The British and Irish Lions tour of Australia 2025

[Spiffy]

Fucking hell. James Ryan is in there. That completely passed me by. WTF?

Again the lack of heavy carrying 8s beyond Conan is odd. Or lineout jumping options. Not even Baird as a 6 instead of Ryan. I guess Chessum could fill that role.

So could Beirne, who is a great 6.

[Danno]

I smell a lot of 'give it to Bundee' on the horizon

[paddy no 11]

I smell a lot of 'give it to Bundee' on the horizon

Bundee is 35 and wrecked, he be like give it to huw

[Danno]

I smell a lot of 'give it to Bundee' on the horizon

Bundee is 35 and wrecked, he be like give it huw

Ha, fair

[Mikey Brown]

Fucking hell. James Ryan is in there. That completely passed me by. WTF?

Again the lack of heavy carrying 8s beyond Conan is odd. Or lineout jumping options. Not even Baird as a 6 instead of Ryan. I guess Chessum could fill that role.

So could Beirne, who is a great 6.

Well sure if he’s not a starting lock, which surely everyone would assume. Unless they feel they need McCarthy’s heft alongside Itoje.

Beirne doesn’t play 6 much anymore anyway does he?

[paddy no 11]

Fucking hell. James Ryan is in there. That completely passed me by. WTF?

Again the lack of heavy carrying 8s beyond Conan is odd. Or lineout jumping options. Not even Baird as a 6 instead of Ryan. I guess Chessum could fill that role.

So could Beirne, who is a great 6.

Well sure if he’s not a starting lock, which surely everyone would assume. Unless they feel they need McCarthy’s heft alongside Itoje.

Beirne doesn’t play 6 much anymore anyway does he?

Nit in 2 years at least and it never worked at international

He was outstanding in the backrow for scarlets a lifetime ago

[Spiffy]

Fucking hell. James Ryan is in there. That completely passed me by. WTF?

Again the lack of heavy carrying 8s beyond Conan is odd. Or lineout jumping options. Not even Baird as a 6 instead of Ryan. I guess Chessum could fill that role.

So could Beirne, who is a great 6.

Well sure if he’s not a starting lock, which surely everyone would assume. Unless they feel they need McCarthy’s heft alongside Itoje.

Beirne doesn’t play 6 much anymore anyway does he?

If Beirne does not start at lock, Chessum would be a good bet to partner Itoje. It's true Beirne does not play much at 6 now, but he's a good one, and a far better line out option than any of the short arrses who have been selected in back row slots. (the large Chessum can also play 6.)

[Mikey Brown]

So could Beirne, who is a great 6.

Well sure if he’s not a starting lock, which surely everyone would assume. Unless they feel they need McCarthy’s heft alongside Itoje.

Beirne doesn’t play 6 much anymore anyway does he?

If Beirne does not start at lock, Chessum would be a good bet to partner Itoje. It's true Beirne does not play much at 6 now, but he's a good one, and a far better line out option than any of the short arrses who have been selected in back row slots. (the large Chessum can also play 6.)

We’re going round in circles. Not having many proper backrows who are good in the lineout was my original point.

[Puja]

What was going to be an inspiring selection, though?

I don't know. Apart from the obvious of Darcy Graham, you could've gone for someone talented and offering a point of difference in the backs like Llewellyn in the centres or taken a flyer on IFW. In the forwards, I'm disappointed with picking 6 locks and clearly planning on putting Chessum/Beirne at 6, when you could instead have had a powerful 8 like TWillis or Faletau, or a proper 6 like the exceptional Jamie Ritchie (who absolutely has been robbed by that announcement).

It's just a bit... meh. Like I said, you could pick an exciting and fresh and unexpected team out of that, but the smart money's going to be on Porter, Sheehan, Stuart, Itoje, Beirne, Chessum, vdFlier, Earl/TCurry, JGP, Russell, vdM, Aki, Jones, Freeman, Kinghorn. And that's not a bad side by any stretch of the imagination, but it's just feels to me like Farrell has that inked in already and there's not really a huge amount of point in half the tour games given that.

