British & Irish Lions watch Week 3: Is Sam Prendergast pushing Finn Russell at No. 10?

The third week of the 2025 Six Nations saw Wales put out a much better performance despite losing to Ireland, while England earned their first win over Scotland in four years.

So which players went a step towards cementing their place in the British & Irish Lions squad, and who still has some work to do?

Each week, ESPN writers Tom Hamilton and James Regan weigh in on who should be in the XV.

1. Andrew Porter, Ireland (prop)

Hamilton: Porter holds on to this spot, despite being given a tough time by WillGriff John. Keep an eye, though, Ellis Genge and Nicky Smith will be pushing him close.

Regan: Genge is having a really good tournament, but Porter will start. A Porter-Genge combination will be frightening for Australia, though.

2. Dan Sheehan, Ireland (hooker)

Regan: Still immense. He’ll be aware of the other options Farrell may has, such as Jamie George and Ronan Kelleher.

Hamilton: Same as before. Even though Sheehan was used in a starting role instead of an impact option at the weekend, he is the dominant hooker available.

3. Finlay Bealham, Ireland (prop)

Hamilton: Purely off the back of a truly remarkable showing on Saturday, I’d slot Will Stuart in here. The England tight-head put in his finest showing at Test level.

Regan: Stuart has been good, but this Irish front-row has so many runs on the board I can’t see Farrell shifting much here.

4. Maro Itoje, England (lock)

Regan: Impossible to see him losing this spot.

Hamilton: Won a key penalty and disrupted a pivotal lineout. Itoje keeps his spot.

5. Tadgh Beirne, Ireland (lock)

Hamilton: I’d keep Beirne here. Joe McCarthy did well on his return against Wales but Beirne and Itoje will bring plenty of threat for the Lions.

Regan: I’m still leaning towards a McCarthy, but it is hard to leave Beirne out. With Tom Curry playing so well maybe Beirne does revert to lock and they bring McCarthy off the bench?

6. Tom Curry, England (flanker)

Regan: Curry has been so impressive for England he definitely deserves his spot here.

Hamilton: Curry stays here for me. He’s in superb form and is one of the finest flankers in world rugby.

7. Josh van der Flier, Ireland (Flanker)

Hamilton: I vouched for a change here from Rory Darge last week, and I stand by that. Josh van der Flier is the outstanding openside at present, but Jac Morgan is also pushing him close.

Regan: No arguments form me, Van der Flier has been immense.

8. Caelan Doris, Ireland (No. 8)

Hamilton: He’ll be Lions captain, so Doris obviously starts. He missed the Wales match through injury, but remains the heartbeat of the Irish side.

Regan: Farrell may look around and be concerned about the depth here. Maybe that is because Doris is so dominant, but if he were to get injured, there isn’t someone who comes close to bringing what the Ireland captain does.

9. Jamison Gibson-Park, Ireland (scrum-half)

Regan: The gap between him and the chasing pack is growing by the week. He is so good.

Hamilton: Alongside Antoine Dupont, Gibson-Park is the outstanding scrum-half in the Six Nations. He was again a game-changer for Ireland at the weekend and surely has this jersey nailed down.

10. Finn Russell, Scotland (fly-half)

Hamilton: I think Russell is the best fly-half in the northern hemisphere, but on form alone, Sam Prendergast has become the front-runner to be Lions No. 10 in the summer.

Regan: He isn’t having his best Six Nations, but I still can’t see anyone taking the No. 10 jersey off Russell. Prendergast has been good, but still too inexperienced at the minute for mine.

11. James Lowe, Ireland (winger)

Regan: Aside from maybe Gibson-Park, no player has risen to the occasion more than Lowe this year. There were question marks around him prior to the Six Nations and he has emphatically answered them all.

Hamilton: No change here. It’s Lowe’s shirt to lose.

12. Bundee Aki, Ireland (centre)

Hamilton: Aki remains the dominant (fully fit) inside centre at present, although Tuipolutu will challenge that when he returns to action.

Regan: Aki has been very good. I think it will come down to which combination Farrell opts for more than anything. Who can work with who? I can start to see an all-Irish midfield taking shape.

13. Huw Jones, Scotland (centre)

Regan: Jones has still looked good in a struggling Scotland team. He will be hoping more than anyone that Tuipulotu has a good end to the season and they get to revive their partnership this summer. That said, I think Ollie Lawrence may have surpassed him after the weekend. This is a position with so many options.

Hamilton: Jones keeps this shirt for the time being. The Irish duo will push him, as will Lawrence, but Jones is just about ahead of the rest.

14. Darcy Graham, Scotland (winger)

Hamilton: This is going to be fascinating. With Immanuel Feyi-Waboso out until the final matches of the season, and Graham missing the weekend’s action, there are plenty of options here. For me, Tommy Freeman is the main man at the moment.

Regan: Graham still has credit in the bank, but Freeman has been a great beneficiary of Fin Smith’s England promotion. They have a great connection that’s making him look good.

15. Blair Kinghorn, Scotland (fullback)

Hamilton: Even though he was rested at the weekend, Hugo Keenan will have his eyes on this. Kinghorn did well against England so let’s keep him here for the time being, but if Keenan impresses against France, then it is his shirt.

Regan: If he keeps going there, I would love to see Marcus Smith appear at fullback on the tour. He offers something different and you want to fit your best, most exciting players in any way you can.

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Source: espn.com