British and Irish Lions Team Announcement: Winners and Losers Revealed

Following the announcement of Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions team to face the Western Force, here are our winners and losers.

The head coach has made 13 changes to his starting XV as he follows a similar template to his predecessor, Warren Gatland, by giving as many players an opportunity as soon as possible to pull on the famous red jersey.

In doing so, he has issued five British and Irish Lions debuts in the starting XV with four more set to earn their first caps off the bench.

Farrell will be hoping that his side can get their preparations back on track after falling to a historic defeat to Argentina in Dublin last week as the Lions tackle their first Australian task, the Western Force in Perth on Saturday.

So without further ado, here are our winners and losers.

Winners

Dan Sheehan

Is there a greater honour for a British and Irish player than captaining the Lions? Surely not. Dan Sheehan not only earns his first appearance for the famous touring team but does so as the captain of the side.

He fills the leadership role in the absence of touring captain Maro Itoje, who is rested for the fixture, with the honour only adding to his incredible rise to being one of the best front-row forwards in the game.

Sheehan does have experience captaining at the highest level, albeit rather limited, having skippered Leinster in the past and led Ireland for the first time against Wales during this year’s Six Nations.

The 26-year-old has cemented himself as one of the best hookers in the world and is also clearly revered by his teammates and coaching staff too. While this is not a Test match and the Lions are expected to win comfortably on Saturday, this remains a sacred privilege for any player and suggests that Sheehan is not only a frontrunner for a starting role in the series in a few weeks but potentially seen as a key figure in the leadership group as well.

Five starting debutants

Sheehan is joined in the starting XV by Leinster teammates Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier, who will all be making their debuts for the B&I Lions.

With the Irish province producing nearly a third of the squad that arrived in Australia, it comes as no surprise that there would be a large number of players from the club in the team to face the Force after missing the clash against Argentina.

For Ringrose, it’s been a long time coming as he was surely in the running for the tour to New Zealand in 2017 and narrowly missed out on the squad four years ago in South Africa.

The same is true for flanker Van der Flier in 2017, the 32-year-old was not selected by Gatland for the tour to South Africa despite being one of the best openside flankers in Britain and Ireland at the time.

Lowe was also snubbed in 2021 but has taken his game to another level for club and country since and will look to make his mark against the Western Force, who he has a perfect record against, beating the Perth-based outfit twice during his time with the Chiefs.

Finally, McCarthy’s stocks continue to soar after becoming a central figure in the Ireland pack following the Rugby World Cup. He packs down alongside Scotsman Scott Cummings in the second-row and has the opportunity to make a claim for a starting role in the Test squad against the Wallabies. The Lions’ lineout was simply woeful against the Pumas and McCarthy offers a strong front jumper option for the tourists and has been excellent on opposition ball this season.

British and Irish Lions team: Finn Russell starts as Andy Farrell makes 13 changes with Dan Sheehan captaining the side against the Western Force

Four newbies off the bench

Continuing the theme with the newbies, the Leinster five are joined by Englishmen Ollie Chessum and Will Stuart, Scotsman Huw Jones and Irishman Andrew Porter in debuting for the B&I Lions off the bench.

Like with McCarthy, Chessum has the opportunity to help ease the Lions’ lineout woes on Saturday. It will be particularly interesting to see how the Englishmen slots into Farrell’s plans with his ability to plan in the second and back-row. Tadhg Beirne started alongside Itoje against Argentina but moves to blindside for the clash against the Force and Chessum is of a similar mould. It’s plainly obvious that the Lions needed height in their loose trio that face the Pumas and Chessum is well-placed to claim a spot in the matchday squad for the Test Series.

While Ringrose was unfortunate to miss out on the 2021 Lions, Scotland centre Jones hit a slump in form at the worst time four years ago but the opposite is true this time around. An injury setback threatened his involvement in the early stages of the tour but he is back up and running and will look to stake his claim from the bench. Considering the make-up of the team, he will enter the fray and link up with club and country teammate Sione Tuipulotu, who he has a nigh-on telepathic connection with which will only bolster his chances.

Irish prop Porter was robbed of a Lions debut four years ago due to injury but finally gets his opportunity to pull on the red jersey. He missed last week’s game due to club commitments and in his absence, Ellis Genge was simply sublime. The 29-year-old will be aiming to hit the ground sprinting when he gets his chance off the bench with the powerful Pierre Schoeman starting the match.

The Lions scrum was sensational against Argentina and the pressure will be on this week’s quartet of props to reproduce that shift with tighthead Stuart coming with Porter from the bench. The Englishman is another who has taken his game to another stratosphere at the right time to earn a deserved invitation to tour Australia.