Puja

[Mikey Brown]

Doesn’t it always feel that way though? And the test team inevitably ends up being quite different. Certainly losing a Scot or two from early predictions.

It’s funny you say that all that too, because I could easily see 4. Itoje 5. Beirne 6. Curry 7. VDF 8. Conan 19. McCarthy 20. Chessum 20. Earl/Pollock/Morgan being the starting point.

Also how is Jones your default at 13 and a less exciting option than Llewellyn???

I do share the feeling that the midweek games often become pretty much pointless once it’s just alternating established A and B sides though.

[Oakboy]

Leaving aside all the hype surrounding Pollock, if I look at the other backrowers, I'd suggest he will be considered more as a No 8 than a flanker. Especially in opposition to the way Australia play, that is where he could be most dangerous - ahead of Earl and Curry.

[jngf]

Initial thoughts:

Thank fuck no Fazlet
Ford was robbed.
LCD? Uhhh, yeah sure, I suppose so.
I can see an argument for Daly in terms of versatility and experience, but I'm mostly glad he's not going to be blocking a position on England's tour to Argentina
There are 6 locks and 6 back row, the latter of which has no big carriers, which suggests that Farrell's reaction to the unprecedented amount of quality back rows available to him is going to be to pick a lock there.
Only one France-based player. Makes sense, given the overlap and Kinghorn is probably good enough to be worth waiting for.

There's a very good Lions XV that can be picked out of that lot. Can't help but feel it's an uninspiring selection though.

Puja

Lack of a big carrying no.8 is a major omission - Conan is big but not especially powerful ( as witnessed in last Lions series ) - imo taking both Earl and Pollock is double counting - both offer basically the same skillset and neither powerful enough to fill 6 or 8 berth imo ( in the context of having a carrier there ).

[Cameo]

Broadly happy with the squad, and surprised in a good way given some of the stories

The exceptions are Graham (who I think is absolutely class) missing out and the backrow. I'm sure it'll be fine, but just doesn't seem as impressive as it could be. Everyone has different favourites, but I think Ritchie and Willis for T Currie and Earl would make it look a bit better (or if Doris or even Fagerson had been fit, you could maybe replace Cummings from the locks as surely don't need that many).

I'd also probably have picked Lake instead of LCD, but that is more to get another welshman in than anything.

Read that an average of 8 or 9 changes by the end of the tour. Maybe a bit misleading if it includes people called in for a midweek game right at the end, but shows scope for change.

[Big D]

I think an 8 will get added once Doris has had surgery and started rehabilitation. It will be him or probably Willis.

[Tuco Ramirez]

I smell a lot of 'give it to Bundee' on the horizon

Bundee is 35 and wrecked, he be like give it to huw

Tuipiloto willbe 12 i reckon if he hits his straps

[paddy no 11]

Broadly happy with the squad, and surprised in a good way given some of the stories

The exceptions are Graham (who I think is absolutely class) missing out and the backrow. I'm sure it'll be fine, but just doesn't seem as impressive as it could be. Everyone has different favourites, but I think Ritchie and Willis for T Currie and Earl would make it look a bit better (or if Doris or even Fagerson had been fit, you could maybe replace Cummings from the locks as surely don't need that many).

I'd also probably have picked Lake instead of LCD, but that is more to get another welshman in than anything.

Read that an average of 8 or 9 changes by the end of the tour. Maybe a bit misleading if it includes people called in for a midweek game right at the end, but shows scope for change.

This is accurate imo

[twitchy]

[Mikey Brown]

Must be why he’s such an erratic show pony.

[jngf]

What was going to be an inspiring selection, though?

I don't know. Apart from the obvious of Darcy Graham, you could've gone for someone talented and offering a point of difference in the backs like Llewellyn in the centres or taken a flyer on IFW. In the forwards, I'm disappointed with picking 6 locks and clearly planning on putting Chessum/Beirne at 6, when you could instead have had a powerful 8 like TWillis or Faletau, or a proper 6 like the exceptional Jamie Ritchie (who absolutely has been robbed by that announcement).

