Nine Irish make columnist's first Test British and Irish Lions XV

Rugby columnist Paul Williams has ignited debate on X by naming a 2025 British and Irish Lions Test team containing nine Ireland players, three from England, two from Scotland and just one Wales player. It will be July 19 next year, following warm-up matches versus Argentina, Western Force, the Reds, the Waratahs, the Brumbies, and an invitational Australian/New Zealand team, when Andy Farrell will send his Lions into their first Test encounter versus the Wallabies in Brisbane.

The 2023/24 season recently finished with Ireland scoring a one-all series draw away to South Africa. England and Wales, meanwhile, lost out zero-two in their respective series in New Zealand and Australia while Scotland enjoyed a four-game winning streak on their North/South American tour.

With the dust now well settled on those trips, Williams, a Rugby World magazine contributor, has put his head above the parapet and selected the team he wants to see run out at Suncorp Stadium in 48 weeks.

It includes an all-Irish front row consisting of Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong. Packing down behind them, Williams has chosen a second row pair of Ireland’s Joe McCarthy and England’s George Martin, while his preferred back row combination features Irish duo Tadhg Beirne and Caelan Doris at blindside and No8 respectively with Wales’ sole selection, Jac Morgan, pencilled in at openside.

Switching to the backline, Williams has selected another Anglo-Irish combination, this one consisting of Ireland’s Jamison Gibson-Park at scrum-half and England’s Marcus Smith at out-half. Scotland’s Sione Tuipulotu and Ireland’s Robbie Henshaw are the midfield picks, with Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe, England’s Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Ireland’s Hugo Keenan chosen as the back three.

Explaining his choices, Williams wrote on the Rugby World website: “There’s only one job tougher than selecting the actual British and Irish Lions team. And that’s picking your own British and Irish Lions team and publishing it on social media. It many ways it’s worse, as you don’t get the perks of Andy Farrell.

“You don’t get the salary, the car, the expense account, any of the praise should you win the series – or any of that glorious kit stash. As a columnist, all you get for selecting your potential Lions’ squad get is a digital witch trial. So, without further ado, let’s spark up the dry kindling and get burning…”

After sizing up at length the level of opposition Australia will provide, Williams then gave his reasons for his British and Irish Lions player choices before concluding: “Before you all embark on a journey to Cardiff, to set fire to my possessions, remember one thing. The Lions is a magnificent spectacle and a true gem in the rugby calendar. Most tours are dominated by the lead nation in that cycle, and it has always been that way.

“There have been squads where England have dominated, Wales etc. This time round it’s Ireland’s turn – and they deserve it. They are the best team of the home nations by some distance, and have proven that over multiple seasons. I can’t wait for the tour to start. Please don’t burn my house down.”