliver Griffiths (born 23 March 1995) is a Wales international rugby union player who plays for the Dragons (rugby union), Dragons regional team as a flanker. Griffiths made his debut for the Newport Gwent Dragons regional team in 2014 having ...

, Wyn Jones, Dillon Lewis, Owen Williams and Thomas Young (all Wales) made their international debuts. ---- Notes: * Samoa failed to score in a game for the first time since losing to

60–0 in 1996; they failed to score against New Zealand for the first time. *

Jordie Barrett Jordan Matthew Barrett (born 17 February 1997) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a utility back internationally for New Zealand's All Blacks, and for the Hurricanes in the Super Rugby competition. Having previously been ...

and

Vaea Fifita Vaea Tangitau Lapota Fifita (born 17 June 1992) is a Tongan Rugby Union, rugby union player who currently plays for the Scarlets. Previously he was a Lock (rugby union), lock or Flanker (rugby union), loose forward for the in the international ...

(both New Zealand) and

Paul Alo-Emile Paul Alo-Emile (born 22 December 1991) is a Samoan rugby union player. His regular playing position is prop. He plays for Stade Français Paris in the Top 14. Career Early playing Alo-Emile is of Samoan heritage, born in New Zealand he grew ...

and Kieron Fonotia (both Samoa) made their international debuts. *

Beauden Barrett Beauden John Barrett (born 27 May 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays as a Fly-half (rugby union), First five-eighth (fly-half) and Fullback (rugby union), fullback for Taranaki Rugby Football Union, Taranaki in the Mitre 10 Cu ...

(New Zealand) earned his 50th test cap. ---- Notes: *

Tiziano Pasquali Tiziano Pasquali (born 14 July 1994) is an Italian rugby union footballer who plays for Treviso. He plays as a prop. Pasquali came through the Leicester Tigers academy system to make his debut in the 2013–14 LV Cup. He attended Merchiston Ca ...

(Italy) made his international debut. ---- Notes: * Eto Nabuli (Australia) made his international debut. * Scotland defeated Australia for the first time since their 9–6 away victory in 2012. * Scotland beat Australia away for a second consecutive match, following their 9–6 victory in Australia in 2012.. ---- Notes: *

Will Tupou Will Tupou (born 20 July 1990) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who plays for the in the Super Rugby competition. He previously played rugby league for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL. He represents at international level, ha ...

(Japan) and

Rory O'Loughlin Rory O'Loughlin (born 21 January 1994) is an Irish rugby union player for Exeter Chiefs in England's Premiership Rugby, he previously played for Pro14 side Leinster and represented Old Belvedere in the Ulster Bank All-Ireland League. He plays ...

and Kieran Treadwell (both Ireland) made their international debuts. ---- ---- Notes: * Nans Ducuing and

Damian Penaud Damian Penaud (born 25 September 1996) is a French professional rugby union player, who plays as a Wing (rugby union), wing or a Centre (rugby union), centre for Top 14 club ASM Clermont Auvergne, Clermont and the France national rugby union team, ...

(both France) made their international debuts. *

Yoann Huget Yoann Huget (; born 2 June 1987) is a former French rugby union player. He played as a wing or fullback. Career Club He started his rugby career playing for Stade Toulousain in the 2005–06 Top 14 season. He scored his first try in November ...

(France) earned his 50th test cap. ---- Notes: *

Sam Underhill Sam Underhill (born 22 July 1996) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Bath and the England national team. Club career At the age of just 17, Underhill made his debut for Gloucester in the Anglo-Welsh Cup ...

(England) made his international debut. ---- Notes: * Canada hosted Romania for the first time. * Ryan Ackerman (Canada) and Marius Simionescu (Romania) made their international debuts. * Aaron Carpenter surpassed

Al Charron Alan Charron (born 27 July 1966 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a former Canadian rugby union rugby player. He played 2nd row and all three loose forward positions at club and international level back-row forward and was capped 76 times for the Canadi ...

's record of 76 caps to become Canada's most capped player. ---- Notes: * Konstantin Mikautadze (Georgia) earned his 50th test cap.

23–24 June

Notes: *

Tila Mealoi The Truth in Lending Act (TILA) of 1968 is a United States federal law designed to promote the informed use of consumer credit, by requiring disclosures about its terms and cost to standardize the manner in which costs associated with borrowing ...

, Bronson Tauakipulu and Galu Taufale (all Samoa) and Adam Beard and Rory Thornton (both Wales) made their international debuts. * Wales beat Samoa for the first time since their 17–10 win during the

2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Af ...

