Potential British and Irish Lions First XV for Australia Tour

Andy Farrell has named his 38-man squad for this summer's British and Irish Lions tour to Australia and, while there were few surprises, knowing the contenders focuses the mind when thinking about his strongest team and who might start the first Test in Brisbane on 19th July.

There are six tour matches before that, starting against Argentina in Dublin on 20th June, followed by fixtures against Western Force, Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs, ACT Brumbies and an invitational side comprising players from Australia and New Zealand.

The Lions are just 2/5 to win the series and 13/8 to repeat 2013's 2-1 series victory.

Farrell has plenty to ponder but while there will be bumps, bruises and broken hearts along the way, here is what we think is the coach's strongest starting XV to face the Wallabies.

Potential British & Irish Lions First XV for Australia Tour

15 - Blair Kinghorn

The leggy full-back was brilliant in the Six Nations and Farrell is happy to look past the potential of his late arrival due to his club commitments with Toulouse.

Kinghorn has also played Test rugby at fly-half and on the wing, providing additional versatility that could allow the selectors to opt for a six-two split on the bench.

14 - Tommy Freeman

A try scorer from the wing and in the centre during the Six Nations, Tommy Freeman has taken his England form back to Northampton and scored a hat-trick in their Champions Cup semi-final win over Leinster.

Freeman is arguably the form player in the world and, at 24, this could be the first of a few Lions tours.

13 - Huw Jones

A Scottish centre partnership looks the best call for Farrell with Huw Jones in at 13 now he has improved his defence.

Garry Ringrose was potentially the favourite at the start of the year but he is one of several Ireland players whose form has dropped off and Jones' brilliant outside break, which helped him to four tries in the Six Nations, could be a feature of the tour.

12 - Sione Tuipulotu

Australia-born but Scotland's captain, Jones and the other Scots missed Sione Tuipulotu's all-court game in the Six Nations.

The 28-year-old straightens the line, offloads well, kicks when required and hits hard in defence and his childhood memories growing up in Oz could inspire him to a big series.

11 - Duhan van der Merwe

Elliot Daly's utility value means he could make the bench but with James Lowe struggling against Freeman in the Champions Cup, Duhan van der Merwe may be a starting Lion for the second tour on the spin and should thrive on the hard grounds of Australia.

Van der Merwe saves his best form for international matches and while his defensive issues remain apparent, his ability to barge over opponents makes him dangerous, especially with some of his fellow Scots inside him.

10 - Finn Russell

Now's his time. Russell was a late call-up in 2017 and played the final Test off the bench in 2021.

His maverick nature means Warren Gatland picked him almost begrudgingly but the Scot has evolved and, doubts over his goal-kicking aside, he is the standout fly-half, although Fin Smith is a coming force.

9 - Alex Mitchell

You don't know what you've got till it's gone. England were poor in the autumn without Alex Mitchell but he returned to provide pace and energy in the Six Nations.

The Northampton man is back to his waspish best and might be able to take advantage of Jamison Gibson-Park's sudden dip in performances.

1 - Andrew Porter

Switching from tighthead to loosehead at the end of 2021 has paid off for Andrew Porter and he will feel he has something to prove after injury ruled him out of that year's tour.

He was down to play tighthead in South Africa but is now a premier loosehead – however, he is far from perfect and will need to ensure he scrummages straight as he retains a reputation for folding in.

2 - Dan Sheehan

The best hooker on the planet. Injury-permitting, the Irishman has to start in Brisbane.

3 - Will Stuart

Perhaps the most improved player in the conversation, Will Stuart, finally added scrummaging power to his efforts in the loose during the Six Nations.

Bath's potential for success over the next few weeks means Stuart could head down under with momentum and he looks to be ahead of Zander Fagerson and Tadhg Furlong in the pecking order.

4 - Maro Itoje (C)

Caelan Doris' untimely injury opened the door for Itoje, who also toured in 2017 and 2021, to captain the team and deservedly so.

A guaranteed starter, his form has improved since being appointed England skipper ahead of the Six Nations and he will be determined to guide the Lions to their first series victory in 12 years.

5 - Tadhg Beirne

The most complete forward in the northern hemisphere, Beirne prefers to play in the back row but usually starts in the engine room for Munster and Ireland. 

Brilliant in the set-piece, and as strong over the ball and in the loose, his ability to get around the field on the hard grounds of Australia could be vital. 

Beirne was unlucky not to get a Test start in 2021, although Scott Cummings is also an interesting option due to his status as a line-out caller.

6 - Tom Curry

Farrell's back-row selections hint that he will look to select two sevens, as he often has with Ireland, and Tom Curry might be the man to wear the six shirt.

He and his twin brother Ben dovetailed brilliantly for England in the Six Nations and Ben is unlucky to miss out.

However, Tom, who started all three Tests at seven in 2021, could switch across to play on the blindside like he's done for England.

7 - Josh van der Flier

There will be a clamour for Henry Pollock, but for all his highlight-reel moments against Leinster, Josh van der Flier outplayed him in certain facets of the game.

The Irishman has been consistently excellent since missing out on a place in 2021, being named World Player of the Year in 2022.

If Curry is at six, Van der Flier might be at seven.

8 - Taulupe Faletau

This is a wildcard, but Caelan Doris' shoulder injury has cruelly robbed him of a certain Test place and potentially the captaincy. 

Fellow Leinster and Ireland stalwart Jack Conan started all three Lions Tests at number eight in 2021 but might be used from the bench, while none of the other options are capable of playing there are specialists at the back of the scrum.

Step forward, Taulupe Faletau. He wasn't named by Farrell in the original squad but the Welshman shone in the decisive final Test in 2013 and was excellent against the All Blacks in 2017.

Injuries limited his participation in 2021 but he showed in the recent Six Nations that he needs little preparation to be Test-ready.

After shining for Cardiff, Farrell might be keeping him in the freezer to avoid any further injury issues before potentially flying him out at the first opportunity.