The nation that benefited the most – and least

Telegraph

4 hours ago

A flat third Test, with spicy selection debate and brief confusion over who was the proper player of the series, was probably the ideal way to restore animosity between the four nations that make up the British and Irish Lions.
As they go their separate ways after a summer of comradeship, who will be most satisfied with the past few months?
England ⬆️
Tourists: 15
Test players: 10
From the captain to 20-year-old tyro Henry Pollock, via a couple of centurions drafted into the group, England's was the most eclectic cohort.
Maro Itoje and Ellis Genge have added a unique and intense experience to their ice-and-fire leadership double-act, which is bound to benefit Steve Borthwick in the short- and medium-term. Ollie Chessum will learn from a tough night at the line-out in Sydney, too, and was evidently popular among new colleagues.
Peers seemed to embrace Pollock as well, while Tom Curry's ferocity earned him a trio of Test starts. Borthwick is eyeing up a seven-one bench with good reason. There is a varied gaggle of talented back-rowers to squeeze in, including Ben Earl and those who impressed with England in Argentina such as Tom Willis, Ben Curry, Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill. The prop stocks are healthy. Will Stuart was eventually ousted by Tadhg Furlong as first-choice tighthead, yet contributed to the Tests and looked to be having a blast off the pitch.
Tommy Freeman was one of 11 individuals to start all three Tests. After a sizzling season, he may feel as though he did not quite hit his straps and might have anticipated scoring more than two tries. The 24-year-old was threatening when brought into the action, though, and will remain integral to the England side. It will be intriguing to see whether he spends more time at outside centre or even full-back, for club as well as country. Elliot Daly, the original utility man, underlined his poise and was pushing for the Tests when he broke his arm. At 32, he still is valued by Borthwick.
Another Northampton Saint, Alex Mitchell was ever-present in match squads. This reflects his dependability and he cannot fail to have learned constructive lessons from Jamison Gibson-Park. Scrum-half is an area in which England need to develop depth. Hooker is, too. Jamie George joined Luke Cowan-Dickie with the Lions when the latter picked up a horrible concussion. Below that, the pecking order is somewhat uncertain with Theo Dan and Curtis Langdon treading water above Gabriel Oghre and Jamie Blamire.
Fly-half is another head-scratcher. Fin Smith and Marcus Smith returned a grand total of 14 Test minutes between them, courtesy of the latter's brief cameo in Brisbane. Fin did not take the field during the series, while Marcus did not receive a single start on Australian soil after spending the entire game against Argentina at full-back. Ultimately, the arrival of Owen Farrell edged them out.
The hot potato of Farrell now passes back to Borthwick, who has respectfully hinted that a return to form for Saracens must be the first step. That seems eminently sensible. There is no rush to make this decision, as delicate an issue as it may be. Do not forget that Borthwick picked Fin Smith, Marcus Smith and George Ford – the three centrally contracted playmakers – in the same squad to face Wales and still managed a six-two bench.
Clarity is essential and the Smiths should be emboldened, but it could be damaging to completely cast out experience with a World Cup coming into view. And that is not Borthwick's style anyway. Whatever happens, the opening weeks of the Premiership are sure to be full of compelling subplots.
Verdict: Depth is not a problem for England. It never should be, but this Lions tour has strengthened it. Borthwick will, though, need to review a busy summer and address tricky questions.
Scotland ⬆️
Tourists: 12
Test players: 4
The number of Scotland tourists, which did not include the unfortunate Zander Fagerson due to the tighthead prop's calf complaint, is undoubtedly swelled by the convenience of their concurrent trip to New Zealand and Fiji. Equally, though, Tom Jordan could have been whisked in as a utility back and one feels that other call-ups should age well. Darcy Graham must have been close to the original crew, while Ewan Ashman and Gregor Brown are bound to be in contention for 2029 if those two dynamic forwards deliver on potential.
Even though he will have wanted greater Test involvement for his players, Gregor Townsend will be pleased. Finn Russell is in his prime, having admirably absorbed the diverse experiences of his career. He will turn 35 on the cusp of the 2027 World Cup and there is nothing to suggest he cannot be Scotland's lynchpin at that tournament.
Blair Kinghorn was compromised by a knee injury yet still showed his class off the bench at the MCG as Russell guided the Lions down-field like an NFL quarterback on a winning drive. It felt like a seminal two months for Huw Jones, who deserved his three Test starts regardless of Garry Ringrose's availability. His days in the back three, where the Lions nudged him after an in-game reshuffle in Sydney, may be limited, but Scotland will not need him there because of their alternatives and he should be brimming with confidence.
Jones and Sione Tuipulotu, arguably the Lions' most costly omission from the third Test squad, showed their class and will take some dislodging as Scotland's front-line centre pairing when fit. Tuipulotu, by his own admission, plays with a chip on his shoulder. He has all the skills, and is bound to take some motivation from his disappointment. Scott Cummings and Pierre Schoeman, both largely excellent in the tour fixtures, are in the same boat, and will be vital as Scotland's forwards bid to provide a platform for their glittering backs. Duhan van der Merwe will have to fight to make the first-choice line-up in November because of quality elsewhere, which would have been unthinkable four years ago.
