The British & Irish Lions have been installed as firm favourites for the 2025 tour of Australia, with head coach Andy Farrell naming a 38-man squad led by England captain Maro Itoje. The squad includes two Australian-born players: Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu and winger Mack Hansen, both of whom have switched allegiances from the Wallabies.
Australian commentators have focused on the potential clash between Tuipulotu and Wallabies rugby league recruit Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. Tuipulotu revealed on a podcast that he has been advised by Wallabies analyst Eoin Toolan to stop discussing Suaalii publicly, saying: 'He’s told me to stop talking on these podcasts about Joey, because he says he’s raring to go. I don’t want to put any targets on my back from big Joey.'
The omission of Owen Farrell has been warmly received in Australia, with the Sydney Morning Herald noting that 'many Wallabies fans will have been pleased to see no Owen Farrell on the team sheet after a decade of menacing the men in the gold, by means fair and foul.' ESPN's Sam Bruce added that Farrell's absence means 'there is no fear factor' in the squad, describing it as 'a squad to be respected, but certainly one not to be feared.'
Former Wallabies centre Tim Horan backed the decision to make Itoje captain, stating: 'You’ve got to be first picked in every single Test match for the Lions, so there’s probably about five or six players who would be, and he’s one of those.' The Sydney Morning Herald's Paul Cully assessed that the Lions hold advantages in most areas except loose forwards, where the Wallabies' Rob Valetini is a key threat, and midfield, where Len Ikitau and Hunter Paisami are tipped to match the tourists.
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt described the Lions squad as 'predictable and powerful, good strength in depth,' adding that he expects them to 'play with plenty of pace, plenty of phases and plenty of options.' The Wallabies will name their squad for the Lions series after the Super Rugby Pacific final in late June.
