Australia v British & Irish Lions — First Test | Tips & Preview

History
The 10th British & Irish Lions tour of Australia is underway, with the visitors having already completed five games across the ditch, but this Saturday’s clash marks the first showdown between the Lions and the Wallabies of the tour. Historically, B&I have enjoyed a lot of success against their Australian foes, having won 17 of 23 games all-time. Australia won the first-ever showdown in 1899, but the Lions won six on the bounce from there, setting the tone for what continues to be a strong record against the Australians. However, things have been close in the past two tours, with the Aussies winning the series 2-1 in 2001 before the Lions won 2-1 in the 2013 tour. The Wallabies have lost all eight games against the Lions played in Brisbane.

Form
The Wallabies have played just one game in 2025, scraping through to a 21-18 victory over Fiji two weeks ago. Harry Wilson was the saviour on the day, scoring in the 78th minute to put the Wallabies in front and ultimately win them the game in what was far from a convincing performance. It was a hot start from the hosts, with Dave Porecki scoring in the opening 10 minutes, before Fraser McReight’s try minutes before the break gave them a 14-0 lead. However, the Fijians hit back immediately to reduce the deficit before halftime, kickstarting a scoring flurry from the visitors, as they eventually got out to a 14-18 lead with 12 minutes to play. Wilson, however, had the final say to earn the Wallabies the win.

The Lions have yet to taste defeat so far on their tour in Australia so far, boasting a 5-0 record. However, their warm-up game in Dublin against Argentina saw them start their campaign in the worst way possible, losing 24-28. They have largely been on-song since then, with wins against each of the four Australian Super Rugby franchises, as well as a 48-0 thumping of an acclaimed AUNZ invitational team. Duhan van der Merwe was the hattrick hero but it was largely a dominant forwards effort that led to the easy win. They comfortably shut off their AUNZ counterparts, and it was obvious that the hosts were a throw-together team, as the Lions force error after error in what was a rather ugly game of rugby.

Teams
Australia: 1 James Slipper, 2 Matt Faessler, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 4 Nick Frost, 5 Jeremy Williams, 6 Nick Champion de Crespigny, 7 Fraser McReight, 8 Harry Wilson, 9 Jake Gordon, 10 Tom Lynagh, 11 Harry Potter, 12 Len Ikitau, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 14 Max Jorgensen, 15 Tom Wright. Reserves: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Tom Hooper, 20 Carlo Tizzano, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Andrew Kellaway.

British & Irish Lions: 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 4 Maro Itoje (capt), 5 Joe McCarthy, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Jack Conan, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 10 Finn Russell, 11 James Lowe, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 13 Huw Jones, 14 Tommy Freeman, 15 Hugo Keenan. Reserves: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Bundee Aki.

Joe Schmidt has made several changes to the team that snuck past Fiji. Tom Lynagh earns his first Test start at first five-eighth, replacing the injured Noah Lolesio. In the forwards, Nick Champion de Crespigny debuts at blindside flanker, with injuries sidelining Rob Valetini and Langi Gleeson. Matt Faessler also starts at hooker, in place of Dave Porecki, while Jake Gordon starts at halfback for the benched Tate McDermott.

Andy Farrell has named a similar team to the squad that beat the Brumbies 36-24 last Wednesday, with a new midfield pairing and a change in the loose forwards headlining Farrell’s tweaks. Scottish midfielders Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu have been named as the starting centres, while Hugo Keenan replaces Blair Kinghorn at fullback. In the forwards, Tadhg Beirne replaces Ollie Chessum at blindside, forming what is a big, intimidating Lions pack.

The Verdict
A Lions tour is one of the great aspects of international rugby and this time around it’s Australia’s turn to host the men from Britain and Ireland, just two years out from hosting the men’s Rugby World Cup. There are hopes of this tour reinvigorating the support of the Wallabies across the ditch, but with a sub-par team at the nation’s disposal, it’s hard to see this game — and series — being all that close. The Lions have the pick of the bunch in almost every matchup, perhaps other than in the midfield, and that will result in plenty of one-sided play in Brisbane on Saturday. The Lions’ bench is also loaded, while Australia’s is anything but, and that could well result in the scoreline getting ugly come the 80-minute hooter.

The Prediction
British & Irish Lions by 17

Best
British & Irish Lions -8.5 ($1.85)

Value
British & Irish Lions 11-20 ($3.60)