Scotland have fine options at scrum-half with George Horne and Jamie Dobie, the latter a good enough wing to facilitate a six-two bench, but Ben White was accurate and unfussy upon replacing the stricken Tomos Williams. The zip of his pass and the distance of his kicking game, as well as the running threat he demonstrated with a sniping try in Adelaide, give him the full package.
As much as defeat in Fiji was an unfortunate outcome for Scotland, it was also no disgrace. Games against New Zealand and Argentina, book-ended by USA and Tonga, headline their November and Townsend will want three victories as well as a determined tilt at the All Blacks.
Verdict: Scotland will always need to box clever because of their lack of depth but this could be a game-changing tour for them if it ends up breeding greater self-belief and players like Tuipulotu and Cummings channel any frustration constructively.
Wales ↔️
Tourists: 2
Test players: 1
The hamstring injury suffered by Tomos Williams deprived the wiry scrum-half of a tilt at the Tests to supplement his excellent season with Gloucester. Jac Morgan stayed on, impressed amid huge competition for back-row spots and was rewarded with two bench appearances against the Wallabies. In the thick of the Melbourne comeback, he was also combative in Sydney, scoring a close-range try and snaring his seventh turnover of the trip.
Crumbs of comfort are what Wales supporters are clinging onto right now, with the appointment of Steve Tandy, the return of Louis Rees-Zammit, and a dogged defeat of Japan representing three positive pieces of news in a sea of dread. In Morgan, however, they have an outstanding player as a figurehead. Argentina and Japan are their first two November opponents before New Zealand and South Africa hit Cardiff. Winning at least one of those first two will be Tandy's aim.
Verdict: Certainly a positive outcome, though obviously severely limited by the numbers.
Ireland ↔️
Tourists: 18
Test players: 12
It was no secret that Ireland were heading towards the 2027 World Cup with a mature squad, but this tour reinforced as much. Whether Bundee Aki makes it back to Australia for that tournament, when he will be 37, must be in doubt. Robbie Henshaw and Stuart McCloskey are strong contingencies, though both will be 34.
Hugh Gavin is a strapping 21-year-old and an age-grade star who made his Test debut against Portugal in July. Stuart Lancaster is overseeing his development at Connacht. Having flitted around Leinster's backline last season, Jamie Osborne arrived with the Lions and showcased his rangy running. The 23-year-old is a big talent and voiced his desire to nail down a permanent position as soon as possible.
There are prospects pushing through. Sam Prendergast is ahead of Jack Crowley in the fly-half shoot-out. As for younger Lions tourists, the magnificent Dan Sheehan is only 26. Joe McCarthy is 24 and Thomas Clarkson – a contentious call-up yet undoubtedly a promising tighthead – is 25. Caelan Doris, poised for the captaincy of the 2025 Lions at just 27, is recovering from a shoulder operation and should be fresh for a tough autumn schedule comprising New Zealand in Chicago before Japan, South Africa and Australia at the Aviva Stadium.
Aged 28 and 30, respectively, James Ryan and Garry Ringrose should have plenty of caps ahead of them if they can overcome concussions. Ronan Kelleher and Mack Hansen are only 27 and Andrew Porter, despite a somewhat strange tour in which he was held back until the Test series and then failed to make a significant impact, has time on his side at 29. Hugo Keenan is the same age and was excellent once he had returned to full health.
But to emphasise the discernible age issue facing Ireland, three more of their Lions in Tadhg Beirne, Jamison Gibson-Park and Finlay Bealham will be 35 in 2027. Another four – Jack Conan, Tadhg Furlong, Josh van der Flier and James Lowe – will be 34.
Even if provincial sides have shown a willingness to rest and rotate their squads, two full seasons and a World Cup summer could feel like a long road for some of them. Will they all get there? It should be stressed that Beirne was immense against the Wallabies, with Gibson-Park also among the most influential Lions. Furlong and Conan also merited their Test selections. Lowe's was a tale of light and shade in Brisbane and Melbourne before he was dropped.
The struggles of Lowe and Porter were more jarring because they have been close to indispensable to Ireland since Farrell began as head coach. Depth at loosehead prop, for instance, is unconvincing and Lowe's left boot has been an important outlet.to the game plan.
The 2026 Six Nations, which will contain a sole rest week rather than two, will challenge squad depth and durability like never before. There are three straight fixtures on the bounce with a break before two more to finish. It will be a grind, and Ireland visit Paris first up.
If all that seems overly pessimistic, a 34-5 win over Georgia in Tbilisi a month ago should hearten Ireland fans. Coached by Paul O'Connell and captained by Craig Casey, a young team produced an assured performance. Gus McCarthy, Nick Timoney, Ryan Baird, Gavin Coombes and Tommy O'Brien all stood out. Renewal does not have to mean drastic regression.
The effect of the Ireland-heavy backroom staff with the Lions is something else to monitor. Will Farrell and his lieutenants – such as Aled Walters, Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman and Johnny Sexton – be able to exploit what they have learned about players from other nations? Or will it benefit the other nations to have had such acute insight into Farrell's tactics and coaching traits?