Only two Welsh players have made Andy Farrell’s 38-man British and Irish Lions squad, as Maro Itoje captains the team on their 2025 tour of Australia.

Jac Morgan, Wales captain during the 2025 Six Nations, and Tomos Williams make the Lions touring party, with the small number of Welsh tourists a reflection on the team’s recent struggles.

Wales have lost their last 17 test matches, including back-to-back Six Nations wooden spoons. This poor international form may have counted against the likes of Dewi Lake, Dafydd Jenkins, Taulupe Faletau, and Nicky Smith who were all thought to be in with a chance of selection.

Elsewhere in the squad, 20-year-old flanker Henry Pollock is the major beneficiary of Caelan Doris’ untimely shoulder injury, with the Northampton Saints tyro making the plane after putting in some massive performances in 2025.

Pollock has only been capped by England once – against Wales at the end of the Six Nations, where he scored two tries as a substitute – and had only played one English Premiership match before this season.

Sam Prendergast, a surprise exclusion from the squad, misses out in place of Scotland co-captain Finn Russell and English playmaking duo Marcus Smith and Fin Smith. It also means that Owen Farrell, England stalwart and Andy Farrell’s son, also misses out.

Morgan and Williams are Wales’ only Lions, with a contingent of just two making Wales’ lowest ever on a Lions tour.

Big Names Miss Out

As well as Prendergast and Farrell, plenty of talented players and former Lions tourist missed out on selection.

Two-time Lion Jamie George misses out, as does Welsh hooker Lake, as Farrell opts for Dan Sheehan, Ronan Kelleher, and Luke Cowan-Dickie in the number two shirt.

In the backs, England’s George Ford, Ireland’s Robbie Henshaw, and Scotland trio Ben White, Darcy Graham and Tom Jordan also fail to make the plane.

In the ultra competitive back row sees Scotland regulars Matt Fagerson, Jamie Ritchie, Rory Darge, and Jack Dempsey miss out, as do Faletau and Aaron Wainwright of Wales, Ben Curry, Jack and Tom Willis of England, and Ireland flankers Peter O’Mahony, Caelan Doris, and Ryan Baird.

12 Leinster Players Make the tour

Andy Farrell, who is on secondment from his usual role as head coach of Ireland, has lent heavily on Irish players in his squad. 15 Ireland players make the Lions squad, with 13 English, 8 Scottish, and just two Welsh.

Remarkably, 12 players from Irish club side Leinster will be representing the Lions this summer, with Blair Kinghorn the only French-based player making the tour.

With Tomos Williams currently playing for Gloucester Rugby, Jac Morgan is the only Wales-based player in the squad.

Lions Touring Party:

Forwards

Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) (capt)

Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland)

Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England)

Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks/England)

Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/ Scotland)

Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England)

Ben Earl (Saracens/England)

Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)

Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England)

Ronan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales)

Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England)

Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

James Ryan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland)

Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England)

Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Backs

Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland)

Elliot Daly (Saracens/England)

Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England)

Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Mack Hansen (Connacht Rugby/Ireland)

Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)

Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse/Scotland)

James Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England)

Garry Ringrose (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland)

Fin Smith (Northampton Saints/England)

Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England)

Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)

Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland)

Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby/Wales)

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