Owen Farrell Joins British & Irish Lions as Replacement

Former England captain Owen Farrell is set to make a reappearance for the British & Irish Lions as a replacement in their tour match against an Australia-New Zealand Invitational XV on Saturday in Adelaide. Lions head coach Andy Farrell, who is also Owen's father, called him into the squad after Elliot Daly was ruled out due to a broken arm.

Despite having not played a test match since 2023 and enduring an injury-ridden season in French club rugby, the 33-year-old Farrell has been included in the lineup. The team has seen significant changes since their 36-24 victory over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra, although several players, such as winger Mack Hansen and loose forward Henry Pollock, have been promoted to starting positions.

Marcus Smith remains on the bench after stepping in for the injured Blair Kinghorn in the previous game. Coach Farrell is anticipated to provide further updates on Kinghorn's knee injury later this week. Meanwhile, Hugo Keenan will start in the number 15 jersey, with Tadhg Beirne captaining the side as Maro Itoje takes a rest.

(With inputs from agencies.)