England’s young player Henry Pollock was the biggest surprise in the British & Irish Lions squad announced on Thursday. The 20-year-old flanker has played only 30 minutes of international rugby but still earned a spot in coach Andy Farrell’s team.
Earlier this year, Pollock was playing for England’s under-20 team. Since then, he has impressed everyone, especially with a strong performance for Northampton against Leinster last week—watched live by Farrell. That match helped secure his place in the squad heading to Australia.
Maro Itoje was officially named team captain, as many expected. The rest of the squad was announced in alphabetical order, starting with the forwards and then the backs.
Pollock’s name received the loudest applause from nearly 2,000 fans who had paid £65 to attend the announcement event at London’s O2 Arena.
Also Read: Kambosos Thinks Hitchins Needs Help to Fill Seats
Owen Farrell, son of coach Andy Farrell, and Ireland’s Sam Prendergast were not selected for the British and Irish Lions squad. Instead, the three fly-half spots went to Marcus Smith, Fin Smith, and Finn Russell.
The final name announced was Tomos Williams, who joins Jac Morgan as the only two players from Wales in the team.
Williams will compete with England’s Alex Mitchell and Ireland’s Jamison Gibson-Park — one of 12 players picked from Leinster — for the scrum-half role.
Ben Curry missed out on selection, while his brother Tom Curry was chosen for the highly competitive back-row positions.
Scotland’s Sione Tuipulotu, who missed the Six Nations due to a chest injury, was included. Fellow Scots Duhan Van der Merwe and Blair Kinghorn were also selected, even though they are currently injured.
Kinghorn, who plays for Toulouse, is expected to miss the first few games of the tour because his club is still competing in the French Top-14 league.
“First of all, I want to say congratulations to everyone who made the team. It’s a special moment they’ll always remember,” said Farrell.
“For those who didn’t get picked, I’m sorry. But don’t give up—things can change before the tour starts or even during it. So stay ready, stay healthy, and we’ll be keeping an eye on you.”
The Lions will play their first match against Argentina in Dublin on June 20. They have five warm-up games before the first test match in Brisbane on July 19. The second and third tests will be on July 26 and August 2.
Lions Squad:
The forwards chosen for the British and Irish Lions squad include: Tadhg Beirne, Ollie Chessum, Jack Conan, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Scott Cummings, Tom Curry, Ben Earl, Zander Fagerson, Tadhg Furlong, Ellis Genge, team captain Maro Itoje, Ronan Kelleher, Joe McCarthy, Jac Morgan, Henry Pollock, Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Pierre Schoeman, Dan Sheehan, Will Stuart, and Josh van der Flier.
Backs:
The backs selected are: Bundee Aki, Elliot Daly, Tommy Freeman, Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen, Huw Jones, Hugo Keenan, Blair Kinghorn, James Lowe, Alex Mitchell, Garry Ringrose, Finn Russell, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, and Tomos Williams.
