Marcus Smith completed a remarkable turnaround to earn a spot on the British & Irish Lions bench for Saturday’s first Test against Australia in Brisbane, as high-profile names Owen Farrell and Henry Pollock were left out of the matchday squad altogether.
Smith’s inclusion is all the more striking given the fly-half was seen as an outsider at the start of the tour. His Test hopes appeared even slimmer after Farrell – a late call-up due to Elliot Daly’s injury – joined the touring party. But with Farrell omitted from the 23-man squad and Smith now covering both fly-half and full-back, it marks a personal triumph for the Harlequins star.
“Marcus has stayed patient, applied himself brilliantly and now gets a deserved opportunity,” said Lions head coach Andy Farrell. “He brings that spark and vision we’ll need in tight moments.”
Ireland dominate the starting XV with eight players, while England have four and Scotland three. For the first time since 1899, no Welsh player has made the Test squad. Jac Morgan, the sole Welshman in the 44-man tour party, loses out to England’s Tom Curry for the openside role.
Curry joins Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne and Jack Conan in a back row designed for physical dominance. Farrell called it “the biggest and most confrontational unit” the Lions could field, hinting at their strategy to meet Australia head-on at the breakdown and in contact.
Ben Earl offers back-row cover from the bench, preferred to England’s 19-year-old phenom Pollock, whose omission will be keenly debated.
In midfield, an all-Scotland axis of Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu, and Huw Jones are taksed with conjuring creativity, with the dynamic Bundee Aki named among the replacements. Hugo Keenan starts at full-back.
The front row is as expected: Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan, and Tadhg Furlong form a fearsome trio. Maro Itoje captains the Lions from lock alongside Joe McCarthy, while wingers James Lowe and Tommy Freeman provide cutting edge out wide.
“This is the business end of the tour,” said Farrell. “We’ve spoken about delivering our best performance when it matters most. That time is now.”
Australia, meanwhile, have rolled the dice. Coach Joe Schmidt has sprung a surprise by naming Nick Champion de Crespigny for a shock debut on the blindside flank. With Rob Valetini not fully fit, the former Castres man gets the nod ahead of Tom Hooper.
“Nick gives us something different,” Schmidt said. “He’s a roving scavenger, very smart at the breakdown and can add variety to our back-row dynamic.”
De Crespigny will combine with captain Harry Wilson and Fraser McReight in a mobile, abrasive loose trio. Injuries have also opened doors elsewhere. Hooker Matt Faessler starts following Dave Porecki’s head knock, while veteran props Allan Alaalatoa and James Slipper complete the front row. Slipper, a veteran of the 2013 series, becomes just the second Wallaby in the professional era to face the Lions twice.
With Will Skelton unavailable, Jeremy Williams and Nick Frost continue at lock. In another bold move, Schmidt has entrusted the No 10 shirt to 21-year-old Tom Lynagh, just four caps into his Test career.
Lynagh follows in the footsteps of his father Michael, the Wallabies great who starred against the Lions in 1989. Schmidt said the youngster had impressed in camp and shown he could “run the game with quiet confidence”.
Jake Gordon partners him at half-back, with Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii forming a new-look midfield. Max Jorgensen and Harry Potter take the wings, while Tom Wright starts at full-back.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Revival
Eminem
Interscope
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
Company%20Profile
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
The Porpoise
By Mark Haddon
(Penguin Random House)
The%20specs
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The five pillars of Islam
Zayed Sustainability Prize
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Honeymoonish
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
