British and Irish Lions: Our final 39-man touring party ahead of squad announcement
From left to right: Andy Farrell, Maro Itoje and Finn Russell
On the eve of Thursday’s official British and Irish Lions squad announcement, Planet Rugby picks its final 39-man touring party to head down under.
Backs
Utility: Marcus Smith (England)
This could be us sitting on the fence with Marcus Smith, but there is a very likely chance he goes as a proper utility option alongside three other fly-halves. The Quins star was head-and-shoulders England’s best player in both the 2024 Summer Tests and Autumn Nations Series, but found himself shifted to full-back to accommodate Fin Smith at 10.
While that might not be a great look he still did a decent job in the backfield. Smith excels in broken field, where he can use his speed and eye for a gap to cause havoc, and that’s exactly what he can do when used at 15. Crucially, he also offers cover for both spots, meaning he could be the perfect match day bench option should Andy Farrell go for a 6:2 split.
Back three (6): Blair Kinghorn (Scotland), Hugo Keenan (Ireland), Tommy Freeman (England), Darcy Graham (Scotland), James Lowe (Ireland), Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland) OR Blair Murray (Wales)
We’ll start with the big OR, just to add some context. Duhan van der Merwe is one of several players currently under an injury cloud, with Edinburgh only revealing he will be fit at some point in May rather than a specific game, and that could worry Farrell. If it worries him too much, that could lead to the first ‘bolter’ call within this squad in Blair Murray. The back has earned high plaudits for his form despite Wales’ woes and would also add versatility given he can cover both wing and full-back.
Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn is also an injury doubt, but he should be back up and running sooner rather than later. Hugo Keenan should also make the squad, given his performances for both Ireland and Leinster, Tommy Freeman is bolted on after his display in Northampton’s heroic Champions Cup semi-final win at the Aviva and James Lowe should make it in as well.
Darcy Graham has flown under the radar a touch ahead of the announcement, but he could be the real X-factor player to break the series open.
Centres (4): Bundee Aki (Ireland), Tom Jordan, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu (all Scotland)
Again, we have included two currently injured players in Jones and Tuipulotu, but the pair are both expected to be back up and running soon and should hit their stride in time for the tour. Bundee Aki is also showing no signs of slowing down just yet, with some typically powerful displays for both Ireland and Connacht in recent times.
Tom Jordan is an interesting one, given he can play right across the backline, which makes him another fine option to have on a 6:2 bench. He also had a great Six Nations in midfield, helping to unlock Scotland’s attacking potential as a result.
Fly-halves (3): Finn Russell (Scotland), Fin Smith, George Ford (both England)
We have already touched on one fly-half, Marcus Smith, but Finn Russell and Fin Smith probably pick themselves right now. Russell might not have had the best Six Nations, but he has found some consistency for Bath and that bodes well for the Lions too. Northampton’s Smith was in electric form during the Six Nations too and had hit the ground running on his return to the Saints, but he rubber-stamped his spot on the plane last Saturday with a great performance at Leinster.
Finally, England’s George Ford is also arguably the form fly-half in Europe right now, playing some unbelievable rugby for Sale Sharks. Despite him never touring with the Lions in the past, Ford also brings masses of Test match experience, and that could be crucial in getting Farrell’s side over the line.
Scrum-halves (3): Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), Alex Mitchell (England), Tomos Williams (Wales)
This was probably the easiest call of the lot, with Gibson-Park, Mitchell and Williams virtually picking themselves based on their form right now.
Forwards
Back-row (8): Henry Pollock, Ben Earl, Tom Curry (all England), Jac Morgan (Wales), Taulupe Faletau (Wales), Jack Conan (Ireland), Tom Willis (England), Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
Good grief, this was hard.
The back-row is absolutely loaded with talent, and the players not picked in our group would very easily make up a Test side in another life. The biggest omission is Caelan Doris, and we must stress this is only due to his injury prognosis. Sources close to Planet Rugby have disclosed he could be out for four to six months.
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His injury means Tom Willis is a front-runner to go on the tour in his place, given he is almost an exact replacement for Doris both positionally and in playing style too. Jack Conan, Ben Earl and Taulupe Faletau will also be on alert because of this injury, with them all shining at eight at Test level. They can all also shift to flanker if needed too, with Conan and Faletau blindside options and Earl openside.
Henry Pollock is our big call here, but as we have said previously, it would likely be more of a shock not to see him named after what he did for Saints against Leinster. He is showing serious minerals right now and has met every challenge thrown his way, and that’s exactly what you need to make the Lions squad.
Elsewhere on the flanks, Jac Morgan will more than likely be included given his extraordinary performances in a losing Wales side, and Josh van der Flier has also done enough in our eyes to make the plane.
We must stress again, Planet Rugby understands Caelan Doris will likely miss the tour, hence why he is omitted here.
Second-row (5): Maro Itoje (England), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Ollie Chessum (England), James Ryan, Joe McCarthy (both Ireland)
Lock was a touch easier, considering Maro Itoje and Tadhg Beirne were locked in a while ago, but there were some tough calls as well. Ollie Chessum really impressed on his return to the England side in the Six Nations and has carried that form on for Leicester too. Ireland duo James Ryan and Joe McCarthy complete our stocks.
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Hookers (3): Dan Sheehan (Ireland), Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), Dewi Lake (Wales)
One of these was already locked in, with Dan Sheehan’s remarkable Test return for Ireland showing exactly why many had him in their team despite a serious knee injury last year. Luke Cowan-Dickie just edges in over Jamie George for us, and we mean just. The Sale Sharks hooker’s brutal work around the loose could be crucial in getting the upper hand over the Wallabies, given they have a host of big boppers in their pack.
Dewi Lake occupies our third spot here, with his brand of smash-and-bash likely to see him be a big part of the squad. He also brings some serious leadership qualities too, which again will be huge for the squad overall.
Props (6): Will Stuart, Ellis Genge (both England), Tadhg Furlong, Andrew Porter (both Ireland), Pierre Schoeman, Zander Fagerson (both Scotland)
Another fairly easy department to name, with England duo Will Stuart and Ellis Genge, Ireland’s Tadhg Furlong and Andrew Porter and Scotland pairing Pierre Schoeman and Zander Fagerson our picks.
Captain
As mentioned above, Doris is all but out of contention for selection now following the prognosis revealed to Planet Rugby, but that leaves Farrell with a big call at captain. There will be several contenders for the role, with Morgan, Beirne and Sheehan all in the mix, but the clear front-runner for the role is England lock Itoje.
The two-time tourist was handed the England captaincy for the 2025 Six Nations, and it helped him reach heights we had not seen from him to date. He effortlessly picked up the responsibilities of the role and helped England turn their fortunes around from coming up short against the best to blowing Wales away in the Principality. Itoje has also excelled as the captain of Saracens.