04-07-2025
Lions still have glaring weakness... and Joe is watching
On a previous Lions tour to Australia in 1989, Irishman Donal Lenihan was honoured with the captaincy of the 'dirt-trackers'.
While Finlay Calder was leading the senior side to a series victory, 'Donal's Doughnuts' were also enshrined in Lions folklore for the tremendous spirit they generated under Lenihan's leadership, while notching up the wins to support the main effort.
You wonder what Lenihan's fellow Munster second row Tadhg Beirne was thinking when his name was read out as captain of the Lions team to take on the Waratahs tomorrow. Tadhg Beirne will captain the Lions against the Waratahs. Pic:With games now coming thick and fast, every player wants to be throwing some Test side shapes and the best way to do that is to be selected alongside Maro Itoje, the tour captain and only guaranteed Test starter.
The fact Beirne is now set to start his third game of the tour means he is extremely unlikely to feature with Itoje against the Brumbies on Wednesday — the game long designated as the one most likely to mirror head coach Andy Farrell's Test selection.
Joe McCarthy could get the nod for that one based on his barnstorming display against the Force, while Ollie Chessum (rested against the Waratahs) is another right in the mix. Joe McCarthy in action for the Lions against Western Force. Pic:James Ryan gets the start he has craved but is playing catch-up and would need the performance of his life to leapfrog McCarthy and Chessum at this stage.
Furthermore, the fact Beirne is selected in the second row for tomorrow suggests the experiment to relocate him to the back row has been shelved, while the identity of who will fill the No6 jersey for the Tests continues to be the biggest selection head scratcher on tour.
Tom Curry has started there twice but, as we said before a ball was kicked in anger, he is clearly better suited to the openside slot where his relative lack of height is less of an issue. James Ryan gets the start he has craved but is playing catch-up. Pic: Steve Christo/Sportsfile
Yet, the Lions continue to persevere with the undersized back-row approach with Henry Pollock playing No6 against the Reds alongside Josh van Flier at openside and Ben Earl at No8.
This immediately puts pressure on the Lions line-out, specifically the two main jumpers Beirne and Ryan and thrower Luke Cowan-Dickie.
For this to be an ongoing problem this far into the tour reflects the initial flawed selection policy — this Lions squad is screaming out for a Courtney Lawes or Ryan Baird type blindside flanker and the closer we get to the Tests, the more Australia head coach Joe Schmidt will be smelling weakness. Australia head coach Joe Schmidt. Pic: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
Farrell still hasn't tried Chessum in the blindside role and the big Leicester man could well be the solution but the clock is ticking for experimentation.
If he tries Chessum there against the Brumbies on Wednesday and it doesn't work, Farrell has lost the chance to cement a possible Test second row partnership with Itoje.
The coaching ticket would strenuously reject the notion that this team to face the Reds represent the dirt-trackers of this expedition and there are certainly players starting with genuine designs on the Test side.
Hugo Keenan and Blair Kinghorn are getting their first auditions as live Test candidates, Van der Flier has a strong Test claim and the Scotland centres Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu are both still well in the mix. Hugo Keenan will get his first audition as a live Test candidates. Pic: INPHO/Billy Stickland
But it is fair to say the half-back pairing of Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell is the designated back-up to Finn Russell and Jamison Gibson-Park, as is the front-row combination of Pierre Schoeman, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Finlay Bealham behind Ellis Genge/Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong.
So, amid all the furore over Farrell calling up his son, there is a lot still up in the air when it comes to Lions Test selection — not least the situation at No6.
And Joe is watching…
