Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has lavished praise on Finlay Bealham after the Australian-raised prop was the beneficiary of the first British and Irish Lions injury casualty.
Lions coach Andy Farrell was forced to scratch Zander Ferguson from his 38-man touring party after the Scotland tighthead succumbed to a calf injury.
With four nations to choose from Farrell is blessed with depth but tighthead has suddenly become a question mark given Ireland star Tadgh Furlong is also struggling with his calf and England's Will Stuart remains with Bath to prepare for this weekend's Premiership final against Michael Cheika's Leicester.
Watch all the action from the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Stan Sport, the only place to watch every match live and on demand
Canberra product Bealham has replaced Ferguson in the squad and becomes the third Aussie in the Lions squad, joining Ireland's Mack Hansen and Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu.
"I see they've added another Aussie to their team in Finlay Bealham," Schmidt noted.
"I coached Finlay for years, he is such a top bloke. But he has a skill set, he has a dynamism around the field. He's a threat. They can reach back down into that strength and depth, even if they do get a little bit of injury or require a bit of injury cover."
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There are also three New Zealand players in the Lions (Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe) and two South Africans (Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe).
While Schmidt is a Bealham fan, Sunday Times columnist Stephen Jones is not, taking to social media with gusto this week.
"Tight-head disaster. Near catastrophe for Lions as Zander Fagerson withdraws – Tadhg Furlong fitness very suspect – they've called up Finlay Bealham who is not in same class and also on standby is Opoku-Fordjour, who struggled badly for Sale against Tigers on Saturday. Bad luck. Odd selections," he wrote.
https://x.com/stephenjones9/status/1932080410676044229Jones also called Bealham "bang average."
How often do the British and Irish Lions tour Australia?
Every 12 years.
The Lions won the Test series 2-1 against the Wallabies the last time they toured Australia, in 2013.
They have since drawn the series against New Zealand in 2017 and lost in South Africa in 2021.
When is the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia taking place?
The tour begins with a match against Argentina in Dublin on June 21 (AEST) and ends with the series closing third Test on August 2.
The Lions will play three Tests against the Wallabies, along with six more games in Australia.
Those are against the Western Force, Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs, ACT Brumbies, an Invitational Australia and New Zealand XV, and a First Nations and Pasifika XV.
The full fixture list
Western Force v British & Irish Lions at 5:45pm AWST on Saturday June 28 at Optus Stadium, Perth
Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Wednesday July 2 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
New South Wales Waratahs v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday July 5 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney
ACT Brumbies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Wednesday July 9 at GIO Stadium, Canberra
AUNZ Invitational XV v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday July 12 at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Wallabies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday July 19 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
First Nations & Pasifika XV v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Tuesday July 22 at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Wallabies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday July 26 at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Wallabies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday August 2 at Accor Stadium, Sydney
How to buy tickets
Tickets to all matches are available to buy from Ticketek.
Who is the captain of the Lions for the Australian tour?
Maro Itoje will captain a British and Irish Lions squad for the tour of Australia that contains 16 Irish players, just two Welshmen and an Englishman with barely 30 minutes of international rugby to his name.
A 38-man touring party was announced on Thursday in front of an audience of more than 2,000 rugby fans at The O2 arena in London, with the 30-year-old Itoje becoming the first English player to captain the Lions - one of the biggest honours in the sport - since Martin Johnson in 2001.
Itoje will be heading on his third tour, after 2017 and 2021, and completes his rise as a leader, having become the captain of England and Saracens only this season.
When his name was read out by Lions coach Andy Farrell, Itoje walked out in full Lions uniform — holding the lion mascot, Bill — to warm applause.
"It's a tremendous honour and a tremendous privilege," said Itoje, who has 93 caps for England.
"It's a bit of a surreal experience, to be honest."
