Overview
- Rugby Australia repaid and cancelled its Pacific Equity Partners credit facility after paying back about A$63.5 million, returning the body to a debt-free position for the first time since 2021.
- Officials credited stronger-than-forecast revenues from the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour, with reports placing RA’s take in a range from more than A$100 million to as high as about A$120 million, though final figures were not disclosed.
- The tour operated under a joint-venture model that split profits with the Lions entity while excluding home broadcast and naming rights, boosting RA’s share of returns.
- Chief executive Phil Waugh said the windfall positions RA to create a ‘future’ investment fund and to build a sustainable financial model for 2026–2030 alongside revenues from hosting the 2027 and 2029 Rugby World Cups.
- The nine-match tour drew huge crowds, including up to 40,000 travelling Lions fans, and the tourists won the Test series 2-1 in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.