Wallabies team to play British & Irish Lions at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday July 19 at 7:45pm AEST

1. James Slipper (144 Tests) – #843; Bond Pirates
2. Matt Faessler (14 Tests) - #969; USQ Saints
3. Allan Ala'alatoa (81 Tests) – #896; West Harbour Juniors
4. Nick Frost (26 Tests) – #953; Hornsby Lions
5. Jeremy Williams (11 Tests) – #973; Wahroonga Tigers
6. Nick Champion de Crespigny* - Canberra Grammar School
7. Fraser McReight (26 Tests) – #937; Albany Creek Brumbies
8. Harry Wilson (c) (23 Tests) – #933; Gunnedah Red Devils
9. Jake Gordon (29 Tests) - #925; Canterbury Juniors
10. Tom Lynagh (3 Tests) - #977; University of Queensland
11. Harry Potter (3 Tests) - #989; Moorabbin Rams
12. Len Ikitau (40 Tests) – #944; Tuggeranong Vikings
13. Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i (5 Tests) – #988; The Kings School
14. Max Jorgensen (8 Tests) – #984; Balmain Wolves
15. Tom Wright (38 Tests) – #939; Clovelly Eagles

Substitutes
16. Billy Pollard (7 Tests) – #958; Lindfield Junior Rugby Club
17. Angus Bell (37 Tests) – #940; Hunters Hill Rugby Club
18. Tom Robertson (31 Tests) – #898; Dubbo Junior Rugby Club
19. Tom Hooper (11 Tests) – #964; Bathurst Bulldogs
20. Carlo Tizzano (6 Tests) – #982; University of Western Australia
21. Tate McDermott (42 Tests) – #936; Flinders Rugby Club
22. Ben Donaldson (17 Tests) – #962; Clovelly Eagles
23. Andrew Kellaway (39 Tests) - #943; Hunters Hill Rugby Club

*denotes Test debut

No Tupou, Skelton or Valetini - assuming the latter 2 are still injured.

Lynagh gets the 10 shirt with Gordon at 9.

Potter ahead of Kellaway probably a bit of a surprise for me.

Tom Hooper as the lock reserve while being a halfling - part lock, part flanker - is a bit of a risk but maybe they're looking to put pace on the game in the last quarter with Tizzano there

Oh and no Porecki so assume his head knock issues are worse than first thought

Yeah look it doesn't fill me with confidence. Very light on ball carriers.

@NTA said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

Oh and no Porecki so assume his head knock issues are worse than first thought

You'd think so. He's clearly first choice hooker if available.

Missing Skelton will hurt, but not as much as Valetini who wouldn't be astray in a World XV - massive loss.

Tupou is still too unfit and lazy on the field. His absence isn't a loss.

Huge opportunity for Nick Champion de Crespigny - not much better ways to make a debut!

I'm not surprised about Potter - he's had a stellar season.

The thing going for the Wallabies is speed in abundance. Wright in career best form if he doesn't hungus and the platform laid for Sua'ali'i to show why he's worth the premium.

The Lions by 20.

@antipodean said in Wallabies v Lions I:

@NTA said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

Oh and no Porecki so assume his head knock issues are worse than first thought

You'd think so. He's clearly first choice hooker if available.

Missing Skelton will hurt, but not as much as Valetini who wouldn't be astray in a World XV - massive loss.

Tupou is still too unfit and lazy on the field. His absence isn't a loss.

Huge opportunity for Nick Champion de Crespigny - not much better ways to make a debut!

I'm not surprised about Potter - he's had a stellar season.

The thing going for the Wallabies is speed in abundance. Wright in career best form if he doesn't hungus and the platform laid for Sua'ali'i to show why he's worth the premium.

That could well be the point of difference. The BILs have picked probably their slowest options at 6, 7 & 8 and have no real cover if a winger goes down. We are second row heavy and back row light.

I am concerned.