The British and Irish Lions squad
Forwards: Maro Itoje (England, captain), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Ollie Chessum (England), Jack Conan (Ireland), Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), Scott Cummings (Scotland), Tom Curry (England), Ben Earl (England), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Ellis Genge (England), Ronan Kelleher (Ireland), Joe McCarthy (Ireland), Jac Morgan (Wales), Henry Pollock (England), Andrew Porter (Ireland), James Ryan (Ireland), Pierre Schoeman (Scotland), Dan Sheehan (Ireland), Will Stuart (England), Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
Backs: Bundee Aki (Ireland), Elliot Daly (England), Tommy Freeman (England), Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), Mack Hansen (Ireland), Huw Jones (Scotland), Hugo Keenan (Ireland), Blair Kinghorn (Scotland), James Lowe (Ireland), Alex Mitchell (England), Gary Ringrose (Ireland), Finn Russell (Scotland), Fin Smith (England), Marcus Smith (England), Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland), Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), Tomos Williams (Wales)
When is the Wallabies squad expected to be named?
In Joe Schmidt's own words, "it's complicated this year, isn't it?"
It all hinges on how deep Australian teams go into the Super Rugby Pacific finals.
The ACT Brumbies are flying the flag in 2025.
"What we'll probably do is if we don't have a finalist, we'll name our squad in the week leading up to the final (on June 21)," the Wallabies coach said.
"If we have a finalist, we'll probably name it very soon after the final."
https://x.com/wallabies/status/1927906933287133193Who are the Lions?
The first Lions tour in 1888 comprised mostly English players and included matches in Australia and New Zealand.
The tradition grew and since 1989, a Lions squad featuring Irish, England, Scottish and Welsh players has toured every four years on a rotational basis to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Andy Farrell is head coach of a 38 man squad for the 2025 tour.
Recent history
Australian rugby has declined since its historic 2001 series victory over the Lions.
The 1999 Rugby World Cup champions recovered to clinch that series with back-to-back wins in Melbourne and Sydney after a first Test loss in Brisbane, when the Wallabies were stunned by a crowd overwhelmingly dominated by visiting fans.
In 2013, the Lions - coming off a midweek loss to the Brumbies in a tour game - edged Australia 23-21 in the first Test in Brisbane and then, after losing 16-15 in Melbourne, rallied for a comprehensive 41-6 victory in Sydney. - with AP
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has lavished praise on Finlay Bealham after the Australian-raised prop was the beneficiary of the first British and Irish Lions injury casualty.
Lions coach Andy Farrell was forced to scratch Zander Ferguson from his 38-man touring party after the Scotland tighthead succumbed to a calf injury.
With four nations to choose from Farrell is blessed with depth but tighthead has suddenly become a question mark given Ireland star Tadgh Furlong is also struggling with his calf and England's Will Stuart remains with Bath to prepare for this weekend's Premiership final against Michael Cheika's Leicester.
Watch all the action from the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Stan Sport, the only place to watch every match live and on demand
Canberra product Bealham has replaced Ferguson in the squad and becomes the third Aussie in the Lions squad, joining Ireland's Mack Hansen and Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu.
"I see they've added another Aussie to their team in Finlay Bealham," Schmidt noted.
"I coached Finlay for years, he is such a top bloke. But he has a skill set, he has a dynamism around the field. He's a threat. They can reach back down into that strength and depth, even if they do get a little bit of injury or require a bit of injury cover."
READ MORE: 'Had a point to prove': Inside story of 'angry' Smith's finest moment
READ MORE: 'It's up to you': Lockyer reveals 'change' Munster must accept
READ MORE: Gould whacks 'flawed system' as 'unfair' Kikau call reversed
There are also three New Zealand players in the Lions (Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe) and two South Africans (Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe).
While Schmidt is a Bealham fan, Sunday Times columnist Stephen Jones is not, taking to social media with gusto this week.
"Tight-head disaster. Near catastrophe for Lions as Zander Fagerson withdraws – Tadhg Furlong fitness very suspect – they've called up Finlay Bealham who is not in same class and also on standby is Opoku-Fordjour, who struggled badly for Sale against Tigers on Saturday. Bad luck. Odd selections," he wrote.
https://x.com/stephenjones9/status/1932080410676044229Jones also called Bealham "bang average."
How often do the British and Irish Lions tour Australia?
Every 12 years.
The Lions won the Test series 2-1 against the Wallabies the last time they toured Australia, in 2013.
They have since drawn the series against New Zealand in 2017 and lost in South Africa in 2021.
When is the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia taking place?
