2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia
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These are the players announced for the AUNZ team so far:
Aidan Ross
Joshua Fusitu’a
Brandon Paenga-Amosa
Jeffery Toomaga-Allen
Shannon Frizell
Pete Samu
Hoskins Sotutu
Folau Fakatava
David Havili
Ngani Laumape
AJ Lam
Marika Koroibete
Shaun StevensonHead coach: Les Kiss
Assistant coaches: Ian Foster, Simon Cron, Zane HiltonStill need some locks and a 1st 5 to round out the starting XV. Probably a 7 too unless Samu plays there.
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@Bovidae said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
These are the players announced for the AUNZ team so far:
Aidan Ross
Joshua Fusitu’a
Brandon Paenga-Amosa
Jeffery Toomaga-Allen
Shannon Frizell
Pete Samu
Hoskins Sotutu
Folau Fakatava
David Havili
Ngani Laumape
AJ Lam
Marika Koroibete
Shaun StevensonHead coach: Les Kiss
Assistant coaches: Ian Foster, Simon Cron, Zane HiltonStill need some locks and a 1st 5 to round out the starting XV. Probably a 7 too unless Samu plays there.
Think the 10 might already be in the squad.
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Gotta love league pundits. Right at the start of the NRLW season and they're still playing Rugby-is-shit dominoes.
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I've been pondering the recent calling up of Owen Farrell and I'm going to predict that, barring injury, he will be on the bench for the first test. His versatility will be mentioned more than once.
Note: This is my prediction, not what I want to happen. He has been a great servant for both England and the Lions, but his age, injury, lack of form and lack of recent game time, particularly international should count against his inclusion.
But I doubt it.
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@Catogrande get a shoulder on while he's at it 😉
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@MiketheSnow said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
@Bones said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Yeah, Farrell is a bizarre replacement, can't really see a place in the squad for him, so maybe it's about leadership?
Bring your kid to work month
Bring your kid to 'mouth' month. .
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Saw a tweet yesterday that suggested that this Lions squad have been very happy clappy, very friendly etc and that Farrell brought some steel. I started to think about it and I couldn't think of a single player on tour who fits the Martin Johnson / Alan Wyn Jones mould. There might just be something in it.
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@NTA said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Gotta love league pundits. Right at the start of the NRLW season and they're still playing Rugby-is-shit dominoes.
I think Liam's take here is on the money.
They're the most insecure sporting fans I've ever seen.
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@Dodge said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Saw a tweet yesterday that suggested that this Lions squad have been very happy clappy, very friendly etc and that Farrell brought some steel. I started to think about it and I couldn't think of a single player on tour who fits the Martin Johnson / Alan Wyn Jones mould. There might just be something in it.
What steel is required? They've given out two absolute canings with no discernible reason this weekend against the Tahs will be any different.
Farrell brings nothing but an astonishing ability to not be held to account for his bullshit tackling technique. A technique that would've ended his career if other players were permitted to do the same to him with impunity.
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@antipodean said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
@Dodge said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Saw a tweet yesterday that suggested that this Lions squad have been very happy clappy, very friendly etc and that Farrell brought some steel. I started to think about it and I couldn't think of a single player on tour who fits the Martin Johnson / Alan Wyn Jones mould. There might just be something in it.
What steel is required? They've given out two absolute canings with no discernible reason this weekend against the Tahs will be any different.
Farrell brings nothing but an astonishing ability to not be held to account for his bullshit tackling technique. A technique that would've ended his career if other players were permitted to do the same to him with impunity.
That's probably exactly why steel is required. Don't think the Super warm-ups will be of much concern to Andy Farrell. The Tests (and probably the ANZAC game) will be much tougher and Farrell might be worried his men are going in with too low expectations of their opposition.