It's just a bit... meh. Like I said, you could pick an exciting and fresh and unexpected team out of that, but the smart money's going to be on Porter, Sheehan, Stuart, Itoje, Beirne, Chessum, vdFlier, Earl/TCurry, JGP, Russell, vdM, Aki, Jones, Freeman, Kinghorn. And that's not a bad side by any stretch of the imagination, but it's just feels to me like Farrell has that inked in already and there's not really a huge amount of point in half the tour games given that.

Puja

It makes one think Farrell SNr’s choosen specialist subject isn’t exactly ( Union ) back row forwards!

[francoisfou]

Toulouse have said that Blair Kinghorn will be released to join the Lions on the 1st of July, as there's the distinct possibility that his club will be in the Top14 final on the evening of the 28th of June.

Similarly, for the Lions match against Argentina on the 20th of June, Toulouse will probably not release their Argentinian internationals Juan Cruz Mallia and Santiago Chocobares.

[Sandydragon]

Broadly happy with the squad, and surprised in a good way given some of the stories

The exceptions are Graham (who I think is absolutely class) missing out and the backrow. I'm sure it'll be fine, but just doesn't seem as impressive as it could be. Everyone has different favourites, but I think Ritchie and Willis for T Currie and Earl would make it look a bit better (or if Doris or even Fagerson had been fit, you could maybe replace Cummings from the locks as surely don't need that many).

I'd also probably have picked Lake instead of LCD, but that is more to get another welshman in than anything.

Read that an average of 8 or 9 changes by the end of the tour. Maybe a bit misleading if it includes people called in for a midweek game right at the end, but shows scope for change.

It’s a decent squad and I don’t have any complaints. There’s always going to be 50/50 calls which will probably favour the player the coaching staff are more familiar with. They don’t have long to make this work so no arguments there from me.

From a Welsh perspective, Morgan is brilliant and deserves his place. In my view the o it reason to exclude him would have been if the coaches had a particular style which they didn’t think he suited, but I’m very excited to see what he can do in a team when he isn’t trying to cover for other players.

Williams is lucky in my view. The competition at scrum half is probably a bit less intense and his club form must have swayed the decision.

It’s a shame that Lake was injured, but on balance he didn’t do enough to prove he deserved a place.

[bruce]

Versatility is given too much weight in my opinion. There is little point in being versatile and being able to play a number of positions if you are only mediocre in all of them. If going for versatility in the back line, would have liked to see Tom Jordan given a shot over Daly.

[Puja]

Williams is lucky in my view. The competition at scrum half is probably a bit less intense and his club form must have swayed the decision.

Williams has been in belting form domestically - maybe they felt it harsh to judge him on a difficult 6N for Wales. You're not wrong on the lack of competition at 9 though - you've got JGP and Mitchell, then a howling void below them. White's a decent player, but it's not really feasible to pick someone in a specialist position who might not be available until halfway through the warmup tour games. The next option down, on domestic form alone, is probably Jack van Poortvliet and he's got no recent internationals and only recently come back into form and fitness.

Puja

[Spiffy]

Williams is lucky in my view. The competition at scrum half is probably a bit less intense and his club form must have swayed the decision.

Williams has been in belting form domestically - maybe they felt it harsh to judge him on a difficult 6N for Wales. You're not wrong on the lack of competition at 9 though - you've got JGP and Mitchell, then a howling void below them. White's a decent player, but it's not really feasible to pick someone in a specialist position who might not be available until halfway through the warmup tour games. The next option down, on domestic form alone, is probably Jack van Poortvliet and he's got no recent internationals and only recently come back into form and fitness.

Puja

I would not agree with you that there is a howling void below JPG and Mitchell. On recent and consistent form, I would rate Williams as at least as good as Mitchell. I believe he will really shine when surrounded by good players, rather than by most of his Wales team mates. Would not be at all surprised if he were to challenge for a test slot as the tour progresses. I don't think Casey is all that far behind them either.