The tour begins with a match against Argentina in Dublin on June 21 (AEST) and ends with the series closing third Test on August 2.
The Lions will play three Tests against the Wallabies, along with six more games in Australia.
Those are against the Western Force, Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs, ACT Brumbies, an Invitational Australia and New Zealand XV, and a First Nations and Pasifika XV.
The full fixture list
Western Force v British & Irish Lions at 5:45pm AWST on Saturday June 28 at Optus Stadium, Perth
Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Wednesday July 2 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
New South Wales Waratahs v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday July 5 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney
ACT Brumbies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Wednesday July 9 at GIO Stadium, Canberra
AUNZ Invitational XV v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday July 12 at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Wallabies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday July 19 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
First Nations & Pasifika XV v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Tuesday July 22 at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Wallabies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday July 26 at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Wallabies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday August 2 at Accor Stadium, Sydney
How to buy tickets
Tickets to all matches are available to buy from Ticketek.
Who is the captain of the Lions for the Australian tour?
Maro Itoje will captain a British and Irish Lions squad for the tour of Australia that contains 16 Irish players, just two Welshmen and an Englishman with barely 30 minutes of international rugby to his name.
A 38-man touring party was announced on Thursday in front of an audience of more than 2,000 rugby fans at The O2 arena in London, with the 30-year-old Itoje becoming the first English player to captain the Lions - one of the biggest honours in the sport - since Martin Johnson in 2001.
Itoje will be heading on his third tour, after 2017 and 2021, and completes his rise as a leader, having become the captain of England and Saracens only this season.
When his name was read out by Lions coach Andy Farrell, Itoje walked out in full Lions uniform — holding the lion mascot, Bill — to warm applause.
"It's a tremendous honour and a tremendous privilege," said Itoje, who has 93 caps for England.
"It's a bit of a surreal experience, to be honest."
The British and Irish Lions squad
Forwards: Maro Itoje (England, captain), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Ollie Chessum (England), Jack Conan (Ireland), Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), Scott Cummings (Scotland), Tom Curry (England), Ben Earl (England), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Ellis Genge (England), Ronan Kelleher (Ireland), Joe McCarthy (Ireland), Jac Morgan (Wales), Henry Pollock (England), Andrew Porter (Ireland), James Ryan (Ireland), Pierre Schoeman (Scotland), Dan Sheehan (Ireland), Will Stuart (England), Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
Backs: Bundee Aki (Ireland), Elliot Daly (England), Tommy Freeman (England), Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), Mack Hansen (Ireland), Huw Jones (Scotland), Hugo Keenan (Ireland), Blair Kinghorn (Scotland), James Lowe (Ireland), Alex Mitchell (England), Gary Ringrose (Ireland), Finn Russell (Scotland), Fin Smith (England), Marcus Smith (England), Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland), Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), Tomos Williams (Wales)
When is the Wallabies squad expected to be named?
In Joe Schmidt's own words, "it's complicated this year, isn't it?"
It all hinges on how deep Australian teams go into the Super Rugby Pacific finals.
The ACT Brumbies are flying the flag in 2025.
"What we'll probably do is if we don't have a finalist, we'll name our squad in the week leading up to the final (on June 21)," the Wallabies coach said.
"If we have a finalist, we'll probably name it very soon after the final."
https://x.com/wallabies/status/1927906933287133193Who are the Lions?
The first Lions tour in 1888 comprised mostly English players and included matches in Australia and New Zealand.
The tradition grew and since 1989, a Lions squad featuring Irish, England, Scottish and Welsh players has toured every four years on a rotational basis to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Andy Farrell is head coach of a 38 man squad for the 2025 tour.
Recent history
Australian rugby has declined since its historic 2001 series victory over the Lions.
The 1999 Rugby World Cup champions recovered to clinch that series with back-to-back wins in Melbourne and Sydney after a first Test loss in Brisbane, when the Wallabies were stunned by a crowd overwhelmingly dominated by visiting fans.
In 2013, the Lions - coming off a midweek loss to the Brumbies in a tour game - edged Australia 23-21 in the first Test in Brisbane and then, after losing 16-15 in Melbourne, rallied for a comprehensive 41-6 victory in Sydney. - with AP
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