British and Irish Lions v Queensland Reds live: score, commentary, updates

“We need to be better rugby players, sharper more accurate. We broke the line a lot and were not accurate enough to score.

“I am loving being part of this team, I am enjoying the challenge and spending time with all these great players.”

Jac Morgan is named man of the match; impossible to find fault with that (Stephen Jones writes) It’s been good from the Lions, now they re-set for the Waratahs match on Saturday. They are improving, and Test stars are emerging.

But the medical bulletins will be vital this evening and tomorrow in Queensland. Daly is reported to have his arm bandaged with blood seeping through.

Garry Ringrose scores late to take the score past 50, and this against a team that troubled them early. In some ways a normal day in the life: Lions strong in many areas, but at the end of a long season injuries can hurt them. Onwards

For yet another example of the extraordinary reach and significance of the British & Irish Lions it was worth watching the post-match interviews for the Sharks’ victory over Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship a day after the Lions squad announcement on May 8, because the South Africa and Sharks captain Siya Kolisi wanted to say something (Steve James writes).

“On behalf of the team, we want to say congratulations to Jac,” he said. “He is a true warrior and he really deserves his spot. With the past couple of years Wales have been going through as a nation, he has always stood out, he has always fought.”

Jac, of course, is Jac Morgan, the Ospreys and Wales flanker and captain, and one of only two Welshmen, alongside the scrum half Tomos Williams, named in Andy Farrell’s original squad to tour Australia.

● Read more: Jac Morgan: 17 defeats in a row but flanker was a Lions certainty

So 31 unanswered points for the Lions, who end up crushing the Reds. That is 106 points scored since touching down in Australia and only 19 conceded.

80+5min And there is the eighth. Garry Ringrose, who scored against Western Force, has one off the bench here. Lions set themselves up nicely from the scrum and Smith throws a miss-pass over to the Irish centre on the right touchline. The Lions breach the 50-point mark. Smith misses another kick, so it stays at 52.

80+3min Lions are pushing inside five metres and get a penalty as Reds infringe too much at the ruck. Cowan-Dickie goes for a tap penalty, and the Lions are happy to go through the phases, wave after wave pressure. Lions try to play it across the line and Reds think they have intercepted it and peel away…but they are pulled back for knocking it forward in the tackle through Tim Ryan. Lions penalty. Again. Lions scrum.

80min Doesn’t look as if Lions are going to get an eighth try as Genge coffs it up in the carry and Paisami beats several men downfield. However, the Lions win a penalty and Smith kicks to the corner. Maybe they are getting eight…

Ben Earl at centre for the Lions…who would have thought it? Winky Emoji thing to all my many mockers…

Jac Morgan is the official man of the match (Will Kelleher writes). I take it back when I said he wasn’t doing much in the first half. He’s grown into this game, and the tour, really well and had a good night.

For the Tests it feels they’ll still go for a “big 6”, so Ollie Chessum or Tadhg Beirne, with an out and out No7 either side of Jack Conan. So would you have Morgan, Tom Curry or Josh van der Flier having seen them all play properly now?

73min We’re just having a break in play as Maro Itoje receives some treatment. Elliot Daly, on the bench, looks so defeated. Fingers crossed he’s okay but his facial expressions are not too convincing. It would be such a blow for Andy Farrell after also losing Tomos Williams at the weekend. We’ve still got another three tour matches before the first Test.

Daly has a huge pack of ice on his left arm here (Will Kelleher writes). With him off, and Earl on for Bundee Aki, it means that Earl is lining up at centre off set-plays, and Tommy Freeman is at full back.

Remember all those who took the mickey out of Stuart Barnes for suggesting Earl should play in the midfield? He’s now doing it for the Lions. Barnesy knows his rugby, alright…

Joe McCarthy was man of the match on Saturday and Maro Itoje is the star man today (Stuart Barnes writes). He and Finn Russell offer different types of leadership.

One of those horrible moments (Stephen Jones writes). Elliot Daly has treatment for an arm injury, obviously in pain, he stays on but is then replaced. The Saracen has been outstanding. Let’s pray for Daly’s arm.

