Andy Farrell selected a strong, 38-man squad for the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia but, inevitably, some big names missed out. Below I'll go through the five players I thought were unlucky to miss out as well as taking a guess at what kept them from making it.
Caelan Doris
The Ireland captain was destined in the eyes of many to also captain the Lions. It made sense given that the man who bestowed upon him the international captaincy is also taking charge of this team. However, the injury gods had other plans with the Irishman suffering a serious injury whilst playing for Leinster which seems to have ruled him out for the summer. Andy Farrell has said that the decision to appoint Itoje as captain happened on the Monday after Doris got injured but wouldn't say that it was anything more than coincidence. It seems pretty clear to me that Doris would've been on the tour, likely as captain, if he hadn't gotten injured.
Owen Farrell
There was a lot of buzz surrounding the possibility of Andy Farrell selecting his son, Owen, to go on this tour for understandable reasons. His selection would've been easily justifiable given Farrell's experience on Lions Tours of the past and his ability to play in midfield. He also brings great leadership and commitment to excellence which is always needed within a team.
Having said all of that, there are a few things which likely counted against him. He stepped away from test match rugby last year to head to France. He still plays at a high standard but, looking at everyone else in the squad, he would've been the only player to not be playing test rugby regularly. Playing in France could also have been a problem: the long, arduous schedule means that he would probably join up late. The likes of Ribbans, Lawes, Willis and White are all based in France and missed out as well but Blair Kinghorn made it in and plays for Toulouse. Farrell is likely to have a long season due to playoffs - but not the same ones as Kinghorn. Racing 92 might have to play a relegation playoff game after a very poor season which saw Stuart Lancaster fired in the middle of it. This brings me onto the final reason. Owen Farrell hasn't been in good form and has been lambasted regularly in the French media so perhaps he would've placed below the Smith's regardless.
Jamie George
The former England captain was very unlucky to miss out on selection and I don't think it comes down to him not being good enough. Sheehan and Kelleher were somewhat inevitable selections. The two have formed a great pairing with Kelleher making an impact from the bench after Sheehan got the ball rolling. Cowan-Dickie is a more similar style of hooker to those two than Jamie George is. Perhaps it simply comes down to a preference for style of play in the eyes of Andy Farrell. Cowan-Dickie is a bigger, more powerful runner than George and is a threat as a ball-carrier in ways that the Saracens man isn't. However, George would've been perfect as a reliable player to finish games or two captain the midweek team so he can definitely count himself as unlucky.
Darcy Graham
Darcy Graham is the player on this list who I am most disappointed to see miss out. He is an electric winger who can create something out of absolutely nothing and has unbelievable pace. He's the kind of player who creates unforgettable moments on tours like these so it's gutting that he hasn't got the chance as things stand.
Despite that, I can understand why he wasn't included. The wing battle probably cam down to a battle between Graham and Hansen. If you are just looking at who is the better winger, I would say that Graham wins it by a mile but there is more to consider. The first point is to take a look at the opposition. Australia could realistically go into these tests starting 3 or 4 players who are effectively fullbacks which means that they will try and pepper the back three with high balls. Graham is a short winger who could struggle in that scenario. Then you have to look at Ireland's style of play. Ireland play a very highly-coached style of attack which makes the side better than the sum of its parts. Hansen is crucial to this - he has the rare skill of being comfortable as a second (or even first) receiver who is a natural play-maker. He is also known as being a great character and a good tourist - though he could easily function as the tour guide on this trip.
Taulupe Faletau
Faletau was always an outsider to make this team but was in with a realistic shout - particularly when Caelan Doris picked up a serioys injury. The final(ish) squad has 38 players in it but just one recognised number 8 - Jack Conan. Ben Earl will probably be used in that position as well but Taulupe could easily have made it based on the fact that he is so experienced with these things and is back in form. However, it wasn't meant to be for the Welshman so the squad is set to go down under with one number 8 in its ranks.
There were some other players I wanted to highlight but didn't as a result of arbitrarily deciding to do just five. I thought the Willis brothers, Sam Underhill, Ben Curry and Jamie Ritchie were unlucky to miss out in the back row. Tom Jordan and Ben White must also have come close. And finally, Finlay Bealham was unlucky after starting every Ireland game recently with Furlong have some fitness issues.
All in all, this is a strong squad and an exciting one which I can't wait to watch start its journey against Argentina in June. This group is less obviously defined in terms of test versus midweek players than any recent ones so the warm-up matches are all must-watch affairs.
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