Scotland no longer on Lions outside looking in - we are attacking heartbeat of team to face Australia

Andy Farrell’s team for the first Test against Australia is made up of eight players from Ireland, four from England and three from Scotland. Jac Morgan, the last remaining Wales player in the wider squad, did not make the match-day 23.

The selection of Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones means Scotland provides the creative axis around which the tourists will try to outwit their hosts in the opening skirmish of a three-Test series the Lions are expected to win with something to spare.

It is a trio which possesses an abundance of skill, flair and, in the case of Tuipulotu, a pugnacious competitiveness that is hard to resist. But it was not so long ago that Scotland were on the outside looking in when it came to the Lions.

No Scots played in the three Tests against New Zealand in 2017 and there was only a fleeting appearance off the bench by Richie Gray in Australia four years earlier.

Now they are the attacking heartbeat of Farrell’s side, with the coach keen to tap into the midfield chemistry developed over the last few seasons in Gregor Townsend’s Scotland side.

This is Russell’s third Lions tour but his first as undisputed top dog. At 32, he has had to be patient and this chance is long overdue for one of the most brilliantly talented playmakers these islands have produced. He becomes the first Scot to start at 10 for the Lions since Townsend in South Africa in 1997.

In many ways, Tuipulotu’s selection is the most fascinating. Born and raised in Frankston, Victoria, he played for Australia at under-20 level but was overlooked for full Wallabies honours and his career took him to Japan and then Scotland.

Speaking at the start of the season, the Glasgow Warriors centre said he used to feel “professional anger” about his treatment at the hands of Australian rugby. He channelled it in the right way and is now at peace with his career path. He qualifies for Scotland through his granny from Greenock but will still feel he has a point to prove on Saturday.

His duel with Wallabies centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii promises to be one of the more combustible head-to-heads at Suncorp Stadium. The pair clashed at Murrayfield in November when Tuipulotu scored a try in Scotland’s 27-13 win. The Aussie wunderkind tried to take out Tuipulotu with a mighty hit but just seemed to bounce off the Scotland captain. Tuipulotu went over to have a word with Suaalii at the next break in play and the Wallaby centre didn't take too kindly to it. In fact, he had come off far worse in the initial collision and had to be replaced. The former rugby league man looked decidedly miffed as he trudged off.

“I’ll see you next time,” was his message to Tuipulotu.

In front of the Scottish ‘creatives’ will be a powerful and experienced pack led with quiet authority by Maro Itoje who will have Ireland’s Joe McCarthy alongside him in the second row. Flankers Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne have been given the nod for the series opener in a fiercely competitive back row, with Jack Conan at No 8.

The front row is an abrasive Anglo-Irish combination of Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong whose tour performances suggest they are capable of holding their own.

Australia have been in the doldrums for a long time but have jumped to sixth in the latest world rankings and showed glimpses of their old selves during their autumn tour of Europe. They beat England and Wales and ran Ireland close and in Joe Schmidt have an astute coach who used to be Farrell’s boss. But the New Zealander goes into this first Test without some key personnel.

Both Rob Valetini, the powerful loose forward, and Will Skelton, the experienced lock, are missing with calf injuries. Noah Lolesio, their first-choice fly-half, is also absent which means a call-up for Tom Lynagh, a relative novice.

Lynagh is the son of Wallabies great Michael and, at 22, is 10 years Russell’s junior. He faces the most stringent examination of his rugby career on Saturday and how he copes is likely to go a long to shaping the outcome of what should be a fascinating first Test.

Teams for Australia v Lions

First Test, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, 11:00 BST.

Australia: Tom Wright; Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Harry Potter; Tom Lynagh, Jake Gordon; James Slipper, Matt Faessler, Allan Alaalatoa, Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (c). Replacements: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, Tom Robertson, Tom Hooper, Carlo Tizzano, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Andrew Kellaway.

Lions team: H Keenan (Leinster/Ireland); T Freeman (Northampton/England), H Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland), S Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland), J Lowe (Leinster/Ireland); F Russell (Bath/Scotland), J Gibson-Park (Leinster/Ireland); E Genge (Bristol/England), D Sheehan (Leinster/Ireland), T Furlong (Leinster/Ireland), M Itoje (Saracens/England) (C), J McCarthy (Leinster/Ireland), T Beirne (Munster/Ireland), T Curry (Sale/England), J Conan (Leinster/Ireland). Replacements: R Kelleher (Leinster/Ireland), A Porter (Leinster/Ireland), W Stuart (Bath/England), O Chessum (Leicester/England), B Earl (Saracens/England), A Mitchell (Northampton/England), M Smith (Harlequins/England), B Aki (Connacht/Ireland).

Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (NZ).