The 42 Reports from Canberra

LIONS HEAD COACH Andy Farrell has named eight Irish players in his strong starting XV for Wednesday’s warm-up clash with the Brumbies [KO 11am Irish time, Sky Sports]. 

This game is being viewed as a Test rehearsal for the Lions, with their opening meeting against Australia 10 days later. There is one more warm-up game ahead on Saturday against an AUNZ Invitational team, but this Brumbies clash has increasingly looked like the last opportunity for Farrell to run most of his Test combinations.

Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell will resume their halfback pairing at Gio Stadium, while Irish centres Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose start together. 

Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn gets his first Lions start at fullback, making up the back three with James Lowe and Tommy Freeman.

Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong are picked in the front row with Ellis Genge, while Ireland’s Joe McCarthy partners captain Maro Itoje in the second row.

Jack Conan is at the heart of a back row that is completed by English pair Tom Curry and Ollie Chessum, the latter at blindside.

There are four more Irish players on the bench in Rónan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Josh van der Flier and Mack Hansen, who will play in his hometown of Canberra.

Interestingly, the Lions bench includes two back rows in van der Flier and Henry Pollock despite Farrell going for a 5/3 split, with Chessum providing second row cover from within the starting XV.

Lions (v Brumbies):

15. Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse/Scotland)
14. Tommy Freeman (Northampton/England)
13. Garry Ringrose (Leinster/Ireland)
12. Bundee Aki (Connacht/Ireland)
11. James Lowe (Leinster/Ireland)
10. Finn Russell (Bath/Scotland)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster/Ireland)

1. Ellis Genge (Bristol/England)
2. Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Ireland)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Ireland)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) (captain)
5. Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Ireland)
6. Ollie Chessum (Leicester/England) 
7. Tom Curry (Sale/England)
8. Jack Conan (Leinster/Ireland)

Replacements:

16. Rónan Kelleher (Leinster/Ireland)
17. Andrew Porter (Leinster/Ireland)
18. Will Stuart (Bath/England)
19. Josh van der Flier (Leinster/Ireland)
20. Henry Pollock (Northampton/England)
21. Alex Mitchell (Northampton/England)
22. Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England)
23. Mack Hansen (Connacht/Ireland)

Written by Murray Kinsella and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.