Wales icon Gavin Henson says the starting fly-half for the first Test is the biggest call for Andy Farrell.
Gavin Henson thinks Owen Farrell may be called up during the Lions tour, and has made a bold call on who he thinks should wear the number 10 jersey in the first Test against the Wallabies on July 19.
Going into 2025, most rugby fans and pundits assumed that Scotland international Finn Russell would be a guaranteed starter come that first game against Joe Schmidt’s side. He’d been a star performer for Bath and excelled on the Test stage for quite some time. However, Northampton Saints number 10 Fin Smith emerged as a potential competitor after impressing for Steve Borthwick and England in the Six Nations.
Speaking in an interview with The Rugby Paper, former Wales international Henson explained that he thinks Andy Farrell would be better off selecting Smith over Russell in the first Test.
Henson explained that Russell tends to “boss” games and “everyone else has to understand and work out what he is going to do next with the ball.”
“The number 10 spot is a big decision for Farrell to make… probably the biggest,” Henson said.
“Personally, I would start with Smith. He brings other players around him into the game, whereby with Finn Russell it is more of an individual thing. You need to bring the whole game around him – and I’m not sure we have the time with the limited warm-up games to do that.
“For me, it is going to be a big call to put Russell in for that first Test because of the way he plays. He likes to boss it and everyone else has to understand and work out what he is going to do next with the ball.
“Whether that can all come together so quickly is difficult. But with Smith, it will probably just all click into place easily because he makes other players look good… it’s all about them and not just the number 10.”
One fly-half not on tour is Saracens-bound Farrell, who has not been involved in international rugby of late, after he decided to take a break for the betterment of his mental health.
Despite this, Henson believes Lions boss Farrell could pick his own son further down the line. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia.
“I believe (Andy) Farrell will get it right. He’s a great guy, great talker and a great leader. I wasn’t surprised he didn’t pick his son as he has been injured and not playing international rugby.
“But I will be surprised if he doesn’t end up out there.”
Farrell has been playing his rugby out in the Top 14 with Racing 92, but it was confirmed earlier this month that the legendary fly-half would be returning to Saracens on a two-year deal.
