Preview: Queensland Reds vs. British and Irish Lions - prediction, team news, lineups

The British and Irish Lions will resume their tour Down Under in midweek when they head to the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane to face the Queensland Reds. 

The Lions are heading into a demanding schedule, set to play four matches over 11 days, as they build momentum ahead of the opening Test against Australia on July 19.

Match preview

The British and Irish Lions secured their first victory of the 2025 tour with a commanding 54-7 win over the Western Force last week, as standout performances from their half-backs and loose forwards proved too strong for an Australian Super Rugby side. 

Indeed, Finn Russell and Tomos Williams were simply sublime, seamlessly operating off both nine and 10 in a dynamic system similar to the one used so effectively by Bath in their 2024-25 treble-winning season just completed. 

Unfortunately, Williams sustained a hamstring injury and hobbled off in the second half, and the Welshman has now been ruled out for the remainder of the tour, with Jamison Gibson-Park set to take his place at scrum-half, while Scotland's Ben White has been called up. 

The Lions ran in eight tries in Perth courtesy of Dan Sheehan, Williams (2), Elliot Daly (2), Garry Ringrose, Joe McCarthy and Alex Mitchell, with the forwards providing a powerful platform that allowed the backline to shine - something they failed to do in Dublin a week earlier against Los Pumas. 

However, despite the Lions' commanding win over the Force, head coach Andy Farrell acknowledged ahead of this match that a more challenging test awaits against the Reds - a team that he mentioned is known for their exciting style of play and tactical versatility.

Meanwhile, the Reds concluded their Super Rugby campaign in fifth place and faced the Crusaders away in the Qualifying Playoffs, where they were defeated 32-12 by the eventual champions.

Former London Irish and Ireland coach Les Kiss, set to succeed Joe Schmidt as Australia’s head coach next year, has urged his players to “rip in” against the Lions this weekend, even though his squad is missing several key figures who remain unavailable due to Wallabies commitments.

However, Kiss can call on the powerful presence of Hunter Paisami, the dynamic midfield wrecking ball who has been in outstanding form over the past year, scoring tries against both the All Blacks and Springboks during a strong 2024 Rugby Championship, while turning out as one of the standout performers in the Reds' Super Rugby campaign.

The Reds provided a stern challenge during the Lions’ last tour of Australia back in 2013, narrowly falling 22-12 in a fiercely contested match where Owen Farrell kicked four decisive penalties.

In contrast, the Lions enjoyed a much more comfortable 42-8 victory in their 2001 encounter against this opponent, with Jonny Wilkinson contributing 17 points and tries coming from stars such as Brian O'Driscoll.

Queensland Reds form (all competitions): LWLLWL

British and Irish Lions form (all competitions): WWLLLW

Team News

Queensland Reds starting lineup: 15 Jock Campbell (c), 14 Lachie Anderson, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Tim Ryan, 10 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 9 Kalani Thomas, 8 Joe Brial, 7 John Bryant, 6 Seru Uru, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Josh Canham, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Aidan Ross

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 Henr

British and Irish Lions starting lineup: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 3 Will Stuart, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter

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

© PA Photos

We say: Queensland Reds 17-37 British and Irish Lions

While the Lions secured a fairly comfortable victory against the Force in Perth, a tougher challenge is expected in Brisbane this week, but we feel the visitors will be able to pull away to victory. 

Written by
Devesh Jaganath

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