Three Scottish stars named in Irish and English dominated British & Irish Lions team for first Australia test
The full 23 man squad to take on the Wallabies in Brisbane contains 11 Irish, nine English three Scottish and no Welsh players.
British & Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell has named his starting XV and replacements for the first of three test matches against Australia this weekend.
The team is largely a combined Ireland and England set-up with three Scottish stars, all named in the starting line-up and forming a familiar partnership in the backs. Finn Russell starts at stand-off while Glasgow Warriors teammates Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones will bring their excellent tandem to the centres at 12 and 13 respectively.
The remainder of the full 23 man squad features 11 Irishmen and nine Englishmen with no Welsh players included for the first time since 1896. Ospreys’ back rower Jac Morgan is the only representative from Wales currently on tour but their is not place form him in the test squad.
Despite positive performances in the warm up matches there is also no spot in the test team for Pierre Schoeman or Scott Cummings. Both had not necessarily been expected to be test matches players when the initial squad was named but had seemingly given themselves a shot after setting high standards on tour so far.
England’s Ellis Genge starts a loose-head prop with Ireland’s Andrew Porter on the bench. The lock partnership will be Lions’ captain Maro Itoje and Ireland’s Joe McCarthy with England’s England’s Ollie Chessum covering from the replacements.
Scrum half Ben White, a late call up to the touring squad, in not a surprise omission with Ireland’s Jamieson Gibson-Park starting at nine and England’s Alex Mitchell on the bench. Perhaps more surprising is the absence of Duhan van der Merwe who, despite having some lackluster displays on tour so far, scored a hat-trick in the Lions’ last match against the AUNZ invitational team.
Blair Kinghorn’s chances of featuring in this match were touch and go and he will not feature in this match although will be expected to play some part in the second test. The back three is made up of Ireland’s James Lowe and England’s Tommy Freeman on the wings plus Irishman Hugo Keean at full back Marcus Smith and Bundee Aki covering the backs from the bench.
Here is the full British & Irish Lions starting XV and replacements for the opening test match against Australia in Brisbane this weekend:
- Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England)
- Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
- Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
- Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) (C)
- Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
- Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland)
- Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England)
- Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
- Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
- Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland)
- James Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
- Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)
- Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)
- Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England)
- Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Replacements: 16. Ronan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England), Ben Earl (Saracens/England), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England), Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England), Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland)
Lions Head Coach Andy Farrell said: “We are entering the business end of the Tour and it is time to put in our best performance to date. We know how motivated the Wallabies will be and we know they are a well organised and dangerous side.
“It is a great occasion and a proud moment for Maro Itoje, who will captain the Test side, but also for those players who get the opportunity to represent the group on Saturday night. We have seen a flood of Lions supporters on the streets of Brisbane this week and we are looking forward to seeing a Sea of Red in the stands of the Suncorp Stadium cheering on the team.”
What time doe British & Irish Lions vs Australia first test kick off in the UK?
The first test will take place on Saturday (July 19) morning - kicking-off at 8pm local time. Due to the time difference between the hemispheres, it works out at 11am in the UK and Ireland,
Sky Sports coverage is set to start at 10am, giving plenty of time for analysis and build-up before kick-off at Lang Park. If you really want to get into the rugby spirit, New Zealand’s match against France will be on earlier in the morning from 7.05am.
Which channel is British & Irish Lions vs Australia first test on?
The full tour is being covered by Sky Sports, but the broadcaster does have a range of different channels - so you will want to make sure you get the right one. It has been confirmed that the first test will be live on both Sky Sports Main Event/ HD and Sky Sports Action/ HD.