How Andy Farrell's Lions Test team in shaping up

Irish Examiner

11 hours ago

Full-back: Blair Kinghorn's knee injury, though downplayed by Andy Farrell in his post-match comments, reopens the door for Hugo Keenan, whose tour so far has been limited to one start last Saturday against the Waratahs. He looked rusty after coming on tour with the calf injury that forced him out of Leinster's run to the URC title but a strong performance on the rebound on Saturday against the combined Aussie and Kiwi team in Adelaide could put him right back in the Test selection mix. If fit though, Kinghorn gets the start.
Verdict: KINGHORN
Right wing: Tommy Freeman got the nod over Mack Hansen for this Test dry run against the Brumbies but the Northampton and England wing was quieter in Canberra than in his previous starts at 14 against Argentina and the Queensland Reds. He did not do much wrong either but everyone in Ireland knows how much Andy Farrell appreciates Hansen's style of play and application and the Canberra native had another impressive cameo off the bench against his hometown former club, with a high work-rate piece of defensive work to save a Brumbies try sure to have been added to the highlight reel and the Test reckoning. The Connacht man seems sure to feature in the Test series in some capacity but maybe, initially, it will be off the bench.
Verdict: FREEMAN
Centres: After the mix and match policy of the first three games, Farrell has given his Scottish centres Sione Tuitupulotu and Huw Jones a run against the Waratahs before sending out his Ireland pairing of Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose. If we are to assume the Lions will go more direct against the Wallabies than we've seen in all the tour matches so far, then the Irish 12 and 13's performances at GIO Stadium on Wednesday ticked the box more effectively than their rivals. They were more direct, and more influential in the attacking line, with Ringrose finishing a great try soon after half-time.
Verdict: AKI and RINGROSE
Left wing: James Lowe's stock took a bit of a hit with his failure to ground a gilt-edged try-scoring opportunity as he was held up over the line by full-back Andy Muirhead. Yet do not underestimate the value of the Ireland star's booming left boot to the Lions' cause. Lowe showcased that in spades against the Brumbies and the Lions benefitted in terms of territory gains after his kicks turned the home backfield with chasing pressure forcing kicking errors as the home side tried to clear their lines. Hansen could perhaps sneak in at his international team-mate's expense – he replaced Lowe from the bench for the final 17 minutes - but that left peg remains key against the Wallabies.
Verdict: LOWE
Half-backs: Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park and fly-half Finn Russell have only had two starts together as a unit but their combined abilities to set tempo and manage the game are already impressive. The Northampton Saints and England pairing of Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith have also impressed in their time on the pitch, particularly in tandem, but Irish-Scottish axis remains the frontrunner to face Australia in 10 days.
Verdict: GIBSON-PARK and RUSSELL
Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell. Pic: Billy Stickland/Inpho
Loosehead prop: It's a straight shootout between Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter with the former getting the nod in this prototype Test front row on Wednesday. The Englishman was quietly efficient in his 50 minutes before being replaced by Porter and though the temptation for Farrell could be to field an all-Irish front row alongside Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong, Genge's appearances to date have been more impactful while his is a more vocal presence on and off the field. In truth though, the Anglo-Irish tag team would pack a punch either way around and the Lios are blessed to have such quality as a one-two punch.
Verdict: GENGE
Hooker: Dan Sheehan has been a nailed-on Test starter since before the tour and has only enhanced that position in Australia with his athleticism in the loose, lineout throwing and scrummaging. Irish Lions supporters will be hoping Ronan Kelleher holds off fellow 2021 tourist Luke Cowan-Dickie for the bench role.
Verdict: SHEEHAN
Tighthead prop: For all the concerns that Tadhg Furlong had been in poor form at the outset of the tour following a season ruined by calf injury issues, the Leinster and Ireland prop looks destined to start his third consecutive Test series in 10 days time. He has played himself into form and his partnership with Sheehan and either Genge or Porter is turning into a real weapon for the Lions at scrum-time. Will Stuart's poor performance against the Queensland Reds on his Lions debut has possibly scuppered the Bath man's chances of a Test start and aided Furlong's cause while pre-tour call-up Finlay Bealham will feel has also done enough to earn a place on the Test bench.
Verdict: FURLONG
Locks: Handing Maro Itoje the tour captaincy naturally made him a definite Test starter but his performance on tour have confirmed his status in that regard. The question remains as to who will partner the Englishman in the second row against Australia and the answer could well be Ireland's Joe McCarthy, who has more than impressed on his debut tour as a Lion. McCarthy was excellent once more against the Brumbies, his passing ability in the line to the fore as the Lions put together some intricate attacking plays and adding value to his presence in the pack.
Verdict: ITOJE and McCARTHY
Blindside flanker: With McCarthy favourite to take a starting second row berth, the competition for the number six jersey has intensified with hybrid locks Ollie Chessum and Tadhg Beirne seemingly vying with Tom Curry for the role. Chessum started there against the Brumbies, with Curry on the openside at number seven, and the Leicester Tigers powerhouse impressed with a try in the first half, although he was held up over the line after the break. Beirne's hopes of adding Test caps to his Lions CV for the second tour in a row appear to have diminished with a couple of below-par performances while Curry was prone to errors against the Brumbies.
Verdict: CHESSUM
Openside flanker: Perhaps the most hotly contested positional vacancy with Josh van der Flier and Jac Morgan both playing excellent rugby while Ben Earl and Curry are also among the runners and riders. It was van der Flier who came off the bench against the Brumbies in this shadow Test side and the Irishman was excellent, finishing a maul try, and having another ruled out for being held up in a tangle of bodies. Yet Morgan, the lone Welsh survivor, has put in some strong displays and must not be ruled out.
Verdict: VAN DER FLIER
No.8: Jack Conan has emerged as the lead candidate ahead of Earl, who has had every chance to challenge the Irishman for the jersey that should have been, but for injury, Caelan Doris's. Conan was a machine once more against the Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday, topping both the carry and completed tackle charts with 17 and 13 respectively.
Verdict: CONAN