Daly is running with his left arm held down by his side (Will Kelleher writes). He can’t move it. Surely he has to come off? Yes. Garry Ringrose is replacing him, and Ben Earl is on too. Daly throws his bib down as he sits on the plastic seats by pitchside. That’s a sickener if he is out injured.

65min Seven heaven for the Lions. The Reds are having to take risks due to the scoreboard pressure and the men actually wearing red are gobbling them up. Huw Jones is very hungry, making the most of a mistake by the Super Rugby side and sprinting from inside his own half to the right corner. Nobody can stop him. Fair play for having the legs on him more than an hour into the game. Smith missed his conversion for the first inaccurate placekick of the day. Ben Earl is now on by the way.

Uh oh. The unmissable Lion Elliot Daly is now injured (Will Kelleher writes). He flew out of the Lions defensive line and hit captain Jock Campbell, but immediately hurt his left arm.

He retreated to the far side of the field where he yelped in pain and is now being treated by the physios. With Hugo Keenan ill, that could be a nightmare for the Lions. He is carrying on for now. Let’s hope it was just a big bruise…

Jac Morgan has been outstanding and he scores near the posts; a lot of the verve and ambition had been sapped from Reds now, just before the hour and it is satisfying for the Lions (Stephen Jones writes).

63min The Lions have taken control and it’s not surprising given how much better their bench is than Reds — they’re bringing on some unbelievable talent. It’s going to be interesting to see how they stand up against better teams such as the Brumbies and, erm, Australia. There is a worry here as Elliot Daly, who has been covering for all his injured mates, goes down in pain holding his arm. He took a whack earlier in the build-up to the Itoje try and has gone down again now. With Keenan ill and Kinghorn probably still pissed and jet-lagged, Farrell could do without his swiss army knife getting broken. Russell is on the bench with ice on his wrists — presumably just as a precaution.

60min This looks as if it could get ugly for the Reds. Bowling shoe ugly. The Lions have a sixth now and just have too much power for the home team. Aki offloads on the right touchline to Morgan, who looks set to walk it over but slips. The Lions retain the ball and pass it along the line to the left for Freeman to grab a second with a muscled finish. Another Smith kicks and the Lions have gone past the 40-point mark.

56min We have a fifth try and the touring party’s sole Welshman has it. The Reds are tiring and the Lions have injected a real burst of energy thanks to the replacements. Aki is bulldozing everyone again. Mitchell and Smith are providing such speedy ball and Morgan runs a tremendous line to barrel over the line. Smith scores his first conversion and now it’s a 23-point lead and the Lions are running away with it.

54min Here are the replacements for the Lions with new half backs in Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith, while Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Finlay Bealham form a new front row.

Jamison Gibson-Park has been astonishingly good at scrum half tonight after a long injury absence (Stephen Jones writes). His quick wits and quick feet create a try for Maro Itoje at the posts and it is 28-12 after 48 minutes.

Ok, so it’s a windy Wednesday night, and not a tight game, but I do hope the atmosphere for the Tests is a lot more — existent — than it is today at Suncorp (Will Kelleher writes). We’ve had one tiny attempt at a “Lions, Lions” but largely it’s been very flat, and quiet.

You can hear the players on the field at times, so not exactly the white-hot nature of a massive Lions Test. Hopefully the later arrivals into Australia bring the noise!

49min This game is going a bit like the Western Force game; the home team giving it beans in the first half, looking to make a splash in front of their own fans, but then the Lions get a grip and take over. Mind you, the Lions are far from polished.

This has been a classy runout from Jamison Gibson-Park, his first match on tour (Will Kelleher writes). His little sniping break puts Maro Itoje in having attracted a heap of bodies around the fringes of the ruck. Gibson-Park hasn’t played since withdrawing with a glute injury before the United Rugby Championship final, but has looked sharp here at No9.

45min That’s really clever from the Lions and Maro Itoje is over. Lions win the scrum and go through the phases with Aki making a storming carry before Gibson-Park sprints off the base of the ruck and finds Itoje in support on the inside, and there is no stopping that man mountain of muscle from there. Russell makes his fourth kick and the lead is now 16.

