Pollock returns to Lions bench to face Brumbies after injury scare

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Henry Pollock has been named on the British and Irish Lions bench to face the ACT Brumbies on Wednesday having been a late withdrawal from the tourists' previous game with a calf concern.

Pollock was selected in the starting XV to face the New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday but was withdrawn shortly before kick-off as the Lions went on to secure an unconvincing 21-10 victory in Sydney.

Any concern that the decision was more than precautionary was dismissed on Monday as head coach Andy Farrell named the 20-year-old Northampton back row forward in his latest matchday 23.

Captain Maro Itoje returns to lead the side, with Scotland's Blair Kinghorn the only player from Saturday's starting lineup to keep his place in the XV, as he switches from the wing to full back.

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British and Irish Lions side to face ACT Brumbies - live on Sky Sports

British and Irish Lions: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 5 Joe McCarthy, 6 Ollie Chessum, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Jack Conan.

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

Pundits pick their starting XV to face Australia

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The Sky Sports Rugby team discuss who they would select in each position for the Lions Test squad

Former British and Irish Lions Sam Warburton and Will Greenwood have predicted Andy Farrell's Test side to face Australia and believe five spots remain up for grabs.

Two-time Lions tourist Warburton (2013, 2017 - both as captain) and three-time Lions tourist Greenwood (1997, 2001, 2005) presented a potential Test XV in the aftermath of the Lions' 21-10 victory over the Waratahs on Saturday.

In the forwards, the positions of tighthead prop, openside flanker and blindside flanker were flagged as areas where there are no current favourites.

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Highlights: Lions' tour so far

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Highlights from the fourth game of the 2025 tour as the British and Irish Lions took on the Waratahs at the Sydney Football Stadium

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Highlights from the third game of the 2025 tour as the British and Irish Lions took on Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium.

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Highlights from the second game of the 2025 tour as the British and Irish Lions defeated Western Force.

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Highlights from the opening game of the 2025 tour as the British and Irish Lions took on Argentina in Dublin.

British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Sky Sports

Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests against the Wallabies and six warm-up matches to be shown exclusively live.

British and Irish Lions 2025 tour schedule

Date Opponent Venue
Friday, June 20 Argentina (L 28-24) Dublin
Saturday, June 28 Western Force (W 54-7) Perth
Wednesday, July 2 Queensland Reds (W 52-12) Brisbane
Saturday, July 5 NSW Waratahs (W 21-10) Sydney
Wednesday, July 9 ACT Brumbies Canberra
Saturday, July 12 Invitational AU-NZ Adelaide
Saturday, July 19 AUSTRALIA (first Test) Brisbane
Tuesday, July 22 First Nations & Pasifika XV Melbourne
Saturday, July 26 AUSTRALIA (second Test) Melbourne
Saturday, August 2 AUSTRALIA (third Test) Sydney

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