1. Genge - England
2. Sheehan - Ireland
3. Furlong - Ireland
4. Itoje - England (c)
5. McCartney - Ireland
6. Beirne - Ireland
7. Curry - England
8. Conan - Ireland
9. Gibson-Park - Ireland
10. Russell - Scotland
11. Lowe - Ireland
12. Tuipulotu - Scotland
13. Jones - Scotland
14. Freeman - England
15. Kennan - Ireland

16. Kelleher - Ireland
17. Porter - Ireland
18. Stuart - England
19. Chessum - England
20. Earl - England
21. Mitchell - England
22. M. Smith - England
23. Aki - Ireland

@cgrant said in Wallabies v Lions I:

The Lions by 20.

Lions by 50.

Still think the JGP/Russell combo is cack handed. Be better off bringing JGP on for the last 30 to pick apart a tiring defence, especially with Smith being the flyhalf replacement.

Genuinely underwhelmed by that side, think back row is a big mistake. Going to be slow to breakdowns,

Why would you start Harry Potter (normally a right winger) on the left wing and Jorgenson (normally a left winger) on the right? Pollard, Bell and McDermott should be starting all day long and the obvious loss of Valetini is massive.

Lions by plenty.

Schmidt is a wiley operator, I wouldn't be surprised if some posts might need to be climbed down a bit after the game.

Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i is probably the only Aussie noticeably better than his opposite. Superstar in the making.

Gutted for DVDM and Kinghorn.

@MiketheSnow hope you can support them despite no Welshmen in there.

Lions by about 30 I reckon.

@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:

McDermott should be starting all day long

Yeah no. His kicking game ain't good enough. Best suited to the bench

Names on the back of the Wallaby jerseys

@KiwiMurph said in Wallabies v Lions I:

@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:

McDermott should be starting all day long

Yeah no. His kicking game ain't good enough. Best suited to the bench

Disagree, he's been the best halfback in Aus by some distance this year IMO, I thought his kicking improved quite a lot this year compared to previous seasons. Him starting alongside Lynagh who is a rookie in such a big test would have been the better way to go. Gordon is very hit and miss.

Overall, I think the Wallabies look very disjointed. Pollard and Bell should be starting, and I'd argue Skelton's size in the pack would have helped them muscle up. I just can't see them winning but hopefully I'm proven wrong.

@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:

@KiwiMurph said in Wallabies v Lions I:

@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:

McDermott should be starting all day long

Yeah no. His kicking game ain't good enough. Best suited to the bench

Disagree, he's been the best halfback in Aus by some distance this year IMO, I thought his kicking improved quite a lot this year compared to previous seasons. Him starting alongside Lynagh who is a rookie in such a big test would have been the better way to go. Gordon is very hit and miss.

Overall, I think the Wallabies look very disjointed. Pollard and Bell should be starting, and I'd argue Skelton's size in the pack would have helped them muscle up. I just can't see them winning but hopefully I'm proven wrong.

They probably want Gordon to control the game with his boot like Roigard did in the first half last week.

Friends who went said it was a great evening with a tremendous atmosphere

Farrell totally vindicated with his selections of Beirne and Curry in the back row

Beirne got MOTM but I would have given it to Curry

Excellent, dominant first half from the Lions and should have kicked on to give the Wallabies a real pasting in the second half

But personnel changes gave the Aussies a sniff and they were like 50 year olds at the Oasis reunion gigs, didn’t need a second invitation to have a go

There is no way on God’s Green Earth that Earl had arms in that tackle

Should have been Penalty (possibly Penalty Try) and YC

12-24 with Earl in the bin from the 60th - 70th minutes is a very different game

Lowe, Keenan, and Freeman the only realistic changes for the second test

With possibly Morgan or Pollock on the bench instead of Earl

If Schmidt has his thinking cap on this week and the Italian ref wants to penalise the Lions offsides and repeated killing of the ball in their own 22 it could be a very interesting second match