British and Irish Lions: Tadhg Beirne, Henry Pollock and Huw Jones look to take final chance to edge into Test side
Tadhg Beirne captain but needs standout display for Test start; Lions on verge of full-back issues? Pollock, Jones, Morgan look to make statements; watch Lions vs AUNZ Invitational on Saturday July 12 on Sky Sports Action & Main Event from 10am; Sky to show all matches
Saturday 12 July 2025 09:56, UK
Never before has a British and Irish Lions side faced an Australia-New Zealand invitational XV. On Saturday, Andy Farrell's tourists do just that in what is a final chance for players to stake a claim for first Test selection.
The Lions have picked up four victories from four games so far in Australia against the nation's Super Rugby franchises, beating Western Force 54-7, Queensland Reds 52-12, NSW Waratahs 21-10 and ACT Brumbies 36-24.
Eight All Blacks and six Wallabies will feature in the Australia-New Zealand Invitational XV to face the Lions in Adelaide in the final warm-up clash before the first Test vs Australia on Saturday, July 19.
Below, we look at some of the major talking points coming into the match...
- Owen Farrell on bench as Pollock starts for Lions against AUNZ Invitational XV
- Lions tour of Australia: When and how to watch on Sky Sports
- Not got Sky? Stream Lions series with no contract
- Who is Howden, the Lions' front-of-shirt sponsor? Find out here
Beirne named captain again but needs standout display
Tadhg Beirne has been a magnificent performer for Ireland in recent times, evidenced by the fact he was named in World Rugby's Team of the Year for 2022 and 2024.
The versatile forward has performed to a level near-unmatched around the globe and is something of a unicorn in rugby: a 6ft 6in lock who performs like a premier openside flanker at the breakdown and is comfortable with the backs in wide spaces.
Yet the 33-year-old is yet to hit the heights he would have been aiming for on this Lions tour.
Clearly he is still well valued by Farrell after being named captain for the second time on tour this Saturday, but Beirne will be under no illusions he needs a standout display in Adelaide if he is to stand a chance of breaking into the starting Lions Test side.
Captain Maro Itoje will start the first Test at lock, while Beirne's international colleague Joe McCarthy has impressed massively in the same position.
It is generally thought that the blindside flanker role in the Tests on tour will be filled by a hybrid lock/flanker type player: that is to say either Beirne or England's Ollie Chessum.
Chessum caught the eye as an impactful, physical No 6 against the Brumbies on Wednesday. Now Beirne must take his chance.
Lions on verge of major full-back issues?
When the Lions headed on tour to Australia, there were few who would have predicted they may run into issues at full-back.
Scotland's Blair Kinghorn and Ireland's Hugo Keenan have been two of the best in the sport in recent years, while Elliot Daly provided experienced cover.
And yet. Marcus Smith began the tour at full-back in the absence of Kinghorn (who was still in France with Toulouse for the Top 14 playoffs) and Keenan (who arrived on tour with a calf injury), and he was exposed defensively.
Daly took up the position and impressed, only to then fracture his forearm against the Reds and be ruled out of the tour - having received a late call-up for that game due to Keenan pulling out unwell.
Instead of calling up a third full-back, Owen Farrell was controversially brought in. Keenan then belatedly made his first Lions appearance in the fourth game on tour against the Waratahs but put in one of the poorer displays of his international career as the Lions toiled to an underwhelming victory.
Enter Kinghorn, the favourite all along. But barely a quarter into Wednesday's contest against the Brumbies the Scot was gone with a knee issue, limping off "distraught" according to Sky Sports' Ronan O'Gara on commentary.
The noises around Kinghorn have been more positive since, but Keenan begins Saturday's contest and needs to perform better to offer the Lions some much-needed security at the back.
Pollock, Jones, Morgan looking to make statements
Realistically, the majority of Saturday's squad appear Lions players destined to miss out on the first Test.
Unlike in previous years, though, there is a seven-day turnaround between the final warm-up match and facing Australia in Brisbane, meaning those who perform best in Adelaide retain a decent chance of involvement.
Wales openside Jac Morgan has been heavily touted to start the first Test and a solid performance could rubber-stamp his place.
His back-row colleagues Henry Pollock and Ben Earl will each seek to outshine him in bids to force their way into the Test side or, at the very least, into the Test 23.
And what of the backline? Scotland centre pairing Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu appeared on course to make the first Test for a period, but Ireland duo Garry Ringrose and Bundee Aki impressed in Canberra on Wednesday.
Jones and Tuipulotu will seek to make headlines and give Farrell no choice but to change things again.
British and Irish Lions squad to face Australia-New Zealand Invitational XV
British and Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Ben White; 1 Pierre Schoeman, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Will Stuart, 4 James Ryan, 5 Tadhg Beirne (c), 6 Henry Pollock, 7 Jac Morgan, 8 Ben Earl.
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Owen Farrell.
British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Sky Sports
Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests against the Wallabies and six warm-up matches to be shown exclusively live.
