British and Irish Lions team: Winners and losers as ‘best performer’ handed chance to ‘nail down’ Test spot while ‘world-class’ back-rower victim of ‘insane’ depth
From left to right: Andy Farrell, Tommy Freeman and Sione Tuipulotu
Following Andy Farrell’s selection for the British and Irish Lions’ clash against the Brumbies, here are our key winners and losers.
Winners
Tommy Freeman
England winger Tommy Freeman has arguably been the Lions’ best performer on this tour so far, and a strong performance against the Brumbies would essentially nail down his Test spot. Freeman’s desire to get his hands on the ball and almost carry like a centre at times fits in perfectly into the Lions’ attacking shape, but yet he also adds a point of difference out wide with his aerial ability as well. This is a big chance for him, but given his performances in red so far you’d back him to excel again and lock down his spot.
Blair Kinghorn
Scotland star Blair Kinghorn was probably behind the eight ball to make the Test side after joining the squad late and then being pushed out wide for his first runout, but he’s been given the nod in his preferred position this weekend. He has long been seen as the Lions’ Test full-back, even before he’d joined up with the squad, so if he can put his best foot forward against the Brumbies, he should lock down that spot.
Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose
While Huwipulotu impressed last time out, it’s Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose who have been named in the midfield on Wednesday. The midfield is arguably the biggest headache for Farrell, given the quality of all four men and the pre-existing Test partnerships within it, but now it’s Aki’s and Ringrose’s chance to prove they can do a job in this Lions side. They will need to make a statement, though, given the performance of their main rivals last weekend, plus the arrival of Owen Farrell, who boss Andy has said is seen more as an option at 12.
Joe McCarthy
After some really strong outings in red, Joe McCarthy is in pole position to join skipper Maro Itoje in the engine room for the Test series. He has added some proper steel to the Lions pack with some strong efforts on both sides of the ball, and if he can again dominate the battle in that department against the Brumbies, he will surely get the nod to face the Wallabies.
Ollie Chessum
England international Ollie Chessum has had to be a touch patient this tour, but this inclusion shows just how highly thought of he is in this squad. His work in the lineout is a huge tick in his box given their previous woes in this department, but his versatility also allows Farrell to deploy McCarthy at lock while still retaining the industrious work of Chessum too. Six is also a very interesting position for the Lions, so if he has a strong game, it could prompt the head coach to use him here against the Wallabies.
Marcus Smith
Like his compatriot, Marcus Smith has also had to bide his time for minutes, but he should get a decent shot to show his Test credentials. His ability to cover both fly-half and full-back was always seen as a reason for his inclusion, even by boss Farrell, and that has again come to the fore in this selection, given he’s been selected alongside two specialist players in scrum-half Alex Mitchell and winger Mack Hansen. While he is the de facto ‘cover’ spot, it seems we’ll see him used at fly-half this week, his preferred position, given Farrell has often rotated both half-backs in the second-half this tour.
Henry Pollock
After overcoming a calf issue, Henry Pollock is back in the Lions 23, which will be welcome news to Farrell. But, alongside this, his selection in this squad shows how close he is to the Test side. The Northampton man has had a really strong tour thus far, in whatever position he’s played in, and if he can replicate those performances once again, he will surely face the Wallabies.
Andy Farrell
He might not want to admit it, but this squad is giving Test selection vibes. Farrell has been open to changes thus far, running plenty of different combinations, but with the different units we’ve seen deployed together in various guises all slotting into the starting side, it seems this is his initial thinking for the Wallabies series. If this squad can get the job done, and you’d expect that it would need to be a comfortable win, then he will have a much easier job come next week.
Losers
Jac Morgan
He might have proved his world-class qualities in the Lions’ win over the Queensland Reds, but he’s found himself outside of this Test-ish side to face the Brumbies. While he will undoubtedly be gutted to miss out, the depth in this Lions’ back-row is absolutely insane, as shown by the selection of two flankers on the bench, and that’s probably what’s kept him out of this side. He should get another crack to impress, though.
Duhan van der Merwe
It’s not really been the tour Duhan van der Merwe would have hoped for coming into it, and he’s found himself bumped down the pecking order as a result. The Lions system does call for a powerful winger, but James Lowe and Tommy Freeman have both impressed in their respective outings, while the Scotland ace hasn’t quite grabbed his chance thus far. He is probably competing with the likes of Mack Hansen, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith and Hugo Keenan for that 23 spot in the Test side, and even then has a bit of work to do to get that.
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Huwipulotu
Despite their outstanding performance against the Waratahs, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones are outside of the 23 entirely. This could genuinely just be Farrell seeing how Aki and Ringrose respond, or even just giving the Scotland duo a breather after a concentrated block of minutes straight off lengthy injury layoffs, but still, they both gave a really good account of themselves, both individually and as a unit, last time out, and this could have been their chance to properly lock themselves into Farrell’s plan.
Ben Earl
Like Morgan, Ben Earl is probably just a victim of the crazy depth in the back-row, but it does seem like he’s been leapfrogged by Henry Pollock as that versatile option. The England and Saracens man hasn’t really done much wrong this Lions tour, but in saying that, hasn’t quite set the pitch alight either. This could have been a great chance to dispel those doubts and push him into Test reckoning once again.
