Brumbies v British and Irish Lions: Winners and losers as Test hopefuls lay down ’emphatic statement’ but ‘still a lot of work to do’ for Andy Farrell’s charges
Dan Sheehan (left) and Tom Curry (right) in action for the British and Irish Lions in 2025
Following the British and Irish Lions’ 36-24 win over the Brumbies, here is our take on the key winners and losers from Canberra.
Winners
Lions starting front-row
Another emphatic statement from the front-row unit of Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong, who have probably been the real standout of this tour thus far. As a combination, they really went for the jugular at the scrum and got plenty of change out of the Brumbies, but then individually they all made some proper dents in the loose too, particularly Sheehan who made nine carries for 44 metres across his stint.
This performance will certainly please both scrum coach John Fogarty and boss Andy Farrell, given they have been backed to play as a unit throughout the Lions’ time on Australian soil, but they are certainly delivering.
Joe McCarthy
If he wasn’t already nailed into the Test side, he will be after this outing. The Irishman was incredibly abrasive in all aspects of his game tonight, and came up with some big interventions when his side needed him, which is exactly what you’d want from your Test lock. He, alongside the front-row, has probably been the biggest stock riser this tour, and he again showcased that tonight.
Jack Conan
The number eight shirt has been seen as Jack Conan’s to lose this tour, but tonight showed he is nowhere near losing it ahead of the Wallabies series.
He is not the most glamorous player, but he was incredibly solid throughout his shift in the Australian capital. Conan consistently spawned exactly where the Lions needed him to sweep up loose balls or make a big impact, and he trucked incredibly hard to get his side over the gainline on a consistent basis. Crucially, he also popped up with some nice flashes to keep the attack alive.
Marcus Smith
He was thrown into the game a lot earlier than expected, but he left his mark on the game. Smith is another one who has been a bit quieter than expected thus far, but tonight was a timely reminder of just what he can do in attack, whichever position he plays. He consistently found himself on the end of plays to keep them alive, shown by his delicious assist for Ringrose’s score, but he also injected himself into moves at the right time to make something happen as well, again shown by his try.
Sione Tuipulotu
This performance showcased exactly what Farrell wants from his inside centre, and it seems Tuipulotu is the man who fits that mould. As we’ll come onto later, Aki did actually make his mark on the game when he carried hard but just couldn’t make those key passes when needed, but Tuipulotu can do both to very good effect. He still needs a good game against the AUNZ Invitational side to make sure of his spot, but it seems he fits what Farrell wants out of his centre.
Owen Farrell
As mentioned above, there is clearly a need for a ball-playing 12 within Farrell’s gameplan, and Owen Farrell also ticks that box. The Saracens-bound back will still likely be behind Tuipulotu in the pecking order, but his ability to play 12 was cited as a reason behind his call-up in place of Elliot Daly so it’s by no means out of the picture.
Could he?
Ryan Lonergan
Led the Brumbies well throughout the game, and came up with some big individual moments to boot. His work out of the ruck, which was pretty messy, allowed the Aussie side to play on the front foot for good chunks of the game and he blended that with some solid defensive work and got stuck into the breakdown too with a crucial turnover. This could also really get him in Joe Schmidt’s thoughts ahead of Friday’s squad announcement.
Lachlan Lonergan
A proper nuggety outing from the Brumbies hooker, who really made his mark tonight. Brought heaps of physicality to proceedings during his shift, making 12 tackles and getting himself involved in the attack as well, with three defenders beaten. His darts were also on the money, which helped the Brumbies set their stall out with the maul. Properly solid day’s work.
Losers
Blair Kinghorn
The Scotland star was taken off after just 25 minutes in tonight’s game, which will no doubt worry Farrell. Kinghorn had long been seen as the starting Test full-back, and today felt his chance to nail that down given he was starting there for the first time on tour, but it seems he could now be set for an extended period on the sidelines.
Bundee Aki
He actually played pretty well for large parts of this game, but it’s clear to see he doesn’t fit what Farrell wants from his inside centre this tour. Bundee Aki is a proper powerhouse option in midfield, and when utilised in that way really gave the Lions some go-forward, but his distribution skills were not where they needed to be to fit this new gameplan.
This is possibly a harsh review of his performance, as again he did pretty well when used how he should be used, and arguably how the Lions should actually be playing, but Farrell bizzarrly wants him playing tippy tappy rugby and that doesn’t play to his strengths.
Tom Curry
You cannot fault his desire tonight, but if anything, he tried too hard to make things happen and impress. It’s not been the tour he would have wanted this summer, especially after his fantastic Six Nations and Premiership form too, but tonight he looked to rectify that in one fell swoop, which is when errors can creep in. Despite a delicious assist, he came up with a couple of really costly handling errors, which then put the team on the back foot, and you cannot afford that in a Test match. That assist showed just what he can do when he remains calm and composed, though.
Pierre Schoeman and Finaly Bealham
While they might not have been playing tonight, Pierre Schoeman and Finlay Bealham probably saw their stock dip a touch due to the work of the starting front-row. Situations like this are inevitable on a Lions tour, and to be fair, they should get another chance to impress on Saturday, but that starting unit seems a fairly open-and-shut case after tonight’s dominant display, and that will inevitably push them down the pecking order.
Andy Farrell
This was seen as Farrell’s strongest selection, but this performance shows there is still a lot of work to do heading into that first Test against the Wallabies in 10 days time. The Lions struggled to nail the nuts and bolts tonight, the breakdown proved a real issue all night and then they still battled to find consistent fluidity in attack, even if they scored some sexy scores.
This really doesn’t fit with the expectations of the Lions, especially this close to the Test series. Yes, they’re a new team, and yes, they’re still finding their best combinations and game plan, but this is the Lions; this is meant to be the best of the best. 10 days is a long time, and if this is the bulk of the Test side, they will be better for both this game and the extended training period to come as well, but it’s also a much-needed block of time.
