British and Irish Lions standby list: 30 players who should keep their phone close for an Andy Farrell call
Our longlist of players who could still get a call from British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell.
Injuries are a sad reality of professional sport, and the British & Irish Lions are no exception.
We have already seen Caelan Doris being ruled out through injury, and the Irishman was a frontrunner to lead the famous touring team.
While most of the current squad are fit and firing barring the odd niggle or two, head coach Andy Farrell is bound to lose a few squad members along the way.
The matches that lie ahead for those selected are set to be gruelling affairs with clubs battling it out for places in the play-offs of their respective leagues before the knockout matches themselves.
Those fixtures are the closest to Test match intensity before the British and Irish Lions squad link up.
With this in mind, we take a look at the players who should be keeping their phones on loud so as not to miss a call from the Lions boss.
British and Irish Lions standby list
Outside backs
There is quite a fair amount of full-back cover in the squad in the form of out-and-out number 15s in Hugo Keenan and Blair Kinghorn plus the versatility Mack Hansen, Elliot Daly and Marcus Smith can offer.
So in the event that a full-back does go down, Farrell may well opt to fill their void with another versatile option or a winger who was unlucky not to make the squad.
This brings us to the first name being Scottish flyer Darcy Graham, who was incredibly unfortunate not to have his name read out by Ieuan Evans.
Graham has been in red-hot form for club and country when fit and enjoyed a particularly outstanding Six Nations campaign.
Versatility is crucial in the squad, and if Farrell wishes to get another player who can slot into more than one position, then Wales’ Blair Murray could be a great shout with his ability to also play at full-back and wing.
England’s George Furbank falls into a similar category as he could dovetail as a fly-half perhaps in a mid-week game, but those requirements are already met by Smith and Kinghorn, which may hurt his chances.
Uncapped Leinster winger Jimmy O’Brien is another wild shout and would be a second bolter but frankly, his form with the Irish club warrants consideration at the very least.
Finally, it wouldn’t be overly surprising to see Josh Adams earning a call-up if an outside back were to go down. The Welshman has an incredibly well-rounded game and toured with the side in 2021.
Centres
Sione Tuipulotu earned selection despite missing the Six Nations and not playing since January, but Farrell alluded to some players being selected on proven pedigree, and he certainly fits in that category.
He is primed to return in the coming weeks for Glasgow Warriors, but if another centre suffers an untimely injury, Farrell would not be short on options despite having plenty of cover already in the squad.
Robbie Henshaw was unfortunate not to be selected on a third successive tour and the 31-year-old could be one of the first names thrown into the ring in the event of an injury. The Irishman is one of the few options that has a track record of being able to play inside and outside centre at the highest level.
His Leinster teammate Jamie Osborne would add further versatility, having played wing, centre and full-back for his club and country, but was a notable absentee from the matchday squads for the Champions Cup quarter and semi-finals.
That perhaps puts Scotland’s Tom Jordan ahead of him in the pecking order, though he does cover fly-half, centre and full-back instead. He was another who would have been incredibly close to making the cut.
Fly-half
Finn Russell, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were the three fly-halves selected, with head coach Farrell leaving the door ajar for his son Owen.
The former England captain has missed a chunk of the season at Racing 92 through injury and hasn’t quite hit his stride since coming back. However, given his glittering CV and the high regard he is held in among British players, it would be no shock to see him board the flight Down Under even if there were no injuries.
Farrell ticks too many boxes not to be considered. He will do well not to ignore one of his father’s calls in the coming months, that’s for sure.
If not Farrell, then there are few better candidates than his long-time England teammate George Ford, who is one of the best players in recent times not to play for the British and Irish Lions. Former head coach Warren Gatland has admitted as much, as he repeatedly overlooked Ford despite his excellent showings for England.
The Irish duo of Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast would be solid choices too, but one has to feel that the England pair are ahead of them in the queue.
Scrum-half
The scrum-half stocks aren’t exactly overflowing beyond the trio selected but the frontrunner for a call-up if one of Jamison Gibson-Park, Tomos Williams or Alex Mitchell were to get injured would surely be Scotland’s Ben White.
He is currently plying his trade with French club Toulon, but was the first-choice scrum-half for Scotland during the Six Nations. His Test teammate George Horne would fancy his chances too, but Irishman Craig Casey is surely the next cab off the rank.
There are arguments to be made for the plethora of England number nines that deputised for Mitchell, but it does seem more of a long shot than the aforementioned pair.
Loose forwards
This may well have been the toughest position to select for Farrell and his coaching team when they selected the initial 38-man squad, and in the event of injury, picking the next in line will be just as challenging.
Starting with the number eight jersey and Doris was surely one of the few names that Farrell had penned in as a Test starter. His setback opened the door for Jack Conan and Ben Earl to stamp their mark, along with Tom Curry.
If one of the three names were to get injured, then surely the Lions coaching team would give Wales veteran Taulupe Faletau a call. He has been in sublime form since returning from injury and brings the experience of playing in three tours already.
England’s Tom Willis would surely be in the running too, while injuries cloud Matt Fagerson and Jack Dempsey’s chances.
Tom’s brother, Jack Willis, could well come into the frame, particularly if an injury occurs in Australia following the conclusion of the Top 14 season.
Still, the openside flanker cover is bursting at the seams with Ben Curry, Rory Darge and Tommy Reffell.
There are two standout options on the other side of the scrum, with Scotland’s Jamie Ritchie in outrageous form at the moment, after a brilliant Six Nations campaign. While he has proven himself at the highest level recently, the same is not true for Courtney Lawes, who has been playing for French second division outfit Brive.
Lawes, however, is another who has past Lions experience and has over 100 Tests worth of knowledge before one factors in his leadership abilities.
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Locks
To his credit, Farrell arguably selected the best of the best locks that Britain has to offer in his squad despite many being surprised by Scott Cummings.
One man who could argue his omission is Toulon’s David Ribbans, who has been a standout performer for the Top 14 club. His involvement in the latter stages of the season possibly counted against him, but he has stated that he is raring to go.
But if there were to be an injury in the locks, then Wales star Dafydd Jenkins‘ phone could well be ringing or his fellow countrymen Adam Beard and Will Rowlands.
Front-row
On the tighthead side, Ireland’s Finlay Bealham is bound to be the first number dialled and if not, then possibly Kyle Sinckler, who may have missed out for the same reasons as Ribbans.
As for loosehead, England’s Fin Baxter could be the next player on the plane or Wales’ Nicky Smith.
While the prop options are a bit slim, there are several hookers who Farrell could call, but there are two standouts.
Jamie George could well be the frontrunner after agonisingly missing out on the 38-man squad, while Wales’ Dewi Lake can’t be too far off.
