Elliot Daly is justifying Lions selection and could play in Tests once again

Telegraph

9 hours ago

Versatility can make a victim of players, but it can also present a path to defining opportunities. Elliot Daly, on his third tour with the British and Irish Lions and on course to add to his five Test appearances after a polished performance in Perth, stands as testament to that.
For Andy Farrell's crop of 2025, full-back is a position that is in a certain degree of flux. Blair Kinghorn was the sole player to make the initial Lions squad from a Top 14 club, which was an endorsement of his Test credentials because the Scot could join up only at the very end of June if Toulouse reached the domestic decider. Farrell will now welcome him into the fold after Kinghorn played 100 minutes to help Toulouse edge past Union Bordeaux-Bègles in a compelling contest that went to extra-time.
Compounding the uncertainty has been a calf issue for Hugo Keenan, which is proving problematic. Ireland's front-line No 15 has not played at all since Leinster's defeat of Scarlets on May 31.
Kinghorn and Keenan are both excellent players. Each of them deserves a tilt at the Test series. Yet, at this stage, it is impossible to count on them coming through with 100 per cent conviction. What a relief for Farrell, then, that he has in his squad a player who began the 2019 World Cup final at full-back.
To detail other impressive accomplishments, Daly also boasts Test starts for the Lions at left wing and outside centre. His aerial solidity and positioning have improved over recent years and Steve Borthwick whisked him back into the England set-up during the 2025 Six Nations, with positive results. It was clear, too, that Daly was an assertive speaker in the Lions' post-match huddle at the Aviva Stadium last Friday.
On Saturday evening at Optus stadium, in what was eventually a comfortable victory for Farrell's men, the 32-year-old stated his case to add the Lions 15 jersey to his 11 from 2017 and 13 from 2021.
In the 15th minute, with the scores tied at 7-7 and the Force ruffling feathers, Daly stepped up at first-receiver to send a raking kick in behind the hosts. Thanks to this left-footed strike, the Lions controlled territory and eventually went ahead when Tomos Williams latched on to Henry Pollock's surge.
Daly scored the Lions' third, a settler five minutes from half-time. He and Pollock were the two Lions to stay on Finn Russell's wavelength when the Scotland fly-half, surely bound for the Test team, shaped towards the corner before tapping a penalty and punishing the Force for switching off.
In the opening seconds of the second half, Daly turned to tidy up another restart receipt that the Lions had botched, offloading to Mack Hansen behind his own try-line. Those two have struck up an obvious understanding over the first two matches of this trip. Daly and Hansen dovetailed nicely against Argentina and then again on Saturday against the Force. Watching as intuitive players from different nations develop their chemistry on the run is among the most fascinating aspects of any Lions tour.
It was interesting that Russell entrusted touch-finders towards the right flank to Daly and more slick interventions followed. The latter joined the line outside Sione Tuipulotu for a swift take-and-give that allowed Mack Hansen to release Garry Ringrose. Daly was decisive when returning kicks all evening and, in the 68th minute, he beat Matt Proctor with a beautiful step off his left foot before lifting an offload to James Lowe as he tumbled to the ground.
Pollock was in support, the Lions earned a breakdown penalty and would snaffle their seventh try when Daly arced around Marcus Smith to slip through the defensive line and underneath the posts. By this stage, the Force were spent. Nic White, their skipper, admitted afterwards that the scoreline blew out because their opponents were able to maintain a level of intensity that his colleagues could not match. But the Lions' last score, finished by Alex Mitchell, was one more showcase of Daly's class.
Seeming to weigh up a kick-pass towards the right touchline, he instead flung a flat pass off his left hand that sailed perfectly into the path of Tuipulotu. The Lions were away, Hansen and Mitchell flooding through to reach a half-century.
Perhaps unfairly, Daly became a symbol of how the 2021 Lions went into their shells after he was clattered on the gain-line by Lukhanyo Am, the Springboks centre. Four years on, Farrell is evidently aiming towards a more intrepid style. And Daly is enjoying himself. Among the players praised by Brian O'Driscoll at full-time, the Saracens utility man was name-checked first.
Kinghorn and Keenan may hit the ground running for the Lions and demand inclusion when the Tests come around. If Farrell opts for a six-two split of forwards on the bench, there are other adaptable backs such as Tommy Freeman (covering wing, outside centre and full-back), Kinghorn (full-back, wing and fly-half), Hansen (wing, full-back and fly-half at a push), Ringrose (outside centre and wing) and Marcus Smith (fly-half and full-back) to cover bases.
Daly, though, has undoubtedly put himself in a strong position. Over the next few weeks, he could write another chapter in an extraordinary career.