The British & Irish Lions play Australia in the opening Test at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane this Saturday and the Rugby World team have named who they would pick in their Test squad.

Andy Farrell names his 23 Lions to face the Wallabies on Thursday and debate has been hot with who will make the squad following the opening warm-up games.

Read more: Mack Hansen set to miss first Test against Wallabies with injury

Some players are pretty much guaranteed selection. Captain Maro Itoje will play as will star Irish hooker Dan Sheehan.

The half-back combination of Finn Russell and Jamison Gibson-Park will also start with Huw Jones in pole position to start at outside centre due to Garry Ringrose’s recent concussion. 

As for the rest of the squad, much is up in the air.

Some players, like Jac Morgan and Alex Mitchell have forced themselves into the Test conversation with their performances this tour, while others like Tadhg Beirne and Bundee Aki have seemingly fallen down the pecking order. 

Then you have the likes of Mack Hansen and Luke Cowan-Dickie missing through injury.

Related: Where to watch the British & Irish Lions wherever you are in the world

So ahead of the squad announcement, the Rugby World team have conjured up their expertise and knowledge to name their Test match squads if they were Andy Farrell… 

Rugby World British & Irish Lions Test squads

Joe Robinson, editor of Rugby World, British & Irish Lions 1st Test team 

I’m avoiding the contrarion devil in me to pick an alternative Lions Test team that includes Alex Corbisiero and Dickie Jeeps that would satisfy the rugby hipsters. 

Instead I’m playing this deadly seriously, just like high performance acolyte Andy Farrell. No room for fun or sentimentality, just rugby robots programmed to win rugby matches.

My 23, I think, is close to what Farrell will pick to play Australia this weekend and should be good enough to wipe the floor with the Wallabies in reality. 

Read more: Who will the British & Irish Lions be playing in Australia?

Australia’s limp performance against a very good Fiji team was the most shocking performance I’ve seen in Newcastle since that big lad smacked that police horse at the football a few years ago.

If I was a Lion, I’d have been licking my lips at the opportunity to bury this Test series from game 1. 

The big issue is that the Lions have been fine this tour. Fine being a careful choice of word because I do not think we can say they have been on fire. 

Things have looked great in patches, patchy in other parts. 

They could be saving it all for the Test series. The ultimate feat of subterfuge to retain all of the free-flowing wizardry for when it really matters. Plausible as this team keep their cards watertight to their chest.

My big call is the inclusion of sole Welshman Jac Morgan. The painfully shy Welshman has proven he is world class on this tour and deserves a start on form. 

An old school operator who adds niggle at the breakdown and barreling runs. He hit fantastic short lines against the Waratahs and AUNZ XV.  For me, he has been the best back-rower this tour. 

Plus a Lions Test team without a Welshman makes me feel weird inside. Like we’d upset some ancient ritual that would raise the haunting spirit of Jack Jones. 

That means no place for half man, half metal Tom Curry, who is also absent from the bench. A tough call but Henry Pollock has to be in this squad, not least for the generational head loss when one of the Aussie lads drop a pulse check on him if they score. Priceless stuff.  

My Lions Test XV

1. Ellis Genge 
2. Dan Sheehan
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Maro Itoje © 
5. Tadhg Beirne
6. Ollie Chessum
7. Jac Morgan
8. Jack Conan 
9. Jamison Gibson-Park
10. Finn Russell
11. James Lowe
12. Sione Tuipulotu 
13. Huw Jones
14. Tommy Freeman
15. Hugo Keenan 

Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Will Stuart, Josh van der Flier, Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell, Owen Farrell, Marcus Smith

Josh Graham, deputy editor of Rugby World, British & Irish Lions 1st Test team 

It’s finally business time and this is the 23 I would back to get the job done against the Wallabies.

Blair Kinghorn’s fitness worries mean Hugo Keenan must start at 15 while Tommy Freeman had already done enough to get the nod over Mack Hansen before the Connacht man’s foot injury. 

James Lowe’s monster left boot is an asset on the other side, while with Garry Ringrose is out, Huwipulotu are the logical centre pairing.

Sione Tuipulotu had a spicy interaction with Australia superstar Joseph Suaalii last autumn and the pair going head-to-head again could be box office. 

Related: The British & Irish Lions have an exclusive “prop club”

There’s no surprises with the half-back pairing as Finn Russell and Jamison Gibson-Park are two of the world’s best operators. Together they can be calmly devastating for opposition.

In the pack, Ben Earl can count himself very unlucky to miss out entirely but Jack Conan’s extra heft is needed to balance out a back-row where I’ve plumped for Tom Curry at six and Jac Morgan at seven.

Morgan has been one of the tour’s standouts while Curry is a proven Test-match animal. Up front, Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong are a formidable trio. Joe McCarthy seems back to his formidable best and together with Maro Itoje they can rip into the Australian pack from the off with Ollie Chessum to add ballast from the bench and Henry Pollock to bring his X-Factor when players start to tire. 

Owen Farrell showed enough in Adelaide to suggest that he’s fit and firing and his ability to cover ten and 12 whilst being the only member of the squad to have won a series before means it’s a no-brainer to include him while Bundee Aki wears No 23 with Huw Jones covering full-back and Hugo Keenan wing.

My Lions XV

1. Ellis Genge 
2. Dan Sheehan
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Maro Itoje © 
5. Joe McCarthy
6. Tom Curry
7. Jac Morgan
8. Jack Conan 
9. Jamison Gibson-Park
10. Finn Russell
11. James Lowe
12. Sione Tuipulotu 
13. Huw Jones
14. Tommy Freeman
15. Hugo Keenan

Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum, Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell, Owen Farrell, Bundee Aki

Alan Pearey, chief sub/writer at Rugby World, British & Irish Lions 1st Test team 

Injuries have simplified the selection process, with Garry Ringrose’s concussion pointing the way to a Scotland combination in midfield.

Apart from the expected absence of full-back Blair Kinghorn (knee), the back-line looks just how the coaches might have foreseen it when the squad was named in May, albeit that omitting powerhouse Bundee Aki from the match-day 23 altogether is a gamble.

The forward pack is a different matter, with Joe McCarthy playing his way in at lock and Tadhg Beirne probably destined for a bench role behind Ollie Chessum.

That’s assuming the coaches want to find room for a strong extra lineout option and that Chessum recovers from a knock he incurred against the Brumbies.

Ben Earl’s powerful performance against the AUNZ XV merits a start and I would include arch poacher Jac Morgan even though referee Ben O’Keeffe didn’t award one jackal penalty when he took charge of the Force v Lions match three weeks ago.

Recent arrival Ben White was staggeringly good against the AUNZ team and he snatches the scrum-half back-up spot on a 5-3 bench. Owen Farrell can cover ten or 12 and potentially step up late on as a goal-kicker – an area of weakness on this tour outside of the excellent Finn Russell.

My Lions XV

1. Andrew Porter
2.  Dan Sheehan
3.  Tadhg Furlong
4.  Maro Itoje (capt)
5.  Joe McCarthy
6.  Ollie Chessum
7.  Jac Morgan
8.  Ben Earl
9. Jamison Gibson-Park
10. Finn Russell
11. James Lowe
12. Sione Tuipulotu
13. Huw Jones
14. Tommy Freeman
15. Hugo Keenan

Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Ben White, Owen Farrell, Marcus Smith

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