Third Test Preview: Australia v British & Irish Lions

The Test series against Australia may be done and dusted following Hugo Keenan’s late heroics last week, but Andy Farrell’s men can still end their tour in Sydney as the first British & Irish Lions team to go undefeated in a series since 1974.

2025 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS TOUR – THIRD TEST:

Saturday, August 2 –

AUSTRALIA v BRITISH & IRISH LIONS, Accor Stadium, Sydney, 8pm local time/11am Irish time (live Sky Sports Action & Main Event/talkSPORT)

Team News: Lions head coach Andy Farrell has announced his team for the final Test of the series against Australia, making two changes to the starting XV.

Matching the historic nine Ireland starters from the Melbourne clash, James Ryan’s inclusion at lock maintains that number, with James Lowe losing out to Blair Kinghorn in the battle for the left wing spot.

Thanks to Hugo Keenan’s late try in an unforgettable 29-26 comeback win, Farrell’s side hold a 2-0 lead over the Wallabies. They now have the opportunity to become the first Lions team to complete a series whitewash since 1927, and the first to go unbeaten since 1974.

Tadhg Furlong will equal the record for consecutive Lions Test starts in the professional era – joining Wales great Alun Wyn Jones on nine – as he continues in the number 3 jersey. Andrew Porter and Dan Sheehan make up an all-Irish front row once again.

Following his energy and impact off the bench last Saturday, Ryan is rewarded with his maiden Test start for the Lions. He will pack down alongside captain Maro Itoje, who has played in every Test across the last three Lions tours.

Both the back row and half-backs are retained for the third Saturday running, as Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, and Jack Conan remain in place as the loose forward trio, and Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell feature once more in the playmaking roles.

Bundee Aki makes it back-to-back starts alongside Scotland’s Huw Jones in the centre, while Keenan and Tommy Freeman are joined in the back-three by Kinghorn, who impressed as a replacement during the second Test.

Barring any further alterations, eleven players will have started all three Tests Down Under for the Lions, including number 8 Conan, who was ever-present during the 2021 series in South Africa, and his Ireland team-mates, Keenan, Gibson-Park, Sheehan, Furlong, and Beirne.

Rónan Kelleher is the tenth Ireland player involved in the matchday 23, poised for his third appearance of the series as replacement hooker. There is a six-two split on an English-heavy bench, which also includes Wales captain Jac Morgan.

Garry Ringrose was ruled out of selection earlier this week as he goes through the return-to-play protocols for concussion, while Joe McCarthy and Mack Hansen did not train on Wednesday as they work their way back from foot injuries – they are ‘85% of the way there and still making progress’, according to Farrell.

Speaking ahead of the series finale, which will broadcast live on Sky Sports Action & Main Event, the Wigan man said: “We have put ourselves in a great position to finish this tour with our best performance to date and create our own piece of history.

“Last weekend’s match in Melbourne was an incredible spectacle and illustrated how special Lions tours are, and what they mean to both the players and the supporters.

“We are expecting another epic battle on Saturday night against a Wallaby side that showed their quality last week.”

Meanwhile, veteran scrum half Nic White, who is retiring from international rugby, will wear the gold jersey for the final time as one of five personnel changes made by Australia boss Joe Schmidt.

The last of the alterations was a late one with a leg injury seeing hooker Dave Porecki withdrawn from the starting line-up. Billy Proctor will start in his place, with Brandon Paenga-Amosa promoted to the replacements.

Paenga-Amosa’s Western Force team-mates, White and Dylan Pietsch, have been brought into the back-line. The 35-year-old White will combine at half-back with youngster Tom Lynagh who will have started all three Tests against the Lions.

Pietsch, who impressed for the Force against the Lions a few weeks ago, replaces hamstring injury victim Harry Potter on the left wing. In a similar switch, Tom Hooper steps in for his injured ACT Brumbies colleague, Rob Valetini, at blindside flanker.

Tighthead prop Taniela Tupou also comes in for his maiden Test start of the calendar year following Allan Ala’alatoa’s shoulder injury. Tupou had a 45-minute run-out for the First Nations & Pasifika XV against the Lions last week.

With Schmidt reverting to a five-three bench split, Queensland Reds prop Zane Nonggorr is set to make his only appearance of the Lions tour. NSW Waratahs’ Andrew Kellaway returns to the matchday 23 as the utility back.

“The squad was certainly deflated after the gut-wrenching end to last week’s Test, but they have started to gather momentum in the back half of the week and will be ready to go again on Saturday,” said Schmidt.

“The support in Brisbane and Melbourne helped to lift the squad, and I know the support this weekend in Accor Stadium will again help to lift the players in the high-pressure moments that we know are coming.”

AUSTRALIA: Tom Wright (ACT Brumbies); Max Jorgensen (NSW Waratahs), Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i (NSW Waratahs), Len Ikitau (ACT Brumbies), Dylan Pietsch (NSW Waratahs); Tom Lynagh (Queensland Reds), Nic White (Western Force); James Slipper (ACT Brumbies), Billy Pollard (ACT Brumbies), Taniela Tupou (NSW Waratahs), Nick Frost (ACT Brumbies), Will Skelton (La Rochelle). Tom Hooper (ACT Brumbies), Fraser McReight (Queensland Reds), Harry Wilson (Queensland Reds) (capt).

