Lions player ratings - the incredible, the unlucky & the poor

BBC News

12 hours ago

From the mouths of the British and Irish Lions we have heard plenty about how much they have loved this tour, how they revelled in each other's company, and how they have learned from Andy Farrell's coaching.The time of their lives is the gist. One double Grand Slam winner said the series triumph trumps everything he has achieved in his career. The bonds were close among the class of '25.It is difficult to know what to make of these Lions though.The Wallabies were undercooked in the first Test - the blame for which is on the otherwise brilliant Joe Schmidt.They had to do without the great Will Skelton for the first and for much of the second Test, while their best player, Rob Valetini, was fit for just 40 minutes of the whole series.Yet the Wallabies came so close winning in Melbourne and then overpowered the Lions in Sydney. The Lions won the series 2-1, but did not take it 3-0 - which was their oft-stated goal. In six halves of rugby, the Wallabies won four of them. This was a good Lions team with a sprinkling of great players, but nowhere near a great team. So, of the players who appeared in more than one game, how did they all rate individually? You can offer your verdict in the comments and the rater at the bottom.
Forwards
Finlay Bealham: Brought in when Zander Fagerson had to withdraw. Put in a strong scrummaging display against Argentina in the Lions' opening game that got people talking, especially since Tadhg Furlong was still searching for his form. Overtaken by Furlong and Will Stuart but there is no disgrace in that. 6Tadhg Beirne: Incredible. Wasn't at his best when he arrived on tour but he became an utter machine as time went on; power, carries, tackle count, minutes played. A brilliant tour and the player of the series from a Lions perspective. 9.5Ollie Chessum: Played his way into the Test team for Melbourne after Joe McCarthy's injury but didn't produce his best on the day and was dropped to the bench for the third Test. Only 24, he'll be back in 2029. 7Jack Conan: One of 11 players who started all three Tests. Conan was brutally harsh on his own performance in the second Test in Melbourne, but he was robust all tour, a powerful man. Not quite at full throttle, but good. 7.5Luke Cowan-Dickie: Played well in both of his starts in Australia, albeit the second one - AUNZ Invitational - was when his game-time ended after a horrible blow to the head. Would have put heat on Ronan Kelleher for a Test bench spot. 6.5Scott Cummings: Got off to a nightmarish start when failing to deal with restarts against the Western Force. After that, he was really good. Bounced back with a fine performance against the Waratahs and was strong again versus First Nations and Pasifika. 6.5Tom Curry: Looks permanently exhausted, but what a sensational player. Empties the tank every single time. Demonic physical presence. Set the tone in the first Test with a thumping hit on James Slipper and never let up after that. 9Ben Earl: Went around Australia with a smile permanently fixed to his face. Clearly loved every second of life as a Lion. And played well. A bench spot in two of the three Tests. Maybe lucky not to get a yellow card in Melbourne but his work-rate was huge throughout. 7.5Tadhg Furlong: Has now started nine consecutive Lions Tests, which is just freaky in the modern age. Had not played much rugby coming on to the tour but got better and better. The third Test was a difficult night, but he soldiered on. A Lions great. 8.5Ellis Genge: An excellent tour for the loosehead prop. Very solid in the scrum and a big ball carrier in most of his games. Started the first Test and was powerful. Came off the bench in the second Test and helped drive the Lions forward in those late, pivotal moments. 8Maro Itoje: Such a compelling individual. Bright and thoughtful. Good company in press conferences and in smaller gatherings. You wanted to hear what the captain had to say. Supreme for much of the tour, until his final Test went wrong after failing an early HIA. The Lions missed him when he was absent. 9
Ronan Kelleher: Was on the bench seven times in the 10 games, including the one against Argentina. It's hard to get momentum when only appearing in fits and starts, but did a decent job overall. Played his part in the seismic comeback in Melbourne. 6.5Joe McCarthy: Established himself as Itoje's second-row partner with some big games, especially against the Western Force on match one in Australia. He exploded out of the blocks. Was an effective enforcer in the first Test but injury claimed him thereafter. At least he got a taste of it. At 24, this won't be his last rodeo. 7.5Jac Morgan: Fans of all four nations adopted Morgan as the lone Welshman after Tomos Williams went home. He was at the heart of one of the most controversial moments in Lions history - The Clearout. Was terrific against the Reds and First Nations and Pasifika, and totally deserved his two Test caps. A serious player 7.5Henry Pollock: Arrived with a fanfare and with some predicting a Test spot. He's a very talented player, and showed up well, but Test rugby demands a lot more than he is capable of right now. Only a kid and will come again - bigger, stronger and wiser for this experience. 6.5Andrew Porter: Wasn't fully comfortable out there and struggled in the scrum against the mighty Taniela Tupou in the third Test. An excellent prop but short of his full powers. 7James Ryan: Was the forgotten man until he put in a viciously effective performance against First Nations and Pasifika then backed it up with a huge cameo off the bench in the second Test. He blasted his way through those closing minutes. A sickening blow to his head ended his third Test involvement in the most horrible way. 7Pierre Schoeman: Was always likely to be third in line at loosehead but he basked in the environment and brought his personality to everything he did. International prop and budding poet, if you have watched the Lions' behind-the-scenes films. You got the sense he loved every second on tour. 6.5Dan Sheehan: Arguably the best hooker in the world. Scored tries in the first and second Test, scrummaged well, carried with the pace and dexterity of a top class centre but with the power of a beast. Black mark was the shoulder to the head of Tom Lynagh in Sydney. Lucky to avoid a red card. 8.5Will Stuart: Scored the final try of the tour - a consolation, but still a nice moment. Stuart started slowly but gathered pace and had a big impact when he came on in the second Test. 7Josh van der Flier: Andy Farrell assures us that Van der Flier loved the tour, but he did not play a second of Test rugby when he had been hotly tipped to do so. That has to be a sore point. At 32, it's hard to see this outstanding player getting another shot at it. 6.5
Backs
Bundee Aki: Finished the second Test strongly but was ineffective for much of the rest of it. He was desperately off form in the third Test and, in fairness, he used some agricultural language of his own to describe his performance. 6Elliot Daly: What might have been. Was having a storming tour and looked a certainty for a Test place when he was cut down in his prime in game two in Australia against the Queensland Reds - his 11th straight involvement in a Lions matchday 23. Cruel. 6.5Owen Farrell: The tour was sleepy hollow until the news came through that Faz Jnr had been called up by Faz Snr. Cue people verbally scrapping about the rights and wrongs. Pretty non-descript on the field even though he came on in two Tests. The best of it was his excellent press conference before captaining against First Nations and Pasifika. A fascinating and rare insight into the now four-time Lion. 6Tommy Freeman: Brilliant against the Reds early on. Was fine against the Brumbies. Had a poor first Test. Was good in the second. The third was a constant battle. 6.5Jamison Gibson-Park: Passing was so slick in the lead-up to the series-winning try in Melbourne. A world-class player but one who struggled in the monsoon in Sydney. 7.5Mack Hansen: A favourite of Andy Farrell and was surely heading for Test rugby until injury ruined his dream. 6Hugo Keenan: Laid low by illness early on, then came into the team and had a shocker against the Waratahs. Blair Kinghorn looked a very hot favourite for the full-back jersey at that point. Keenan's resilience kicked in though and he was excellent in his next game against AUNZ, good in the first Test and a hero with the winning try in the second. He was one of the Lions' best players in defeat in the third. 8Huw Jones: A magnificent attacker. Put in a two-try display against the Waratahs then barged over for a try at a critical time in the second Test. Lines of running and ability to find holes in defences was top notch, until the Sydney weather and Wallaby power neutralised him. Played much of that Test on the wing. 7.5
Blair Kinghorn: Was the last Lion in the door, having arrived late from Toulouse. Needed a big performance against First Nations and Pasifika to usurp Keenan from the second Test, but didn't deliver. His work off the bench in Melbourne was the true Kinghorn, though. Sydney was a mess for him - and for many others. 7James Lowe: By his lofty standards, a poor tour. He had a fantastic moment when setting up Beirne for an important score in the second Test, but Lowe couldn't find his confidence. 5.5Alex Mitchell: Was looking like creating a record by playing in every single game, but just fell short. Was on the bench eight times in Australia. A solid understudy to Gibson-Park who managed to hold off the challenge of Ben White for Test status. 6.5Garry Ringrose: The unluckiest of this and probably any other tour in living memory. Would almost certainly have started all three Tests because he was flying. Concussion cursed him. His mark would have been a whole lot higher otherwise. 6.5Finn Russell: Was in 'player of the series' territory before Sydney, which was a savagely hard day for a fly-half. Overall, he was a joy. Wasn't at his best in the second Test but when it came to those game-winning moments at the end, he was immense. 8.5Fin Smith: Never really got going after the loss to Argentina in Dublin. Started against the Waratahs, AUNZ Invitational and First Nations & Pasifika. He's young though, and will have learned a lot. 6Marcus Smith: Played a lot of rugby on tour in a number of different positions, but nearly all of it was off the bench. Was involved in the first and second Tests and had a decent tour in that utility back role that opened up when Daly left town. 6.5Sione Tuipulotu: A case of what might have been. Scored the opening try of the first Test after a sumptuous pass from Russell, but was dropped for the second (and then subsequently picked up a tight hamstring). That initial call from Farrell to drop him for Bundee Aki was highly dubious. Farrell said Tuipulotu was 85% fit ahead of the final Test, so he missed out. It will be interesting to get the Scotland centre's perspective on that in due course. 7Duhan van der Merwe: Finished as the top Lions try-scorer but never came close to a Test spot. A freakishly talented finisher, but there are just too many flaws in the rest of his game. 6.5Ben White: Came in for the injured Williams and looked sharp to the point that he cannot have been a million miles away from winning a Test bench spot. 6.5Tomos Williams: Wonderful cameo off the bench against the Pumas, scored two tries against the Western Force in the first game on Australian soil - and was then injured. Cut down in his prime. Painfully unlucky. 6