The Lions travel to Portugal this week for a training camp with 16 players missing
The British and Irish Lions ramp up their preparations this week as they head to Portugal for a warm-weather training camp, but nearly half of Andy Farrell’s squad are still preoccupied with the end of the club season.
While Jac Morgan, Tomos Williams and a number of other Lions will be hitting tackle bags in Quinta do Lago, 16 of the 38-man squad will spend this week preparing for the finals of the BKT United Rugby Championship and Gallagher Premiership.
There’s a dozen still with Leinster. Ronan Kelleher, Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Garry Ringrose, Hugo Keenan and James Lowe will all join up with the Lions next week, although the likes of Furlong, van der Flier, Ringrose and Keenan are all carrying knocks.
Bath duo Will Stuart and Finn Russell will be going up against Leicester’s Ollie Chessum in the Gallagher Premiership final.
And then there’s also Scotland full-back Blair Kinghorn, set to join the tour late after Toulouse’s Top 14 title bid – but also injured.
Ahead of flying to Portugal on Tuesday, the Lions have already lost one player to injury.
Scotland and Glasgow prop Zander Fagerson has been ruled out of a second tour, with Ireland tighthead Finlay Bealham called up in his place amid growing concern over the position.
Furlong hasn’t played since the start of May in Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton, with the prop – who has started the last six Lions Tests – struggling with a calf injury.
England prop Stuart will now be the strong favourite to start against the Wallabies, while his compatriot Asher Opoku-Fordjour travelling to Portugal as cover. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
The same goes for England hooker Jamie George, who narrowly missed out on the squad but will cover Ireland duo Sheehan and Kelleher in Portugal.
In terms of the team to face Argentina in Dublin on June 20, Farrell’s first selection could well be decided by availability and injuries.
Unless he wants a look at Marcus Smith in the position, Elliot Daly seems the likely bet at full-back. England’s Tommy Freeman should start on one wing, but the other is dependent on injuries.
Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe has been out injured since March, while Ireland’s Mack Hansen has been sidelined since April. The latter was expected back around the middle of June, while van der Merwe was said to be ready for selection had Edinburgh reached the URC semi-final.
Given the injuries, don’t rule out James Lowe being involved six days after the URC final against the Bulls.
In midfield, Farrell has Scotland duo Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones at his disposal, as well as Bundee Aki. Pairing Tuipulotu and Aki together could be tempting, although sticking with an established partnership makes sense in the first game of the tour.
The same goes for the half-backs. With no Gibson-Park or Russell – seen as the likely first-choices at scrum-half and fly-half – leaning on Northampton and England duo Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith seems the obvious choice.
Wales’ Tomos Williams, having been crowned Premiership player of the season, will be pushing for a start – although an off-the-bench partnership with Marcus Smith could make for exciting viewing.
In the pack, Ellis Genge and Pierre Schoeman are both available in Portugal so should share the load against Argentina.
With Luke Cowan-Dickie the only hooker from the original squad at this week’s training camp, he should start. The question is whether Farrell uses George on the bench or brings back one of the Leinster hookers to occupy that role.
On the tighthead, new call-up Bealham should start. Again, it’s whether Farrell gives Opoku-Fordjour a bench spot or welcomes back Stuart following Bath’s final.
You’d expect previous tourists Maro Itoje and Tadhg Beirne to start, especially as the former is the tour captain. Scotland lock Scott Cummings means there’s little need to rush back Leinster second-rows McCarthy or Ryan.
In the back-row, Conan and van der Flier’s involvement with Leinster means all of Jac Morgan, Tom Curry, Ben Earl and Henry Pollock should get minutes against Argentina.
Wales captain Morgan should start, with it likely a toss-up between Earl and Pollock for the No. 8 jersey.
Possible Lions team v Argentina: Elliot Daly; Tommy Freeman, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Finlay Bealham, Maro Itoje (c), Tadhg Beirne, Jac Morgan, Tom Curry, Ben Earl.
Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Pierre Schoeman, Will Stuart, Scott Cummings, Henry Pollock, Tomos Williams, Marcus Smith, Bundee Aki.
