Five talking points from Lions squad announcement

BBC News

08-05-2025

So the first roar of the 2025 Lions has been heard - some old cats who have prowled this terrain before, some cubs who are experiencing this for the first time. And Henry Pollock, a beast so rare that it's still difficult to find the right word for him.Andy Farrell has picked 38 men for the trek to Australia and there are almost as many talking points as players. Here are five.
Big-name casualties, especially at hooker
Some big-name casualties. No Jamie George and no Dewi Lake. Many folk will have had both of them involved but their places have gone to Ireland's back-up hooker, Ronan Kelleher, and England's Luke Cowan-Dickie. Dan Sheehan was always going to be selected and he's the very clear frontrunner to start in the first Test.Hopes will not have been high in Wales, but two Lions is by a distance their lowest-ever total. There was mention of Blair Murray as a bolter at full-back and more talk of Taulupe Faletau possibly coming in for the desperately-unlucky Caelan Doris, who misses out. That's so cruel. From captaincy contender to couch-sitter. It's a horrible sport at times.
Marcus makes it but Farrell circus avoided
Marcus Smith is in at 10 and as cover at 15, where Blair Kinghorn is likely to miss the first two or three games because of his commitments to Toulouse. Elliot Daly is another who can deputise as 15. Scotland would have been hoping to get Tom Jordan picked in that utility role but it's fallen to Daly instead.There was a world of speculation around the 10s. A big campaign had formed around Owen Farrell, sparked in part by Johnny Sexton, the Lions assistant coach, who said previously that he would pick him in his Test squad. Through injury and lack of form in France with Racing, Farrell Jnr doesn't make it. Wonder what Sexton made of that in the selection meeting. His man - out. Farrell Snr may not have wanted the circus of having his son in the squad and, quite possibly, Owen wouldn't have wanted to be part of it either. Intrigue there.Ireland's Sam Prendergast also had a bandwagon, but the wheels fell off in a disastrous display against Northampton on Saturday. Some old characters were tipping that there would be no Finn Russell in this squad. He's there and his battle with the brilliant tyro Fin Smith for Test starts will be exhilarating.
Back-row power leaves impressive stand-by list
There's no getting away from it - the strength in the back-row is immense and there was always going to be big names missing out. Jack Willis is one of them. He's been sensational at Toulouse but if Farrell was prepared to wait for Kinghorn, then he hasn't afforded the same latitude to Willis. Mainly because he doesn't have to. He has more than enough artillery without him. Maybe the dramatic rise and rise of Pollock put paid to his chances also. There's no Ben Curry, no Chandler Cunningham-South, no Faletau. They'll be devastated but if the history of the Lions tells us that injuries will happen and replacements will be parachuted in. The list of standbys will be impressive.
Hansen beats Graham in wing battle
Scotland will be very happy to have eight - one short of their all-time high - but the many fans of Darcy Graham will be crestfallen. The wee man has X-factor and is in flying form. He was strong in the Six Nations, offers real pace and is as brave as a lion, only he's not a Lion.That's an eyebrow-raiser because Hansen hasn't played since the middle of April and doesn't have the gas that Graham offers. He's a clever rugby player, though, and he has a fan in head coach Farrell. This might have been a call where familiarity won the day.
Williams wins scrum-half scrap
Jamison Gibson-Park was always a shoo-in and Alex Mitchell was nailed-on to be the second scrum-half. There was a lot of debate around who the third and final nine would be - Tomos Williams or Ben White. The Welshman has won the race.Matt Dawson went White on a podcast during the week, reckoning that his style of play might best suit what Farrell is looking for. Williams, though, is a terrific player. Smart and dynamic. The call will have come down to fine margins. The agony and ecstasy of the Lions writ large.