The 2025 British & Irish Lions tour of Australia officially commences on June 20th 2025, when the Lions take on Argentina in a pre-tour warm-up Test in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. That leaves 310 days before the iconic ‘sea of red’ is back, as we will see Lions fans inside the stadiums for the first time since the 2017 tour to New Zealand.
The 2021 trip to South Africa took place entirely behind closed doors, as the Covid-19 Pandemic forced the British & Irish Lions fans to watch on from home as the Springboks recorded a 2-1 series win. With the unsuccessful tour to South Africa now firmly in the rear-view mirror, the adrenaline is pumping with less than a year to go before the famous red jerseys return in Dublin and then head ‘down under’.
The Lions are set for a traditional three match series against the Wallabies, with fixtures against the various Super Rugby sides and a combined Australia-New Zealand team sprinkled in as well. The anticipation continues to grow with reports of a combined Pacific Island team, or perhaps a Test against Fiji on the cards, as the tourists search for an appropriate replacement match following the financial demise of the Melbourne Rebels.
Regardless of who the Lions come up against, the high octane action will be guaranteed. Head coach Andy Farrell has been given a tall order in selecting the best possible squad, as he scans the talents of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to piece together the 35th iteration of the world-famous touring side. With less than a year to go before the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, here are RUCK’s predictions for the 42-player squad.
(Not got the time to read? The predicted line-ups can be found at the end of Page 5)
Predicted 42 Player Squad for the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia
Tour Captain: Jamie George (England and Saracens)
LOOSE-HEAD PROPS
Starting XV: Andre Porter (Ireland and Leinster)
Replacement: Ellis Genge (England and Bristol Bears)
Non-Test: Pierre Schoeman (Scotland and Edinburgh)
We commence this almighty squad list with the loose-head props, as a trio of top talents will be staking their claims to be number one for the Lions. We begin our picks with the man regarded as being pound for pound the strongest professional rugby player, as Andrew Porter has previously recorded unbelievable squat rack lifts of 350kg. The Leinster man was unfortunate to miss out of the 2021 Tour to South Africa, having been previously selected by head coach Warren Gatland, only to suffer a toe injury ahead of the trip.
Our replacement loose-head option is a man that recently sat out England’s 2024 Summer tour to New Zealand, as Ellis Genge has been battling back from the sidelines with a calf injury. The Bristol Bears front row saw out the season with the West Country side, but was forced to the medical bay to ensure he comes back stronger for the 2024/25 season. Genge would be chomping at the bit for an inclusion in the 2025 Lions tour, in what would be his first involvement in the famous red jersey.
We would love to hear cries of ‘schooooeeee’ echo from the Gold Coast to Perth, with our inclusion of Scotland and Edinburgh prop Pierre Schoeman amongst the loose-heads. The South African born front rower has been hitting career-best form in recent outings under Gregor Townsend, with solid scrummaging performances in the Rugby World Cup making him the go-to Scottish loose-head throughout the 2024 Guinness Six Nations.
TIGHT-HEAD PROPS
Starting XV: Tadhg Furlong (Ireland and Leinster)
Replacement: Zander Fagerson (Scotland and Glasgow Warriors)
Non-Test: Finlay Bealham (Ireland and Connacht)
Ireland are spoiled for choice with top quality tight-heads, and we can see Andy Farrell picking two of his Irish talents when it comes to picking his touring Lions pack. Beginning with arguably the best number three in the world, Tadhg Furlong’s recent clinic of scrummaging prowess in South Africa reminded the forward-proud Springboks on what the top Northern Hemisphere packs bring to the table. At 31-years-old, this could be the last chance to see the Leinster man in the red of the Lions, as he could become a three-time tourist and complete the trilogy of destinations.
Scotland’s resident battering ram rounds up our touring props, as we expect to see Zander Fagerson get the go ahead for his second tour with the British & Irish Lions. Fagerson did not feature in the three Test matches against South Africa on the 2021 tour, but he did get on the pitch in the first fixture, and became Lion number 848, as he ran out against the Emirates Lions. This battle of the Lions was Fagerson’s sole appearence and he remains officially uncapped in the red jersey, with the Scot hoping to change his favour and return from the Australia with a fetching new cap for the mantle-piece.
Supporting Furlong for Ireland, Finaly Bealham could well take up the same impact-player role that has brought him great successes in Andy Farrell’s side. Exploding off the bench with his iconic cornrows blowing in the wind, Bealham never fails to up the tempo of Ireland’s scrum and brings a powerful first step to any of his involvements around the park. The Connacht man was overlooked as a late replacement for the 2021 tour, as Kyle Sinckler was instead called-up as injury cover four years ago.