Owen Farrell to captain Lions against First Nations and Pasifika XV
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Owen Farrell will lead the British and Irish Lions in their last midweek game of the Australian tour on Tuesday against the First Nations and Pasifika XV in Melbourne.
It will be the 20th time Farrell has played for the Lions and his first starting appearance since being drafted into the 2025 squad late as injury cover by his father Andy Farrell, the head coach.
The former England captain went on as a second-half replacement against the AUNZ invitational XV on July 12 in his first game since early May. It’ll be the first time on four tours that he’ll be captaining the Lions in a game.
The Lions are 6-0 so far on the tour Down Under, including a 27-19 victory over the Wallabies in the first test at Brisbane on Saturday night.
Leading into the test series, the Lions beat Super Rugby franchises Western Force,Queensland Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies and an Australia-New Zealand invitational XV.
After the First Nations and Pasifika XV game, the Lions will turn their attention back to trying to clinch the test series in Melbourne on Saturday night. The third test is in Sydney on Aug. 2.
Owen Farrell will play at inside center in a midfield partnership with Jamie Osborne of Ireland.
Scotland scrumhalf Ben White will combine with England flyhalf Fin Smith in the halves.
Blair Kinghorn will return from injury to play fullback in an all-Scotland back three with Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe.
Jac Morgan, the only Welshman left in the 44-man squad, will start on the blindside flank in the tour game in a backrow that also includes young England No. 8 Henry Pollock.
Three days after being involved in the 23-man squad for the first test, backrower Ben Earl and inside backs Alex Mitchell and Marcus Smith will sit on the bench for the tour game. Garry Ringrose is returning from injury to take a spot on the replacements bench.
Andy Farrell said the match gave all Lions players “another opportunity to put their hand up for selection for the final two tests.”
“The coaches’ minds are open when it comes to selection, they have to be with so many players performing and pushing for places.”
The First Nations and Pasifika squad was selected from players with Indigenous, Fijiian, Samoan, Tongan, Maori and Cook Islands heritage and will be guided by Toutai Kefu, who won a World Cup with Australia and is head coach of Tonga.
Flyhalf Kurtley Beale, who played for Australia against the Lions in the 2013 series, will lead the team which also includes Wallabies contenders Taniela Tupou, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Seru Uru, Filipo Daugunu and Andy Muirhead.
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Squad: Blair Kinghorn (Scotland), Darcy Graham (Scotland), Jamie Osborne (Ireland), Owen Farrell (England, captain), Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), Fin Smith (England), Ben White (Scotland); Henry Pollock (England), Josh van der Flier (Ireland), Jac Morgan (Wales), Scott Cummings (Scotland), James Ryan (Ireland), Finlay Bealham (Ireland), Jamie George (England), Pierre Schoeman (Scotland). Reserves: Ewan Ashman (Scotland), Rory Sutherland (Scotland), Tom Clarkson (Ireland), Gregor Brown (Scotland), Ben Earl (England), Alex Mitchell (England), Marcus Smith (England), Garry Ringrose (Ireland).
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby