Lions vs Brumbies: Kick-off time today, TV channel, live stream, lineups, team news, h2h, venue, odds
Andy Farrell has selected a team in the capital Canberra that looks very much like the one he will field against the Wallabies in the first Test in Brisbane on July 19, with just a couple of positions left up for debate.
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The Lions will be looking for a huge improvement on Saturday's disjointed 21-10 victory over the New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney, when they committed handling errors galore during a thoroughly scrappy contest that was a far cry from their eight-try routs of both the Queensland Reds and Western Force that had seen them bounce back so emphatically from a shock defeat by Argentina in Dublin.
Though missing a number of Australian internationals following Sunday's last-gasp win over Fiji in Newcastle, the Brumbies - coached by former Wallabies fly-half stalwart Stephen Larkham - are Australia's best-performing Super Rugby franchise and finished third this season, eventually losing 37-17 to the Chiefs in the semi-finals after beating the Hurricanes.
Lions vs Brumbies date, kick-off time and venue
The Lions meet the Brumbies at 11am BST - 8pm local time - today, Wednesday July 9, 2025 in what is their penultimate match before the first Test against Australia, with an AUNZ Invitational XV awaiting in Adelaide at the weekend.
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The game takes place at the 25,011-capacity GIO Stadium in Canberra, which also hosts the Canberra Raiders of the NRL.
How to watch Lions vs Brumbies
TV channel: Sky Sports have exclusive broadcasting rights to the Lions tour in the UK this summer. Wednesday's match broadcast begins at 10am BST on both Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action.
Live stream: Those with a Sky Sports subscription can also watch the game live online via the Sky Go app, while it's also available to stream via NOW.
Live blog: Follow all the action on Wednesday with Standard Sport's live blog.
Lions vs Brumbies team news
As expected, Farrell has named what many expect to be the starting first Test XV for what could well be their most difficult challenge on this tour outside the Wallabies series.
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The only slight question marks remain around full-back, where Blair Kinghorn starts after making his first tour appearance on the wing on Saturday as he looks to outduel Hugo Keenan, and at tighthead prop, where Tadhg Furlong is still among the world's best and a proven Lions veteran but needs to get back to top form with the likes of Will Stuart and Finlay Bealham pressing hard.
Joe McCarthy looks to be firmly in the driving seat for that second lock spot alongside captain Maro Itoje, while Ollie Chessum is ahead of Tadhg Beirne to line up at blindside flanker in a back row also featuring openside Tom Curry and Jack Conan, who in the absence of Ireland skipper Caelan Doris is the only out-and-out number eight on the tour.
Henry Pollock is on the bench after being withdrawn late against the Waratahs as a precaution with a tight calf, while there is no Welshman in the squad at all with Jac Morgan not selected and Tomos Williams having flown home injured along with Elliot Daly.
The game comes too soon for Owen Farrell, who is expected to play against the AUNZ Invitational XV after training fully for the first time on Tuesday. The Canberra-born Mack Hansen is set to face his old club off the bench.
Reunion: Australia-born Ireland and Lions wing Mack Hansen previously played for the Brumbies (Getty Images)
The Brumbies are without all of Allan Alaalatoa, James Slipper, Nick Frost, Len Ikitau, Billy Pollard and Tom Wright as Joe Schmidt prepares to name his revised Australia squad for the Lions on Friday, with Rob Valetini having missed out through injury against Fiji and fly-half Noah Lolesio undergone surgery that will rule him out for the whole series having been stretchered off in Newcastle.
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Flanker Tom Hooper - who will join Exeter next season - and wing Corey Toole have been released by the Wallabies to start, though Blake Schoupp and Charlie Cale are among the key injury absentees.
Lions vs Brumbies lineups
Lions XV: Kinghorn; Freeman, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe; Russell, Gibson-Park; Genge, Sheehan, Furlong; Itoje (c), McCarthy; Chessum, Curry, Conan
Replacements: Kelleher, Porter, Stuart, Van der Flier, Pollock, Mitchell, M Smith, Hansen
Brumbies XV: Muirhead; O'Donnell, Sapsford, Feliuai, Toole; Meredith, R Lonergan (c); Leli, L Lonergan, Van Nek; Shaw, Neville; T Hooper, Scott, Tualima
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Replacements: Bowron, Orr, Fotuaika, L Hooper, Reimer, Goddard, Debreczeni, Creighton
Lions vs Brumbies head to head (h2h) history and results
The Lions lost their last match against the Brumbies in 2013, the hosts edging out the tourists 14-13 in a famous victory ahead of the Test series, which the Lions won 2-1 under Warren Gatland for their first series win since 1997 in South Africa.
The Lions beat them 30-28 before their series defeat by the Wallabies in 2001, Austin Healey's dramatic last-gasp try successfully converted by Matt Dawson.
Lions wins: 1
Brumbies wins: 1
Draws: 0
Repeat or revenge? The Brumbies beat the Lions back in 2013 in a famous result (Getty Images)
Lions vs Brumbies prediction
This is where things get serious for the Lions, with a lot of expectation falling upon what is essentially the Test team to lay down a marker and rise to the challenge against Australia's best Super Rugby side, albeit one seriously weakened by missing so many Wallabies stars.
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Andy Farrell bemoaned the sheer number of handling errors and botched opportunities against the Waratahs, but called the game a valuable learning experience.
He will be expecting far better this time around and the onus is on the Lions to utilise their physicality and hugely superior strength in depth to emphatic effect, all the while keeping up those notable improvements to both scrum and lineout, also delivering a vastly improved attacking display with ball in hand.
We're backing the Lions to rise to the occasion and send out a real statement after Australia's massively underwhelming performance against Fiji in their only warm-up game, in which they needed a late try from Harry Wilson to avoid a chastening loss.
Lions to win, by 15 points.
Lions vs Brumbies match odds
Lions to win: 1/80
Brumbies to win: 33/1
Draw: 50/1
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
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