British & Irish Lions XVs named by TNT Sports panel - do you agree?

The countdown is well and truly on for the highly anticipated British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia this summer. Andy Farrell will hope to lead a side made up of the best of the four home nations to victory across three Tests against a Wallabies team led by Joe Schmidt. But who will be in the starting XV for the first Test and do you agree with our TNT Sports panel’s selections?

As anticipation ramps up for the 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia, TNT Sports' experts have made their picks for the first Test down under.

Competition for places in Andy Farrell’s side is set to be fierce, particularly now that the Six Nations has concluded.

England surprised many with their second-placed finish, while Ireland came up short in their bid for a third successive title and were perhaps not as strong as many expected under interim head coach Simon Easterby.

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Fourth-placed Scotland showed glimpses of their devastating backline but ultimately failed to challenge the top teams, while Wales went winless to pick up their second successive wooden spoon.

Every four years, the Lions XV is wildly debated by pundits and former players alike, and there are plenty of high-profile inclusions and omissions across the three teams selected by the TNT crew.

England and Ireland dominate in the forwards, while there is plenty of Scottish representation in the backline ahead of the first Test on July 19.

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Openside flanker Jac Morgan makes it into the starting line-up of former Lions captain Sam Warburton, but is the only Welshman to feature.

Elsewhere, the starting fly-half berth is one that appears up for grabs between Finn Russell, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith, but who have the TNT Sports panel picked and how many of their selections do you agree with?

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Sam Warburton's Lions XV

Warburton is one of only two players in history to be named Lions captain twice, so he knows what it takes to wear the iconic red jersey.

Discussing some of his selections on TNT Sports' Rugby Review, the Welshman said: "When George Martin is fully fit, he bangs like no other second-row.

"He is so physical and I think you need to have that complementary pair. All the top second-row pairs over the years have had that.

"I’ve gone Jac Morgan at 7. You could pick Tom Curry and Ben Curry, you could go Jac Morgan… put Ben Earl in there. We’re so lucky to have four quality guys.

"I’ve paired [Sione] Tuipulotu and Huw Jones [in the centre], Blair Kinghorn at 15 and Tommy Freeman at 14 who can cover outside centre too."

1. Ellis Genge (England)
2. Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
4. Maro Itoje (England)
5. George Martin (England)
6. Tom Curry (England)
7. Jac Morgan (Wales)
8. Caelan Doris (Ireland)

9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
10. Finn Russell (Scotland)
11. James Lowe (Ireland)
12. Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)
13. Huw Jones (Scotland)
14. Tommy Freeman (England)
15. Blair Kinghorn (Scotland)

Craig Doyle's Lions XV

Rugby Review host Craig Doyle admitted he could easily have selected a different XV given the wealth of options available.

However, he went with eight Irish players, four Englishmen and two Scots, while he could not choose between Tommy Freeman and Duhan van der Merwe on the right wing.

1. Ellis Genge (England)
2. Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
4. Maro Itoje (England)
5. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
6. Tom Curry (England)
7. Ben Curry (England)
8. Caelan Doris (Ireland)

9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
10. Finn Russell (Scotland)
11. James Lowe (Ireland)
12. Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)
13. Bundee Aki (Ireland)
14. Tommy Freeman/Duhan van der Merwe (England/Scotland)
15. Hugo Keenan (Ireland)

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David Flatman's Lions XV

David Flatman, a former England international, was the only one to omit both Tadhg Furlong and Tadhg Beirne, instead opting for Will Stuart at tighthead prop and Joe McCarthy in the second row.

In the backs, he picked four Scots and selected Van der Merwe on the right wing ahead of Freeman, saying "he's a freak, so he's got to play."

1. Ellis Genge (England)
2. Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
3. Will Stuart (England)
4. Maro Itoje (England)
5. Joe McCarthy (Ireland)
6. Tom Curry (England)
7. Jac Morgan (Wales)
8. Caelan Doris (Ireland)

9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
10. Finn Russell (Scotland)
11. James Lowe (Ireland)
12. Bundee Aki (Ireland)
13. Huw Jones (Scotland)
14. Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)
15. Blair Kinghorn (Scotland)

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