44min Now it’s Reds who make the handling error with Uru’s offloading not finding the clean hands of a team-mate. The Lions will be happy because, with a bit more accuracy, the Reds could have been away there. The Wallabies, you think, would have punished them there.

41min We’re back underway in Brisbane and John Fogarty, the Lions coach, has been chatting to Sky Sports.

“We’re making lots of yards in our carry. It’s nice and composed but a little bit inaccurate. There’s a couple of turnovers in there that we’d like to tidy up so there is some carry that’s a real positive and nice and composed.

“To stop the handling errors, I think maybe those guys get excited whether it’s too much in the ball, they got to think nice and clearly so they can see the picture in front of them and understand what’s happening and then be able to just make the pass nice and easy.”

Wondering what the teams were that day? Here we are.

Reds: Ben Lucas; Rod Davies; Ben Tapuai; Anthony Fainga’a; Luke Morahan; Quade Cooper; Nick Frisby; Ben Daley, James Hanson, Greg Holmes, Ed O’Donoghue, Adam Wallace-Harrison, Eddie Quirk, Beau Robinson, Jake Schatz. Replacements: Albert Anae, Sam Denny, Jono Owen, Jarrad Butler, Radike Samo, Jono Lance, Mike Harris, Dom Shipperley.

Lions: Stuart Hogg; Alex Cuthbert, Manu Tuilagi, Jonathan Davies, Tommy Bowe; Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs; Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs, Matt Stevens, Richie Gray, Geoff Parling, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton, Taulupe Faletau. Replacements: Richard Hibbard, Dan Cole, Adam Jones, Paul O’Connell, Justin Tipuric, Conor Murray, Jonathan Sexton, George North.

Referee: Jerome Garces (Fra)

In June 2013, at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, the British & Irish Lions delivered a polished 22–12 victory over the Queensland Reds. The hosts charged out of the blocks—Luke Morahan skidding through with a 50‑metre solo try early on—leaving the tourists in their slipstream.

But the Lions dug in. Owen Farrell’s flawless boot kicked them into contention—landing five penalties plus a conversion, and Ben Youngs grabbed the sole Lions try. It was gritty, it was tight: the Reds outscored the Lions in tries (2–1), but the visitors’ discipline and defence—particularly in a soggy second half—kept them ahead.

George North’s electric breaks stirred the crowd, and the Lions’ mix of steel and smarts under Warren Gatland passed a stern test before the Tests to come. In short: flashy Reds flair got applause, but Lions’ composed pragmatism claimed the win.

Result of the day? The dudes from Rugby Australia have just brought us some (actual) meat pies to have at half-time (Will Kelleher writes). Onya, lads!

Maro Itoje had a long conversation with referee James Doleman as the teams went in for half-time, probably wondering why the Lions keep getting penalised at the scrum (Will Kelleher writes).

Will Stuart has not enjoyed the first half, with a couple of penalties and a free-kick against him, although the Lions have won a couple too. It’s all a bit messy, and clunky, particularly in the bits that require cohesive teamwork.

The Lions have better individuals, and will probably win the game, but there is not too much to hang their hats on at half-time bar some neat quick passes on the gainline from the likes of Jack Conan and Ollie Chessum.

Tom Curry and Jac Morgan have gone unnoticed really, for the second time, after they were beaten at the breakdown against Argentina too. A blot on their Test copybooks?

On the positive side, Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell look far slicker than they really should, having only thrown “a couple of passes” to each other in the week, as Gibson-Park told us on Monday.

Jac Morgan is playing with one boot on here. He was in a ruck when one of the Reds players stripped it off and threw it into the crowd!

Finally one of the Lions physios hands it back to him, after a couple of minutes. Soggy left foot for Morgan for the rest of the half — nightmare.

40min The Lions have already made nine handling errors which tells you how they are trying to play with their ambition, but also that they are not doing too well. A knock-on hands Reds a scrum inside their 22 with the clock ticking into red.

A random thought. Hunter Paisami playing outside Finn Russell…

38min No try! The ball is deemed dead before the rapid Anderson can dive on it, so we’re heading back for a scrum on halfway.

37min Reds think they have hit back instantly, after Lions cannot deal with a kick off that’s bouncing all over the place. It bobbles between Gibson-Park and Conan, and Lachie Anderson is busting a gut to get there before the ball bounces dead. TMO, over to you.

How do you stop a man who literally looks like Pixar’s Mr Incredible? The answer? You don’t. The Lions do not give Reds a moment’s peace from the scrum penalty, and recycling the ball until it ends up on Van der Merwe’s wing thanks to lovely link play by Gibson-Park on the short side. He is conducting everything right now. It goes through the hands from Chessum, to Conan, and Van der Merwe dives over. Russell makes it three from three.

34min Great set for the Lions as they hold out Reds and make their way downfield. They are growing into this game and making far more metres, including in contact. They win a penalty from the scrum from inside the Reds 22 and the Lions are off quickly, varying up the game, and….

Lions take a 14-12 lead when a conventional and accurate penalty move launched Andrew Porter for the try (Stephen Jones writes). So far, a close contest and richly-entertaining.

32min This is a ruckus. It’s hard to keep up. Now the Reds are coming forward and trying to penetrate the Lions 22, but the blokes from the northern hemisphere are executing their line-speed very well…but there is space if the Reds can find it.

The Lions are mighty close to an instant response when they find Van der Merwe out wide, who rampages agonisingly close to the line. They work the ball inside to Freeman, who thinks he has gone over but it turns out that he is held up. However, Lions have a penalty, so they come again and keep it simple, allowing Porter, with help of the other big boys, to wrestle their way over from a tap-penalty by Kelleher. Russell’s kick is good and the Lions lead for the first time.

… and it happens again. A neat dab of a grubber through towards van der Merwe’s side and he doesn’t fancy it. Josh Flook beats him to the ball on the ground and the Reds are in again. I’m afraid van der Merwe is playing his way out of Test contention here already (Will Kelleher writes).

Kalani Thomas is a major handful for the Lions to cope with. He puts through a lovely dinked kick for the try — exposing Duhan van der Merwe (Stephen Jones writes).

Reds are back in front and it’s a brilliant move from them. Thomas has the ball inside the 22 in the centre, and grubbers a little nudge into the right channel for the scrum-capped Josh Flook to run onto it. He manages a sublime pick-up and scrambles it down. That was no fluke. The conversion is missed so the Reds increase their lead to five points.

The Reds have done their homework on Duhan van der Merwe… they do what England never, ever do, and kick the ball behind him (Will Kelleher writes). The Scottish wing cannot cope with it, flailing and fumbling before just about recovering. A worrying sign.

23min That was Duhan van der Merwe in a nutshell. Reds put the pressure on the Lions line, and Van der Merwe makes a real mess of the defence, putting himself in trouble in his own in-goal area after trying to catch a Reds cross-kick with one hand. So dumb. However, this is IrnDu. The Scottish machismo. And he just palms off an opponent with the greatest of ease, running out of trouble. Lions still under the pump here.

Lions overdoing the pace (Stephen Jones writes). Execution doesn’t always mean rapidity. As the Lions showed beautifully with their first try, by Tommy Freeman.

A second scrum penalty against the Lions, after their handling let them down again (Will Kelleher writes). Let’s be kind and say the back line looks clunky, with lots of individuals in it, so far.

To be fair, this team have basically had one training session to prepare for this game, but they are too often dropping balls and being stripped in contact.

The Lions reply well again and this time they win a ruck decision. Kalani Thomas tries to weave through traffic but the Lions swallow him up. Then Toomaga-Allen is off his feat. Lions go to the corner and work a wonderful move from the lineout. They get penalty advantage but don’t need it. Aki, Russell, Daly, out to Freeman who finishes in the right corner. He gets a Lions try and Russell adds the conversion. We’re all square.

17min This is very similar to the Argentina game. The Lions are pulling some fine shapes — it’s like an 80s dancefloor out there at time — but then comes the panic at the disco in the shape of a final pass. Some grunt and guile ends with Elliot Daly racing out towards the left corner. He is tracked so goes for a scissors offload with a team-mate…except there is no team-mate. Reds get the scrum, which Andrew Porter is pinged for collapsing. This has been concerning so far for Andy Farrell.

Porter, Curry and Chessum all fail to make tackles (Stuart Barnes writes). The other Reds score. In Perth, Pollock didn’t dominate the gain line. A poor start in Brisbane.

Great Reds try scored by Jeff Toomaga-Allen — one of scores of players in the sport who once played for the defunct Wasps club (Stephen Jones writes). First blood.

12 min The Lions go straight down the other end and get close but not close enough from a rolling lineout. Aki has the ball under his jumper but Reds manage to hold it up. Lions then come again through Tom Curry, but that gym rat is smashed backwards and knocks on. The Reds are on one here. They look great.

Fantastic pace and energy from the Reds in their first attack, and eventually Jeffery Toomaga-Allen goes over (Will Kelleher writes). The Lions were pinged for offside at the breakdown again – like they constantly were in Perth – in the build-up to that try. Andy Farrell criticised the Lions for being “too desperate” in that game. They need to heed those words again in Brisbane.

9min Hunter Paisami makes a wonderful break down the field through traffic — you can see why he is in the Wallabies camp. And from that the Lions are under so much pressure. Seru Uru, the flanker, gets the crowd chanting “URUUUUU” when he rattles forward. The Lions make a number of tackles in the red zone but Queensland are patient, win a penalty, and eventually the former Wasps prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen falls over the line under pressure (kind of) from Daly. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips adds the extras.

That’s two set-piece errors already for the Lions, who have struggled a bit in these areas on their tour so far (Will Kelleher writes). First Ronan Kelleher’s lineout throw is nicked in the air, and then Will Stuart is penalised for boring in at the scrum.

Tommy Freeman then knocks on having caught a high-ball. Bad start for the basics.

6 min Ah so close for Tommy Freeman, who launches his huge frame into the air to catch the high ball but knocks on in contact, and it’s another penalty for the Reds. James Lowe and Mack Hansen both impressed against Western Force, so Freeman will want to impose himself here for a better chance at the Test team.

5min Will Stuart is penalised at the scrum — he is up against Aidan Ross when packing down — and Reds kick to touch for a lineout on their ten-metre line. It’s wobbly and Itoje nearly gets it, but the hosts have it for now.

3min Itoje comes smashing through at the lineout after Russell kicked them to the 22 with that penalty. The Lions go through a bunch of phases with hard muscle. Gibson-Park, the buzzsaw with the buzzcut, is floating around but he has been pinged for a knock-on at the base of a ruck, and now it’s Reds’ ball at the scrum.

Queensland get us underway through their captain, Jock Campbell. The Lions in the usual red shirt, white shorts, blue socks with green trim. The Reds are in, errr, burgundy and navy. Gibson-Park immediately makes a great exit and the Reds’ resulting lineout ends in a Lions penalty for a knock-on. Great start for the Lions.

To all those reading this blog while watching the Sky coverage, a nod to the great Miles Harrison being in his natural habitat: on tour and on the mic for a Lions game. He wasn’t in Perth at the weekend and he was ill for much of the 2021 tour. It’s great to see him here and no doubt everyone at home will relish his quality commentary. The voice of the Lions for generations.

They’ve toned the sledging down in Brissy (Will Kelleher writes). No sledging of the “foreign Lions”. The new bloke on the PA is doing it very straight — “from Ireland, Bundee Aki” for example — rather than “the Kiwi, turned Irishman” as the guy at the Western Force went for last Saturday!

We have our first sight of Ben White the Lion. He only arrived on Monday from Scotland’s tour to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. He’s not playing tonight, but is warming up in a yellow bib with the team.

They must bring mountains of spare kit to these tours, as he’s decked in all right the gear. The original tourists were all measured and fitted for their kit in Richmond a few weeks before the trip.

I wonder if White gets an off-the-peg suit, or has to make do with slightly baggy shorts?

There are enough retailers around Brisbane selling Lions stash, that he’d have his pick of sizes, to be fair.

Incredible Elliot Daly stat courtesy @topofthemoon on X and charted by the legend @russpetty – the versatile Saracens back has played in the past 11 Lions games dating back to their first fixture in South Africa in 2021. In his three-tour Lions career, Daly has been left out of the matchday squad only four times in 22 games.

There are times after a couple of cans of Castlemaine XXXX when Jonathan Fisher and Les Kiss look back on their last days of London Irish and wonder, “What if?” Could the team they were growing in west London have challenged Northampton Saints and Bath for the Gallagher Premiership title over the past two seasons?

As for Kiss and Fisher, they landed in Brisbane. Kiss, the former Queensland State of Origin rugby league player, was offered the chance to return home after 16 years of coaching union to take charge of the Reds. The 60-year-old is now in line to succeed Joe Schmidt as Australia head coach later this year.

● Read more: Meet the former London Irish coach trying to take down the Lions

Local bookmakers are offering 30 points to back the Reds (Stephen Jones writes). Jim Tucker, the legendary Brisbane journalist, believes it will be much closer. The crowd is expected to be the biggest for rugby on the ground since the Lions were last here in 2013. The appeal endures.

The stands are filling up here, with 20 minutes to go (Will Kelleher writes). We’re expecting a near-capacity crowd of close to 50,000. The match host on the microphone has tried to check how many Reds fans are here, then Lions, by way of a cheer, and it’s safe to say that there are more from Britain and Ireland than Queensland!

Last Saturday our press seats were inside, so we didn’t really get a sense of the atmosphere, which seemed to be low-key, so I’m hoping it’s more raucous tonight. This is a rectangular ground, rather than the Oval style of others in Aussie, so the fans are more tightly packed and close to the sidelines.

Queensland Reds will be missing several key Wallabies stars who’ve remained with the national squad prepping for the upcoming Test against Fiji. Notably absent are Tate McDermott, Fraser McReight, and Harry Wilson – all co-captains or leadership figures who stayed on with the Wallabies camp. That means the Reds are set to be understrength in pivotal positions: the half-back axis, back-row leadership, and an element of power are all missing their top-tier players.

“After what we saw last weekend they took their learnings out of the Argentina game game and took him into the Western Force match,” Kiss told Sky Sports. “Yeah momentum is big. We’ve gotta be good at the contact area that’s for sure.

“They’re finding out more about themselves as well but when you can put Gibson-Park and Finn Russell together it’s a scary proposition, so we’re just gonna be confident about backing our game and we gotta match that contact area.

Can he expose a chink in the armour of friend Andy Farrell?

“I don’t think so. I think he’s just a sensational person. A great coach. The boys are buying into what he does and yeah we’re gonna have to be good on the park and hopefully we can make his beer taste even sweeter.”

The 2025 British & Irish Lions tour has been a rollercoaster of bruises, brilliance, and borderline magic. They kicked off with a nail-biting 28–24 loss to Argentina—a rare stumble that reminded everyone the Pumas aren’t just cute and cuddly. Despite the defeat, stars like Tadhg Beirne showed flashes of class, proving the Lions still have plenty of bite.

Then came the show-stopper in Perth: a 54–7 thrashing of Western Force that left fans wondering if the Lions had accidentally signed up for a demolition derby. Tries rained down like confetti, with Dan Sheehan and Tomos Williams leading the charge, and young gun Henry Pollock dazzling with his fearless runs and creative flair, proving he’s more artist than accidental tourist.

Next up: a showdown with the Queensland Reds in Brisbane.

Some big news from the Australia camp is that the two best Wallaby forwards are very doubtful for the game against Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday. Rob Valetini and the great Will Skelton both have calf injuries.

Regarding the new combination at half back of Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell (Stuart Barnes writes). There’s no hard and fast rule but if possession is fast, get it to the fly half, if it’s slow and messy let the scrum half sort via the boot or recycled forward carries.

“He’s got a bug that he couldn’t shake off – the dreaded bug that always goes around every rugby camp! A shame for him but he’ll get his chance.”

