"Becoming clear" - How the Lions will line-up for the first test against Australia

Friday, 04 July 2025 at 09:11

byCameron Archibald

With three warm-up games down, RUCK looks at Andy Farrell's potential squad to face the Wallabies in Brisbane.

Following a rocky start against Argentina in Dublin, the Lions bounced back with impressive victories over the Western Force & Queensland Reds down under. Some players have played their way into contention, while others have failed to impress on tour and may miss out entirely.

Just after the squad was announced, we made an initial prediction of Farrell's squad for the first match against Australia. With the big day approaching and an idea of who's in form, there are updates to be made.

Here's our predicted squad for the first Wallabies test on July 19th in Brisbane.

15. Blair Kinghorn - Stade Toulousain & Scotland

Despite joining up with the squad late due to his club commitments, helping Toulouse win the Top 14, Kinghorn should slot into the first Test lineup. The versatile Scot has been in great form throughout the 2024/25 season, and won't be troubled for the 15 jersey by English pair Elliot Daly and Marcus Smith, or Ireland's Hugo Keenan.

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14. Tommy Freeman - Northampton Saints & England

Following two tries in the victory over the Reds at Suncorp Stadium, Freeman strengthened his grip on the right wing for the opening Test. The 24-year-old is coming off a brilliant season for the Saints & England, and his powerful running should beat out James Lowe and Mack Hansen for that 14 shirt.

13. Huw Jones - Glasgow Warriors & Scotland

Jones is in a tough battle for the outside centre spot when it comes to the first Test in Brisbane. With Garry Ringrose and Sione Tuipulotu both so impressive, Jones needs to keep backing up his excellent credentials in games & training to nail down his starting berth. Right now, I'd give the Warriors' usual 13 the nod before moving Tuipulotu outside or giving Ringrose the nod.

12. Bundee Aki - Connacht & Ireland

While Farrell may be tempted to keep the ultra-effective 'Huw-ipulotu' centre pairing together, it's difficult to look past Bundee Aki in your back line. The Connacht man has continued to show his USP - crunching carries that force the defence into tackling errors. Barring injury, he'll keep Tuipulotu and Ringrose out of the back line in Brisbane.

11. Duhan van der Merwe - Edinburgh & Scotland

Van der Merwe has silenced critics who jibed at the number of 'southern hemisphere Lions' in the 38-man squad, bringing his usual touch-hugging runs and elite finishing to the plate with a try against the Reds. Just as it was before the tour began, the South African-born Edinburgh winger has secured the left wing as his for the first matchup against Joe Schmidt's Wallabies.

10. Finn Russell - Bath & Scotland

Russell is another Scotland international whose place in the starting XV has been secured for a while. The mercurial fly-half is one of the best in the world at his position and will beat out Fin & Marcus Smith for the 10 jersey with ease.

9. Jamison Gibson-Park - Leinster & Ireland

Gibson-Park has been the consensus starting scrum-half for this team long before the squad was announced. With Northampton's Alex Mitchell and Toulon's Ben White waiting in the wings, they'll need an injury to the Leinster man to touch that number nine jersey come the first Test. Gibson-Park is the best fit scrum-half in the northern hemisphere right now, and the former Maori All Blacks man will no doubt be the starter in Brisbane on July 19th.

1. Pierre Schoeman - Edinburgh & Scotland

Initially, we believed Farrell would be too enticed by a settled Leinster front row to give Schoey the starting job. However, performances in the warm-up matches have put the 31-year-old firmly in the lead against Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter.

2. Dan Sheehan - Leinster & Ireland

Leinster star man Sheehan has been the best hooker in the world for a while now, so it's no surprise that he'll be Farrell's trusted man at the front of the scrum on July 19th. The 26-year-old captained the Lions on Saturday against the Western Force and opened the scoring with a wonderfully worked try. With competition limited from compatriot Ronan Kelleher and surprise inclusion Luke Cowan-Dickie, Sheehan will

3. Tadhg Furlong - Leinster & Ireland

Alongside his club and country teammate Sheehan, veteran presence Furlong will be at tighthead in Andy Farrell's front row. The three-time tourist has had a great 2025 and brings 78 international caps worth of experience to the scrum, along with incredible power at set pieces and the breakdown.

4. Maro Itoje (C) - Saracens & England

Tour captain, star lock and in great form, Itoje is the first name on the team sheet when it comes to the first Wallabies Test. The Saracens man is an easy choice in the second row ahead of Tadhg Beirne.