Replacements: Brandon Paenga-Amosa (Western Force), Angus Bell (NSW Waratahs), Zane Nonggorr (Queensland Reds), Jeremy Williams (Western Force), Langi Gleeson (NSW Waratahs), Tate McDermott (Queensland Reds), Ben Donaldson (Western Force), Andrew Kellaway (NSW Waratahs).

BRITISH & IRISH LIONS: Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland); Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland), Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland), Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse/Scotland); Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland); Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) (capt), James Ryan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England), Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland).

Replacements: Rónan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England), Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England), Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales), Ben Earl (Saracens/England), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England), Owen Farrell (Saracens/England).

Referee: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
Assistant Referees: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR), Andrea Piardi (FIR)
TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU)
FPRO: Richard Kelly (NZR)

Pre-Match Quotes: Tadhg Furlong (British & Irish Lions) – “(Winning the series) is probably one of the more satisfying achievements that I’ve been a part of. It’s up there. It’s such a hard thing to do, and history tells you that.

“When you play for the Lions, you understand why, in terms of moulding everyone together and trying to get them on the same track, and the schedule and travel. It’s right up there.

“I’m not going to say I won’t, but I probably won’t play for the Lions again. It’s been very good to me. It’s been very good to my career. You want to play well in it.

“I’m kind of leaving a lot of that emotional stuff behind us. Without being clinical about it. You want to give the best version of yourself to it. Sometimes the last memory is the lasting memory you have in a jersey. I want it to be a good one.”

Harry Wilson (Australia) – “It probably has been one of the tougher weeks, but I think as a coaching staff and leadership group, everyone let us on Monday have a bit of a quiet day just to…because it does take a little bit to get over a tough loss like that.

“For us it was just about going back to our preparation. On Tuesday I was really proud of the group for the session we had. We went there, everyone was a bit quiet, but once we went across that white line, the energy was back.

“We quickly put it on the back burner and just wanted to focus on getting their preparation right as the week goes on. We’ve really tried to build it internally because this is still such a massive match.”

– Jack Conan completed 24 tackles in the second Test, the most of any British & Irish Lions player in a Test match since the start of the 2005 tour to New Zealand. It was the first time Conan has made 20+ tackles in a Test, in what was his 56th international appearance (51 for Ireland, 5 for Lions)

– Australia full-back Tom Wright gained 103 metres from his eight carries against the Lions last weekend, the first time a player has gained 100+ metres in a Lions Test since former Wallaby Israel Folau gained 105 in 2013’s opening fixture

– In addition to scoring the series-clinching try, Hugo Keenan also supplied the assist for Huw Jones’ first half score. It was just the second time any Lions player has both scored and assisted in a Test game since Opta have recorded this data, alongside Tom Curry who did so in the first Test in Brisbane

– Australia beat 40 defenders in the second Test, their most against any opposition since also beating 40 against Uruguay at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. It was the first time that the Lions have missed 30+ tackles in any fixture since the start of the 2005 tour

– Australia retained possession from all 19 of their lineouts last Saturday, the most throws they have had while maintaining a 100% success rate in a Test match since Opta have recorded this data. Individually, Nick Frost’s 11 takes were the most of any player against the Lions on record

– The Lions scored five tries against Australia in last week’s second Test, the joint-most they have ever scored in a Test game, and their most since scoring five against South Africa in 1974. In fact, their eight tries so far is already their most in a series since that 1974 tour (10)

– Australia have lost 10 of their 12 Tests in Sydney since the start of 2016 (W2), although heir two wins during that spell both came last year against European opposition (25-16 v Wales, and 40-29 v Georgia)

– After losses to Scotland and Ireland last November, and two losses against the Lions, Australia have lost four consecutive Tests against European opposition for the first time since 1981-1982, and could lose 5+ in a row for the first time an 11-match stretch from 1948-1961, which included four defeats to the Lions

– After winning the 2025 series’ first two Tests, the Lions have clinched a series victory with a game to spare for the first time since the 1997 tour to South Africa. However, the Lions have no gone unbeaten in a series since 1974 (W3, D1 v South Africa)

– The Lions have won nine and lost four of their previous 13 Tests against Australia in Sydney, winning their most recent by 25 points (41-16 in 2013’s third Test), their second biggest victory against the Wallabies after a 31-0 triumph in 1966

Most Recent Meetings:

2013: British & Irish Lions Tour To Australia – First Test: Australia 21 British & Irish Lions 23, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane; Second Test: Australia 16 British & Irish Lions 15, Docklands Stadium, Melbourne; Third Test: Australia 16 British & Irish Lions 41, Stadium Australia, Sydney

2025: British & Irish Lions Tour To Australia – First Test: Australia 19 British & Irish Lions 27, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane; Second Test: Australia 26 British & Irish Lions 29, Melbourne Cricket Ground