Jack Conan says nerves mounting as Lions prepare to name first Test team
The players will be told who has made the matchday 23 at a meeting on Wednesday and Conan believes the performances delivered over the last four weeks have not made selection easy.
Tuesday Training 🏉
T minus 4 days to the 1st Test 🇦🇺🦁#Lions2025 pic.twitter.com/zw4HOvAldj
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 15, 2025
'Everyone will be a bit nervous, but everyone has gone incredibly well, especially in the back row,' said Conan, who is expected to be named at number eight when the team is officially announced on Thursday.
'It's tough for the coaches, I'm sure, and hopefully we've given them plenty of headaches over the last while. No matter who's been out there, they've taken their opportunity really well.
'It's about those lads who get to run out at the weekend to do right by the lads who aren't playing.
'It's going to be unbelievably special to play the first Test so hopefully everyone can make the most of it.'
No area of the team has been more competitive than the back row, with Conan the closest thing to a certainty given he is the only specialist number eight in the 44-man squad in Australia.
England duo Ollie Chessum and Tom Curry just hold the edge in the race to be picked as flankers, but Farrell is blessed with options in both positions.
'There's huge amounts of class and talent in the back row. It's been great to get to know the lads, to learn off them, to see how they do things and to push each other on as well,' Conan said.
'That level of talent pushes everyone on to be your best and I think everyone has been at their best. No one can say they've been poor over the last few weeks.
'Especially in the back row, the standard has been unbelievably high, so it's been a joy to play with the lads and get to know with them.'
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The Guardian
16 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Andy Farrell knows what it takes to play for the Lions against Australia
Andy Farrell knows more about playing for the Lions against Australia than anyone in his squad. He faced Australia 15 times for Great Britain's rugby league team, winning just four of those matches. Farrell only played in Australia twice for the Lions, captaining the team in Brisbane in 1999 and Sydney in 2002. Both matches were a nightmare, his team humiliated by an aggregate score of 106-16. Farrell's introduction to the team was more enjoyable. He made the first of his 34 appearances for Great Britain at Headingley against New Zealand in 1993. He was only 18 years old and he scored on his debut. Let's hope he savoured that moment. His third Great Britain international, in 1994, was an epic. Farrell started in the second row against Australia at Wembley in an arm-wrestle for the ages. This wasn't a run-of-the-mill Australia side. This was one of the all-time greats. 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Despite the poor results, Farrell showed real leadership and was made captain by coach Phil Larder. 'As the tour developed, it was obvious he was the leader of the lads,' reflected Larder. 'Andy wasn't who I had identified to be captain but he was the one they all looked up to and he was playing exceptionally well. He became my captain. Faz came through as a natural leader, not only on the pitch but outside as well. Everybody in the squad looked up to him. The thing about Andy is he's got presence. If he walks into a room, he seems to attract people to him. Players latch on to that.' A poor run of results in the late 1990s – that chastening trip to New Zealand in 1996, defeats to Australia in the Ashes in 1997 and another series loss to the Kiwis in 1998 – did little for the Lions brand. The Australian Rugby League Commission realised New Zealand were now their closest rivals and decided to host a Tri-Nations tournament in 1999 rather than an Ashes tour. 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16 minutes ago
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There have been 11 Lions midfields... but trio with six minutes together looks set for first Test
