A secret society of Lions prop ‘gladiators’ has been formed in the early stages of this Australia tour, but amid the bonds of new friendships, these competitive beasts are jostling for places in their own complex hierarchy.
With a fortnight to go until the first Test against Australia in Brisbane, the front row battle lines will continue to be drawn on Saturday, as the tourists confront the reinforced Waratahs in their third game Down Under.
As it stands, selection is still up for grabs and for the pillars of the pack on duty at Allianz Stadium, the presence of the giant known as ‘Tongan Thor’ will serve to focus minds on a fixture of seismic importance.
Wallabies tighthead Taniela Tupou will line up for the hosts as he seeks to revive his fading hopes of being involved in the series against the Lions, after a torrid season and ahead of a summer move to Racing 92 in France.
While he has been grappling with a chronic loss of form and confidence, Tupou has the physical clout to target what has been a creaking British and Irish scrum, while also wreaking havoc with his carrying around the field.
First up to lock horns with him in the set piece will be Scotland’s South African loosehead, Pierre Schoeman, who has already emerged as one of the characters of this 2025 crusade. He has spoken about how the mix of props in Andy Farrell’s squad, from England, Ireland and Scotland, have been forming connections as they compete for places.
Pierre Schoeman revealed that the Lions prop ‘gladiators’ have formed a secret society
Ellis Genge is gunning for the No 1 shirt, with Schoeman calling him a ‘powerhouse’
Finlay Bealham, another who is contention to start, came up with the idea for the society
‘We are almost like a gladiator when all the gladiators come together,’ he said. ‘It is nice knowing each other and learning from each other. You have to get along. You have to make it work. It is like a mini unit and the engine has to go.’
It is all very hush-hush when the props get together, apparently. ‘We have a prop group that none of our other team members are allowed on,’ added Schoeman. ‘No hookers, just props. We are like bison, migrating together.
‘We have a secret meeting every night. Finlay Bealham started it and now all the props have bought in. We stick together and have a tea after every training session and we get to meet each other’s families and ask deep questions. It is just for props in our group, in whatever hotel we live.’
Schoeman is gunning for the Lions No 1 shirt in the Test series. So is Ellis Genge. Lately, they have been in neighbouring beds. ‘I room with Ellis at the moment,’ said Schoeman.
‘If I snore too much, he gets grumpy, so I snore more. I know a lot of things about Gengey. I’ve sat through phone calls. I know all his business friends, family, everything. I have asked him to phone my family as well!
‘He’s brilliant. He’s a powerhouse in the scrum as well as his carries. He’s not afraid to make a shot and he’s experienced as well.’
The respect and camaraderie between the rivals will intensify, but so will the competition for places. There are three auditions left before Test selection time.
Genge put a marker down at loosehead with a scrummaging onslaught and some rampaging ball-carrying in the pre-tour fixture against Argentina, so now Schoeman and Andrew Porter of Ireland are having to respond. It’s certainly not a done deal in that position yet.
Tadhg Furlong has much experience but wasn’t at his best against the Western Force
Will Stuart has been outstanding for England and Bath but struggled against the Reds
As for tighthead, it is wide open and perhaps even a source of nagging concern to Andy Farrell and his coaching staff. Australia-born Ireland prop Finlay Bealham is alone among the trio of contenders in really putting his hand up so far, against the Pumas – having wept when the head coach called to inform him of his late call-up, at the age of 33.
Tadhg Furlong is the veteran with all the pedigree, who started the last six Tests that the Lions have played. But he was way off his vintage best in the demolition of the Western Force.
That left the door wide open for Will Stuart – outstanding for Bath and England in recent months – to seize his opportunity, but he was unable to do so in a patchy performance against the Reds in Brisbane.
In other positions, emphatic Test cases have been made, notably by Joe McCarthy in the second row, by Jac Morgan at openside flanker and by Elliot Daly at full-back, before his tour was cruelly ended. On Saturday, Farrell will want to see his props similarly rise to the occasion and provide more of a robust platform for the Lions to further develop their all-singing, all-dancing gameplan.
Yet, the task of gelling unfamiliar units can be decidedly tricky, as Furlong explained, saying: ‘Think of the amount of connections in the scrum; tighthead is on hooker with shoulder and arm. Hooker is on to loosehead’s shoulder and arm. Then you have second row coming in with two points of contact with the three of them (front-rowers).
‘There are so many touch points in the scrum and you’re scrummaging with people who have different methods to what you’re used to. It’s not insurmountable, but it’s about getting on the same page.’
Andrew Porter is another option for the Lions, with there being uncertainty over who will start
That will have to happen or the Waratahs will target any chinks in the ‘gladiators’ armour. The Lions are certainly alert to the danger posed by Tupou, with Farrell saying: ‘I know he was in the Australian squad, he’s now dropped out to play against us, so I suppose he’s got a point to prove. I’m sure he’ll be well up for that. He’s very disruptive, to say the least. He’s certainly got power and pace on both sides of the ball, that’s for sure.’
Set-piece resilience has to be a priority for the Lions and their secret society, given the threat coming their way. If Tupou is deemed expendable, it is an indication of the Wallabies’ enhanced potency in the scrum. Gone are the days when they were easy prey in that area.
For their warm-up fixture against Fiji, Ulster-bound Angus Bell has been named among the replacements – and he was arguably the best loosehead in the world last year. If Will Skelton can recover from injury in time to play in Brisbane, Joe Schmidt’s Australia pack will be armed with the biggest tighthead lock in the world, to add colossal ballast behind the front row.
So, the clock is ticking for the Lions. Through all these clandestine daily meetings and the sharing of a four-nation stock of talent and know-how, they must clarify their hierarchies and brace themselves for a truly gladiatorial contest.
