James O’Connor has returned to the Wallabies squad almost three years after his last Test, with the veteran fly-half included to potentially face the British and Irish Lions in the first Test in Brisbane on July 19, live on Sky Sports.
Australia head coach Joe Schmidt looked for some experience in his 36-man squad named on Friday following a reported spinal injury to his first-choice playmaker Noah Lolesio.
O’Connor, who started at fly-half in all three matches of the 2013 losing Lions series, played the last of his 64 Tests for Australia in 2022.
The inclusion of 35-year-old O’Connor, who was part of the Crusaders’ Super Rugby Pacific-winning line-up this year and will be playing in England from September having agreed to join Leicester Tigers, was one of only two changes from Australia’s squad that faced Fiji last weekend.
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Dan Biggar and Ronan O’Gara discuss the main weaknesses of the Lions which Australia could look to exploit
“Obviously, I had a few conversations with James during the year and he had a good Super season for the Crusaders,” Schmidt said.
“He stayed close. He stayed connected the whole way through. So that experience can potentially help the players again, particularly our young 10s, as they continue to progress as well.”
With the Wallabies having a week to prepare for the first Test, Schmidt did not name a captain.
With 20 forwards and 16 backs, there are two uncapped players in ACT Brumbies wing Corey Toole and Western Force back-row Nick Champion de Crespigny included in the squad.
James Slipper, the record-holder for most Wallabies appearances with 144 tests, could also join O’Connor and retired Test great George Smith in playing for Australia in consecutive British and Irish Lions series.
“Slips is going to get a second shot at it potentially, and that’s really exciting for him,” said Schmidt. “His longevity is something that is quite incredible in the game, and part of what makes Slipper a little bit special is he’s always challenging himself to get better.”
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Highlights from the fourth game of the 2025 tour as the British and Irish Lions beat the ACT Brumbies in Canberra
Forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini, who were both unavailable for Australia’s 21-18 win over Fiji due to calf injuries, were included.
Veteran scrum-half Nic White will finally get a chance to play a Test against the Lions after injury ruled him out of the 2013 series, while playmaker Tom Lynagh can follow in the footsteps of his father Michael, who played against the 1989 Lions.
“As Wallabies coaches, we have tried to balance continuity with form and freshness, but there were some very tight calls,” Schmidt said. “We’re conscious of how special it is to play the British and Irish Lions, so for those selected in the squad, they’ll be competing for test jerseys, while also trying to help others prepare.
“We need to improve our accuracy and cohesion with a very short runway leading up to the first test here in eight days.”
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Four-time British and Irish Lions head coach Sir Ian McGeechan has selected his first Test XV to take on Australia
The Lions are 4-0 in Australia since a 28-24 loss to Argentina in a warm-up in Dublin, having beaten all of Australia’s Super Rugby franchises. Before a win over the Brumbies this week, they defeated the Western Force, Queensland Reds, and New South Wales Waratahs .
The second Test in the series is July 26 in Melbourne before the third on August 2 in Sydney.
Australia 36-player squad for first British and Irish Lions Test
Forwards (20): Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, Josh Canham, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Matt Faessler, Nick Frost, Langi Gleeson, Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight, Zane Nonggorr, Billy Pollard, David Porecki, Tom Robertson, Will Skelton, James Slipper, Carlo Tizzano, Taniela Tupou, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Harry Wilson.
Backs (16): Filipo Daugunu, Ben Donaldson, Jake Gordon, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Tom Lynagh, Tate McDermott, James O’Connor Hunter Paisami, Dylan Pietsch, Harry Potter, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Corey Toole, Nic White, Tom Wright
British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Sky Sports
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Watch the British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia exclusively live on Sky Sports this summer
Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests against the Wallabies and six warm-up matches to be shown exclusively live.
