The ‘amazing’ reason why Ben Kay is backing ‘third choice’ Tadhg Furlong to start the British and Irish Lions Test series
Tadhg Furlong's name appears on the screen at last week's British and Irish Lions squad announcement
England Rugby World Cup winner Ben Kay is backing “third choice” tighthead Tadhg Furlong to start for the British and Irish Lions when their three-game Test series opens against the Wallabies in Brisbane on July 19.
With Andy Farrell having last Thursday named his squad of 38 for the trip to Australia, the chatter about the 2025 tour has moved onto predictions about the 15 players who will run out as starters at Suncorp Stadium in less than 10 weeks.
Furlong was the tighthead starter in the Lions’ last six Test series matches, wearing the number three shirt in all three matches versus New Zealand in the drawn 2017 series and also donning that same shirt for all three games against South Africa in lost 2021 series.
The 32-year-old has endured an injury-affected 2024/25 season with Ireland and Leinster and the consensus is that he is currently behind Scotland’s Zander Fagerson and England’s Will Stuart in the race for Lions Test series selection.
Kay believes that the midweek tour matches in Australia will spruce up Furlong’s credentials in time for the Test series. It’s a confidence that went against what Brian O’Driscoll, Kay’s 2005 Lions tour teammate, suggested when he named his 2025 Lions Test side.
“Hasn’t quite been at the standards that he has set previously…”
Working for TNT Sports at Sunday’s Exeter versus Northampton Premiership game, O’Driscoll and Kay were invited by presenter Craig Doyle to name their Lions XV. They agreed on 12 players but had differences of opinion at tighthead, lock and centre.
“Right now I am going to pick Fagerson because Tadhg Furlong has struggled with fitness this season, hasn’t quite been at the standards that he has set previously and so I don’t know, maybe there is a chance for Fagerson to get in there,” began O’Driscoll.
Kay, though, backed Furlong to come good. “I am going to back Tadhg Furlong to have an amazing couple of games in the midweeks, in the warm-ups, and get in there. But actually I think he is third choice at the moment. Will Stuart is playing fantastically well and obviously Zander Fagerson is probably ahead.”
O’Driscoll and Kay agreed that Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, skipper Maro Itoje, Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry and Henry Pollock would all start for the Lions in the forwards, but they had one other pack disagreement.
While O’Driscoll chose Josh van der Flier as his starting openside, Kay reckoned that Ollie Chessum would be named at lock and cause the knock-on effect of Beirne playing at six and Curry at seven – at the expense of Van der Flier.
In the backs, the pundits agreed on six of the seven starters – Jamison Gibson-Park, Finn Russell, James Lowe, Sam Tuipulotu, Tommy Freeman and Blair Kinghorn. The one spot where they differed was outside centre, with O’Driscoll going with Garry Ringrose and Kay backing Huw Jones.
“It’s close at one with Porter and (Ellis) Genge, I’ve got to go Porter,” said O’Driscoll. “Sheehan for sure. Second rows pick themselves. Back row I have got to go with Pollock at number eight. He is going to be the name on the tour, the biggest cheer at the announcement.
“And then the backline, it’s had to know at 10 between the two Finns [Finn Russell and Fin Smith], and then in the centre I am going to go with Tuipulotu and Ringrose.”
Kay replied: “When I saw his [O’Driscoll’s Lions XV] because he did his first I thought that will do, but then that is quite a boring segment so I then made some changes.
“I mentioned about having one of those five-stroke-sixes in there so I have gone for Tadhg Beirne but actually Brian says Andy Farrell doesn’t like him playing six anymore so it might be Chessum. But I’d definitely have Chessum and Itoje in there for that ability, and then slide Tom Curry into the seven position.
“Henry Pollock, people that are on form, on fire, you take advantage of that so he is in the eight slot, and then finally I am going to put Huw Jones instead of Ringrose because he just can’t stop scoring.”
Brian O’Driscoll’s Lions Test XV: 15 Kinghorn, 14 Freeman, 13 Ringrose, 12 Tuipulotu, 11 Lowe, 10 Russell, 9 Gibson-Park, 8 Pollock, 7 Van der Flier, 6 Curry, 5 Beirne, 4 Itoje, 3 Fagerson, 2 Sheehan, 1 Porter
Ben Kay’s Lions Text XV: 15 Kinghorn, 14 Freeman, 13 Jones, 12 Tuipulotu, 11 Lowe, 10 Russell, 9 Gibson-Park, 8 Pollock, 7 Curry, 6 Beirne, 5 Chessum, 4 Itoje, 3 Furlong, 2 Sheehan, 1 Porter
