An injury to Lions star Blair Kinghorn has left head coach Andy Farrell short of fullback options for the upcoming test series against Australia.
Scotland international Kinghorn, 28, hobbled off the field early on as the Lions beat ACT Brumbies 36-24 in Canberra on Wednesday.
Kinghorn looked in some pain as he left the field after just 25 minutes.
Wednesday’s game was just his second appearance on tour, having linked up with the squad after club side Toulouse’s victory in the French Top 14 final.
Able to play across the back line, losing Kinghorn’s versatility would be a major blow.
The Lions have already lost one utility back, with Elliot Daly ruled out of the tour.
Englishman Daly broke his arm against the Queensland Reds.
As a result, the Lions now only have one out-and-out fullback in the squad.
England’s Marcus Smith, primarily a fly-half, replaced Kinghorn against the Brumbies.
But the only recognised fullback now fit is Irishman Hugo Keenan.
Keenan himself has barely featured after pulling out of the Reds game with illness.
That leaves the Lions short on depth and match fitness at fullback, especially if Kinghorn is ruled out.
The Scotsman faced a race to be fit for the end of the season after a nasty knee injury earlier in the year.
Blair Kinghorn left the British & Irish Lions' clash with the Brumbies in the 24th minute after an early knock in Canberra 🤕
There will now be a nervous wait on his fitness for the Test series ⏳ pic.twitter.com/loBUfUXKmY
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) July 9, 2025
Andy Farrell Hopeful About Blair Kinghorn Injury
After the game, Lions head coach Andy Farrell was upbeat about Kinghorn’s fitness.
He told Sky Sports: “I was just speaking to him then, someone landed on his knee and he felt a little bit of something.
“He’s walking around so hopefully it’s not too serious.”
Farrell will be desperate not to lose another back from the touring party.
As well as Daly, scrum-half Tomos Williams was ruled out of the tour following a hamstring injury against the Western Force.
The Lions aren’t the only ones to be dealt major injury blows in recent weeks, though.
Wallabies first choice fly-half Noah Lolesio will also miss the test series ofter a neck injury against Fiji in Australia’s sole warm-up game.
Who Will Play Fullback For The Lions After Blair Kinghorn Injury?
Of course, like Andy Farrell, we are hopeful that Blair Kinghorn will be fit and firing to face the Wallabies on 19 July.
But should he be ruled out, the options to replace him are pretty thin on the ground.
Hugo Keenan
The most obvious choice, and the one we expect Farrell to go with, is Ireland’s Hugo Keenan.
A 46-cap international and key member of the Irish starting 15, Keenan is hugely experienced and extremely reliable.
The Leinster man has played next to no minutes on tour, however.
We therefore expect him to be involved on Saturday as the Lions take on the combined Australia and New Zealand XV.
But with minimal game time and questions over his match fitness, the options soon thin out if Keenan is struggling.
Marcus Smith
Aside from Keenan, Marcus Smith is the next logical possibility.
The Harlequins and England star has been used almost exclusively at fullback on tour.
And with Daly’s injury, many expect Smith to move onto the Lions’ bench for the test series due to his ability to cover both 10 and 15.
But while he has played there a lot over the past couple of seasons, Smith is still inexperienced at fullback at the highest level.
And with his ability to cover multiple positions, we expect him to be used from the bench against the Wallabies.
Mack Hansen
Moving into the more unlikely realms of possibility, we have Mack Hansen.
The Australian-born Connacht and Ireland winger has played at fullback on occasion.
He has also impressed on tour for the Lions, with head coach Farrell singling out Hansen for praise due to his work-rate against Western Force.
But fullback is by no means the 27-year-old’s preferred position.
We therefore think that the test team won’t see Hansen at 15, but there’s an outside chance he fills in there for the midweek game between the opening two tests.
Tommy Freeman
Last but not least, Tommy Freeman can also play fullback, and has done a few times in his career.
Like Hansen, the England flyer is far better on the wing.
But Freeman’s aerial ability means he is well suited to the 15 jersey.
However, most pundits and commentators expect him to start the test series on the wing, us included.
It therefore seems extremely unlikely Freeman would be deployed at fullback, either for the tests or the final midweek game.
British And Irish Lions Fixtures 2025
- Friday, 20 June – Lions 24-28 Argentina, Dublin (Aviva Stadium)
- Saturday, 28 June – Lions 54-7 Western Force, Perth (Optus Stadium)
- Wednesday, 2 July – Lions 52-12 Queensland Reds, Brisbane (Suncorp Stadium)
- Saturday, 5 July – Lions 21-10 Waratahs, Sydney (Allianz Stadium)
- Wednesday, 9 July – Lions 36-24 ACT Brumbies, Canberra (GIO Stadium)
- Saturday, 12 July – Lions v Invitational AU & NZ, Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)
- Saturday, 19 July – Lions v Australia, First Test, Brisbane (Suncorp Stadium)
- Tuesday, 22 July – Lions v First Nations & Pasifika XV, Melbourne (Marvel Stadium)
- Saturday, 26 July – Lions v Australia, Second Test, Melbourne (Melbourne Cricket Ground/MCG)
- Saturday, 2 August – Lions v Australia, Third Test, Sydney (Accor Stadium)
