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Owen Farrell and Henry Pollock to be left out of Lions Test squad

Owen Farrell and Henry Pollock to be left out of Lions Test squad

Timesa day ago
Owen Farrell and Henry Pollock are expected to miss out on selection for the first British & Irish Lions Test against Australia — with head coach Andy Farrell preparing to unleash a power-packed side.
The Times understands that Tom Curry will play at open-side flanker with Tadhg Beirne at blind-side and Jack Conan at No8 forming an abrasive, physical back row. For Curry and Conan it will be their fourth consecutive Lions Test. Ollie Chessum, a lock or blind-side option like Beirne, and Ben Earl will provide cover from the bench.
The Lions are going for power and lineout dominance over pace or a primary jackal threat, which is set to mean no place for Pollock, Jac Morgan or Josh van der Flier. With Morgan not involved, the Lions would go into a Test without a Welshman for the first time since 1899.
Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones will form an all-Scottish midfield, operating outside the half-back partnership of Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell.
The Tuipolotu-Jones combination always felt likely once Garry Ringrose, the Irish outside centre, was ruled out of the game through concussion.
The Lions' back line options have been limited by injuries to Mack Hansen and Blair Kinghorn. The back three therefore picks itself, with James Lowe and Tommy Freeman on the wings, either side of Hugo Keenan at full back.
Other than Jamie Osborne, who came on tour late, Marcus Smith is the only player from outside the expected starting XV who can cover full back.
Had Hansen or Kinghorn been available, that might have altered the balance and improved Owen Farrell's chances of being included as a fly half/centre.
Smith struggled last season after being recast by England as utility player, having been their starting fly half in 2024. But that versatility appears to have secured the 26-year-old a Lions Test selection, potentially alongside Bundee Aki on the bench.
The Lions still have one training session to negotiate before Andy Farrell, the head coach, announces the 23-man squad officially early on Thursday morning. 'It certainly wasn't easy,' Richard Wigglesworth, the assistant coach, said of the initial selection meeting.
The opening match of the three-match series against Joe Schmidt's Wallabies will be played at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
Curry's performances have not been flashy in Australia — and they have been lauded by Farrell because of it. The head coach admires the 27-year-old's engine, his work rate and his ferocity in the collisions. He started all three Tests on the 2021 Lions tour.
'He's a machine,' Farrell said. 'His work rate, his stuff off the ball is very impressive. The stuff that he does off the ball makes teams tick. He's so fit, so determined to have an impact on the game, especially as far as physicality is concerned. I think he started the tour really well.'
Beirne has switched between back row and second row on this tour but he has been preferred to Chessum at blind-side flanker. He will provide a key lineout option and he is also a member of the Lions' senior leadership group, having captained the team against NSW Waratahs and the Australia-New Zealand Invitational team.
His selection in the back row is a show of force from the Lions, although somewhat of a surprise given the man himself believes he is now a lock. 'If anything, I've probably become more settled in the second-row spot over the last couple of months, particularly with Munster,' Beirne, 33, said.
'I like to think I've convinced myself that my game has improved a bit over the last four years. Just in terms of understanding the game and being a smarter rugby player, particularly in the second row. I've been playing there a lot more.'
It had been widely expected that Owen Farrell, drafted in late and primarily as an inside centre option, would be fast-tracked into the first Test squad because of his ability to also cover fly half.
He came off the bench with Smith in the most recent game but if the Wallabies were looking for Test clues in their joint deployment, it would appear they have been misled.
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