Henry Pollock, the Lions’ Surprise for the Tour in Australia
Henry Pollock’s meteoric rise continues, after being included in the British & Irish Lions squad for the 2025 tour of Australia. Marcus Smith was also called up, but Owen Farrell, Sam Prendergast, Darcy Graham, Tom Jordan, Jamie George, Caelan Doris and George Ford were not selected.
Coach Andy Farrell announced the 38-player squad on Thursday at the O2 Arena in London, where Maro Itoje was named Lions captain for 2025. Pollock, 20, was the big surprise of the call-up, considering he only debuted for the England national team in March. However, there were other notable players included.
Fin Smith, Finn Russell and Marcus Smith are the three fly-halves chosen, and Daly was also called up for what will be his third test. Blair Kinghorn is the only player playing in France selected, which means Jack Willis was not included. Farrell chose 21 forwards and 17 backs.
Among the notable absences is Doris, who was considered a candidate for the captaincy, but suffered a shoulder injury in Leinster’s defeat to Northampton in the Champions Cup on Saturday. He was expected to undergo surgery this week, and it appears the injury has ruled him out of the tour.
Players like Prendergast, Owen Farrell, Graham, Jordan, George and Ford were on the list, but were ultimately not called up. Andy Farrell selected eight players from Scotland, two from Wales, 13 from England and 15 from Ireland.
On the first line, Farrell opted for the Irish pair Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher as hookers, along with Luke Cowan-Dickie from England. The selected props are Ellis Genge and Will Stuart from England, Tadhg Furlong and Andrew Porter from Ireland, and Zander Fagerson and Pierre Schoeman from Scotland.
Tadhg Beirne, Joe McCarthy and James Ryan of Ireland were selected in the second row, along with Itoje and Ollie Chessum of England, and Scott Cummings of Scotland. In the third row, Pollock, Tom Curry and Ben Earl of England were called, as well as Jack Conan and Josh van der Flier of Ireland, and Jac Morgan of Wales.
In the backs, Farrell opted for three scrum-halves: Alex Mitchell of England, Tomos Williams of Wales, and Jamison Gibson-Park of Ireland.
The three fly-halves are Russell of Scotland, and the English Fin Smith and Marcus Smith.
In the centers, Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose of Ireland were selected, along with Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu of Scotland. The back line will be formed by Elliot Daly and Tommy Freeman of England, James Lowe, Hugo Keenan and Mack Hansen of Ireland, and Duhan van der Merwe and Blair Kinghorn of Scotland.
British & Irish Lions Complete Squad:
- Forwards: Tadhg Beirne, Ollie Chessum, Jack Conan, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Scott Cummings, Tom Curry, Ben Earl, Zander Fagerson, Tadhg Furlong, Ellis Genge, Maro Itoje, Ronan Kelleher, Joe McCarthy, Jac Morgan, Henry Pollock, Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Pierre Schoeman, Dan Sheehan, Will Stuart, Josh van der Flier.
- Backs: Bundee Aki, Elliot Daly, Tommy Freeman, Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen, Huw Jones, Hugo Keenan, Blair Kinghorn, James Lowe, Alex Mitchell, Garry Ringrose, Finn Russell, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Tomos Williams.
