With three warm-up games down, RUCK looks at Andy Farrell’s potential squad to face the Wallabies in Brisbane.

Following a rocky start against Argentina in Dublin, the Lions bounced back with impressive victories over the Western Force & Queensland Reds down under. Some players have played their way into contention, while others have failed to impress on tour and may miss out entirely.

Just after the squad was announced, we made an initial prediction of Farrell’s squad for the first match against Australia. With the big day approaching and an idea of who’s in form, there are updates to be made.

Here’s our predicted squad for the first Wallabies test on July 19th in Brisbane.

15. Blair Kinghorn – Stade Toulousain & Scotland

Despite joining up with the squad late due to his club commitments, helping Toulouse win the Top 14, Kinghorn should slot into the first Test lineup. The versatile Scot has been in great form throughout the 2024/25 season, and won’t be troubled for the 15 jersey by English pair Elliot Daly and Marcus Smith, or Ireland’s Hugo Keenan.

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14. Tommy Freeman – Northampton Saints & England

Following two tries in the victory over the Reds at Suncorp Stadium, Freeman strengthened his grip on the right wing for the opening Test. The 24-year-old is coming off a brilliant season for the Saints & England, and his powerful running should beat out James Lowe and Mack Hansen for that 14 shirt.

13. Huw Jones – Glasgow Warriors & Scotland

Jones is in a tough battle for the outside centre spot when it comes to the first Test in Brisbane. With Garry Ringrose and Sione Tuipulotu both so impressive, Jones needs to keep backing up his excellent credentials in games & training to nail down his starting berth. Right now, I’d give the Warriors’ usual 13 the nod before moving Tuipulotu outside or giving Ringrose the nod.

12. Bundee Aki – Connacht & Ireland

While Farrell may be tempted to keep the ultra-effective ‘Huw-ipulotu’ centre pairing together, it’s difficult to look past Bundee Aki in your back line. The Connacht man has continued to show his USP – crunching carries that force the defence into tackling errors. Barring injury, he’ll keep Tuipulotu and Ringrose out of the back line in Brisbane.

11. Duhan van der Merwe – Edinburgh & Scotland

Van der Merwe has silenced critics who jibed at the number of ‘southern hemisphere Lions’ in the 38-man squad, bringing his usual touch-hugging runs and elite finishing to the plate with a try against the Reds. Just as it was before the tour began, the South African-born Edinburgh winger has secured the left wing as his for the first matchup against Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies.

10. Finn Russell – Bath & Scotland

Russell is another Scotland international whose place in the starting XV has been secured for a while. The mercurial fly-half is one of the best in the world at his position and will beat out Fin & Marcus Smith for the 10 jersey with ease.

CONTINUES ON PAGE TWO

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