; it was their first win in Samoa since winning 32–14 in 1986. * Wales won all their June test matches for the first time since beating

and the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

during their 2009 tour. ---- Notes: * Mosese Ducivaki, Sikeli Nabou, John Stewart and

Josua Tuisova Josua Tuisova Ratulevu (born 4 February 1994) is a Fijian rugby union player. A wing or centre, he currently plays for Racing 92 in France's Top 14. He won a gold medal in sevens as part of the Fiji team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Known for his ...

(all Fiji) and

Nick Grigg Nick Grigg (born 18 September 1992) is a rugby union player, who currently plays as a Centre (rugby union), midfield back for US Carcassonne in the French Rugby Pro D2, Pro D2 competition. He previously played for NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes Osak ...

(Scotland) made their international debuts. *

Ross Ford Ross William Ford (born 23 April 1984) is a Strength and Conditioning coach for the Scottish Rugby Academy. He was previously a Scotland international rugby union player who played as a hooker. He made 110 test appearances for Scotland, maki ...

surpassed

Chris Paterson Christopher Douglas Paterson, MBE (born 30 March 1978) is an ambassador and specialist coach for the Scotland and Edinburgh rugby union teams. He is a former professional rugby union player who played for Scotland and, for the most part of hi ...

's record of 109 caps to become Scotland's most capped player. * Fiji beat Scotland for the second time, after winning 51–26 in Suva in 1998. * Fiji beat two Tier 1 nations in a single year for the first time, having also beaten Italy 22–19. ---- Notes: *

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. ...

(Australia) and Marco Lazzaroni (Italy) made their international debuts. ---- Notes: * John Cooney (Ireland) made his international debut. *

Michael Leitch is a Japanese rugby union player who plays in the back row for the Toshiba Brave Lupus in Japan Rugby League One and captains the Japan national team. Leitch was born in New Zealand and moved to Japan as a teenager. Early life Leitch was ...

(Japan) and

Devin Toner Devin Toner (born 29 June 1986) is a former professional rugby player. He played in the second-row for Ireland and the Irish province Leinster. Measuring 6' 10" in height, he was the tallest player in the Heineken Cup and the 2015 Rugby World ...

(Ireland) earned their 50th test cap. ---- ---- Notes: * Ruan Dreyer (South Africa) made his international debut. ---- Notes: * This was the first match between the two nations. * Ovidiu Cojocaru (Romania) made his international debut. ----

1 July

Notes: *

Ngani Laumape Koinonia Halafungani Laumape (born 22 April 1993) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who currently plays as a centre for Kobelco Kobe Steelers. Laumape previously played in Super Rugby for the Hurricanes and was previously a rugby league ...

(New Zealand) made his international debut. * The British & Irish Lions beat New Zealand for the first time since winning 20–7 during their 1993 tour. * The Lions ended New Zealand's 47-match winning streak at home, losing for the first time since their 32–29 loss to

in 2009. * New Zealand failed to score a try in a game for the first time since they drew with

12–all in 2014, and failed to score a try in a home game for the first time since beating Australia 12–6 in 2002. * Sonny Bill Williams became the first New Zealand player to be sent off since

Colin Meads Sir Colin Earl Meads (3 June 1936 – 20 August 2017) was a New Zealand rugby union player. He played 55 test matches (133 games), most frequently in the lock forward position, for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks, from 1957 until 19 ...

was dismissed against Scotland in 1967, and the first ever to be sent off at home.

8 July

Notes: *

Kieran Read Kieran James Read (born 26 October 1985) is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He played as a number 8 and is a former captain of the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. Read played for New Zealand from 2008 to 2019. He is one of ...

(New Zealand) became the seventh All Black to reach 100 test caps. *

Aaron Cruden Aaron Wiremu Cruden (born 8 January 1989) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who plays for Chiefs and formerly Montpellier, Manawatu and New Zealand internationally. Cruden's usual position is first five-eighth (fly half). Early life Crud ...

and

Charlie Faumuina Charles Faumuina (born 24 December 1986) is a rugby union player who plays prop, for in Top 14 in France and formerly for internationally. He was a key member of the 2015 Rugby World Cup winning team. He currently plays international rugby ...

(both New Zealand) earned their 50th test caps. * The Lions and New Zealand drew a test match for the first time since their 14–14 draw in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

, and the Lions drew a test match for the first time since their 13–13 draw with South Africa in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

. * The British & Irish Lions drew a series with New Zealand for the first time, and drew a series for the first time since the 2–2 draw with South Africa in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

. * New Zealand failed to win at Eden Park for the first time since drawing 18–18 with South Africa in 1994.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mid-Year

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

2016–17 in European rugby union 2017–18 in European rugby union 2016–17 in Japanese rugby union 2017 in Oceanian rugby union 2017 in South American rugby union 2017 in North American rugby union 2017 in African rugby union

Series

Other tours

Fixtures

27–28 May

1 June

10 June

16–17 June

23–24 June

1 July

8 July

See also

References