Owen Farrell named on bench for final British and Irish Lions warm-up game before Test series against Australia
Published 10/07/2025 at 11:06 GMT+1
React to this story
Owen Farrell could make the first appearance of his fourth British and Irish Lions tour after being named on the bench for the final warm-up game before the Test series against Australia. The Lions take on an AUNZ Invitational side on Saturday, and Farrell's inclusion is one of a host of changes, with a completely fresh 15 set to start the match following the victory over ACT Brumbies.
Can Pollock 'do a Rooney' on Lions tour down under?
Video credit: TNT Sports
Owen Farrell has been named on the bench for the British and Irish Lions’ final warm-up game before the Test series against Australia.
The former England captain was called up to the squad just seven days ago to replace the injured Elliot Daly.
He was left out of the teams to face the NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies but is now set to make the first appearance of his fourth Lions tour against an AUNZ Invitational side on Saturday.
When asked whether his son’s experience has helped to get him up to speed since his call-up, head coach Andy Farrell said: "He is the same as everyone else who has had to get up to speed pretty quickly.
"The art of this stage of the tour is mentally being as switched on as you possibly can, for everyone, not just the lads that are new to the group, because of the nature of the preparation.
"There is not much training you can do. All the learnings are from the video of the games."
Farrell has made 15 changes to the side that started against the Brumbies, with Tadhg Beirne set to captain the side this weekend.
Scotland's Ben White gets his first start at scrum-half, while there is a back row comprised of Jac Morgan, Henry Pollock and Ben Earl.
Farrell has selected a Scottish centre partnership of Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, and a back three of Hugo Keenan, Duhan van der Merwe and Mack Hansen.
- 'We kept them in the game' - Farrell assesses latest Lions victory over Brumbies
- Schmidt doesn't expect to 'knock Lions over' as Australia complete preparations with Fiji win
- Make your Lions 1st Test picks: Does Farrell make 23? Should Pollock start?
An appearance from the bench for Owen Farrell would mark his return to international rugby for the first time since a third-place play-off win over Argentina at the World Cup in October 2023.
The 33-year-old stepped away from the international game after the tournament to prioritise his and his family’s wellbeing.
Saturday’s match could also see Farrell return to any kind of rugby for the first time in more than two months following a concussion while playing for Racing 92 at the start of May.
The former England skipper has now been part of four Lions tours, having first been selected for the 2013 tour of Australia.
On the achievement of Owen playing in his fourth tour, Andy said: "He is lucky enough to play when he was very young, and you need the stars to align."
Stream the Gallagher Premiership, Autumn Nations Series and Premiership Women's Rugby on TNT Sports and discovery+
Advertisement
Advertisement