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Aki and Ringrose started the Brumbies win and were kept on for the entire game, with Russell also given all 80 minutes. This looked like a strong hint regarding the Test team, yet will have been affected by Marcus Smith being required at full-back from the bench as a replacement for Blair Kinghorn. Ringrose failed a head injury assessment in the aftermath, ruling him out of this weekend anyway. That clearly increased the chances of a Scotland 10-12-13, a combination that has seen minimal action on this tour so far. Indeed, the axis of Russell, Tuipulotu and Jones has been deployed for precisely six minutes in the middle of the second half in Perth as the Lions pulled away to beat Western Force 54-7. There was scope for a single-strike play, which showed us a familiar shape. Tuipulotu steps up at first-receiver with Russell fading out the back. Jones carves a trademark short angle and so nearly escapes the tackle of Hamish Stewart. However, he spills in contact… …and, seconds later, Russell is replaced by Marcus Smith. This slice pattern is ubiquitous, though Russell, Tuipulotu and Jones must be among the best at running it. They all fulfil their individual roles beautifully. Jones sliced through England in 2024 from Tuipulotu's short pass… …and did so against the Waratahs from the same set-up: Huwipulotu combines for the Lions! 🤝💥 — Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) July 5, 2025 Tuipulotu is fantastic at fixing defenders with subtle footwork to give Jones a gap – or at least the possibility of a weak tackle – as the 'front-door' option'. Defenders will be eager to push past Jones to shut down the space of the fly-half in behind, especially when it is Russell lurking deeper. If Russell is afforded space as the 'back-door' playmaker, he brings his back three into the game: With 'Huwipulotu' integral, the Lions used the same play from a scrum against AUNZ to spark a fluid sequence of attack. Tuipulotu steps off his right foot to draw Tane Edmed and swivels his head towards Fin Smith, which causes David Havili to creep beyond the ball towards the pull-back option. That opens the gap for Jones and a half-break follows: Opposite Ikitau and Aukuso-Suaalii, familiarity will be equally helpful in defence. Tuipulotu and Jones have started 36 matches together for Scotland and Glasgow Warriors, winning 25 of them. As a collective, Russell, Tuipulotu and Jones have started 14 Tests. One of those was the 27-13 victory over the Wallabies last November. Farrell will not have needed to see any more from the Scotland midfield three in warm-up matches. They will have prepared in training away from the prying eyes of Australia analysts as other configurations were used in tour matches. Fin Smith has been at fly-half with 'Huwipulotu' for 108 minutes across two games. Marcus Smith, set for a bench spot in Brisbane, has also had two different fly-half cameos with 'Huwipulotu'. All that said, Aki can still be an influential figure. The 35-year-old has 42 Test match appearances for Ireland out of a possible 61 since Farrell became head coach in 2020. Only nine players have more. He and Ringrose wore 12 and 13 in two separate victories over a Scotland team featuring Russell, Tuipulotu and Jones in 2023, the second one a 36-14 thumping at the World Cup. Despite blowing hot and cold on this tour, Aki has earned impetus in some of the Lions' most convincing passages. He was in between Russell and Jones for the first 50 minutes against the Reds. Aki was later replaced by Ben Earl, the England back-rower demonstrating his capacity to be an emergency centre. Ringrose, incidentally, wore 23 and finished that evening on the right wing. Bench composition is the final piece of this jigsaw. In 33 of their 61 Tests since the 2019 World Cup, Ireland have fielded a potential centre – Robbie Henshaw (nine times), Aki (seven), Ringrose (six), Stuart McCloskey (four), Chris Farrell, James Hume, Jamie Osborne (twice each) or Will Addison (once) – in the number 23 jersey. They have evidently wanted to sustain dynamism and thrust in midfield. Only four times in 61 Tests – against France, Wales and England in the 2024 Six Nations and again against France the following year – have Ireland opted for six forwards on the bench. Their typical formula is a five-three split, with a possible centre wearing 23. Hansen's injury makes that even more likely for the Lions, though Earl would be the hybrid to facilitate a six-two. Most scenarios have been covered even before one considers repetitions in training. Tommy Freeman can slot in at outside centre and Earl's adaptability could come in handy. Test matches often finish up with obliterated back lines as coaches are forced to improvise due to injuries. Having racked up 320 minutes, 43 more than Hansen, Tuipulotu has accrued the most game-time of any 2025 Lion to date. His case to be involved in the first Test will have been improved by a couple of appearances at outside centre to showcase versatility; alongside Aki against Argentina and outside the axis of Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell for the final half-hour of the 48-0 win over AUNZ. Farrell junior's ability to cover 12 as well as 10 was cited by his father as justification for the call-up. The waiting is almost over. Andy Farrell and his Lions have deliberated the make-up of their 23 and decided upon what they believe to be the best side to go 1-0 up. Scotland's midfield three will be major protagonists in this endeavour.
