British and Irish Lions 2025: England heavy squad a bad sign for Wallabies
Zander Ferguson (Scotland), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Will Stuart (England), Ellis Genge (England), Andrew Porter (Ireland), Pierre Schoeman (Scotland) . It's the depth here that should concern Wallabies fans. Furlong and Porter should start, with Genge and Stuart on the bench - or Farrell could even flip that around. Beware, the England pack that played against Australia last November have gone up a few gears since then, especially Genge and Stuart at scrum time.
Verdict: Advantage Lions Second rowers
Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Ollie Chessum (England), Scott Cummings (Scotland), Maro Itoje (England, captain), Joe McCarthy (Ireland), James Ryan (Ireland) . Itoje has been outstanding for years, and the consensus up north is that captaincy brings out the best in him. The remainder offer a mix of power (McCarthy), lineout prowess (Ryan) and breakdown prowess (Beirne), although it would not be a surprise to see the latter played at No.6 at some point.
Verdict: Advantage Lions
Sione Tuipulotu was unveiled as a Lion. Credit: Getty Images
Jack Conan (Ireland), Tom Curry (England), Ben Earl (England), Jac Morgan (Wales), Henry Pollock (England), Josh van der Flier (Ireland) . This is an area where the Wallabies shouldn't be beaten, given the presence of the Rob Valetini and the injury-enforced absence of Ireland No.8 Caelan Doris. Jack Conan is a capable replacement, but if you were picking holes the Lions look a bit same-same in this department with five natural open sides named. Depending on selection and fitness the Wallabies could even edge them here, although the freakish Pollock could quickly make that assessment look foolish.
Verdict: Advantage Wallabies Halfbacks
Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), Alex Mitchell (Northampton), Tomos Williams (Wales) . Mitchell missed England's Tests last November, and the drop-off in England's attacking threat was substantial. He was found out a bit on defence against Ireland in the Six Nations, but his running game is elite, and he could play a big role off the bench. Gibson-Park, one of seven 'Sanzar' Lions, is among the world's best.
Verdict: Advantage Lions
Finn Russell (Scotland), Fin Smith (England), Marcus Smith (England) . Farrell has left the door for his son Owen to join the squad at a later date, but it look like the No.10 jersey will be a shootout between Russell and Fin Smith. The latter was exceptional against Leinster last week and was also the architect of England's win against France in the Six Nations. But Russell could be a big issue for the Wallabies if the Lions pack gets on the front foot.
Verdict: Advantage Lions Midfielders
Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland), Bundee Aki (Ireland), Huw Jones (Scotland), Garry Ringrose (Ireland), Elliot Daly (England) . There are a few injury clouds over Tuipulotu, who hasn't played since January, and Jones, so there could yet be a bit of movement in this area. Even if they both are fit enough to make the plane the Wallabies look capable of matching the tourists. Len Ikitau, Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii and Hunter Paisami all have quality, with Suaalii certain to feature prominently in the Lions' defensive conversations.
Verdict: Draw
Tommy Freeman (England), Mack Hansen (Ireland), Hugo Keenan (Ireland), Blair Kinghorn, James Lowe (Ireland), Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland) . The Wallabies should breathe a sign of relief that England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is injured, although Farrell could yet be leaving a spot open for him. He would add some electricity to the back three, although Lowe, van der Merwe and Freeman are certainly good enough to do some damage on their own.
