With Andy Farrell selecting his squad on Thursday 8 May, the Rugby World staff have selected who they would take on the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia
With Andy Farrell naming his British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia this Thursday at the O2 Arena in London, the Rugby World team have put pen to paper and named the squads they would pick to take Down Under.
Combining players from the four home nations, the Lions will take on Australia in a three-test series this summer as well as facing various regional and representative sides in one of the most prestigious events in world rugby.
Related: Paul Williams’ Lions squad
These squads have all been picked on current form from both the recent Six Nations and club competitions like the Champions Cup, URC and Premiership. They have also been picked considering squad balance, opposition and the unique needs of a six-week Lions tour in the southern hemisphere.
Rugby World British & Irish Lions squads
Selectors:
Joe Robinson: Editor of Rugby World and firm believer that rugby should be about panache and entertainment
Alan Pearey: Chief sub and writer with over 30 years of experience in rugby journalism. If Alan doesn’t know something about rugby, it is not worth knowing.
Josh Graham: Deputy editor of Rugby World and current Jamaica international. Knows what it takes to play in a Test-match environment…
Read more: Who will the British & Irish Lions play this summer?
Loosehead Prop
Marcus Smith and Ellis Genge of England line up during the anthems (Getty Images)
Joe Robinson – Andrew Porter (Ireland), Ellis Genge (England), Pierre Schoeman (Scotland) (3)
Alan Pearey – Andrew Porter (Ireland), Ellis Genge (England), Nicky Smith (Wales) (3)
Josh Graham – Ellis Genge (England), Andrew Porter (Ireland), Fin Baxter (England) (3)
Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter earn clean sweeps in selection and will likely battle it out for the Test starting spot. Criticism has been aimed at Porter’s scrummaging recently as both Ireland and Leinster have struggled in that area. The third spot feels like it is up for grabs, hence the lack of agreement in our selections.
Hooker
Dan Sheehan of Ireland scores his side’s fourth try during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and England. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
JR – Dan Sheehan (Ireland), Jamie George (England), Rónan Kelleher (Ireland) (3)
AP – Dan Sheehan (Ireland, Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), Rónan Kelleher (Ireland (3)
JG – Dan Sheehan (Ireland), Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), Jamie George (England) (3)
Unanimously, we all see Dan Sheehan as the starting Test hooker this Lions tour, unless something drastic happens out in Australia. On those fast, dry tracks, he should be absolutely lethal. His Irish brethren Kelleher could tour for a second time but we hope to see someone like Jamie George travel as an experienced, wise head.
Tighthead Prop
Will Stuart could now be a British & Irish Lions test starter (Photo by Dan Mullan – RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)
JR – Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Will Stuart (England), Zander Fagerson (Scotland) (3)
AP – Will Stuart (England), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Zander Fagerson (Scotland) (3)
JG – Will Stuart (England), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Finlay Bealham (Ireland) (3)
Will Stuart has played himself into being a test starter, that is without doubt in all of our minds. If Furlong is fit and at his best, we would all take him too. Fagerson is struggling with injury so tight head does feel a bit up in the air at the moment. Could there be a wild card option on the plane?
Lock
Maro Itoje of England sings their national anthem (Getty Images)
JR – Maro Itoje (captain, England), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Ollie Chessum (England), Joe McCarthy (Ireland), Dafyyd Jenkins (Wales) (5)
AP – Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Maro Itoje (captain, England), Joe McCarthy (Ireland), Ollie Chessum (England)(4)
JG – Maro Itoje (captain, England), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Ollie Chessum (England), Courtney Lawes (England) (4)
The second-row combination of Itoje and Beirne feels locked in and should be absolutely world-class as they complement one another’s games. Behind them, the tireless work of McCarthy and versatility of Chessum will be valuable on a long tour. Lawes is playing lock again at Brive and could be a bolter…
Related: Regular columnist Paul Williams picks his Lions squad and there’s no room for Tommy Freeman
Flanker
Henry Pollock could be the youngest tourist on this year’s British & Irish Lions tour. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
JR – Jack Willis (England), Tom Curry (England), Jac Morgan (Wales), Ben Earl (England), Henry Pollock (England) (5)
AP – Josh van der Flier (Ireland), Tom Curry (England), Jac Morgan (Wales), Jack Willis (England), Sam Underhill (England), Henry Pollock (England) (6)
JG – Tom Curry (England), Ben Curry (England), Ben Earl (England), Sam Underhill (England), Henry Pollock (England), Jac Morgan (Wales) (6)
Did we watch the Northampton Saints v Leinster European semi-final and swap Henry Pollock for Josh van der Flier? Absolutely we did. I’ve seen enough, I’m convinced, the boy needs to tour. He is exactly the kind of player the Sea of Red would galvanise behind, cheering his name and you just know he would thrive off of it.
