The end result brought a record 15-strong selection from Ireland.
Regardless of how Ireland and the provinces fared this season, it was always likely Lions head coach Andy Farrell would lean heavily on the players he knows so well. There were a couple of surprises among those 15 Irish who made the cut (nine forwards and six backs), but most were shoo-ins widely expected to tour.
Ireland’s representation looks particularly strong in the front row.
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Dan Sheehan is arguably the best hooker in the northern hemisphere and if all goes well, the 26-year-old will be the leading candidate to start the opening Test in Australia, with fellow Leinster hooker Rónan Kelleher also set to provide competition on tour alongside England’s Luke Cowan-Dickie.
Dan Sheehan will be the leading candidate to start at hooker. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Andrew Porter was a dead cert, and will travel as the first-choice loosehead ahead of Pierre Schoeman and Ellis Genge – unless Farrell is tempted to replicate Leinster’s experiment of using Porter as an early bench option.
Tighthead Tadhg Furlong was another banker, even if the Wexford native has not been at his dominant best following injury struggles, and will face competition from Scotland’s Zander Fagerson and England’s Will Stuart.
Farrell has selected three Irish locks, with Tadhg Beirne (who could also be a candidate in the back row) perhaps the most attractive option to partner Lions captain Maro Itoje in the second row, with Joe McCarthy and James Ryan also aiming to play their way into the team.
Caelan Doris was the headline omission with injury cruelly ruling the Leinster captain out of the tour, leaving Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan as Ireland’s back row representation. Van der Flier is probably in pole position to play openside, but the rapid rise of Northampton Saints’ Henry Pollock – who was outstanding against Leinster last weekend – will make for a fascinating battle. Conan has been an excellent bench option for Ireland and that can maybe be his role again in Australia – while Conan can play at six or eight, Ben Earl is probably primed for the No 8 shirt while versatile trio Tom Curry, Jac Morgan and Ollie Cheesum will all have a say in the back row selection.
Of the six Ireland backs selected, Connacht winger Mack Hansen, currently sidelined with an ankle issue, was the only call which didn’t appear a certainty beforehand.
Mack Hansen faces a battle to earn a place on the wing. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Fullback Hugo Keenan has been ultra-reliable for Farrell, but he’ll face stiff competition from Scotland’s in-form Blair Kinghorn, with England’s Elliot Daly also in the mix.
On the right wing, Hansen will be in a head-to-head with England’s Tommy Freeman – who has scored at least one try in each of his last 10 games for club and county. James Lowe was probably Ireland’s best player in the Six Nations and goes up against Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe for a place on the left wing. Both bring punch and power out wide but Lowe’s excellent kicking game from his left foot probably elevates him above the Edinburgh player.
The centre positions will be a straight shoot-out between Ireland and Scotland. Scotland’s Sione Tuipulotu will be gunning to play at inside centre once he comes back from his lengthy injury lay-off without any setbacks, with Bundee Aki also vying for the 12 jersey. Garry Ringrose will hope to beat Huw Jones to the 13 shirt, but it will be interesting to see how much value Farrell puts in cohesion and familiarity – does a Tuipulotu/Jones combination look more attractive than a new-look Tuipulotu/Ringrose pairing? At the moment our money is on the latter.
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Garry Ringrose will go up against Huw Jones for the 13 shirt. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
For much of this season Jamison Gibson-Park was challenging Antoine Dupont as the game’s stand-out scrum-half, and the Leinster man will surely be the starting nine this summer. That said, England’s Alex Mitchell is in superb form, with Wales’ Tomos Williams also part of the nine conversation.
For all the focus on Ireland’s 10s this season, no Irish out-half makes the squad. Sam Prendergast looked an increasingly outside bet following off-colour displays against France and Northampton, with the more versatile Marcus Smith getting the nod alongside Saints’ 10 Fin Smith and Scotland’s Finn Russell.
Prendergast wasn’t the only Irish player left disappointed today – with Robbie Henshaw a notable omission, while the likes of Finlay Bealham, Craig Casey, Jamie Osborne and Tommy O’Brien had all put themselves forward as potential tourists over different stages of the season.
For those who were lucky enough to hear their names called out in London, the next battle is forcing a way through a competitive touring squad to land a place in the Test team, with two long months and six Lions warm-up games still to go before the opening Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane on 19 July.
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How many of Ireland's 15 Lions will be Test starters in Australia?
