"Gone backwards" - Four Lions Whose Stock Fell During the 2025 Tour

While some players put on a masterclass, others got caught flat-footed — losing ground in the brutal battle for Test spots.

This isn’t just about form; it’s about survival at rugby’s highest level. Here are four Lions whose tour dreams have hit the deck hard, and whose careers now face serious question marks.

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Once seen as England’s long-term fly-half solution, Fin Smith's Lions tour has done little to advance his case — and may have set him back. Despite early buzz, he had a minimal role on tour and was left out of both Tests against Australia.

His only serious rival for a future Lions No. 10 shirt, Finn Russell, started both Tests — suggesting Smith was firmly third choice in the selectors' eyes. What’s more, George Ford has re-emerged emphatically, leading England to four straight wins this summer (France XV, two against Argentina, and USA) and putting in vintage performances full of control, intelligence, and precision.

It now looks likely that Smith will return to England camp this autumn as a bench option at best, having gone from starter in the Six Nations to surplus in the Lions’ biggest games. For a player tipped to take over the 10 jersey long-term, this tour may have stalled his momentum right when he needed to push forward.

Crowned World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year in 2022, Josh van der Flier arrived on the 2025 Lions tour with big expectations. Yet, in a stark contrast to his stellar individual accolades, he hasn’t featured in any Test match squad, nor has he been named on the bench — with Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne preferred in the back row.

Despite showing his usual work-rate and skill in midweek games, Van der Flier’s role on tour has been largely peripheral, and with fierce competition for starting spots, his chances of appearing in the final Test seem slim unless the series is already decided.

For a player once regarded as a guaranteed Lions pick, this tour has been a clear step back, highlighting the brutal realities of elite squad selection.

Four years ago, Duhan van der Merwe started all three Tests for the Lions in South Africa — a testament to his power, pace, and try-scoring instinct. Fast-forward to 2025, and despite adding to his tally of tries during the tour, the Scottish winger has been left out of the matchday squad entirely for the second Test, overtaken by Blair Kinghorn in the pecking order.

Yes, Van der Merwe remains Scotland’s all-time leading try scorer, but his tour performances have lacked the spark and physical dominance that once made him undroppable. In midweek matches, he looked uninvolved, one-dimensional, and short on defensive intensity, while Tommy Freeman and James Lowe consistently offered more complete and rounded games.

His omission from the squad for a pivotal Test match is telling — a clear sign that his finishing threat alone is no longer enough to guarantee selection at this level. For a player once viewed as a Lions Test mainstay, this tour has marked a steep and very public fall down the ladder.

Once the youngest-ever Ireland captain and seen as a natural Lions leader for the next decade, James Ryan’s 2025 tour has exposed just how far his stock has fallen. Long considered a lock-in (literally) for the Test team, Ryan failed to start in either match — and even his place on the bench for the second Test raised eyebrows.

Fan backlash said it all, with many questioning how he was selected ahead of Scotland’s Scott Cummings, who had impressed in midweek action. Ryan’s only meaningful involvement came against the Reds, where he delivered a modest 6/10 performance — solid but anonymous. Once famed for his physicality and work rate, he’s now struggling to stand out among a new generation of locks.

Joe McCarthy, meanwhile, has stormed ahead in the pecking order, starting the first Test and earning an 8/10 rating for his aggressive collisions and breakdown presence before injury cut his game short. With Maro Itoje and Tadhg Beirnemaintaining elite form, Ryan now looks more like a squad filler than a future Lions starter.

For a player once tipped to captain the Lions, this tour has marked a shift from expectation to uncertainty.