British & Irish Lions: ESPN’s Tom Hamilton’s deep dive into Andy Farrell’s squad
For all the talk of this being a contentious British & Irish Lions squad, one which would polarise or trigger vitriol, in the end, Andy Farrell parked sentimentality and went with his gut.
This is a group focused on the here and now with no thoughts to the future or past, and one anchored on form.
In Lions terms, it is inexperienced — 26 of the 38 players selected are first-time tourists. Henry Pollock was only 16-years-old the last time the Lions toured.
But within the familiarity, and the expected names, there’s reason to be excited by the promise within this group.
– Take a look at the full 38-man squad here
The final Lions selection meeting started at 8 a.m. on Wednesday. Farrell had put an hour in the schedule, expecting it to simply be a case of finalising what was already agreed. The meeting went on until 3 p.m.
A genuine bolter
Lions tours have a famous history of bolters — those players who emerge as surprise selections in the final throes of squad selection. This year’s is undoubtedly Pollock, the 20-year-old Northampton Saints back-row. He only made his England debut in March, and played 32 minutes against Wales. But he made quite the impression there, scoring on his debut and since then, his stock has risen.
The performance he put in for Northampton last weekend in their surprise win over Leinster cemented his spot in the squad. His mission now is continue this astonishing trajectory and gatecrash the Test team. Ellis Genge calls him a “peacock”, Itoje — with a smile — calls him a “pest.” Whatever he is, he has got the potential to emerge as the cult hero of this tour. When his name was read out at the O2 Arena on Thursday, in front of around 2,000 fans, it received by far the loudest cheer.
“I’ve watched him a couple of times live and I like what I see,” Farrell said of Pollock. “As with all top players, he’s always trying to make a difference. There’s an energy and bounce about him. That’s how you tend to have big moments in the game because you’re searching for them. That’s what I like seeing in his game and with plenty of others who have made the squad as well.”
Itoje was already on stage at the time the squad was read out. He had been confirmed as the Lions’ captain for 2025, and smiled at the reception Pollock received. That was him in 2017, when he was the young gun looking to disrupt the established order. Pollock is just one of the 38 players picked but will dominate the headlines from this squad announcement.
“If you’re good enough, you’re old enough,” Farrell said. “He’s ready to compete. I think you’ll see the fight in him. I think everyone can see that anyway. I’m sure he’ll push all the others that didn’t realise he was coming. I’m sure that he’ll relish that.”
A need for ‘hybrid players’
Pollock’s selection is a neat little curveball from Farrell in a squad where there were few. Another was the inclusion of Marcus Smith. He was someone who had drifted from the pre-announcement discussions. Smith had a turbulent Six Nations as he was shifted from fly-half to fullback, then benched against Italy, only to come on after eight minutes and then start again at No.15 against Wales.
But it’s that versatility which has played into his hands. Though Smith sees himself as a fly-half, Farrell loves the fact he can cover multiple positions. Lions tours are about juggling. The packed nature of the schedule means usually Lions coaches aim to field a completely different team for the midweek game between the first and second Tests — versatility is king there, so too when it comes to picking a bench.
So when Farrell was choosing his squad, he didn’t see Marcus Smith as vying with fly-half specialists like George Ford or Sam Prendergast for a spot in the team — instead, Smith was up against players like Tom Jordan who can cover multiple positions.
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That fly-half debate was one of the areas where there were plenty of question marks over heading into the announcement. In the end Farrell went with Finn Russell, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith as his three 10s, leaving out Sam Prendergast, Owen Farrell and George Ford.
A ruthless edge
There were theories doing the rounds that Farrell would fast-track Prendergast into the squad. The tea leaves were certainly reading this as such: Johnny Sexton, Prendergast’s mentor, is on the coaching ticket while once Farrell is done with the Lions, he’ll go back to the day job as Ireland head coach.
But future-planning, sentimentality be damned, there’s a series to win. Prendergast wasn’t ready, and didn’t fit into the squad. At least, not yet.
And that also applies to his omission of Owen Farrell, Andy’s son. Owen is one of England’s greatest players, but has spent the last year in France, experiencing an injury-plagued campaign with Racing 92. He would put the fear of life into Australia given he has been their scourge in the past, but Andy Farrell saw Owen’s lack of fitness and decided it wasn’t right to name him quite yet, and there a few players in that same boat who have time to prove themselves before the plane leaves for Australia.
play2:15Andy Farrell explains omission of son Owen from Lions squad
British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell explains why he’s excluded Owen Farrell from the touring squad of Australia.
The squad size of 38 means he has some wiggle room — expect there to be a name or two added before the squad touchdown in Perth ahead of their opener on Australian soil on June 28.
Players like Jamie George, Tom Jordan, George Ford (risking becoming the greatest not to run out for the Lions), Owen Farrell, Manny Feyi-Waboso (injured, but could play again before the end of the season), Prendergast and Darcy Graham will hope to receive late calls. Owen Farrell is in the box seat here.
Heartbreak for Doris … and others
As is the way with these squad announcements, there are the late changes.
Caelan Doris is the crushingly unfortunate one who misses out having sustained a shoulder injury on the eve of selection. As one of the two prime candidates to captain the team, he could’ve been sat in Itoje’s seat but for the hammer blow he received on Saturday.
“As you can imagine he’s devastated,” Farrell said of Doris.
“He would have definitely been in the mix, such an experienced player and leader. It’s devastating for people like that.”
Of the players he’s picked, Farrell didn’t go overboard on the Irish contingent, included two Welsh players who many wouldn’t have taken, and brought a decent balance to the whole group.
He only went with one France-based player: Blair Kinghorn. That saw Jack Willis ignored, and others like David Ribbans who could’ve had their names read out. Above all, though, this is a balanced squad, one which is versatile, has the potential to play in several different ways but also has a spine which knows what it takes to win these Test matches.
It’s a squad where Pollock is the headline name, but for the reasons you want: here is a young player who has grabbed the sport by the scruff of the neck, is a confident 20-year-old who isn’t afraid to shake things up, and has boundless talent.
He’s the personification of a bolter, and exactly what Lions tours are about. The opportunity is there for him to make himself a household name.
Sense of history
Itoje wants this squad to be “selfless.”
On Wednesday evening he had dinner with several former Lions captains: Brian O’Driscoll, Martin Johnson, Sam Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones were all there, among others.
Oh to be a fly on the wall for that.
They would have offered Itoje some words of wisdom, and little bits of advice. That’s what happens with this honour. Those sorts of occasions are all part of the rich tapestry which a Lions tours offers.
There’s plenty of nostalgia but within that, are some of the team’s greatest triumphs and also gut-wrenching lows. The challenge for the class of 2025 is to be on the right side of Lions history. And that process started on Thursday in east London.
The challenge for this lot now is to prove that Farrell was right in picking them.
Source: espn.com