Marcus Smith

Marcus Smith had several impressive attacking contributions against Argentina from full-back against Los Pumas in Dublin but there were concerns around his defensive capabilities in the position.

Still, he is versatility is clearly valued by the coaching team as he retains a place in the matchday squad looking to make an impact from the bench.

Smith has repeatedly stated his positional preference as a fly-half who can play full-back and he will hope that he gets the chance to do the former at some point before the Tests, perhaps even off the bench this weekend.

Sione Tuipulotu and Tadhg Beirne

The Lions’ coaching staff has retained just two starters from the team that fell to the defeat to Argentina centre Tuipulotu and forward Beirne.

Tuipulotu partnered Bundee Aki in the midfield last week but now gets a crack in his favoured inside centre position. The Scotland centre was pencilled in by many as a nailed-on Test started last year but injury struck before the Six Nations, meaning he was named in the squad with very few minutes under his belt. Perhaps that has played a role in his selection in back-to-back matches as he seeks momentum but it is still a sign of his influence particularly on the attacking structures.

Meanwhile, Beirne still gets the nod in the starting XV despite the availability of Chessum. The Irishman is another who is expected to feature in the starting line-up against the Wallabies and may well have been in the mix to lead the side this weekend.

Henry Pollock

What a year it has been for the youngest member of the British and Irish Lions squad who debuted for the tourists off the bench last week and now gets a chance in the starting XV.

Henry Pollock’s rise to the highest level of the international game has been nothing short of sensational and while just a few months ago, he was barely in the conversation for inclusion in the squad, he now looks to be pressing for a place in the Test team.

Sure, there is still plenty of time for that to change with a handful of players yet to get their opportunity but another big shift off the back of a bright cameo last week could further catapult Pollock.

Western Force faithful

While there is bound to be a sea of red in the stands in Perth, particularly after fans were denied the opportunity to see the Lions in action four years ago, the strength of Farrell’s squad will be welcomed by the home fans.

The Western Force were hammered 12 years ago in this fixture, which was also the first game on the tour, but seeing the famous touring side in action against your team is a special treat for any rugby fan.

This Lions team is bursting at the seams with quality players and those who do make it out to the ground will be hoping that the seven current Wallabies in the Force team can put a brave fight and even clinch a famous victory, however unlikely that is.

Western Force team v B&I Lions: Six current Wallabies start as Kurtley Beale suffers heart-breaking setback while two club greats bow out

Losers

Luke Cowan-Dickie

With just three hookers in the squad, there was always going to be a loser from the middle of the front-row. While Sheehan takes on the captaincy role, his fellow countryman Ronan Kelleher will provide cover from the bench which means Luke Cowan-Dickie misses out on the matchday 23.

The Englishman was part of a scrum that dismantled Argentina and while that would have impressed the coaching team, his lineout throws did not. The set-piece faltered in the opening game and while a lot of that is down to cohesion, the quality of Cowan-Dickie’s throws were not of Lions’ standard. He also fumbled the ball with the try line begging.

It was not the most compelling performance from the front-rower who featured in all of the Tests against the Springboks four years and he would have loved the opportunity to set the record straight.

James Ryan

While there are eight Leinster players in the matchday 23, there is no space for lock James Ryan whose wait for a British and Irish Lions debut continues.

Earlier this week, Farrell did not namedrop the second-rower in his injury update but the Irish lock may have picked up something since.

Ryan has struggled with injuries of late and will be hoping that they don’t haunt him again after overlooked for the Lions tour four years ago.

Andy Farrell issues mixed update on injured trio after British and Irish Lions land in Perth

Jac Morgan

The Lions’ back-row stocks are overflowing, particularly on the openside of the scrum and after a rather underwhelming performance against Argentina, he would have wanted to get another shot as soon as possible.

But it’s not to be for Jac Morgan who will watch the opening game Down Under from the stands.

Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan

The two confirmed injury concerns for the British and Irish Lions who are not yet fit to feature for the touring side and make their debuts.

Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan have been tipped for starting roles against the Wallabies but Farrell has stated that all the players have started on a clean slate. If true, the duo will need to stamp their mark emphatically when they do get their opportunity once fully fit.

Blair Kinghorn

Farrell might have one eye on the Top 14 final this weekend as the only player yet to link up with the squad, Blair Kinghorn, features for Toulouse against Bordeaux.

Like Keenan and Gibson-Park, he will need to prove himself in the famous red jersey when he does arrive in Australia but for now, the other outside backs get the chance to stake their claim for a position in the Test team in his absence.