Former England captain Owen Farrell has been named in the replacements for the British & Irish Lions‘ tour match against an Australia-New Zealand Invitational XV in Adelaide on Saturday.
Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne will captain the Lions for the second time as Maro Itoje — captain in their win against ACT Brumbies on Wednesday — is rested.
Lions head coach Andy Farrell brought son Owen into the squad last week following Elliot Daly’s broken arm, which ruled the versatile back out of the three-match test series against the Wallabies.
The 33-year-old playmaker Farrell slots in despite not playing a test since 2023 and after coming off an injury-plagued season in French club rugby. The match-day squad is much changed from the lineup that laboured to a 36-24 win over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday, though several players have been retained.
Winger Mack Hansen and loose forward Henry Pollock, who each played off the bench against the Brumbies, were included in the starting 15. England back Marcus Smith has also been retained on the bench after replacing injured fullback Blair Kinghorn in Canberra.
Farrell will be expected to give an update on Kinghorn’s fitness at a press conference later on Thursday, with the player struggling with a knee problem. Hugo Keenan will start in the number 15 jersey in Kinghorn’s place.
