British and Irish Lions team: Five takeaways as Andy Farrell’s ‘bigger purpose’ emerges to explain ‘scattergun’ selections
A two layered image of Finn Russell (left) and an inset of Ellis Genge (right)
Following the British and Irish Lions’ team selection to face the Brumbies, here are our five key takeaways from Farrell’s 23-man squad.
The top line
Andy Farrell has named his 23-man squad to take on the Brumbies on Wednesday, with 14 changes from the side that beat the Waratahs on Saturday.
But, within those alterations, it seems like Farrell’s Test side is beginning to take shape. Blair Kinghorn is named at full-back, with Tommy Freeman and James Lowe on the wings. Garry Ringrose and Bundee Aki form the centre combination, while Finn Russell and Jamison Gibson-Park pair up in the halves.
Jack Conan starts at number eight, with Tom Curry and Ollie Chessum named on the flanks. Joe McCarthy and Maro Itoje start in the second-row, while Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan and Ellis Genge again form the front-row.
The bench is equally as strong too, with Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Will Stuart, Josh van der Flier, Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith and Mack Hansen all named.
Commenting on his selection, boss Farrell said: “In 2013 the Brumbies beat The British & Irish Lions in Canberra and this year they were the leading Australian team in Super Rugby – so we are fully aware of the challenge in front of us.”
He added: “It will also be a special occasion for Mack Hansen as he returns to his hometown and gets the opportunity to play for and represent the Lions against some of his old teammates.”
Test?
Farrell has not been shy to run the changes once again, but this one feels like it has a bigger purpose; it looks as though he’s putting his Test side together. The return of the likes of Gibson-Park, Russell, Sheehan and Itoje into the starting XV, plus the shift of Kinghorn to full-back, all point to this being Farrell’s first real look at his team to face the Wallabies on the 19th. Even the inclusion of Ollie Chessum at blindside indicates just how Farrell’s Test side will shape up, given the Lions’ woes at the lineout this summer.
Even the bench, which we’ll come onto a bit later, seems to feel ‘Testy’. All of the players included have had a good crack of it thus far and more than warrant their inclusion.
There will likely be a couple of names coming in that haven’t made the team this time around, looking mainly at Tadhg Beirne, who definitely needs a rest after some big minutes already this tour, Jac Morgan and Fin Smith. Pierre Schoeman and Finlay Bealham have also impressed, but this has all the vibes of Farrell’s proper Test side. There’s an identity to it that we haven’t quite seen from his selections and there’s a sense of continuity within the pack and backline.
Combinations, combinations, combinations
While Farrell’s selections to date have seemed fairly scattergun, this selection shows there was method behind the madness.
Within his previous squads, there have been a couple of key combinations used; take the front-row units of Genge, Sheehan and Furlong, and Porter, Kelleher and Stuart, and the use of Gibson-Park and Russell in tandem – they all now seem to have been building continuity ahead of this Test-like side. Crucially, too, he has often rotated them in and out at the same time, meaning they have only really played with one another. That is a huge boost to their fledgling combinations, and will only boost it moving forward.
He’s fully putting his trust in these combinations now as well, with their continued selection showing he likes how they work both individually and as a collective.
As we’ve seen with Farrell’s Ireland team in the past few years, combinations are pivotal to his structure and to the success of the team, and this selection proves he’s been doing it again with the Lions squad too, even if it didn’t appear obvious at first.
What to do with the back-row
One area that does continue to prove a headache is the back-row, and this one has yet another interesting make-up. This squad is not short of quality ‘number sevens’, even if Morgan and Curry have played six and Pollock was named here before pulling out injured in the warm-up, but that blindside spot seems to be quickly becoming a spot for a hybrid lock to slot in.
The form of McCarthy alongside Itoje means they will likely start in the locks, which suggests that if Beirne or Chessum want to start they will likely do so at six, but that’s not a bad thing. Both men are more than capable on the flank and they will also act as an extra lineout option.
Playing a hybrid at six is nothing new this tour though, with Beirne starting there against the Western Force and the Waratahs, but that then prompts a further headache. While Beirne and Chessum will still add serious quality to the squad, Farrell will have to then decide between Morgan, Curry, Van der Flier, Earl or Pollock for that starting seven shirt. Goodness me.
The makeup and balance of the back-row is becoming a touch clearer, but then it all comes down to personnel.
Telling bench
Away from the starting XV, Farrell’s bench is also telling. His inclusion of both Pollock and Marcus Smith, two hybrid players, shows he is looking for more versatility among the replacements, even if he is staying clear of a 6-2 split.
That in itself is also quite a strong point. With the popularity of a 6-2 or even a 7-1, Farrell’s use of a 5-3 shows the focus is fully on attacking rugby rather than overpowering the opposition. That also became clear today, given this still seems like his probable Test selection – opting for more backs on the bench.
Even when you look at the makeup of the bench this time out, and the personnel in it, it points to how he will likely use it moving forward. Mitchell and Hansen offer something completely different to what is in the starting side, as does Smith, so he is looking to almost play a different style of rugby with his bench and still blow the opposition out of the water.
In the pack, too, he is looking to really up the tempo. Van der Flier and Pollock will change the approach of the back-row, while the replacement front-row will also add a touch more around the park than the starting unit.