Five Talking Points From Lions Squad Announcement

So nan first roar of nan 2025 Lions has been heard - immoderate aged cats who person prowled this terrain before, immoderate cubs who are experiencing this for nan first time.

And Henry Pollock, a beast truthful uncommon it's still difficult to find nan correct connection for him.

Head coach Andy Farrell has picked 38 men for nan trek to Australia and location are almost arsenic galore talking points arsenic players. Here are five.

Some big-name casualties. No Jamie George of England and nary Dewi Lake of Wales.

Many people will person had some of them progressive but their places person gone to Ireland's back-up hooker, Ronan Kelleher, and England's Luke Cowan-Dickie.

Dan Sheehan was ever going to beryllium selected and he's nan very clear frontrunner to commencement successful nan first Test.

Hopes will not person been precocious successful Wales, but 2 Lions is by a region their lowest-ever total.

There was mention of Blair Murray arsenic a bolter astatine full-back and much talk of Taulupe Faletau perchance coming successful for nan desperately unlucky Caelan Doris, who misses out.

That's truthful cruel. From captaincy contender to couch-sitter. It's a horrible athletics astatine times.

Marcus Smith is successful astatine 10 and arsenic screen astatine 15, pinch Blair Kinghorn apt to miss nan first 2 aliases 3 games because of his commitments pinch French nine Toulouse.

Elliot Daly is different who tin deputise arsenic 15. Scotland would person been hoping to get Tom Jordan picked successful that inferior domiciled but it's fallen to Daly instead.

There was a world of speculation astir nan 10s.

A large run had formed astir Owen Farrell, sparked successful portion by Johnny Sexton, nan Lions adjunct coach, who said antecedently that he would prime him successful his Test squad.

Through wounded and deficiency of shape successful France pinch Racing, Farrell Jr - boy of leader Andy - doesn't make it. Wonder what Sexton made of that successful nan action meeting. His man - out.

Farrell Sr whitethorn not person wanted nan circus of having his boy successful nan squad and, rather possibly, Owen wouldn't person wanted to beryllium portion of it either. Intrigue there.

Ireland's Sam Prendergast besides had a bandwagon, but nan wheels fell disconnected successful a disastrous show against Northampton connected Saturday.

Some aged characters were tipping location would beryllium nary Finn Russell successful this squad. He's location and his conflict pinch nan superb tyro Fin Smith for Test starts will beryllium exhilarating.

There's nary getting distant from it - nan spot successful nan backmost statement is immense and location were ever going to beryllium large names missing out.

Flanker Jack Willis is 1 of them. He's been sensational astatine Toulouse but if Farrell was prepared to hold for Kinghorn, past he hasn't afforded nan aforesaid latitude to Englishman Willis.

Mainly because he doesn't person to. He has much than capable artillery without him. Maybe nan melodramatic emergence and emergence of 20-year-old England backmost rower Pollock put paid to his chances also.

There's nary Ben Curry, nary Chandler Cunningham-South, nary Faletau. They'll beryllium devastated, but nan history of nan Lions tells america that injuries will hap and replacements will beryllium parachuted in. The database of standbys will beryllium impressive.

Scotland will beryllium very happy to person 8 - 1 short of their all-time precocious - but nan galore fans of winger Darcy Graham will beryllium crestfallen.

The wee man has X-factor and is successful flying form. He was beardown successful nan Six Nations, offers existent gait and is arsenic brave arsenic a lion, only he's not a Lion.

That's an eyebrow-raiser because Ireland's Hansen hasn't played since nan mediate of April and doesn't person nan state that Graham offers.

He's a clever rugby player, though, and he has a instrumentality successful caput coach Farrell. This mightiness person been a telephone wherever familiarity won nan day.

Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park was ever a shoo-in and England's Alex Mitchell was nailed-on to beryllium nan 2nd scrum-half.

There was a batch of statement astir who nan 3rd and last 9 would beryllium - Tomos Williams aliases Scotland's Ben White? The Welshman has won nan race.

England World Cup-winner Matt Dawson went White connected a podcast during nan week, reckoning that his style of play mightiness champion suit what Farrell is looking for. Williams, though, is simply a terrific player. Smart and dynamic.

The telephone will person travel down to good margins. The agony and ecstasy of nan Lions writ large.