Sir Clive Woodward includes Finn Russell in his 2025 Lions XV
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Sir Clive Woodward has revealed his preferred British & Irish Lions XV to take on the Wallabies in the opening Test of the 2025 series – and it's a squad heavily dominated by Irish and Scottish stars.
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The 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning coach, who oversaw the Lions’ ill-fated 2005 tour of New Zealand, believes Andy Farrell should select eight Irish players in his starting lineup, alongside four Scots and just three Englishmen. Meanwhile, Wales' only representatives are confined to the bench.
Surprise selections in Woodward's pack
One of the more eye-catching aspects of Woodward's selection is his preference for players who missed the Autumn Nations Series entirely. Ireland's Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong were sidelined through injury, while Jack Willis was unavailable due to England's selection policy for overseas-based players.
Despite these absences, Woodward is convinced they should start in Brisbane on 17 July, joining an Irish-dominated pack that also includes Andrew Porter, Joe McCarthy, Josh van der Flier and his chosen Lions captain, Caelan Doris.
Scotland's backline dominance
While Ireland dominates the pack, Woodward has turned to Gregor Townsend's Scotland for the majority of his backline selections. Blair Kinghorn, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe and Finn Russell all make his starting XV, with only two Irish backs—Garry Ringrose and Jamison Gibson-Park—earning spots.
England's sole backline representative is Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who has made an instant impact at Test level.
Wales players only make the bench
Despite boasting some standout performers in recent years, no Welsh players made Woodward's starting XV. Instead, Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan and Tomos Williams are named among the replacements, alongside two English, two Irish, and one Scottish player.
Clive Woodward's British & Irish Lions XV
15. Blair Kinghorn (Scotland)
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England)
13. Garry Ringrose (Ireland)
12. Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)
10. Finn Russell (Scotland)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
1. Andrew Porter (Ireland)
2. Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
4. Maro Itoje (England)
5. Joe McCarthy (Ireland)
6. Jack Willis (England)
7. Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
8. Caelan Doris (Ireland, captain)
Replacements: Dewi Lake (Wales), Ellis Genge (England), Zander Fagerson (Scotland), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Jac Morgan (Wales), Tomos Williams (Wales), Marcus Smith (England), James Lowe (Ireland).
PREDICTOR GAME:
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Four players England should drop – and who Steve Borthwick should replace them with
For England, it's a sixth defeat in seven matches under Borthwick and a baptism of fire for Maro Itoje in his first game since replacing Jamie George as captain.
With a crucial clash against France at the Allianz Stadium up next, here are four changes Borthwick must consider.
#1. Freddie Steward
Telegraph 4/10: “His worst nightmare of facing a scrum half in open space recurred as Gibson-Park did him dirty as badly as Grant Williams had. England need more than a safety blanket at full back.”
Replacement: George Hendy
#2. Cadan Murley
Planet Rugby 4/10: “Had a great moment early on when he scored a debut try but a bit rabbit in the headlights after that. Made a couple of errors no Test player should ever really make, quite frankly. Murley should be backed next weekend as you can see the talent and potential, but it was a big learning curve in Dublin”
Guardian 5/10: “Quickly snaffled a try on debut, but later invited pressure on teammates twice with a serious lack of composure in defence.”
Telegraph 4/10: “After what set to be a dream debut, scoring a try after eight minutes, Ireland turned his life into a nightmare, forcing into some horrible naive errors.”
Evening Standard 5/10: “Got off to a flyer on his debut by scoring inside the opening 10 minutes. Had a tough second half, though, and was shaky on kick defence. Did assist Curry's try.”
Replacement: Tom Roebuck
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