When the British & Irish Lions run out at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium this Saturday for their first Test against Australia, the small Carmarthenshire town of Llandovery will once again have a personal stake in the action.
For the second straight series, a player who once wore the red and white of Llandovery RFC will wear the red of the Lions — this time in the shape of Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne.
A key figure in Andy Farrell’s back row selection, Beirne’s inclusion gives the Drovers something to cheer, even in the absence of a current Welsh Lion in the matchday squad.
Beirne made two appearances for Llandovery during the 2016-17 season, facing off against Cardiff and Pontypridd.
Now, the Irish forward will pack down as one of eight Irishmen in Farrell’s starting XV — a side that remains unbeaten on tour following five wins on Australian soil.
Farrell praised Beirne’s versatility and work ethic as key reasons behind his selection.
“The combination of Tadhg Beirne, being the type of player that he is, as far as his quality in the set-piece, but also his all-round ability either on the floor as a tackler or a ball-playing six, I think, complements Jack Conan,” the Lions head coach explained.
While Beirne lines up in the back row, Welsh rugby supporters may feel the sting of what might have been, after Jac Morgan narrowly missed out on selection.
“He was as close as you could imagine,” said Farrell. “You’re actually gutted for players like that… they are all playing good rugby and could well easily be in this side on Saturday.”
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Farrell opted instead for England’s Tom Curry, noting the intense competition for back row places.
“The back row is the hotly-contested part of the side… because of the quality that we’ve got there. Obviously we feel that that’s the right balance for the first Test. Tom being the engine that we all know that you need in regards to Test-match football.”
The Lions go into Saturday’s clash as strong favourites, not just due to their unbeaten tour but also due to Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt — the former Ireland boss — dealing with several key absences, including Noah Lolesio, Rob Valetini, and Will Skelton.
Despite this, Australia captain Harry Wilson remains defiant.
“We’re very confident. We’ve had a really good week preparation… we feel like we’re in a really good place,” said Wilson.
But Aussie optimism will have to contend with a dominant Lions pack and a potent Scottish midfield trio in Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu, and Huw Jones.
For the faithful in Llandovery, however, the Test match is already a point of pride — their connection to the Lions lives on through Beirne, a player whose journey has taken him from Church Bank to the very highest stage in world rugby.
The tourists remain unbeaten in all five matches on Australian soil with victories over Western Force, Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs, Brumbies and an Australian and New Zealand Invitational XV.
Farrell's men return to the Suncorp Stadium for the first time in 12 years where they were narrow 23-21 winners over the Wallabies in 2013.
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The Lions went on to win that series, 2-1, with a thumping and decisive victory in the final Test after an unexpected defeat in Melbourne.
So far, there have been 23 Test matches between the two teams with the Lions winning 17, compared to Australia's six.
At a 74% win rate, that’s comfortably their highest against any of the three Southern Hemisphere nations they traditionally tour.
Some fans may remember the last time Australia defeated the Lions in an opening Test – a ruthless victory from Michael Lynagh and co. in 1989 – but none will remember the only other time, given that it came back in their first-ever meeting in 1899.
Michael’s son Tom will try to orchestrate a repeat of that victory from 36 years ago, with the 22-year-old fly-half earning his first Test start in this match.
The Wallabies beat Fiji 21-18 in their only warm-up match in Newcastle and have a familiar face in their coaching set-up in head man Schmidt.
The Kiwi is no stranger to the 15 Ireland players who were selected for the tour, as the 58-year old coached the Irish team from 2013-2019, where he won three Six Nations titles and took them to world number one for the first time.
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Australia: Tom Wright; Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Harry Potter; Tom Lynagh, Jake Gordon; James Slipper, Matt Faessler, Allan Alaalatoa, Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (captain)
Reps: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, Tom Robertson, Tom Hooper, Carlo Tizzano, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Andrew Kellaway
British & Irish Lions: Hugo Keenan; Tommy Freeman, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, James Lowe; Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park; Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Maro Itoje (captain), Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Jack Conan
Reps: Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Bundee Aki
