There is an added element of intrigue to this year’s Autumn Internationals, with a Lions tour of Australia looming on the horizon next summer.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell will step aside temporarily after Saturday’s test against the Aussies, as he prepares to lead the Lions down under in July.
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The Lions squad selection will loom large over next year’s Six Nations too, with Ireland and the three British sides battling it out for spots in the 30-ish strong squad.
Ireland are expected to have a heavy presence in the squad after claiming back-to-back Six Nations crowns, but England and Scotland will both reasonably hope for strong numbers in the group.
Over the coming months, media outlets and rugby pundits will begin to float their selections, which will no doubt change as the picture becomes clearer during the Six Nations.
Even with one game still left to play for Ireland, the Times’ rugby writers have floated their updated Lions XVs for the opening test in Australia. Despite his contentious reputation among Irish rugby fans, Stephen Jones was surprisingly reasonable to Ireland, including five Irish players in his starting lineup.
However, looking closer, one realises just how strange some of Jones’ calls were, as he included two players who have not played test rugby in over a year.
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Stephen Jones picks five Ireland players in his Lions XV
15 November 2024; Caelan Doris of Ireland during the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Stephen Jones included five Irish players in his latest Lions starting lineup, with nothing particularly out of the ordinary with the players he selected.
Caelan Doris has been heavily tipped to captain the touring squad, and he is included in Jones’ selection. Jamison Gibson-Park is the other Irish player most expected to start in Australia, and he is also included alongside Garry Ringrose, Tadhg Furlong, and Joe McCarthy.
Though an argument could be made for Ringrose to be replaced by either of his rivals for the Ireland centre spots (Robbie Henshaw or Bundee Aki), or for Tadhg Beirne to step in for Joe McCarthy, there is nothing out of the ordinary about the Ireland players selected by Jones.
15 Liam Williams (Wales)
14 Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)
13 Garry Ringrose (Ireland)
12 Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)
11 Anthony Watson (England)
10 Finn Russell (Scotland)
9 Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
1 Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)
2 Dewi Lake (Wales)
3 Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
4 Maro Itoje (England)
5 Joe McCarthy (Ireland)
6 Jack Willis (England)
7 Jac Morgan (Wales)
8 Caelan Doris (Ireland)
(5 Ireland, 4 Scotland, 3 Wales, 3 England)
However, when one looks a little closer, the overall selection becomes hard to understand – particularly in the back three.
With Duhan van der Merwe one of the most exciting wing players in Europe, it is no surprise to see him included, especially given his impressive form on the last Lions tour in South Africa. The other two spots are set to be highly competitive, with Irish trio Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, and James Lowe vying for spots at full-back and 14.
Stephen Jones has made the somewhat inexplicable decision to plump for two players who have not played test rugby in over a year, with Wales’ Liam Williams at full-back and England’s Anthony Watson at 14.
After Wales’ exit from the 2023 World Cup, Williams set off for Japan. He has only this month returned from a year with Kuobta Spears, re-signing with Saracens. He was not involved in any of Wales’ tests this month.
Watson, meanwhile, has not played for England since the warm-up games for last year’s World Cup. The Leicester star picked up a calf injury before the tournament, which led to a lengthy period on the sidelines.
Williams and Watson both have significant Lions pedigree. The pair started each of the three tests during the drawn series in New Zealand in 2017. Watson then started the first two tests of the South Africa tour in 2021, with Williams coming into the starting XV for the final test.
It is not inconceivable that the duo could play themselves into contention with strong showings during the Six Nations but to place them in a starting XV ahead of the likes of Lowe, Hansen, and Keenan seems a particularly egregious call from Stephen Jones.
The other strange aspect to Jones’ team is the amount of Welsh players. It has now been 13 months since Wales last won a test. Despite this, Jones’ side has more Welsh players than he had in his selection before the Six Nations.
Fairly hard to wrap the head around.
Andy Farrell has the best part of half a year to get his Lions squad together, with the Six Nations set to be the final chance for players to show their abilities at test level.
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