Hugo Keenan is out of the game tonight with an illness, so Elliot Daly is starting No15. That has a fair knock-on effect for the weekend’s game against the Waratahs as Blair Kinghorn was meant to start at full back. Keenan has not played a game yet, so when will his chance come? His misfortune presents another chance for Daly to rubber stamp a Test spot.

So how have the Reds been in Super Rugby this year? They kicked off with a bang, outscoring Moana Pasifika 56–36 in a wild opener that featured both attacking fireworks and three yellow cards. A fortnight later, they broke a 12-year hoodoo in Dunedin, stunning the Highlanders with dominant set-pieces and clinical finishing. By round five, they were sitting pretty atop the table after edging Western Force 28–24, thanks to a late Tom Lynagh penalty.

But momentum wobbled. A heavy 43–19 defeat to the Crusaders exposed defensive cracks, and losses to the Hurricanes and Brumbies underlined issues with discipline and decision-making. The Reds finished fifth with an 8–6 record and bowed out early in the finals—again—falling 32–12 to the Crusaders.

Despite another early exit, there were positives: nearly 40 players received match action due to injuries, and rising stars like Dre Pakeho showed enough spark to fuel hope for 2026.

Suncorp Stadium is one of the great sporting arenas — though the playing field is more than a little threadbare (Stephen Jones writes). Masses of major games are staged here, including a rugby league match two days before the Lions’ first Test against the Wallabies.

Suncorp Stadium also staged one of the most famous matches in northern hemisphere history: the England-Wales game in the knockout stages of the 2003 World Cup.

Jamison Gibson-Park gave a knowing look when he was told the story of how Finn Russell had struck up a relationship with Ben Spencer by grabbing the Bath scrum half in a headlock during a team social and demanding, “Just give me the ball. (Alex Lowe writes)”

Russell’s story, which he told before Bath’s victory in the Gallagher Premiership final, was funny because it played to the maverick reputation he had when he joined the club from Racing 92. In reality, Russell and Spencer have spent two years working out the perfect balance in their half-back partnership, allowing each of them to play to their strengths for the benefit of the team.

Russell and Gibson-Park do not have two years. They have two days and no full training sessions to form some kind of syncopation before the British & Irish Lions play Queensland Reds on Wednesday. And they have just over two weeks until the Lions play Australia in the first Test of the series, back here in Brisbane.

● Read more: Can Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell deliver Andy Farrell’s game plan?

Jamison Gibson-Park is fit to start, having overcome a gluteal strain, as is the full back Hugo Keenan, who had a calf injury and has not played since May 31 (Will Kelleher writes).

Gibson-Park pairs with Finn Russell in the half-backs, in what may become the Test playmaking partnership, with Bundee Aki and Huw Jones the centres, and Duhan van der Merwe and Tommy Freeman on the wings.

In the pack it is all change. Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher and Will Stuart move from the bench to starting against the Reds in the front row, and captain Maro Itoje is paired with Ollie Chessum, with Tom Curry, Morgan and Jack Conan the back row.

The bench has an English flavour, with Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ben Earl, Mitchell and Fin Smith joined by the Irish trio Finlay Bealham, James Ryan and Garry Ringrose.

Before we get cracking with the details, let’s remind you of the team news.

Queensland Reds: 15 Jock Campbell (captain), 14 Lachie Anderson, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Tim Ryan, 10 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 9 Kalani Thomas; 1 Aidan Ross, 2 Matt Faessler, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 4 Josh Canham, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 6 Seru Uru, 7 John Bryant, 8 Joe Brial. Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 George Blake, 18 Sef Fa’agase, 19 Ryan Smith, 20 Angus Blyth, 21 Connor Vest, 22 Louis Werchon, 23 Isaac Henry.

British & Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Andrew Porter, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje (captain), 5 Ollie Chessum, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Jac Morgan, 8 Jack Conan. Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 James Ryan, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Garry Ringrose.

Oh I love the smell of British & Irish Lions in the morning. G’day and welcome to The Times’ coverage from Brisbane as the British & Irish Lions travel to Suncorp to face Queensland Reds in the third match of the 2025 tour and the second down under. We will have all the action from on and off the field with our reporters down on the ground in Australia. It should be a cracking affair.