AUNZ Invitational XV v British & Irish Lions: rugby union
Date: 2025-07-12T09:06:37.000Z
Title: Team news
Content: Owen Farrell is a Lion once more. If you're asking me he should have been included in the initial squad. I get the arguments that he's not playing for England, that he's not been in red hot form in France, that some might rankle that his dad is the coach. But he's a Test animal and just gets what it means to be a Lion.
Will he produce the goods tonight to earn a spot in the Test team?
Keep an eye on the Scottish duo in midfield. Huw Jones at 13 and Sione Tuipulotu at 12 get to showcase why so many regard them as the best centre pair in the world.
Jac Morgan starts at 7 – as he should for the Test team – alongside Ben Earl and Henry Pollock in the back row. Expect fireworks.
Thanks to a couple of injuries Hugo Keenan has a run at the 15 jersey with Marcus Smith seemingly inked on as an impact player off the bench. Will the Irishman grab his opportunity?
Plenty to ponder.
British and Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan; 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Ben White, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Henry Pollock, 5 Tadhg Beirne (c), 4 James Ryan, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: 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
Les Kiss will take charge of the Wallabies in 2026, but now he's leading the AUNZ side with 17 internationals.
Many believe that Marika Koroibete should be playing for Australia. He'll no doubt be a menace on the wing here.
Shannon Frizell will test the Lions at the breakdown while Reds players Jeffery Toomaga-Allen and Jock Campbell will also get another crack at the tourists.
AUNZ Invitational XV: 15 Shaun Stevenson; 14 AJ Lam, 13 Ngani Laumape, 12 David Havili (cc), 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Tane Edmed, 9 Folau Fakatava, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Pete Samu, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (cc), 4 Angus Blyth, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Aidan Ross
Replacements: 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
Update:
Date: 2025-07-12T09:00:08.000Z
Title: Preamble
Content: One last dress rehearsal. One last chance for some players to impress. One last chance for Andy Farrell to fine tune some combinations, to get a sense of who is in and who is out, to settle on 23 men worthy of taking part in the first Test next week.
The Lions have yet to fully impress. Last week, in 36-24 win over the Brumbies, a team billed as a Test side blew hot and cold, just as the men in red have done all tour. There were glimpses of some cohesion but the breakdown remained a mess while multiple attacks fizzled to nothing. Can they sort things out tonight?
This time they take on a combined Australia and New Zealand side with Owen Farrell on the bench. There's an all-Scottish midfield and a dynamic back row to keep an eye on (more on the team in a bit).
Forget the result. Tonight is not about that. Tonight is about doing enough across the park to bag a place against the Wallabies.
Kick off at 11 am BST/7:30 pm in Adelaide.
Teams and further updates to come.
I'd love to hear from you. Send any thoughts. questions or anecdotes my way via email.
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