AFTER A LONG, tiresome wait, the preamble finally ended and the 38 names who will tour with the 2025 British and Irish Lions were read out at London’s 02.
The end result brought a record 15-strong selection from Ireland.
Regardless of how Ireland and the provinces fared this season, it was always likely Lions head coach Andy Farrell would lean heavily on the players he knows so well. There were a couple of surprises among those 15 Irish who made the cut (nine forwards and six backs), but most were shoo-ins widely expected to tour.
Ireland’s representation looks particularly strong in the front row.
Dan Sheehan is arguably the best hooker in the northern hemisphere and if all goes well, the 26-year-old will be the leading candidate to start the opening Test in Australia, with fellow Leinster hooker Rónan Kelleher also set to provide competition on tour alongside England’s Luke Cowan-Dickie.
Andrew Porter was a dead cert, and will travel as the first-choice loosehead ahead of Pierre Schoeman and Ellis Genge – unless Farrell is tempted to replicate Leinster’s experiment of using Porter as an early bench option.
Tighthead Tadhg Furlong was another banker, even if the Wexford native has not been at his dominant best following injury struggles, and will face competition from Scotland’s Zander Fagerson and England’s Will Stuart.
Farrell has selected three Irish locks, with Tadhg Beirne (who could also be a candidate in the back row) perhaps the most attractive option to partner Lions captain Maro Itoje in the second row, with Joe McCarthy and James Ryan also aiming to play their way into the team.
Caelan Doris was the headline omission with injury cruelly ruling the Leinster captain out of the tour, leaving Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan as Ireland’s back row representation. Van der Flier is probably in pole position to play openside, but the rapid rise of Northampton Saints’ Henry Pollock – who was outstanding against Leinster last weekend – will make for a fascinating battle. Conan has been an excellent bench option for Ireland and that can maybe be his role again in Australia – while Conan can play at six or eight, Ben Earl is probably primed for the No 8 shirt while versatile trio Tom Curry, Jac Morgan and Ollie Cheesum will all have a say in the back row selection.
Of the six Ireland backs selected, Connacht winger Mack Hansen, currently sidelined with an ankle issue, was the only call which didn’t appear a certainty beforehand.
Fullback Hugo Keenan has been ultra-reliable for Farrell, but he’ll face stiff competition from Scotland’s in-form Blair Kinghorn, with England’s Elliot Daly also in the mix.
On the right wing, Hansen will be in a head-to-head with England’s Tommy Freeman – who has scored at least one try in each of his last 10 games for club and county. James Lowe was probably Ireland’s best player in the Six Nations and goes up against Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe for a place on the left wing. Both bring punch and power out wide but Lowe’s excellent kicking game from his left foot probably elevates him above the Edinburgh player.
The centre positions will be a straight shoot-out between Ireland and Scotland. Scotland’s Sione Tuipulotu will be gunning to play at inside centre once he comes back from his lengthy injury lay-off without any setbacks, with Bundee Aki also vying for the 12 jersey. Garry Ringrose will hope to beat Huw Jones to the 13 shirt, but it will be interesting to see how much value Farrell puts in cohesion and familiarity – does a Tuipulotu/Jones combination look more attractive than a new-look Tuipulotu/Ringrose pairing? At the moment our money is on the latter.
For much of this season Jamison Gibson-Park was challenging Antoine Dupont as the game’s stand-out scrum-half, and the Leinster man will surely be the starting nine this summer. That said, England’s Alex Mitchell is in superb form, with Wales’ Tomos Williams also part of the nine conversation.
For all the focus on Ireland’s 10s this season, no Irish out-half makes the squad. Sam Prendergast looked an increasingly outside bet following off-colour displays against France and Northampton, with the more versatile Marcus Smith getting the nod alongside Saints’ 10 Fin Smith and Scotland’s Finn Russell.
Prendergast wasn’t the only Irish player left disappointed today – with Robbie Henshaw a notable omission, while the likes of Finlay Bealham, Craig Casey, Jamie Osborne and Tommy O’Brien had all put themselves forward as potential tourists over different stages of the season.
For those who were lucky enough to hear their names called out in London, the next battle is forcing a way through a competitive touring squad to land a place in the Test team, with two long months and six Lions warm-up games still to go before the opening Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane on 19 July.
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Ireland Rugby Selection team:British & Irish Lions ( 1641)