Verdict: Advantage Lions
Watch all the action from the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season on Stan Sport, the only place to watch every match live and on demand.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Perth braced for rugby mania as British and Irish Lions prepare for first Australian tour since 2013
Perth braced for rugby mania as British and Irish Lions prepare for first Australian tour since 2013
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Aki keen for Lions to learn lessons for Australia tour
Ireland centre Bundee Aki insists the British and Irish Lions must recover rapidly after seeing their goal of completing an unbeaten tour of Australia thwarted even before arriving Down Under. The Lions slipped to a 28-24 defeat against Argentina in Dublin on Friday as they lost their tour opener for the first time since 1971, albeit against dangerous opponents whose surgical finishing demonstrated why they are ranked fifth in the world. Andy Farrell's men flew off to Perth on Saturday and have four weeks to find the improvements needed to turn their ambitious but error-strewn performance into a formula capable of toppling the Wallabies. "Faz set out the aim for us to win every single game. To not be able to come out with the result that we wanted in the first has got to be one of those things that we learn from quickly," Auckland-born Aki said. "We're adults, we're old enough to be able to take it on the chin and move on quickly. Faz gives it to us straight, there's no mucking around or no hiding here, he just tells you how it is. "There's no point in trying to sulk about it. If we bounce back quickly and try to get better every single day, this will only make us stronger and tighter." Aki's heavyweight centre partnership with Scotland's Australia-born Sione Tuipulotu generated the most excitement in selection ahead of the sold-out clash at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, but the combination failed to add up to the sum of its parts. While the Ireland powerhouse showed his strength as a carrier to surge over in the first half and Melburnian Tuipulotu had his moments with the ball in hand, together they were unable to link in the way the Lions were seeking and are unlikely to be used in tandem in the Test series. "We all know how Sione is as a player, he's class. The frustrating thing for me was I wasn't able to connect well with him," Aki said. "He's an unbelievable player and there's no excuses, we've got to get better as a partnership going forward. "Sione has been my roomy lately. He snores a fair bit at the moment, so he keeps me up at night! But he's a great man. "He speaks out loud, which is good because we need him to be himself. I just feed off him and he feeds off me. So it's brilliant, but we've just got to be better and keep learning together." Boss Farrell is demanding an improvement from his squad when they start preparing for their opening match against Western Force next Saturday at Perth's Optus Stadium. "We won't sugar-coat this. We need to be honest because if we're not honest, how do we gain trust with each other?" Farrell said. "Losing hurts, especially in this jersey. We need to find the solutions pretty quickly and be honest with ourselves because some good has to come from this." Ireland centre Bundee Aki insists the British and Irish Lions must recover rapidly after seeing their goal of completing an unbeaten tour of Australia thwarted even before arriving Down Under. The Lions slipped to a 28-24 defeat against Argentina in Dublin on Friday as they lost their tour opener for the first time since 1971, albeit against dangerous opponents whose surgical finishing demonstrated why they are ranked fifth in the world. Andy Farrell's men flew off to Perth on Saturday and have four weeks to find the improvements needed to turn their ambitious but error-strewn performance into a formula capable of toppling the Wallabies. "Faz set out the aim for us to win every single game. To not be able to come out with the result that we wanted in the first has got to be one of those things that we learn from quickly," Auckland-born Aki said. "We're adults, we're old enough to be able to take it on the chin and move on quickly. Faz gives it to us straight, there's no mucking around or no hiding here, he just tells you how it is. "There's no point in trying to sulk about it. If we bounce back quickly and try to get better every single day, this will only make us stronger and tighter." Aki's heavyweight centre partnership with Scotland's Australia-born Sione Tuipulotu generated the most excitement in selection ahead of the sold-out clash at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, but the combination failed to add up to the sum of its parts. While the Ireland powerhouse showed his strength as a carrier to surge over in the first half and Melburnian Tuipulotu had his moments with the ball in hand, together they were unable to link in the way the Lions were seeking and are unlikely to be used in tandem in the Test series. "We all know how Sione is as a player, he's class. The frustrating thing for me was I wasn't able to connect well with him," Aki said. "He's an unbelievable player and there's no excuses, we've got to get better as a partnership going forward. "Sione has been my roomy lately. He snores a fair bit at the moment, so he keeps me up at night! But he's a great man. "He speaks out loud, which is good because we need him to be himself. I just feed off him and he feeds off me. So it's brilliant, but we've just got to be better and keep learning together." Boss Farrell is demanding an improvement from his squad when they start preparing for their opening match against Western Force next Saturday at Perth's Optus Stadium. "We won't sugar-coat this. We need to be honest because if we're not