British and Irish Lions squad LIVE: Owen Farrell misses out and captaincy selection revealed
Maro Itoje has been named captain as Andy Farrell unveiled his squad for the tour of Australia
The British and Irish Lions squad has been named but Owen Farrell has been left out of the group that will travel to Australia, with former England teammate Maro Itoje selected as captain.
Farrell misses out on selection for a fourth tour after being excluded from a 38-player group by Lions head coach Andy Farrell, his father. After a season plagued by injuries, Farrell missed out on inclusion as one of three fly halves, with Scotland’s Finn Russell and fellow Englishmen Fin and Marcus Smith preferred.
Itoje was named captain after an injury to Ireland’s Caelan Doris, while English young gun Henry Pollock is included. The one-cap flanker only made his England debut in March, scoring two tries against Wales in Cardiff, but even at 20 years old he has emerged as a blockbuster talent.
Follow all of the latest as the Lions squad is revealed with our live blog below:
British and Irish Lions squad announcement
Ten minute warning! John Fogarty and Aled Walters, the two real characters in the coaching staff, were given the task of warming up the crowd, who really do appear to be well lubricated. The Irish scrum coach and Welsh strength and conditioning guru each get them going with some entertaining, but ultimately inconsequential, patter, before they and the hosts depart the stage with full live coverage set to begin imminently. Lions chief executive Ben Calveley has also said a few words.
Elliot Daly to be selected?
Reports are suggesting that Elliot Daly will be included in Andy Farrell’s squad, which will be announced in about 25 minutes’ time.
The versatile England back went on tour in 2017 and 2021, playing five Tests, so has huge experience.
He impressed in limited minutes for England during the Six Nations but this would still count as a surprise if it’s true
British and Irish Lions squad announcement
Good afternoon from inside the Indigo venue at the O2, where the live show is just starting - and it’s an inauspicious opening, with host Ugo Monye’s microphone not working. A drunken rendition of Jerusalem from a few in the crowd reflect an audience that have been braving the sky-high drink prices here - though have shelled out a pretty penny for a ticket to these proceedings, they clearly want to enjoy it.
The Wallabies on the rise...
12 months ago, there were fears of a thoroughly uncompetitive Lions series, with the Wallabies down in the doldrums after the disastrous second tenure of Eddie Jones. But veteran coach Joe Schmidt - who has agreed to stay on until the middle of next year before handing over to Les Kiss - has got Australia playing a tune again, with an encouraging November tour providing reasons for optimism ahead of a huge year.
With a World Cup in the country also firmly on the horizon, let us hope that the Wallabies can provide a real challenge to the touring party come July.
What happened last time?
The 2021 British and Irish Lions tour is not one that will be remembered fondly, occurring as it did under severe Covid restrictions with fans unable to attend and the players going stir-crazy cooped up in South African hotels. An unedifying squabble triggered by the leaking of a video made by Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus also overshadowed the series, with his criticism of referee Nic Berry resulting in a significant ban. South Africa eventually prevailed 2-1 after three attritional Tests.
British and Irish Lions - list of recent captains
If Maro Itoje is confirmed as Lions captain this afternoon, he will be the first Englishman to lead the squad since Martin Johnson in 2001. Here’s a list of recent skippers of the Test team:
2021 & 2013 Alun Wyn Jones (Lion #761, Wales) v South Africa & Australia
2017/2013 Sam Warburton (Lion #800, Wales) v New Zealand & Australia
2017 Peter O’Mahony (Lion #832, Ireland) v New Zealand
2009 Paul O’Connell (Lion #738, Ireland) v South Africa
2005 Gareth Thomas (Lion #747, Wales) v New Zealand
2005 Brian O’Driscoll (Lion #697, Ireland) v New Zealand
2005 Michael Owen (Lion #726, Wales) v Argentina
How Richard Wigglesworth earned surprise British and Irish Lions coaching call
Given it is barely two years since he concluded his own coaching career - and plenty of England fans were calling for his head early in the Six Nations - the rapid rise of Richard Wigglesworth also merits mention. The England attack coach and former scrum half and Andy Farrell go way back - but his coaching qualities are clear.
How Richard Wigglesworth earned surprise British and Irish Lions coaching call
Collaborative British and Irish Lions coaching team offers intriguing selection hints
Of course, it’s not just Andy Farrell who will have been making the big decisions yesterday. The British and Irish Lions boss unveiled a collaborative coaching team a couple of months ago that nonetheless offered some intriguing selection clues...
Collaborative Lions coaching team offers intriguing selection hints
Five key questions for Andy Farrell ahead of British and Irish Lions squad announcement
The back-row shake-up is one of five key questions we have for the British and Irish Lions boss ahead of today’s proceedings - find out the rest below:
Five key questions for Farrell ahead of British and Irish Lions squad announcement
Who is Henry Pollock? How England’s young sensation bolted into Lions contention
Caelan Doris’s injury places further focus on the back-row options at the disposal of Andy Farrell - and there are plenty of them! One player who has come from the outside right into the forefront of the conversation is Henry Pollock, a young gun who continues to thrive on some of rugby’s biggest stages...
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