Lions squad: All you need to know before the announcement of the squad to tour Australia
When will the squad be announced?
Lions chair Ieuan Evans will announce the squad for this summer's tour to Australia on Thursday, May 8th at 2pm.
Where will the announcement be made?
The announcement will take place at the O2 Arena in London.
Tickets for the sold-out event cost £60 each, with over 2,000 fans expected to turn out to watch the announcement in person.
How many players will be touring?
The exact number set to be selected has not yet been confirmed but past tours have had around 37/38 players.
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For the last tour (to South Africa in 2021), the Lions squad had 37 players.
How can I watch the announcement?
We'll have a live blog covering all the updates as well as analysis and commentary from our team of writers. The announcement will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports, as well as the Lions' YouTube channel.
The event at the O2 is set to get under way at 1.30pm, with the squad announcement scheduled for 2pm.
How do the players find out they've been selected?
For past tours, the players have learned of their selection along with the public, live as the announcement is being made.
In 2017, Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny shared a clip on social media showing him with his family watching the squad announcement for the tour to New Zealand. When his name was called, marking his third Lions inclusion, it's celebrations all round. 'Amazing feeling to hear my name read out for @britishandirishlions. We find out when you find out', he captioned the post.
What Irish players are in the mix?
Despite what turned out to be a rather flat Six Nations campaign, a significant number of Ireland players are expected to be packing their bags for a trip down under.
Previous tourists Tadhg Furlong, Andrew Porter, Tadhg Beirne, Rónan Kelleher (who was called up as cover for the 2021 tour but didn't feature), Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki are likely to reacquaint themselves with the famous red jersey, while would-be debutants expected to enter the Lions fold include Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Dan Sheehan, Mack Hansen and Hugo Keenan.
James Ryan, Finlay Bealham and Joe McCarthy have also been floated for inclusion, while a big-swing call could go the way of young Sam Prendergast, but he faces stiff competition at outhalf, particularly from the England trio of Marcus Smith, George Ford and Fin Smith, while Finn Russell is practically a dead cert.
Maro Itoje in action for the British & Irish Lions during the third Test against South Africa in August 2021 in Cape Town. Photograph:Who will likely captain the squad?
Will Ireland captain Caelan Doris set to miss out through injury, England skipper Maro Itoje is in line to lead the Lions on the tour. The Saracens lock has toured with the Lions twice before.
In terms of those with an outside chance, Wales' poor form of late may hamper Jac Morgan's prospects, while Scotland's Finn Russell seems like another unlikely, but not impossible, choice.
Remind me of the coaching ticket ...
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell will take charge of the Lions for the Tour to Australia. Having deputised for Farrell during his Lions sabbatical, Simon Easterby is among the Ireland coaching contingent, alongside Andrew Goodman (attack), John Fogarty (scrum) and Johnny Sexton (assistant coach). England's Richard Wigglesworth and Scotland's John Salziel round out the ticket.
Anything we need to look out for?
The Lions always throws up some interesting selection debates, but ahead of Thursday's announcement, some minds have set themselves wondering whether Andy Farrell will save a seat on the plane for his son, former England captain Owen.
The latter offers both experience and versatility, having toured with the Lions in 2013, 2017 and 2021, playing at outhalf and inside centre. However, he hasn't played Test rugby since the 2023 World Cup.
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Andy Farrell faces Owen question as selection debates pile up for Lions squad
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When is the Tour?
The Tour gets under way in Dublin on June 20th against Argentina before the squad head to Australia. Once there, they'll play five warm-up games before their three-Test series against Joe Schmidt's Wallabies.
Schedule (all times Irish)
Friday, June 20th: v Argentina, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, 8pm
Saturday, June 28th: v Western Force, Optus Stadium, Perth, 11am
Wednesday, July 2nd: v Queensland Reds, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, 11am
Saturday, July 5th: v NSQ Waratahs, Allianz Stadium, Sydney, 11am
Wednesday, July 9th: v ACT Brumbies, GIO Stadium, Canberra, 11am
Saturday, July 12th: v Invitational AU & NZ, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 11am
Saturday, July 19th: v Australia, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane; 11am (First Test)
Tuesday, July 22nd: v Melbourne Rebels, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne; 11am
Saturday, July 26th: v Australia, Melbourne Cricket Ground, 11am (Second Test)
Saturday, August 2nd: v Australia, Accor Stadium, Sydney, 11am (Third Test)
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