Elliot Daly exit and Owen Farrell arrival: British & Irish Lions documentary gives inside view on 'rocky road' ahead of Australia Test
Published 01/11/2025 at 09:37 GMT
React to this story
The 2025 British & Lions were victorious on their tour of Australia as they triumphed 2-1. However, the series was not without challenges. An exclusive behind-the-scenes TNT Sports documentary, Lions Uncut: Australia 2025, shows Elliot Daly's pain as he suffers an injury in a warm-up game and finds out his tour has ended. Daly was replaced in the squad by Owen Farrell.
Behind-the-scenes documentary of Lions tour to premiere on TNT Sports and discovery+
Video credit: TNT Sports
July 2, 2025. On the official records of the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia, the date will be marked with the 52-12 win over the Queensland Reds.
It was the second big win for the Lions on their tour Down Under as they continued to build towards the first Test against Australia on July 19.
But if the result on July 2 was a stepping stone for Andy Farrell’s squad, for Elliot Daly the date will not be remembered as positively.
The 32-year-old, who was only called into the team at late notice after Hugo Keenan withdrew with illness, suffered an arm injury in the second half against the Reds. It would be the end of his tour.
An exclusive behind-the-scenes TNT Sports documentary, Lions Uncut: Australia 2025, shows Daly’s pain as he finds out the extent of the injury.
As he arrives at the Wesley Emergency Centre with his arm in a sling and still in his match kit, Daly reveals that it was his daughter’s birthday.
"Hopefully this isn’t the present for her that she wanted," he says. "She got a nice trike."
The bad news follows soon after. "Fracture," says a glum-looking Lions head of medical Dr Ciaran Cosgrave as he analyses Daly’s X-ray.
As Daly phones home to relay the information to his family he tries to see the bright side as he says he has been "lucky up to this point".
But it's clearly a difficult moment for the full-back.
"To know that the tour is over so early doors, it’s hard to take," says Lions head coach Farrell.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/10/27/image-e0e98aef-8745-45a0-b0a4-ed47d342e2e5.png)
Elliot Daly phones home with the injury news
Image credit: TNT Sports
"It’s a disaster because you know what it means to the player. These are the rocky roads you are going to have to navigate yourself through as a team."
Daly’s loss was a blow to the Lions not only because of what he offered on the pitch, but also his wealth of experience.
Labelled a ‘Lions legend’ by Farrell before he stood to give a talk to the squad, Daly was on his third tour and had played 17 Lions games.
"The best Lions help the squad tick," says Farrell. "He has been there and worn the badge and not many of them have done them. He’s pretty important."
With Daly out of the tour, Farrell turned to experience with his replacement: son Owen.
Owen Farrell had made 18 Lions appearances but had not played international rugby since the 2023 World Cup.
He had also not played competitive rugby for almost nine weeks after suffering a concussion.
But if there were questions over the decision to call up Owen Farrell, father Andy said he was sure he was the "right man at this moment in time for us".
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/09/23/image-4c5bae7a-4d78-4da3-8faf-df46a7efee51-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
What did Curry take away from Lions tour?
Video credit: TNT Sports
"My job is to do what is right for the team, so is everyone else’s," he tells the documentary.
"Knowing the experience that we had lost and the character we had lost and the lack of experience we had in the squad, it was our job to do the right thing by the squad and that’s why we decided to bring Owen in."
Owen Farrell would go on to captain the side in their match against First Nations and XV.
He also came off the bench in the last two Tests to help the tourists secure the series victory.
Lions Uncut: Australia 2025 will premiere on TNT Sports and discovery+ on 31 October ahead of TNT Sports’ exclusive live coverage of every match of the Quilter Nations Series.
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement