Having witnessed another glorious Lions vs Wallabies Test rugby series I thought I’d share my combined Wallaby and Lions team based on the Tests.
1. James Slipper: This should have been the most difficult position to make a selection, but because both of the premier looseheads in world rugby were used off the bench, it is one of the easiest ones. Angus Bell was underused as was Ellis Genge, who had more impact on the series than most of the Lions tight-five, despite spending many more minutes on the bench. I think Genge was the best loose-head on display, but I am selecting a starting side, from the starting sides, and so James Slipper is in as an easy choice ahead of Andrew Porter.
2. Dan Sheehan: He was the standout tight-five player of the series for the Lions. His line-out throwing was almost perfect, and he was a menace around the field in open play. Remember, according to World Rugby, he didn’t cleverly take advantage of their little-known directive, from a couple of years back, aimed at allowing wingers to dive for tries, in a sinister, exploitative manner. He and the referee didn’t forget that the clarification back then also stated that you still can’t just dive over a tackler to avoid them if it puts someone’s safety at risk. Jumping headfirst into a defensive line from a penalty-tap is perfectly safe, don’t you know. Had the reverse occurred, it would not have resulted in a Wallaby being penalised. Yeah right.
3. Tadhg Furlong: Some say he is the best Lions tighthead of all time, and that is a major statement. Did he have the impact in this series he would have liked? Probably not, but he accounted for himself well in everything he did. Had we seen more game time from the starting Wallaby tightheads, either through selection, tactics or remaining injury free, it may have resulted in a different selection. Regardless, it would be a brave man to not select Furlong in any side around the world and in any era, even if by his standards he was relatively quiet.
4. Will Skelton: My player of the series, and the most influential player of the series. I was not a fan of his selection in the first place, but I am happy to have had my serving of humble pie. Picking Australians playing from overseas has finally worked, this time it seems. His impact on the series was so immense, I think we should start calling it the ‘Skelton Law’ and park the term ‘Giteau Law’ forever. This should provide the catalyst for Rugby Australia to stop spending so much money on outside backs and start investing more contractual money into our all-important tight-five players. I’ll chip in if needed.
Will Skelton of the Wallabies reacts during the third test of the series between Australia Wallabies and British & Irish Lions at Accor Stadium on August 02, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
5. Maro Itoje: He does unremarkable things so well that he doesn’t have to do anything particularly remarkable to be considered great. If you can understand that unremarkable sentence, you are doing great! The point is he is one of the true legends of the game, and this series epitomises that. His absence due to concussion during third Test proved how much he is worth to any team he plays for. A Saracens, England and Lions stalwart, he is irreplaceable, and in this squad with such great depth that is indeed saying something.
6. Tadgh Beirne: This is an obvious one, but with a caveat. Had Rob Valetini not succumbed to injury, I do not doubt that Beirne, the official winner of the player of the series, would not have been selected in a combined team. Beirne had a tremendous series as one of the better performers from either side, and he deserves all the plaudits he gets. That cannot be said without mentioning the amazing cameo performance from Bobby V in Melbourne, or the awesome performance from Tom Hooper in the Sydney Test.
7. Tom Curry: There seems to be a plethora of quality opensides from the home nations, so making that starting No.7 jersey for the Lions was an achievement in itself. A good standard for a No. 7 is to make the opposition despise you, and Curry did that and more. Both starting No. 7s are a credit to themselves, but Curry had more of an impact, and so he gets a nod over an equally admirable opponent in Fraser McReight, who I think is the better player but just not in this series.
8. Harry Wilson (captain). I will start by saying I am a huge fan of this man and have been since he arrived on the scene at the Reds. That is noteworthy because I am a Waratah fan. People talk about the insanity of going to a World Cup without the likes of Michael Hooper, but not enough was said about the fact that Harry Wilson was also left out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup squad. There were many more who were inexplicably left out but those two being left out altogether was tantamount to treason. Wilson was an awesome presence in this series and yet again validated his position in the team with his carries, defence and his underrated work-rate. He completely owned Maro Itoje in those verbal exchanges in Melbourne, and so he also gets my nod as captain.
9. Jake Gordon: I have gone with Gordon with the caveat that Tate McDermott would come on as my reserve No.9, in the role that he is currently doing so well. Gordon displayed his usual quality pass and kicking game in the first Test. When the opportunity arose in the second Test he displayed his astute attacking game. Of course, all the scrum halves on display in this series showed they have comparable attributes. What separates Gordon from the others is his quality defence, which a lot of people do not notice. For a scrumhalf he does an unusual amount of tackling, and he rarely misses. This is what separated him from the other scrumhalves in contention from this series.
