British and Irish Lions add Scottish trio for Australia series

The British and Irish Lions have called up Scotland trio Rory Sutherland, Ewan Ashman, and Darcy Graham to provide cover for their upcoming series against Australia. The squad now consists of 44 players, with the new additions preventing key Test players from playing in the match against a First Nations & Pasifika XV. The match will take place before the second Test against the Wallabies on July 26 in Melbourne.

Sutherland, Ashman, and Graham have been summoned from Scotland's tour of New Zealand. Graham will join the Lions in Brisbane on Monday, while Sutherland and Ashman will arrive in Melbourne on Sunday after Scotland's game against Samoa in Auckland.

Head coach Andy Farrell initially named a 38-man squad in May, with additional players like Jamie Osborne, Jamie George, and Tom Clarkson joining the team in Australia. Meanwhile, Australia's Joseph Suaalii downplayed the rivalry with Sione Tuipulotu ahead of the series opener in Brisbane on Saturday.

Suaalii, a rugby league convert, is expected to make an impact in his first Lions outing at Lang Park. Fans can follow a live blog of the Australia v British and Irish Lions match on Saturday at rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.