honest, how do we gain trust with each other?" Farrell said. "Losing hurts, especially in this jersey. We need to find the solutions pretty quickly and be honest with ourselves because some good has to come from this." Ireland centre Bundee Aki insists the British and Irish Lions must recover rapidly after seeing their goal of completing an unbeaten tour of Australia thwarted even before arriving Down Under. The Lions slipped to a 28-24 defeat against Argentina in Dublin on Friday as they lost their tour opener for the first time since 1971, albeit against dangerous opponents whose surgical finishing demonstrated why they are ranked fifth in the world. Andy Farrell's men flew off to Perth on Saturday and have four weeks to find the improvements needed to turn their ambitious but error-strewn performance into a formula capable of toppling the Wallabies. "Faz set out the aim for us to win every single game. To not be able to come out with the result that we wanted in the first has got to be one of those things that we learn from quickly," Auckland-born Aki said. "We're adults, we're old enough to be able to take it on the chin and move on quickly. Faz gives it to us straight, there's no mucking around or no hiding here, he just tells you how it is. "There's no point in trying to sulk about it. If we bounce back quickly and try to get better every single day, this will only make us stronger and tighter." Aki's heavyweight centre partnership with Scotland's Australia-born Sione Tuipulotu generated the most excitement in selection ahead of the sold-out clash at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, but the combination failed to add up to the sum of its parts. While the Ireland powerhouse showed his strength as a carrier to surge over in the first half and Melburnian Tuipulotu had his moments with the ball in hand, together they were unable to link in the way the Lions were seeking and are unlikely to be used in tandem in the Test series. "We all know how Sione is as a player, he's class. The frustrating thing for me was I wasn't able to connect well with him," Aki said. "He's an unbelievable player and there's no excuses, we've got to get better as a partnership going forward. "Sione has been my roomy lately. He snores a fair bit at the moment, so he keeps me up at night! But he's a great man. "He speaks out loud, which is good because we need him to be himself. I just feed off him and he feeds off me. So it's brilliant, but we've just got to be better and keep learning together." Boss Farrell is demanding an improvement from his squad when they start preparing for their opening match against Western Force next Saturday at Perth's Optus Stadium. "We won't sugar-coat this. We need to be honest because if we're not honest, how do we gain trust with each other?" Farrell said. "Losing hurts, especially in this jersey. We need to find the solutions pretty quickly and be honest with ourselves because some good has to come from this."
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Aki keen for Lions to learn lessons for Australia tour
Ireland centre Bundee Aki insists the British and Irish Lions must recover rapidly after seeing their goal of completing an unbeaten tour of Australia thwarted even before arriving Down Under. The Lions slipped to a 28-24 defeat against Argentina in Dublin on Friday as they lost their tour opener for the first time since 1971, albeit against dangerous opponents whose surgical finishing demonstrated why they are ranked fifth in the world. Andy Farrell's men flew off to Perth on Saturday and have four weeks to find the improvements needed to turn their ambitious but error-strewn performance into a formula capable of toppling the Wallabies. "Faz set out the aim for us to win every single game. To not be able to come out with the result that we wanted in the first has got to be one of those things that we learn from quickly," Auckland-born Aki said. "We're adults, we're old enough to be able to take it on the chin and move on quickly. Faz gives it to us straight, there's no mucking around or no hiding here, he just tells you how it is. "There's no point in trying to sulk about it. If we bounce back quickly and try to get better every single day, this will only make us stronger and tighter." Aki's heavyweight centre partnership with Scotland's Australia-born Sione Tuipulotu generated the most excitement in selection ahead of the sold-out clash at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, but the combination failed to add up to the sum of its parts. While the Ireland powerhouse showed his strength as a carrier to surge over in the first half and Melburnian Tuipulotu had his moments with the ball in hand, together they were unable to link in the way the Lions were seeking and are unlikely to be used in tandem in the Test series. "We all know how Sione is as a player, he's class. The frustrating thing for me was I wasn't able to connect well with him," Aki said. "He's an unbelievable player and there's no excuses, we've got to get better as a partnership going forward. "Sione has been my roomy lately. He snores a fair bit at the moment, so he keeps me up at night! But he's a great man. "He speaks out loud, which is good because we need him to be himself. I just feed off him and he feeds off me. So it's brilliant, but we've just got to be better and keep learning together." Boss Farrell is demanding an improvement from his squad when they start preparing for their opening match against Western Force next Saturday at Perth's Optus Stadium. "We won't sugar-coat this. We need to be honest because if we're not honest, how do we gain trust with each other?" Farrell said. "Losing hurts, especially in this jersey. We need to find the solutions pretty quickly and be honest with ourselves because some good has to come from this."
