In exactly seven months, The British & Irish Lions will play the first match of their 2025 Tour at home to Argentina in Dublin.
With just one game remaining this November, anticipation is building ahead of the trip Down Under over who Andy Farrell will select in his squad.
Lions fans have the chance to be at that game in Ireland thanks to a new competition – First Pick – where they are being asked who would be their first name on the teamsheet for the 2025 Tour.
And just in case you were lacking inspiration, we have asked some Lions greats from down the years, as well as some members of the rugby media across the home nations, to give us their take on who it should be.
We have heard from Lions from every Tour going back to 1997, as well as 1989 Test Lion David Sole.
Interestingly, it is Scotland fly-half Finn Russell who received the most nominations from our Lions selection, with Sole and Chris Cusiter both going for their countryman, as did Wales centre Tom Shanklin and Ireland winger Simon Zebo.
The next most selected player was Ireland tighthead Tadhg Furlong, who got the nod from front-row colleague Mako Vunipola and England’s World Cup-winning pair Ben Kay and Lawrence Dallaglio.
Ireland skipper Caelan Doris was picked by a pair of 2009 Lions, third Test stars Ugo Monye and Tommy Bowe, while two-time Lions skipper Sam Warburton gave his backing to Marcus Smith.
Who would be your 1st pick for the #Lions2025 Tour? pic.twitter.com/epa5cqfwDs
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) November 25, 2024
A couple of Englishmen were also singled out, Alex Corbisiero went with rising star Chandler Cunningham-South, while George Kruis picked his former Saracens teammate Maro Itoje.
Louis Rees-Zammit, the youngest Lion in South Africa three years ago, backed fellow Welshman Tomos Williams, while Shane Williams went for a different scrum-half in Jamison Gibson-Park.
Last but not least, 2009 Lions Player of the Series Jamie Roberts gave his backing to a Scottish centre – Huw Jones.
He said: “My first pick for the 2025 Lions would be Huw Jones. He’s really impressed me this autumn. He’s a midfielder like me. (Sione) Tuipulotu will be in the conversation, Bundee Aki, Garry Ringrose as well but Huw Jones, for me, has gone to another level. He looks super quick, super athletic, a smart rugby player and I think he could thrive with the pace of the game Down Under.
“He’s a proper player and it looks like he’s hitting form at the right time. We’ll see in the Six Nations if he can keep it up.”
If you had to pick one player right now for the Lions Tour, who would it be? 🦁
Hit the link below to pick, and you could win Lions tickets courtesy of Howden 🎟️
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) November 19, 2024
There was an interesting split between former players and the media commentators who we asked, with a couple of new names popping up.
The Rugby Guy was of the same opinion as Warburton, going with Harlequins and England fly-half Smith.
Meanwhile, Huw Jones’ centre partner and current Scotland skipper Sione Tuipulotu was the pick for both Charlie Morgan of The Telegraph and long-time Scotland correspondent from The Times, Mark Palmer.
Morgan said: “Poise, power, passing and a cute kicking game; Scotland’s newly appointed captain has it all. He can play in both centre positions and seems to be the sort of ebullient character who thrives on these tours. One suspects that several colleagues will be in contention as well, which will aid cohesion for the line-ups picked by Andy Farrell.
“Then there is the additional storyline of Tuipulotu being born in Melbourne. He has leaned into that, explaining that returning to Australia would an “unreal” opportunity to address “unfinished business”. As journalists, that sort of narrative is difficult for us to overlook!”
Palmer added: “Sione Tuipulotu has the ideal blend of power and panache to be a smash hit on this tour. The Scotland captain can unlock defences with the bludgeon or the scalpel and, having previously spoken about the frustration he felt at the lack of opportunity afforded him in his native Australia, nobody would be more desperate to make a mark Down Under. Tuipulotu also boasts an excellent understanding with Finn Russell, which represents another feather in his cap should Andy Farrell throw the keys to the Bath talisman at fly-half.”
As well as Tuipulotu, three different Irishmen also got name-checked, with both Chris Jones, of the BBC, and Wales Online’s Ben James selecting Doris.
Jones said: “Doris has taken a lot on this season – captain of both Ireland and Leinster – which is testament to how prominent he has become over the last few years. If he can maintain his form he is guaranteed to tour, and while there is plenty of competition in the back row, Doris is more than equipped to start the Test matches at No.8. If he leads Ireland well during the Six Nations there is every chance he will be the Lions captain too.”
James said: “It’s maybe a boring choice but it’s the obvious one for a reason. A talismanic figure for Ireland and Leinster, Doris seems a no-brainer for the captaincy already so it stands to reason he’d be the first pick. As much as I’d love nothing more than to push a Welsh name forward, there’s no escaping the fact that the outstanding No.8 might as well have his bags already packed ready for the trip down under next summer.”
Ruaidhri O’Connor, from the Irish Independent, went with Furlong, saying: “A third tour would cement the Wexford prop as an all-time Lions great and he remains the outstanding tighthead in Britain and Ireland. Furlong’s recent injury history is a concern and Ireland have missed him this November, but that just underlines the all-round abilities he possesses as a ball-player who can also lock down a scrum.”
Last but not least, Gerard Meagher, of The Guardian, went for yet another Irish forward in Joe McCarthy, fresh from a breakthrough year under Farrell.
He said: “At 6ft 5ins and nearly 20 stone, McCarthy offers a gainline presence that few other second rows available to Andy Farrell, making him one of the first names on the team-sheet. He announced himself on the Test stage during this year’s Six Nations – winning the man of the match award in Ireland’s emphatic victory over France – and has continued in that vein. Ireland have not had a stellar autumn but McCarthy has still caught the eye and a potential second-row duel with the equally imposing Will Skelton on next summer’s Tour could be seismic.”