5. Joe McCarthy - Leinster & Ireland

McCarthy has outshone fellow Leinster man Tadhg Beirne so far in Australia, putting in outstanding performances at lock. Despite competition from Beirne, Glasgow's Scott Cummings and Leicester's Ollie Chessum, American-born McCarthy looks set for the starting job alongside Itoje.

6. Jac Morgan - Ospreys & Wales

Now the only Welshman on tour following Tomos Williams' injury, Ospreys star Morgan earned the player of the match award against the Reds in the most recent warm-up match. The Wales captain has earned his spot at blindside flanker as the standout player in a turgid international side.

7. Josh van der Flier - Leinster & Ireland

The final Leinster player in our starting fifteen, van der Flier has been in great form throughout 2025 for club and country. He's started the tour in Australia well, and his talents will be very familiar to Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt, who gave him his Ireland debut back in 2016 at Twickenham.

8. Henry Pollock - Northampton Saints & England

The breakout star of English rugby, some questioned whether Pollock should be on tour at all, having made just one appearance for the senior side. However, the Saints youngster's form for Northampton at the back end of the season was too good to ignore, and his start for the Lions has been pretty impressive too. The 20-year-old had a fantastic game against the Western Force despite spending ten minutes in the sin bin, and has justified inclusion at number eight over Ireland's Jack Conan.

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16. Rónan Kelleher - Leinster & Ireland

Back-up to Sheehan at club level, back-up to Sheehan at international level and now back-up to Sheehan for the Lions. Kelleher stands out as the second choice at hooker ahead of England's Luke Cowan-Dickie. The 27-year-old is a capable deputy, bringing 38 caps of international guile to the table.

17. Andrew Porter - Leinster & Ireland

Another player from the strong Leinster contingent down under, Porter will surely be the chosen candidate to come on at loosehead and make an impact for Andy Farrell's side. The 75-cap Irishman could well be in line for the starting job in a very close battle with Scotland's Pierre Schoeman, but we reckon Porter will be saved for his impact from the bench.

18. Will Stuart - Bath & England

Completing Farrell's front row options in Brisbane will be Will Stuart. The 28-year-old, who earned his 50th cap for England in the final match of the Six Nations, benefits from a pre-tour injury to Scotland's Zander Fagerson to make the bench. Stuart's 2025 season, which consisted of a treble of trophies with Bath, earned him his first Lions inclusion and should see him beat Finlay Bealham to the 23-man squad.

19. Tadhg Beirne - Munster & Ireland

Beirne was fancied to be the starter alongside Maro Itoje at lock, while also being able to fill in across the back row. As it stands, however, the Munster forward is set to remain on the bench from the start. His valuable versatility will come in handy whether or not he can force his way into the starting fifteen, but he needs a good performance as captain against the Waratahs on Saturday to reclaim the five jersey.

20. Jack Conan - Leinster & Ireland

The Leinster back row looked to be the nailed-on starter at number eight coming into the tour, but poor showings alongside the bright start from Henry Pollock have relegated Conan to the bench in our eyes. The 32-year-old, benefitting from Caelan Doris' tour absence, will need some great performances to dethrone the youngest player on tour and take back the starting spot for Andy Farrell.

21. Alex Mitchell - Northampton Saints & England

Mitchell's fast ball at the ruck was on display against the Reds, catching out the defence on multiple occasions to run up the score. The Northampton man's place as Jamison Gibson-Park's backup was further strengthened by injury for Tomos Williams, bringing Toulon's Ben White in as a distant third choice.

22. Fin Smith - Northampton Saints & England

Despite the potential appeal of having compatriot Marcus Smith as cover for both fly-half and fullback, the Harlequins man hasn't impressed at the highest level in 2025. Saints 10 Fin is much more likely to take up the backup role to Russell, having led his team to the Champions Cup final and played a big role in the Six Nations for England.

23. Garry Ringrose - Leinster & Ireland

Versatility in the backs will be important off the bench, with both Mitchell and Smith very one-dimensional. Having lost utility back Elliot Daly for the remainder of the tour through injury, it's now even more important to have someone to deputise in multiple positions from the bench. The last of nine Leinster players in this predicted squad, Ringrose has shown his quality on tour so far, grabbing tries while playing at both outside centre and on the wing. Tommy Freeman can act as fullback cover for Kinghorn, allowing Ringrose to take the 23 jersey in Brisbane.