Head coach Andy Farrell has named his British and Irish Lions team to tackle the Wallabies in the opening match of the three-Test series. We pick out our winners and losers.
Following an opening game defeat to Argentina, the tourists have bounced back to win all of their matches Down Under, providing the coaching staff with plenty of opportunities to try out combinations in the build-up to the three Tests against Australia.
Which has led to this selection. Like every Test Lions team, there are always those who are fortunate and those who are not.
We unpack Farrell’s British and Irish Lions 23 and select our winners and losers.
Winners
Maro Itoje
A memorable day for the English second-row who will not only captain the Lions in a Test match for the first time, but also do so in his 100th international appearance.
Maro Itoje has notched up 93 caps for England and is the most capped player in Farrell’s squad, with the lock forward now earning his seventh Test cap for the Lions to raise the bat.
A relentless worker around the park, Itoje has been one of the best forwards in world rugby for several years now and on Saturday, he will join an illustrious group of legendary players in the centurion club.
This is just another milestone in what has already been an incredible rugby career, as the legacy of the brilliant Englishman continues to grow.
Tom Curry
Perhaps the most surprising inclusion in the British and Irish Lions starting XV. There is no doubt about Tom Curry’s quality and pedigree, but quite frankly, he hasn’t shone on the tour.
The Englishman has had his fair share of injury setbacks in recent times and hasn’t been at his best. However, his work rate and physicality are clearly valued by Farrell and his coaching staff, who deemed him as the go-to option in the number seven jersey.
This is despite the in-form options of Jac Morgan, Josh van der Flier and even the exciting rising star, Henry Pollock.
It’s a massive call from the coaching team as an out-of-sorts Curry goes up against probably the Wallabies‘ best player in the form of Fraser McReight.
Hugo Keenan
Injury creates opportunity for Hugo Keenan, who gets the nod at full-back following the setbacks to Elliot Daly and then Blair Kinghorn.
Keenan was well in the race for a starting role at the start of the tour, but injury and illness meant that he got a late start before he struggled on his debut.
Daly shone in the opening matches of the tour and looked nailed-on for a spot in the Test team before injury brought it to a crushing end, while, like Keenan, Kinghorn had a late start, but he impressed when he did take the field.
Would Keenan be starting in Brisbane had these injuries not occurred? Possibly not, but the Irishman now has the opportunity to nail down the jumper for the remainder of the series.
Huwipulotu
Following the injury to Garry Ringrose, Farrell had an easy call to make in his centres with Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones taking on the starting roles.
The pair have been in stunning form for the tourists and it would simply be a stupid decision not to pick a well-oiled partnership and combination in the Test series.
The combination has been crucial to Glasgow and Scotland’s success recently, and while they have had limited time together in the red jersey, it is a proven, effective partnership that has ripped apart even the best defensive systems in the game.
Jones has raced over for three tries in his four appearances for the Lions and has assisted another while leading the defensive charge. Meanwhile, Tuipulotu has been a crucial cog in the Lions’ attack that has not looked nearly as sharp and effective without him there.
Armed with the excellent Finn Russell at fly-half, the Scottish trio looks primed to steer the Lions’ attack to victory with lethal weapons out wide too.
Jack Conan
Caelan Doris’ injury was a gutting blow for the tourists, not only would he have been the front runner for the captaincy, but the shoo-in for the starting number eight jersey.
But instead, his setback opened the door for Jack Conan to retain the jersey he starred in during the 2021 series, and he certainly rose to the challenge and nailed down the role. Conan has delivered on tour to earn his place in the starting XV.
Ellis Genge
In the same breath, Ellis Genge would have been in most pundits and fans’ matchday squads for the Lions, but perhaps not in the starting role.
But when Genge put on the red jersey for the first time against Argentina, he issued a statement on intent and continued to do so with every opportunity he has had since then.
He has formed a mighty front-row combination with the likes of Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong, one that will cause even the experienced Allan Alaalatoa and James Slipper all kinds of headaches.
The baby rhino has been on a rampage Down Under and is bound to continue in that fashion in Brisbane.
Tadhg Beirne
Farrell had a healthy selection headache when it came to his number six, with Ollie Chessum enjoying a fine tour to date, while he could have gone for a more openside flanker-heavy loose trio.
The performances of Joe McCarthy seemingly forced Beirne out of a second-row partnership with Itoje, but the Munsterman still finds a place in the run-on team on the side of the scrum, beating Chessum to the position.
Marcus Smith
Every single one of the players in the matchday 23 are winners, but for Marcus Smith, it is particularly special. He has fallen out of favour with England as the first-choice number 10 and shifted to full-back, a move that has been viewed as detrimental to development.
However, he has taken it in his stride, and ultimately, that versatility has earned him a spot on the bench covering both positions.
He hasn’t been given the opportunity to start in his preferred position of fly-half on tour, but Smith has done enough with his cameos to earn a place on the bench and make his first appearance in a Lions Test after featuring on tour in 2021.
Losers
Josh van der Flier and Jac Morgan
The quality in depth at Farrell’s disposal is perhaps no more evident than with the omissions of both Van der Flier and Morgan, who are overlooked with Curry preferred.
It’s a massive call from the Lions staff as the snubbed duo offer more of a threat over the ball, which could be useful considering the fact that Joe Schmidt not only has McReight in his starting XV but the brilliant Carlo Tizzano on the bench too.
Van der Flier and Morgan have been in superb nick for the Lions and are very unlucky not to find a spot in the team.
Wales
The losing streak has come to an end, but the poor form of Wales is still evident in the British and Irish Lions matchday squad, as for the first time since the 1890s, not a single Welshman has been selected.
For over 135 years, a Welsh player has been included in a matchday team and more recently, under Warren Gatland, the Lions were dominated by the proud rugby nation. Morgan was the last hope for 2025 following Tomos Williams’ injury, but for Farrell, there was no space for sentimental selections, and rightly so, that comes with the territory of professional sport.
Duhan van der Merwe
On paper, it seems that dropping a player who scored a hat-trick in his last appearance looks harsh. Even though he crossed for three tries, the decision not to select Duhan van der Merwe is a fair one.
While his attacking brilliance is undeniable, his core skills as a winger leave much to be desired. He has been shaky defensively on occasion and suspect in the backfield. At this level, with the quality in depth at the Lions’ disposal, it is the right decision.
Fin Smith
While Marcus benefits from his versatility, Fin Smith is a victim of his lack of. The Northampton and England playmaker has made a real fist of claiming the number 10 jumper but that was always going to be a real mountain to climb against an in-form and firing Russell.
Henry Pollock
The youngest member of the touring team, Pollock has been simply outrageous so far and might still have his say on the Test series, but it won’t be in the opener.
A true bolter selection, but Pollock certainly made the most of his opportunities and surely gave the coaches something to ponder over during the selection meeting.
Overlooked stars
Much like with the winners, anyone not making the Test team is, by default, a loser too. Regardless of the cliches that may be thrown about, every single player selected to tour with the team will have set a goal of making the matchday 23 for this match.
However, only 23 players can be selected, meaning the likes of Owen Farrell, Pierre Schoeman, Pollock, Smith, Ben White, Finlay Bealham, Ringrose, Mack Hansen, and others aren’t.