"England eligible" - AU NZ Invitational XV player is one to watch against the British and Irish Lions

Coached by Queensland Reds’ Les Kiss and featuring a wealth of talent from both sides of the Tasman, the 30-man squad includes 18 internationally capped players, ten Wallabies and eight All Blacks, with over 300 Test appearances combined. This will be the Lions’ final tour match before the Test series kicks off and provides one last chance for Andy Farrell's players to impress before facing the Wallabies.

Hoskins Sotutu is a standout loose forward for the Blues, named Super Rugby Pacific’s 2024 MVP after an exceptional season in which he scored 12 tries and delivered 8 assists, which was the most ever by a forward in the competition.

Despite this, he has been snubbed by the All Blacks, officially due to various injuries, although his continued club appearances have fuelled speculation about his international future. Eligible for England through his mother and Fiji through his father, Sotutu has already been capped by New Zealand, meaning he must complete a 36-month stand-down period before switching allegiance, making him eligible for England in November 2025.

Per the RFU's rules, he must play in the Premiership to be able to feature for England, and this game could be a great way for him to put himself in the shop window if he is to pursue that route.

Versatile and athletic back row Pete Samu currently plays for Bordeaux in France’s Top 14, where he was part of the squad that won the 2025 Champions Cup. Born in Melbourne, Samu began his rugby journey as a scrum-half with the before transitioning to the back row.

After a brief stint in the UK with St Ives, his professional breakthrough came in New Zealand with Tasman and the Crusaders, where he won consecutive Super Rugby titles in 2017 and 2018. Samu made his Wallabies debut in 2018 and has earned 33 Test caps, transferring to Bordeaux in 2023. Samu's time in France is nearly over and he will return to Australia to join the Waratahs this summer, having being signed through to the end of 2027.

A name potentially familiar to Lions and Premiership fans, the former Northampton Saints lock featured for Queensland Reds against the Lions just over a week ago. His performance in Perth left a lot to be desired and he was wasn't able to have much of an impact on the game.

He now has a second chance to prove that he is up to the level. An athletic player and very much an enforcer on the pitch, the Australian has featured for his country over 30 times and has an outside shot of playing himself into a gold shirt.

All Blacks enforcer Shannon Frizell is one of the most exciting names on the teamsheet, given how much fans want to see him back in Super Rugby and playing for his country. Now playing in Japan with Tokyo Brave Lupus, who he joined after the 2023 World Cup. Frizell's performance in the showpiece event from two years ago, saw him pick up a yellow card in the All Blacks' defeat against the Springboks.

Frizell has extended his contract in Tokyo to include next season, but a move to Moana Pasifika has been touted, given that he was born in Tonga, yet still has All Blacks ambitions for the 2027 World Cup. He recently started at No.8 for the Barbarians against South Africa, so he seems to still have a taste for international rugby. With 33 caps to his name, Frizell is one of the most high-profile names involved on Saturday.

Crusaders stalwart Havili has been at the franchise for ten years now and has amassed 30 appearances for his native New Zealand. He made his All Blacks debut in 2017, scoring a try against Argentina, and was named Crusaders Player of the Year that season.

He returned to the national squad in 2021 after another standout year in Super Rugby. In 2022, he played his 100th game for the Crusaders. A proven leader, Havili was Crusaders captain for the 2025 season. The centre/fullback is a solid defender and a threat when running with the ball, whilst also being a good kicker.