The British & Irish Lions squad for their 2025 tour to Australia has been announced, with eight Scots selected by head coach Andy Farrell as part of a 38-strong group.
The three-Test tour, which includes a further seven matches, is the 10th time that the Lions have travelled to face the Wallabies, from an inaugural series in 1899 up to the last time the sides faced off, in 2013.
Scottish playing representation in 2025 is spearheaded by Finn Russell, the mercurial Bath Rugby stand-off having been selected to appear on a third such trip, following on from a late call-up during the 2017 tour to New Zealand, before earning a Test cap against South Africa four years ago.
Duhan van der Merwe, who started all three Test matches against the Springboks last time out and now boasts more than 30 international tries, is named as part of Farrell’s back-three stable.
Also selected for a second tour is Zander Fagerson, who featured in four matches in 2021, and a Lions Test cap in 2025 will be of great ambition to the Glasgow Warriors tighthead.
Fellow prop Pierre Schoeman, whose showings since his 2021 debut against Tonga have lodged the Edinburgh Rugby loosehead firmly amongst the country’s favourite players, joins fellow front-row Fagerson.
Scott Cummings, whose last international appearance actually came against Australia in November last year, is selected as part of the second-row stable.
The remaining 2025 tourists, representing a sparkling Scottish backline, are all first-time Lions, with Warriors centres Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones primed to take their international partnership to the ultimate level, with versatile Toulouse star Blair Kinghorn rounding off a Scottish contingent that mirrors the eight selected in 2021.
Overall, there are four Glasgow Warriors and two Edinburgh Rugby players named in Andy Farrell’s 38-player group, with Russell and Kinghorn playing their trades in England and France respectively.
There are a total of 10 fixtures for the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, beginning with friendly against Argentina in Dublin on 20 June, before nine further games Down Under. The opening Test is in Brisbane on 19 July, with two more to come in Melbourne (26 July) and Sydney (2 August).
The 2025 British & Irish Lions Squad in full:
Forwards: (21)
Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland) #838
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England)
Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #839
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks/England) #851
Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/ Scotland)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England) #853
Ben Earl (Saracens/England)
Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) #848
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #818
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England)
Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) #825 (C)
Ronan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales)
Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England)
Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
James Ryan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England)
Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Backs: (17)
Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) #837
Elliot Daly (Saracens/England) #822
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England)
Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Mack Hansen (Connacht Rugby/Ireland)
Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)
Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse/Scotland)
James Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England)
Garry Ringrose (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland) #835
Fin Smith (Northampton Saints/England)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England) #855
Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)
Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) #841
Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby/Wales)
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
