This summer’s British and Irish Lions tour is beginning to round into view and a major milestone on the road to Australia comes as head coach Andy Farrell names his squad.
The best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will be eagerly waiting by their phones to find out if they’ve been selected for what is the pinnacle of any player from those four nations’ career.
Farrell is yet to confirm exactly how big his squad will be, although around 37 has generally been the number on previous tours, but however many he decides to go with, he will face a huge number of dilemmas with so many quality players available across the board.
Three Tests against the Wallabies, led for now by ex-Ireland coach Joe Schmidt, appears to be a tougher challenge than it did just 12 months ago, so getting the make-up of the Lions squad correct will be key.
Here’s everything you need to know about the announcement:
When and where will the Lions squad be announced?
The Lions squad will be revealed from 1.30pm BST on Thursday 8 May. For the first time, the squad announcement is being held as a live event with around 2,000 Lions fans potentially in attendance at the indigo at the O2. Doors will open for the event at 12pm, 90 minutes before the announcement itself is set to begin, and any remaining tickets can be purchased here.
What will happen?
Lions chair Ieuan Evans, who was a three-time tourist as a player and scored the series-clinching try against the Wallabies in 1989, will read out the selections made by Farrell and his coaching staff. There will also be guest appearances and real-time reactions from players who have been selected for the tour.
How can I watch the announcement?
If you’re not there in person at the O2 to witness the announcement, you can watch live on Sky Sports – who will broadcast the Lions tour this summer – or on the official Lions YouTube channel.
Who are the captaincy contenders?
The role of Lions captain is one of the most prestigious in all of rugby and this year, it appears to be a straight shootout between two men – Maro Itoje and Caelan Doris. Anyone else would be a serious wildcard, although it has been rumoured that Farrell may consider naming a tour skipper – such as Jamie George – before figuring out his Test captain once in Australia.
That would go against Lions tradition, so the smart money is still on either England skipper Itoje or Ireland leader Doris being named, with both men almost shoo-ins to be in the Test XV if fit. Speaking of fitness, could that give Itoje the slight edge? The news this week that Doris requires an operation on a shoulder injury has the potential to throw a spanner into proceedings.
What are the key decisions?
May I take this opportunity to direct you to a piece written by our Rugby Correspondent Harry Latham-Coyle this week, laying out the key questions Farrell faces as he prepares to name his squad.
Aside from the captaincy conundrum, there are numerous decisions for Farrell with some of the most pressing including narrowing down an abundance of back-row riches to a select few names, the debate surrounding whether he should pick his own son Owen as one of his fly halves, what to do with the French-based players and what characteristics he is eyeing in his back three.
Who is part of the Lions coaching staff?
Since his appointment as Lions head coach, Farrell has been assembling a crack team to support him on tour Down Under. David Nucifora is general manager of performance, Aled Walters is the head of athletic performance and Vinny Hammond is head of analysis.
On the coaching front, Farrell has named a group of assistant coaches and, as yet, has declined to give them specific roles, suggesting that everyone will contribute across the board. So get ready to see Johnny Sexton coaching the props on how to scrummage…
Glib sniping aside, former Ireland fly half Sexton was the latest addition to the coaching team and he joins an existing Ireland trio – John Fogarty, Andrew Goodman and Simon Easterby – as well as England’s Richard Wigglesworth and John Dalziel of Scotland.
What is the Lions tour schedule?
The Lions will play a match against Argentina in Dublin before heading to Australia where they face nine further contests, including the three-Test series against the Wallabies. Here’s the full schedule:
All matches kick off at 11am BST unless stated
- Friday 20 June – Lions v Argentina, Dublin (Aviva Stadium) – 8pm BST
- Saturday 28 June – Lions v Western Force, Perth (Optus Stadium)
- Wednesday 2 July – Lions v Queensland Reds, Brisbane (Suncorp Stadium)
- Saturday 5 July – Lions v NSW Waratahs, Sydney (Allianz Stadium)
- Wednesday 9 July – Lions v ACT Brumbies, Canberra (GIO Stadium)
- Saturday 12 July – Lions v Invitational AU & NZ, Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)
- Saturday 19 July – Lions v Australia, first Test, Brisbane (Suncorp Stadium)
- Tuesday 22 July – Lions v Melbourne Rebels, Melbourne (Marvel Stadium)
- Saturday 26 July – Lions v Australia, second Test, Melbourne (Melbourne Cricket Ground/MCG)
- Saturday 2 August – Lions v Australia, third Test, Sydney (Accor Stadium)
