British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has named an XV for Saturday’s opening Test against Australia in Brisbane that excludes any Welsh players, ending a sequence that stretches back to 1896. The match-day 23 contains 11 Irish, nine English and three Scottish players, with Maro Itoje captaining from lock. England’s Tom Curry starts at openside flanker ahead of Wales captain Jac Morgan, while Finn Russell directs play at fly-half and Hugo Keenan anchors the back three. Farrell played down the historic omission, saying selection was based purely on form, but the decision underscores the current fragility of Welsh rugby, which only recently ended an 18-match national losing streak. Josh van der Flier, Ireland’s 2022 World Rugby Player of the Year, is another high-profile absentee, leaving a back-row of Tadhg Beirne, Curry and Jack Conan to take on the Wallabies. Australia head coach Joe Schmidt must cope without four front-line forwards—Will Skelton, Rob Valetini, Langi Gleeson and hooker David Porecki—through injury. Schmidt has handed first Test caps to 22-year-old fly-half Tom Lynagh, who starts on his home Reds ground, and blindside flanker Nick Champion de Crespigny. Veteran prop James Slipper and No. 8 Harry Wilson lead a side that Schmidt concedes begins the series as underdogs. Kick-off at Suncorp Stadium is scheduled for 11:00 BST (20:00 local) on 19 July. The teams will meet again in Melbourne and Sydney as the Lions chase their first series win over Australia since 2013.