British and Irish Lions
1.Pierre Schoeman 2.Luke Cowan-Dickie 3.Will Stuart 4.James Ryan 5.Tadhg Beirne(C)
6.Henry Pollock 7.Jac Morgan 8.Ben Earl 9.Ben White 10.FIn Smith
11.Duhan Van der Merwe 12.Sione Tuipulotu 13.Huw Jones 14.Mack Hansen 15.Hugo Keenan
16.Ronan Kelleher 17.Andrew Porter 18.Finlay Bealham 19.Scott Cummings
20.Josh Van der Flier 21.Alex Mitchell 22.Marcus Smith 23.Owen Farrell
AUNZ XV
1.Aidan Ross 2.Brandon Paenga-Amosa 3.Jeffery Toomaga-Allen 4.Angus Blyth 5.Lukhan Salakaia-Loto
6.Shannon Frizell 7.Pete Samu 8.Hoskins Sotutu 9.Folau Fakatava 10.Tane Edmed
11.Marika Koroibete 12.David Havili(C) 13.Ngani Laumape 14.AJ Lam 15.Shaun Stevenson
16.Kurt Eklund 17.Joshua Fusitu'a 18.George Dyer 19.Matt Philip
20.Joe Brial 21.Kalani Thomas 22.Harry Mclaughlin-Phillips 23.Jock Campbell
This is the strongest team that the Lions will face before the tour kicks off but this isn't the strongest Lions team that has been selected so far. In the front row, Schoeman partners with an English duo of Cowan-Dickie and Stuart. Cowan-Dickie and Stuart, in particular, have the opportunity to make a final push for spots in the test XV. Sheehan seems like the clear starter at hooker so Cowan-Dickie will be hoping to displace Kelleher for a spot on the bench. The tighthead prop position is completely up for grabs - Stuart came into the tour as the favourite to start but failed to impress in his last performance so needs a big game today to keep his nose in front. The second row is home to an Irish pairing with James Ryan partnering the team's captain, Tadhg Beirne. Beirne has played at both lock and flanker so far and is in competition with Chessum for a spot in the main side. He is currently my favourite to be the midweek captain between the tests although he is easily good enough to start the big games. This back row is one of the most dynamic that can be selected with Pollock, Morgan and Earl all starting. Each of these players is in with a chance of starting so they will all come out with a point to prove.
At scrum half, Ben White will get his first start and play next to Fin Smith. White won't be in the test team but Smith might. Although, that depends upon how Owen Farrell is viewed by the coaches on this tour. In midfield, it is time for the Scots to try to out-do the Irish performance from Wednesday and cement themselves in the side. At fullback, there is now a lot of pressure on Hugo Keenan to have a much better performance than he did in his last shot. With Kinghorn's fitness up in the air, Keenan's performance today might just be the most important part of today's game.
On the bench, one man will be the subject of most talk surrounding the game - Owen Farrell will make his first tour appearance in 2025 when he enters the game from the bench. One big question will be whether or not he comes on at fly half instead of inside centre. Marcus Smith is also on the bench but, given the doubts around fullback, he could come on to gain more experience at his less familiar position.
The side the Lions are up against includes 14 players who have played for the Wallabies or All Blacks which makes this the stiffest opposition that the Lions have taken on so far. The back row is home to some giants in Sotutu and Frizell who are both bigger than anyone in the Lions back row. This won't be a team that looks to go around the Lions but rather one that will be primed to beat them up physically.
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