Farrell Selects Lions Squad for Summer Tour Down Under

The British and Irish Lions head to Australia in the summer, and Andy Farrell’s men will hope to emulate the successful team of 2013. Back then, the Lions won the series 2-1 under the guidance of then-Wales boss Warren Gatland, who included 15 Welsh players in his squad. In contrast, the squad announced by Farrell on 8th May 2025 contained just two Welshmen.

In this article, we’ll run through the squad of 38 players selected by Farrell, including an impressive total of 12 players from Irish club Leinster (four times the number selected from any other club!). Then we’ll attempt to assess the Lions’ prospects of getting the better of Australia.

The British & Irish Lions Squad for 2025 Tour of Australia

LIVE | British and Irish Lions squad announced for tour of Australia https://t.co/Je5YzZaR1Z

— The Independent (@Independent) May 8, 2025

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England’s experienced and commanding skipper Maro Itoje has been chosen as the Lions captain for the tour. He has the most international caps and, along with Irish prop Tadhg Furlong, has the most appearances for the Lions (having appeared six times). Exactly half the squad members (19) have accumulated 50 or more international caps, with all but three of the remainder having appeared at least 20 times on the international stage.

Although there is plenty of experience overall, the outlier is Henry Pollock, who has been called up after just a single appearance for England. Indeed, the 20-year-old had only played one match in the Premiership prior to the start of this season. But it is a big vote of confidence from Farrell, despite some seeing it as a little risky.

In terms of the split between the nations, Wales are the least represented with just two players. Scotland, meanwhile, have a significant contingent of eight players, the same as they had for the Lions’ tour of South Africa in 2021. There are 13 players from England this time around with Ireland making up the largest share of the squad with 15 players.

Notable Omissions from the Lions Squad

For every player who’ll be celebrating the call-up to join the Lions for their summer tour, there’ll be at least one other who’ll be left disappointed at missing out. One of the more interesting omissions is head coach Andy Farrell’s own son, Owen. He’s travelled with the Lions on three occasions previously and is the eighth-highest points scorer for the Lions. But he’s not long back from an injury layoff, and his father probably reasoned there were others in better shape at present.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s captain Caelan Doris misses out through injury after picking up a shoulder issue recently while playing for Leinster. Other players who were overlooked for selection by Farrell include Taulupe Faletau, Sam Prendergast, Jamie George and Dewi Lake. Scots Tom Jordan, Ben White and Darcy Graham, along with Irishman Robbie Henshaw, also miss the cut.

Will the British and Irish Lions Win in Australia?

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— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 8, 2025

The Lions have a very good record overall against Australia. From their 23 tests they’ve played against the Wallabies, the Lions have won 17 (with a win percentage of almost 74%). The Lions have won seven of the nine series they’ve played against Australia, too, which gives cause for optimism here. That is significantly better than their record against New Zealand, against whom they have a win percentage of just 17% and just a single series win in 12 attempts.

Of course, past results don’t mean too much when it comes to match day, and there are some reasons to think the Lions might be up against it this time around, not least the lack of exceptional Welsh players. Most squads in recent times, especially the successful 2013 squad, have included many pivotal players from Wales. For the 2013 tour, for instance, the Lions made great use of Welsh greats Sam Warburton, Alun Wyn Jones and Leigh Halfpenny. But on the other hand, they have plenty of key figures from Ireland to fill some of those gaps. And, perhaps more pertinently, Australia have not been performing particularly well of late and have lost seven of their last 10 matches. Admittedly, two of those were against the All Blacks, and two were against South Africa. But they’ve also lost to Argentina, Ireland and Scotland in that time.

It is perhaps no surprise then to see the Lions priced as the odds-on favourites to win the series in Australia, with the bookies offering odds of around 2/5 for Farrell’s men to triumph. Australia are out at 2/1 to be victorious, with the Lions whitewash available at odds as short as 6/5.