The 12 least-used British & Irish Lions of the 2025 tour to Australia

Even in a successful British & Irish Lions series, not everyone sees the same share of the pitch. Injuries, late call-ups and selection realities meant several squad members played only bit-part roles in Australia.

From those who got a decent look in to those who didn’t make it onto the field at all, here’s the 12 least-used players:

Owen Farrell – Late call-up – 172 minutes
Joined mid-tour from Saracens and went straight into Farrell’s plans. Started against the First Nations & Pasifika XV and came off the bench against the Invitational Australia & New Zealand XV, as well as in the final two Tests against the Wallabies. A controversial choice but proved his worth.

Ben White – Late call-up – 169 minutes
Brought in after Tomos Williams’ injury, the Scotland and Toulon scrum-half played three matches, starting twice and scoring in the 48-0 win over the Invitational Australia & New Zealand XV.

Elliot Daly – Injured on tour – 167 minutes
Featured off the bench against Argentina before starting against the Western Force and Queensland Reds. A fractured forearm ended his involvement early, which was a shame as the Swiss Army knife of the backline had looked in excellent form.

Luke Cowan-Dickie – Injured on tour – 165 minutes
Started three games at hooker, including the Argentina clash before the series. His campaign was ended by concussion against the Invitational Australia & New Zealand XV.

Jamie Osborne – Late call-up – 80 minutes
There were plenty of naysayers who suggested an Irish bias, but the Leinster back provided much-needed cover across the backline and started the mid-week match against the First Nations & Pasifika XV.

Tomos Williams – Injured on tour – 79 minutes
Made a flying start with two tries against Western Force and also featured off the bench versus Argentina. A hamstring injury brought his tour to a premature end and reduced the Lions to just one Welshman in the form of Jac Morgan.

Jamie George – Late call-up – 74 minutes
Arrived from Argentina duty to bolster the hooking stocks. Featured in two matches but didn’t dislodge the starting pair.

Tom Clarkson – Late call-up – 29 minutes
Added as front-row cover and used briefly in a mid-week outing. Never close to Test contention.

Gregor Brown – Late call-up – 26 minutes
The Scotland forward made his Lions debut off the bench. Otherwise remained unused after joining from the national squad.

Darcy Graham – Late call-up – 17 minutes
Given a chance against the First Nations & Pasifika XV but lasted only 17 minutes before injury. Another frustrating chapter in a run of bad luck.

Ewan Ashman – Late call-up – 6 minutes
Came on late in a tour match. With the hooker depth already strong, he had little scope to make an impact other than give the Farrell the chance to rest potential first team options.

Rory Sutherland – Late call-up – 7
Got a taste of action against the First Nations & Pasifika XV.