Lions offer Test selection clues in strong side to face Brumbies

Maro Itoje returns to captain the British and Irish Lions against the Brumbies in Canberra as Andy Farrell offers perhaps his strongest hints yet of who is in the frame for Test selection.

With the opening encounter with the Wallabies just 12 days away, Farrell names what looks to be close to his strongest side for the penultimate fixture before the first Test in Brisbane.

Itoje partners Joe McCarthy in the second row with Ollie Chessum stationed on the blindside in a back row that also includes Tom Curry and Jack Conan.

Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell are brought back in to take the half-back shirts, with Irish pair Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose combining in the centres for the first time in Lions red.

Late arrival Blair Kinghorn moves to full-back having made his first outing on the wing in the sloppy win over the Waratahs on Saturday, allowing James Lowe and Tommy Freeman to wear 11 and 14.

There is no place in the 23 for Owen Farrell, who landed in Sydney on Friday and is still working through jet-lag protocols. The Englishman is in line to feature on Saturday in Adelaide in the fixture against an Australia and New Zealand invitational XV.

Canberra-born Mack Hansen, meanwhile, is in line to feature against his former side four years after leaving the Brumbies for Connacht.

“In 2013 the Brumbies beat The British & Irish Lions in Canberra and this year they were the leading Australian team in Super Rugby - so we are fully aware of the challenge in front of us,” head coach Farrell said.

“It will also be a special occasion for Mack Hansen as he returns to his hometown and gets the opportunity to play for and represent the Lions against some of his old teammates.”

While Lions coaches in the past have typically looked at most of their likely first-choice team in the game seven days ahead of the opening Test, Farrell appears to have gone one match earlier with the Brumbies coming off of an impressive Super Rugby Pacific campaign in which they were beaten semi-finalists.

The cohesion that the club has will likely provide a tougher challenge than the invitational XV, who will come together this week for the game in Adelaide.

A seven day gap after that game does leave plenty of time for others to force their way in, and Farrell will have no firm decisions made just yet. In 2017, Elliot Daly and Liam Williams appeared set to miss out on first Test selection against the All Blacks only to perform sufficiently well in the midweek side just days before hand to force Warren Gatland’s hand.

The XV picked against the Brumbies, though, has the look of the sort of side that may be fielded in Brisbane: front rowers Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong again combine having united off the bench against the Waratahs.

Chessum’s presence in the starting side means that Farrell eschews any lock cover on a bench in which Henry Pollock features, with the 20-year-old now over the tight calf that forced his withdrawal from the Waratahs game.

Lions XV to face the Brumbies in Canberra (Wednesday 9 July, 11am BST): 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Tadhg Furlong; 4 Maro Itoje (capt.), 5 Joe McCarthy; 6 Ollie Chessum, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Jack Conan; 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 10 Finn Russell; 11 James Lowe, 12 Bundee Aki, 13 Garry Ringrose, 14 Tommy Freeman; 15 Blair Kinghorn.

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Josh van der Flier, 20 Henry Pollock; 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Mack Hansen.