Farrell and Pollock out of Lions squad for first Australia Test

Owen Farrell and Henry Pollock have been left out of the British and Irish Lions' squad for the first Test against Australia, with the tourists fielding an all-Scottish midfield.

It is the first time the Lions have ever named an all-Scottish fly-half and centre trio, while there are no Welsh players in the 23-man squad for the first time since 1896.

That is due to the exclusion of Jac Morgan, who had been expected to make the cut after a series of impressive warm-up performances, with Farrell and Pollock the other headline omissions.

Head coach Andy Farrell attracted criticism from some quarters for calling up his son, Owen, as a replacement for the injured Elliot Daly.

The former England captain enjoyed a 30-minute cameo in a 48-0 win over an AUNZ Invitational XV last week, but was considered an outsider to make the squad for the first Test.

Pollock's displays down under had earned praise from his coach, but the 20-year-old has lost out to the more experienced Tom Curry, who also started all three Tests during the Lions' 2021 tour of South Africa.

Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones form a Scottish spine, with four Englishmen starting and eight Ireland players getting the nod.

Tadhg Beirne is one of those, winning a battle with Ollie Chessum to start at blindside flanker, while Hugo Keenan will play at full-back, after Blair Kinghorn failed to recover from a knee injury.

Our line up for Saturday's first Test! #Lions2025
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 17, 2025

Australia, meanwhile, will be without back-row Rob Valetini and lock Will Skelton in Brisbane, with both players failing to get over calf injuries.

Valetini, who was named Australia's Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024, also missed a 21-18 win over Fiji earlier this month, with Langi Gleeson starting in his place.

Gleeson is also absent due to a hamstring issue, meaning Nick Champion de Crespigny is in line for his first appearance.

Number eight Harry Wilson captains the hosts, while former skipper Skelton is expected to return for the second Test in Melbourne next week.

Your 23 to take on The Lionshttps://t.co/JtxDG8aI2m @Channel9 | @StanSportAU #Wallabies #LionsTour2025 pic.twitter.com/ys5bR026MS
— Wallabies (@wallabies) July 17, 2025

Australia XV: Tom Wright, Max Jorgensen, Joseph Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Harry Potter, Tom Lynagh, Jake Gordon; James Slipper, Matt Faessler, Allan Alaalatoa, Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (c). Replacements: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, Tom Robertson, Tom Hooper, Carlo Tizzano, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Andrew Kellaway.

British and Irish Lions: Hugo Keenan, Tommy Freeman, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, James Lowe, Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park; Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Maro Itoje (c), Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Jack Conan. Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Bundee Aki.