LONG READ What the data tells us about the make-up of the 2025 British and Irish Lions squad

The Lions’ touring party announcement matched the four year build-up to the tour perfectly. Granted, it was not a blink-and-you’ll-miss affair, just plenty of pre-amble to ratchet up the tension, followed by a flurry of action which flew by. As for the squad, well there was a distinct lack of jaw-dropping drama. Scott Cummings and Mack Hansen were probably the surprise tourers with Darcy Graham arguably the man most irked to be left at home. We had our bolter moment stolen away by Henry Pollock’s consistent excellence which meant he went from a true bolter to a sure-fire pick after his Champions Cup heroics. But peer beneath the obvious picks and this tour throws up boatloads of statistically anomalies. Anomalies that I’ve paired up with Jake Gillies of the Bristol Bears to dissect.

Life Experience

This is the first tour since 2009 to not feature a 100-cap player. Maro Itoje, should he start the first test, will reach that milestone then but this shows how the rugby tides are turning. Back in 2013 Brian O’Driscoll filled that role with Rory Best and Alun Wyn Jones doing the same four years later with Jones finishing off the streak in South Africa. We no longer have those talismanic players but we do have a wider base of experience. Despite the lack of centurions this is a more experienced squad than any all the way back to 2001 with an average of over 50 international caps per player.

It’s also one of the oldest squads we’ve seen this millennium with an average age pushing 30, 2009 is the only tour in the same ballpark. There are five players under 25 in the initial squad, this matches the trend from 2021 when only three were selected but the tours prior to that were awash with candidates to look after BIL the Lions mascot.

While that means overall this is a squad stacked with experience it does lack a standout clutch of experienced stars at the same time as lacking youthful exuberance and out and out pace. Andy Farrell has resisted the urge to go for the full Irish, as we will see, but there’s a rich green hue to the squad as we saw back in the Six Nations. (https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/which-six-nations-squad-is-best-prepared-to-succeed-today-and-in-the-future/)

An area that Farrell will no doubt have looked at was how England dismantled Wales in their final Six Nations’ match. That match was won not by speed of foot but by dynamism at the breakdown. He’ll be hoping that he’s picked a team to do just that. You can see plenty of reasons for optimism that it will be achieved. Imagine a second row and back row of Tadhg Beirne, Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, Josh Van der Flier, and Ben Earl. It would be hard to think of a more dynamic group.

Countryfiles

This squad is a tale of two nations primarily; Scotland and Wales. We have to go all the way back to 1997 to find the last tour where Scotland weren’t the country with the fewest tourers. Back then, Ireland were the unlucky team but this time it’s Wales who have completed a collapse from 2013 when they had the most players in the squad to just two this year in Tomos Williams and Jac Morgan. Two is the same number Scotland had at their lowest ebb in both 2009 and 2017, though more were added due to injuries during the tour. The concern for Wales is that you’d be hard pushed to make a case any players were unlucky. There was talk that both Dewi Lake and Blair Murray might’ve made the plane but Murray would’ve been a true bolter and Lake suffered with an inopportune injury and a surge in form for others in his position. Taulupe Faletau may have one last hurrah and a fourth tour but patience will be a virtue.

With the likes of Maro Itoje as captain, Fin Smith as a likely starter, and Henry Pollock the rising star, it’s tempting to think of this as a squad with a particularly English accent. That’s not the case however, Ireland have increased their share from 2021 and are the best represented nation in the squad. This is despite the recent semi-final loss for Leinster in Europe and a Six Nations where they were outclassed by France. It is in keeping with the history of Lions’ coaches however. Graham Henry’s tour saw an increase in Welsh players as Gatland copied in 2013 and Clive Woodward selected English players at a level never seen since for his disastrous 2005 tour. Given that history, Farrell is fitting the trend to lean more heavily on the players he knows best.

Form tracking

The last big question Farrell faced was whether to pick on form or reputation. Fans love players to be picked on form but there are obvious benefits to picking players who have been there and done it.

If we look at the club minutes played pre-tour we can see where the risks are. Dan Sheehan for example would be a totally uncontroversial pick, if there is such a thing, but he’s barely played this season. At present he has just 249 minutes for Leinster this season, all accrued in 2025, and 285 minutes for Ireland. Compare that with someone like Pollock or Earl who have been ever present all season and spiked in recent weeks. It’s clear to pick out players like Tadhg Furlong and Scott Cummings in the graphs above who come into this tour severely undercooked.

Among the backs, Sione Tuipulotu is the obvious risk. His injury kept him out of the Six Nations but he was a sho0-in then for this tour and, as long as he could make it back in time, he remained a certainty but again there is risk given his lack of recent rugby. On the other side of the coin are the Scottish pairing of Blair Kinghorn and Finn Russell, along with Englishman Tommy Freeman. They have been ever present for club and country and will come in with plenty of rugby in the legs but perhaps too much? I expect all three will be heavily involved and by the time they come back from Australia, hopefully as victors, they’ll need plenty of rest to make up for an absolutely monster season. Farrell will be hoping that crash happens post-tour rather than in the white heat of competition Down Under.