Lions call up Jamie Osborne with Blair Kinghorn to miss first Lions Test

Blair Kinghorn is to miss the opening Test of the British & Irish Lions series against Australia but has not yet been ruled out of the entire tour. While scans have suggested Kinghorn’s knee ligament injury is not as serious as initially feared, the full-back is understood to be resigned to missing next week’s first Test in Brisbane and Ireland’s Jamie Osborne has been called up as cover.

The 23-year-old Osborne will arrive in Australia on Saturday and is the third injury replacement to link up with the squad. Ben White and Owen Farrell have already filled the gaps left by Tomos Williams and Elliot Daly respectively but the Lions management are being cagey about the precise details of Kinghorn’s injury, which he suffered during the first quarter of the 36-24 win over the Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday.

Kinghorn had been widely tipped to start at 15 against the Wallabies but the spotlight now shifts to Hugo Keenan, who has been picked at full-back this Saturday in the last fixture prior to the Test series. Keenan, however, has played just once previously on this tour because of illness and the Lions management will be praying he comes through safely against a physical-looking Australia & New Zealand Invitational XV.

There is also a place on the bench for the 33-year-old Farrell, who has not played international rugby since the 2023 World Cup before stepping away from Test rugby to “prioritise his and his family’s mental wellbeing” but is now set to play his 19th game for the Lions across four tours.

Tadhg Beirne will once again lead the side while Alex Mitchell continues his sequence of being involved in every tour game to date. Significantly, too, there is a starting role for the upwardly mobile Henry Pollock who has been invited to try his luck against a powerful AUNZ side including the All Black flanker Shannon Frizell and Australia’s Pete Samu, a member of the Bordeaux Bègles side which defeated Pollock’s Northampton in the Champions Cup final in May.

The back-row battle is also destined to be a crucial element of the Test series and Farrell says the messy breakdowns in the Brumbies game have been useful practice for Tests. “With regards to interpretation and the breakdown in general, has it ever been any different in Australia?” said Farrell. “It sharpens the mind … it is such an important part of the game.”

Farrell has also insisted his squad “are in a great position” just over a week out from the first Test and is clearly keen to see what Pollock can do at blindside after another lively late cameo in Canberra. “He was good off the bench, wasn’t he?” said Farrell. “He was nice and explosive. He’s a good lineout forward as well which is a nice string to his bow. He’s like a sponge, he’s learning the whole time.”

Pollock’s England teammate Ben Earl is also among those predicting special things for the precocious 20-year-old, the youngest Lion in the 2025 squad. “Henry is far more talented than I am,” said Earl. “He is double the player I am and will continue to do great things in the game. Honestly the sky’s the limit for him. He can do things that not many players in any position can do in the world.”