Number 8
Caelan Doris of Leinster walks off the pitch after injuring a shoulder during the Champions Cup semi-final. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
JR – Caelan Doris (Ireland), Jack Conan (Ireland) (2)
AP – Caelan Doris (Ireland) (1)
JG – Caelan Doris (Ireland) (1)
Leinster and Ireland captain Doris felt the clear favourite to get the tour armband. Yet a shoulder injury suffered in the Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton Saints may not only have put his leadership in doubt but his entire tour at risk. All fingers and toes will be crossed because he is the best No 8 that the British & Irish Lions have and would make all three of our touring sides.
Scrum-half
Jamison Gibson-Park and Alex Mitchell could be teammates with the British & Irish Lions. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
JR – Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), Tomos Williams (Wales), Alex Mitchell (England) (3)
AP – Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), Alex Mitchell (England), Ben White (Scotland) (3)
JG – Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), Alex Mitchell (England), Ben White (Scotland) (3)
Alex Mitchell’s performances in the Six Nations and recent European games have made him a must-have in the Test 23 but we think Gibson-Park has enough credit in the bank to have secured the nine shirt for now. Williams and White are also worthy picks who could earn a Test spot if they set the world alight Down Under.
Read more: Which teams will face the British & Irish Lions in Australia?
Fly-half
Fin Smith on set with Rugby World (Matt Pearson/Rugby World/Future Publishing)
JR – Finn Russell (Scotland), Fin Smith (England), Owen Farrell (England) (3)
AP – Finn Russell (Scotland), Fin Smith (England), Sam Prendergast (Ireland) (3)
JG – Fin Smith (England), Finn Russell (Scotland), Sam Prendergast (Ireland) (3)
It is no coincidence that Rugby World featured Fin Smith on the cover of Issue 310, currently on sale here. We know our onions and can spot a world-class talent from a mile off. He is the real deal. As for Owen Farrell’s selection, it is not nepotism. It is picking a born leader with experience of three previous Lions tours.
Centres
A battered Ireland’s Bundee Aki during the Guinness Six Nations 2025 match between Wales and Ireland (Getty Images)
JR – Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland), Huw Jones (Scotland), Bundee Aki (Ireland), Robbie Henshaw (Ireland) (4)
AP – Bundee Aki (Ireland), Huw Jones (Scotland), Robbie Henshaw (Ireland), Tom Jordan (Scotland) (4)
JG – Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland), Huw Jones (Scotland), Bundee Aki (Ireland), Robbie Henshaw (Ireland) (4)
A lot rests on whether Scotland’s Sione Tuipulotu can get fit again to tour. If he can, we all take him as he is the best option there is at inside centre, another level. If not, Aki is the obvious choice with Jones alongside him. Jordan can offer versatility while Henshaw has touring experience.
Wingers
Tommy Freeman has been in top form for Northampton Saints and England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
JR – Tommy Freeman (England), Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), James Lowe (Ireland), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England), Jamie Osborne (Ireland) (5)
AP – James Lowe (Ireland), Tommy Freeman (England), Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), Darcy Graham (Scotland)(4)
JG – Tommy Freeman (England), James Lowe (Ireland), Darcy Graham (Scotland), Mack Hansen (Ireland) (4)
Life is for taking chances so we are picking Manny Feyi-Waboso for the Lions tour. He has not played rugby in quite a long time but he is absolutely electric, a game-changer, someone who can ignite a whole tour in one moment. Play him with the almost flawless Lowe or Freeman and you could create alchemy.
Full-Backs
Marcus Smith celebrates a crucial second-half try against Italy (Getty Images)
JR – Blair Kinghorn (Scotland), Hugo Keenan (Ireland) (2)
AP – Blair Kinghorn (Scotland), George Furbank (England), Marcus Smith (England) (3)
JG – Blair Kinghorn (Scotland), Hugo Keenan (Ireland) (2)
Full-back is potentially among the weakest positions for Andy Farrell and we found it a tough selection, especially with Kinghorn and Furbank being injured. They can still make the tour should they recover but it feels advantage to Keenan at the moment.
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