British & Irish Lions call on Saffa duo

Two South Africans have been included in the British & Irish Lions’ 38-man squad for their tour of Australia.

Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe, who played in all three Lions Tests against the Springboks in 2021, returns to the set-up, while another kilted Saffa, prop Pierre Schoeman, gets a maiden call-up.

There are also three New Zealanders (Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe) and two Australians (Mack Hansen and Sione Tuipulotu) in the squad.

The Lions will be captained by Maro Itoje, who led England to a second-place finish in this year’s Six Nations.

“As a two-time tourist, Maro fully understands what the Lions is all about and also the role of the captain in helping the group achieve its goal of winning a Test series this summer,” said Lions head coach Andy Farrell.

The squad features 26 first-time tourists and nine players who will participate in their second tour, while Tadhg Furlong and Elliot Daly have been selected for a third tour.

Twenty-year-old Northampton Saints loose forward Henry Pollock, who only made his England debut in March, is the youngest member of the squad.

Your Lions 2025 squad 🦁📋 #Lions2025 #WeGoBeyond pic.twitter.com/JJ9nF2w9eh

— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 8, 2025

“Since we met as a coaching unit for the very first time six weeks ago we have been discussing more than 75 players of interest,” said Farrell, who opted not to select his son Owen, the England flyhalf who has had an injury-hit season with Racing 92.

“But the key job is getting that squad balance right as we prepare for a long and demanding tour that finishes with a three-Test series against the Wallabies.

“I am very excited about working with this group and believe they have the capacity to achieve something special and add to the Lions legacy.”

British & Irish Lions squad:

Forwards: Tadhg Beirne, Ollie Chessum, Jack Conan, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Scott Cummings, Tom Curry, Ben Earl, Zander Fagerson, Tadgh Furlong, Ellis Genge, Maro Itoje (c), Ronan Kelleher, Joe McCarthy, Jac Morgan, Henry Pollack, Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Pierre Schoeman, Dan Sheehan, Will Stuart, Josh van der Flier.

Backs: Bundee Aki, Elliot Daly, Tommy Freeman, Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen, Huw Jones, Hugo Keenan, Blair Kinghorn, James Lowe, Alex Mitchell, Garry Ringrose, Finn Russell, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Tomos Williams.

Lions 2025 schedule:
Saturday 28 June: vs Western Force, Optus Stadium, Perth
Wednesday 2 July: vs Queensland Reds, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Saturday 5 July: vs New South Wales Waratahs, Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wednesday 9 July: vs ACT Brumbies, GIO Stadium, Canberra
Saturday 12 July: vs Invitational Australian and New Zealand XV, Adelaide Oval
Saturday 19 July: vs Wallabies, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Tuesday 22 July: vs Melbourne Rebels, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Saturday 26 July: vs Wallabies, Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday 2 August: vs Wallabies, Stadium Australia, Sydney

Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images