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As Australian rugby waits for a coach to commit, the swelling on a star’s knee to subside, and Super Rugby Pacific to begin in earnest, the British and Irish Lions hopefuls are running full tilt into each other under the keen eye of Andy Farrell, who is fully into his planning already.
Teams like the Lions are not chosen purely on current form, because the tours are another level up in pressure even from Six Nations, but if Farrell had to field a 23-man side drawn from Round One’s standout performers, who would they be? No switching (unless the player actually did play a different number than the one on his back), no “best available athlete,” no eye to combinations, and no history of big match temperament relevant: here we go.
Rather than select in purely positional number order, we will select in order of brilliance from Round One. The closest calls will come last.
Hooker: Dan Sheehan crowned a triumphant return from a serious knee injury at his home pitch, cropping up everywhere, his arrival coinciding with the 32-minute 22-0 point explosion which won the match over breakdown-battling England. Sheehan replaced a brilliant Ronan Kelleher, whose nine carries were crucial in digging Ireland out of an early hole. Together, they completed 23 of 23 lineout throws. But we reverse their starting order here, because Sheehan put the game to bed, proving his leg is right by making a 60 metre sprint to start and finish a try which a wing would brag about, especially either of the ‘southern’ Irish wings at present. Kelleher is No.16, with England still rotating ex-captain Jamie George, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Theo Dan (the ‘other Dan’).
Scrumhalf: In any other era, Jamison Gibson-Park would be lionised. At present he operates under the radar at club and country, but is a key example of ‘ball beats man.’ With the game in Dublin still very much in the balance, Gibson-Park used slow ruck ball off a routine lineout ruck in midfield to hesitate, fix the high English rush line, and bullet the ball to Lowe hidden behind the man (Tadgh Beirne) who took the ball after the wing broke through. In that one play, which put the Irish 20 points clear, all of his guile and precision was evident. His box kicks are spot on with hang time galore (he averaged 4.3 seconds and 30 metres on box kicks), and his support lines make him appear two steps faster than he is. His 79 passes averaged a superb 35.7 km/h (among the best). Ben White was superb for Scotland and backs him up, because Alex Mitchell missed six tackles despite being hidden on the wing.
No.8: By the end of the Six Nations, Jack Dempsey or Ben Earl may have something to say about this, but for now the best No.8 of 2024 is still the best. Caelan Doris is having quite a decade. Ireland faced a proper onslaught by three opensiders for an hour or so and then three blindsides; the steady captain stood his ground, making 14 hard tackles (albeit he fell off a few too), and spearheaded a more direct and middle attack which opened up the trams. His ruck work always hovers perfectly in the grey area, and the timing of his defensive barge is uncanny. He can see the game: a ‘bear with a map.’
Tighthead prop: With scrums per se still on the decline in number (and thus importance) due to the greater use of free kicks and the ability to feed a lineout skew at times, more is asked for, even from number threes. Only Greg Alldritt and Blair Kinghorn carried more than big Scottish bruiser Zander Fagerson (16 times, all into and through contact, for a remarkable 70 metres) was all over the show, even if he will need to work on his bind ahead of his dance with Andrew Porter this week. Backing him up is England’s Will Stuart. You do not lead in Dublin as a visitor around 50 minutes in without somebody doing a job up front, and the lengths Steve Borthwick went to keep the 46-cap Bath prop on is illustrative.
Loosehead prop: Andrew Porter’s angles in the scrum are as deceptive as his angles on attack and that is a compliment. He acts as a pivot within the Irish system, even deep into phases, consistently making passes out the back on target and taking it himself into contact nine meaningful times. He also jarred the English carriers 14 times. He is riled up. He was pencilled in as the Lions’ No.1 before the season; it is becoming ink. Backing him up would the whisky-barreled windup merchant, Pierre Schoeman, who covered over 60 metres in 14 carries, and was a menace in all regards.
Locks: James Ryan has been a good lock for a very long time but sometimes he has been seen as less physically imposing than peers in South Africa, New Zealand and France. His time with Jacques Nienaber at Leinster has uncovered more of his inner beast. His cleanouts used to be too high; now he steams in at referee-approved subterranean levels (nine of them in Dublin this round). He is safe as a South Dublin pension at lineout and has cut out many of his inaccuracies. Maro Itoje is almost certainly a Lion; adding England captain to his CV as well. He spoke well to the referee even if he was not able to obtain a look at the shoulder charge to Tom Curry’s head, and arrived at 46 rucks (the most of any player from any team) and tackled 15 Irish carriers (his two penalties must fit into that scale, with his ‘push’ surely one of the excellent Ben O’Keeffe’s softest whistles of the game). Backing this duo up is not Tadgh Beirne because he played more of a blindside role on Saturday except at the handful of scrums, but rather the honest toiler Jonny Gray who is the perfect work ethicist lock for a Lions tour and also has deft hands (four offloads this round, the most of any).