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@Bovidae said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
These are the players announced for the AUNZ team so far:
Aidan Ross
Joshua Fusitu’a
Brandon Paenga-Amosa
Jeffery Toomaga-Allen
Shannon Frizell
Pete Samu
Hoskins Sotutu
Folau Fakatava
David Havili
Ngani Laumape
AJ Lam
Marika Koroibete
Shaun StevensonHead coach: Les Kiss
Assistant coaches: Ian Foster, Simon Cron, Zane HiltonStill need some locks and a 1st 5 to round out the starting XV. Probably a 7 too unless Samu plays there.
Plenty of NZ locks not in the ABs ...
Off the top of my head:
Ah Kuoi (although isn't he injury cover?)
Beehre
Shalfoon (MABs)
IWL (MABs)
Dunshea
Gallagher
Delaney
McWhannelGiven Darry and Lord are injured.
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@Mr-Fish said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
@antipodean said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
@Dodge said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Saw a tweet yesterday that suggested that this Lions squad have been very happy clappy, very friendly etc and that Farrell brought some steel. I started to think about it and I couldn't think of a single player on tour who fits the Martin Johnson / Alan Wyn Jones mould. There might just be something in it.
What steel is required? They've given out two absolute canings with no discernible reason this weekend against the Tahs will be any different.
Farrell brings nothing but an astonishing ability to not be held to account for his bullshit tackling technique. A technique that would've ended his career if other players were permitted to do the same to him with impunity.
That's probably exactly why steel is required. Don't think the Super warm-ups will be of much concern to Andy Farrell. The Tests (and probably the ANZAC game) will be much tougher and Farrell might be worried his men are going in with too low expectations of their opposition.
exactly this, if everyone is too nice then where is the pressure in training, where is the Paul O'Connell forcing people to go harder? the warm up games these days are a joke and its a real shame, but its a fact of life. The tests will be a whole other level of intensity.
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@Mr-Fish said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
@antipodean said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
@Dodge said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Saw a tweet yesterday that suggested that this Lions squad have been very happy clappy, very friendly etc and that Farrell brought some steel. I started to think about it and I couldn't think of a single player on tour who fits the Martin Johnson / Alan Wyn Jones mould. There might just be something in it.
What steel is required? They've given out two absolute canings with no discernible reason this weekend against the Tahs will be any different.
Farrell brings nothing but an astonishing ability to not be held to account for his bullshit tackling technique. A technique that would've ended his career if other players were permitted to do the same to him with impunity.
That's probably exactly why steel is required. Don't think the Super warm-ups will be of much concern to Andy Farrell. The Tests (and probably the ANZAC game) will be much tougher and Farrell might be worried his men are going in with too low expectations of their opposition.
There's plenty of players who went to South Africa as Lions. Plenty of them have enough experience playing Tests. They'll be professional enough to know that they're beating up on SR squad players in a country with limited depth.
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@Dodge said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
@Mr-Fish said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
@antipodean said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
@Dodge said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Saw a tweet yesterday that suggested that this Lions squad have been very happy clappy, very friendly etc and that Farrell brought some steel. I started to think about it and I couldn't think of a single player on tour who fits the Martin Johnson / Alan Wyn Jones mould. There might just be something in it.
What steel is required? They've given out two absolute canings with no discernible reason this weekend against the Tahs will be any different.
Farrell brings nothing but an astonishing ability to not be held to account for his bullshit tackling technique. A technique that would've ended his career if other players were permitted to do the same to him with impunity.
That's probably exactly why steel is required. Don't think the Super warm-ups will be of much concern to Andy Farrell. The Tests (and probably the ANZAC game) will be much tougher and Farrell might be worried his men are going in with too low expectations of their opposition.
exactly this, if everyone is too nice then where is the pressure in training, where is the Paul O'Connell forcing people to go harder? the warm up games these days are a joke and its a real shame, but its a fact of life. The tests will be a whole other level of intensity.
TBH I think the competition in training will be harder - players know everyone's looking good beating up SR teams devoid of their stars. Everyone of them will be wanting to stake a claim to make the Test side.
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@Bovidae said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Surely they will want a few more Aussies in the AUNZ team.
If they had enough, there wouldn't be an AUNZ team.
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