10. Finn Russell: An obvious choice from a two-horse race where one is still wet behind the ears. Russell’s performance in the third Test was uncharacteristically poor, but his performance in the first two games can not be ignored. In saying that, Tom Lynagh has Test rugby written all over his face in the same way he has a target for illegal clean-outs also written all over his face. Ones that go suspiciously unnoticed by TMOs despite being broadcast on the big screen for all to see, and despite that the TMO knew he had to go off for a head injury assessment.
There is no shame in being second best to Finn Russell at this stage of your career. Russell’s pass for the Tuipulotu try in game one was worth any price of admission.
11. Dylan Pietsch: His performance in the third Test was enough to jump ahead of all the other candidates for the left wing spot. He scored an excellent try, he made one particularly great dominant tackle, and he had a genuine impact on the game due to his general rugby nous. What a lot of people don’t know about Pietsch is that he indeed started rugby life as a backrower, before his stint in rugby sevens. Therefore, unlike many other wing options, he is much more of a threat in other facets of play, which he showed on Saturday night. One can not mention the number 11 selection without also mentioning that James Lowe is still being reported as missing. No one has seen or heard from him since the national anthem at Suncorp. There was some speculation that he may have been seen at the MCG a week later, but no one is certain.
Dylan Pietsch of the Wallabies celebrates after scoring a try during the third test of the series between Australia Wallabies and British & Irish Lions at Accor Stadium on August 02, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
12. Len Ikitau: Started the series quietly, for his standards, but finished the series arguably the best player on the field in the third Test. I think he complements his current Wallaby centre partner extremely well, and I am sure their combination should not be tinkered with. Ikitau made a mammoth amount of carries and a mammoth amount of tackles. If the Lions did not know who he was before the series, now they do because they would have been picking off bits of Len Ikitau splintered all over them in the showers after the game. The fact that no one in their sane mind would dare suggest that the great Bundee Aki played better than him is all we need to know.
13. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii: I have been waiting for this young man to play in this series for years, having known through the grapevine that he was coming up through the juniors. It broke my heart to see him waste his time in league for a while, but because he came back for this series, and the Rugby World Cup ahead, all is forgiven. At No.13, he will need to get used to the fact that he may not get many touches, so when he does, he simply has to make them count. He did just that in this series. There was a slight question mark on his ability in defence after the first two games, but I think that is a little harsh considering that his position is the most difficult place to defend in a rugby team. He tackles with his heart, and he passes with a rugby brain, and that is all you can ask from a player being paid so much money to run with the ball. One thing I noted, having watched the Sky Sports UK commentators discuss him, is how much they rate him. They see him as one of the most exciting prospects in world rugby, and it is hard to argue with them. I believe if he and Len Ikitau stay fit, they could go down in Wallaby history as one of the better centre combinations we’ve had. A special mention goes to Huw Jones, who is a world-class No. 13 in his own right. He played well in the first two games before being forced to play wing for the majority of the third Test.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii of the Wallabies is tackled during game one of the series between Australia Wallabies and British & Irish Lions at Suncorp Stadium on July 19, 2025 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
14. Max Jorgensen: He is a sensational player. As a Waratah fan, I was also aware of his progression through the junior ranks, but I wasn’t sure of whether he could live up to all the hype until this season and this series. There were glimpses of his capability in early 2023, but I still thought he was prematurely put into the Wallaby set-up under the misguided and surprisingly unastute Eddie Jones. Max always needed at least a year in a professional setup to earn his stripes first. For the Waratahs and the Wallabies in 2024, and now more so in 2025, he has increasingly shown that he is at a level of his own, and so I am not surprised at how well he did in this series, taking his chances when they came. The boy has become a man, and this man is now ready to show the world that he is a potential Wallaby great and a genuine world XV-calibre player. My only question is, does he belong on the wing, or would he better serve the team as Christian Culleneque fullback? I have a feeling it will be the latter.
15. Tom Wright: He had enough moments of brilliance to be selected ahead of the Lions’ contenders at fullback. I am not convinced that Wright is the best fullback in the country because I think he too often chooses the wrong time to run. I’d rather see him go back to the wing where I think he will most benefit the team, but I am just glad he is in the match-day squad. Another player that inexcusably missed out on World Cup selection, in 2023, he has unfinished business on that front, and he has again shown he is a danger for any opposition defence.
So there you have it, my combined Wallaby and Lions team of the series. I’m calling them the Liollabies. Who would you select?
Mike Hodhttps://https://ift.tt/o3ndFta Wallabies, six Lions in a combined XV for the BIL tour – with Will Skelton as man of the series
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