England’s Maro Itoje runs the ball. (Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
Blindside flank: Beirne is a clever and deceiving athlete with some of the surest hands in the business. His quality defies or surpasses stats because he calls a lineout for others (and his lineout was perfect, going to Ryan Baird many times, overall to the front 19 of 23 times), causes turnovers for mates, hurries or harasses an opponent without a definable stat, and has a wonderful nose for the gap. He played looser than a lock and will (not would) give the Wallabies all kinds of trouble in an area they are good in: the breakdown.
Flyhalf: Finn Russell posts on social media during his Test warmups. He makes faces. He ambles. Sometimes he throws a pass to an Italian. But he still stands alone as a colossus amongst Home Nations tens now that Owen Farrell, Dan Biggar and Johnny Sexton have gone. Marcus Smith is the obvious understudy because he is wonderful in flashes and also has a huge boot, but Russell stamps his authority on a whole match, can set a teammate free (Huw Jones had a hat-trick and might have had five if he kept running the right lines), is precise on the tee and to the line, can boom a 45 metre kick right to where an opponent does not want it, and tends to win the kicking duel.
Finn Russell. (Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Fullback: Blair Kinghorn enjoys the pack supremacy he has at Toulouse, and scampered 160 metres against a generous Italy with two clever offloads. Freddie Steward is good as long he can run north-south, but Hugo Keenan looked like a Lions fullback with 50-metre punts leading to an average territorial gain of 44 metres, in a match where stats were equal or favoured England except for territory and points. Keenan is a clever player who looks like he always has time and energy in reserve. Kinghorn is the backup who can play five positions.
Inside centre: Sione Tuipolotu’s return to Melbourne as a Lions captain was prophesied until a cruel injury sidelined him, but in stepped Bundee Aki, who slipped a bit in 2024 from his 2023 heights but when fit (he is) is still one of the worst men to tackle in any sport. His 80-odd metres were full of leg-churning contact dominance. If Tuipolotu does get back, this would be one of the tougher calls.
Left wing: Tackling Duhan van der Merwe at pace is a bit like stepping between a politician and a TV camera. His 112 metres were full of fire and his two line breaks from very little space built early Scottish points on his broad back. But James Lowe did everything the Afrikaner Android did, but a bit better and more. He is the irritant who would most irk Australians, player and fan alike, and brings a monster boot.
Duhan van der Merwe of Scotland celebrates scoring his team’s third try with teammate Blair Kinghorn during the Guinness Six Nations 2024 match between Scotland and England at BT Murrayfield Stadium on February 24, 2024 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Right wing: Darcy Graham is a sorcerer. His hundred metres has more twists and turns in it than a road on the Isle of Skye during a cattle drive. He is the Caledonian Kolbe; the McLekkerback. He ran 123 metres with the ball, broke the line twice, and ended Italian dreams.
Outside centre: Here is a logjam. Nobody seems to be able to find Huw Jones in flight and he has added defence. But Garry Ringrose is tackling like Pieter-Steph du Toit this season. He made a dozen Englishmen sore this round. Robbie Henshaw is also a candidate here, because he combines so well with anyone, but Jones has been too good to ignore.
Openside flank: So here is the worst choice of all. Rory Darge, Jac Morgan, Josh van der Flier and Tom Curry all state a case. Darge has not put a foot wrong. 13-tackle Curry stole three balls and stymied about ten at the 12 defensive rucks he joined (only trailing Greg Alldritt and Caelan Doris). Morgan stopped 21 French carries; van der Flier 18 Englishmen. In truth, any of these young men could be on the plane and most will be. We will reward the Welsh captain for standing in the breach as all around him fell.
Lions Team of Round 1
Andrew Porter (Ireland), Dan Sheehan (Ireland), Zander Fagerson (Scotland), James Ryan (Ireland), Maro Itoje (England), Tadgh Beirne (Ireland), Jac Morgan (Wales), Caelan Doris (Ireland), Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), Finn Russell (Scotland), James Lowe (Ireland), Bundee Aki (Ireland), Huw Jones (Scotland), Darcy Graham (Scotland), Hugo Keenan (Ireland).
Bench: Ronan Kelleher (Ireland), Pierre Schoeman (Scotland), Will Stuart (England), Jonny Gray (Scotland), Tom Curry (England), Ben White (Scotland), Marcus Smith (England), Blair Kinghorn (Scotland).
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