Mark July 19, 2025, down in your calendar.
That's the date the British & Irish Lions will run onto Suncorp Stadium to face the Wallabies in Brisbane, ending a 12-year wait for the tourists' return Down Under, after they put away Australia 2-1 in a gripping series in 2013.
Twelve years prior, it was the Wallabies who lifted the Tom Richards Cup, denying a Jonny Wilkinson-inspired and Martin Johnson-led Lions in a memorable finale in Sydney.
What makes the Lions Tour so special for Australian players - and equally their New Zealand and South African counterparts when they visit those nations - is the fact that in all but the rarest of cases, it is a once-in-career opportunity.
George Smith was the exception in 2001 and 2013, while James Slipper could also face the Lions on two separate tours if he can get his 35-year-old legs through another Super Rugby Pacific season.
So which other Australian players are in the running for the historic series? Ahead of Super Rugby Pacific kick-off on Friday, we've dropped the first edition of our ESPN Wallabies Tracker.
PROP
Entrenched: Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, James Slipper, Taniela Tupou
In the hunt: Zane Nonggorr, Alex Hodgman, Matt Gibbon, Isaac Kailea, Tom Lambert, Rhys van Nek, Blake Schoupp, Massimo de Lutiis, Tom Robertson
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is likely to select six props in his squad, which could number anywhere from 31-37 players. At this stage, it would be hard seeing any of Alaalatoa, Bell, Slipper and Tupou missing out, leaving just a couple of spots to be filled.
Injuries are however a part of the game and it is reasonable to expect that at least one, and probably more, of those guys will spend some time on the sidelines during Super Rugby. Slipper, meanwhile, is poised to call time on his career after the Lions and the veteran battled injury and concussion throughout 2024.
Nonggorr will start 2025 as the tighthead prop next in line, having been called onto the bench for the Wallabies final Test of 2024 against Ireland, but there are also huge raps on young Queenslander Massimo de Lutiis, who was the surprise inclusion in the camp Schmidt conducted in early January. Meanwhile, Isaac Kailea has surprisingly been omitted from the Waratahs' 23 for their season opener against the Highlanders.
Elsewhere, Schoupp is on his way back from a long injury layoff, so too Tom Robertson, who was once seen as the Wallabies' third-choice tighthead. But the news is not good for Robertson's Force teammates, Harry Hoopert and Harry Johnson-Holmes, with both men sustaining season-ending ACL injuries in recent weeks.
HOOKER
Entrenched: Matt Faessler, Brandon Paenga-Amosa
In the hunt: Lachie Lonergan, Josh Nasser, Dave Porecki, Billy Pollard
Where hooker was once a position of little depth in Australian rugby, it has in recent times improved significantly to the point that there will be a real battle for the right to face the Lions later this year. If fit, both Faessler and Paenga-Amosa should be walk-up inclusions, the former establishing himself as the premier rake in the country after first graduating to Test rugby under Eddie Jones. Paenga-Amosa, meanwhile made an impressive return from his French stint, a greatly improved lineout throw adding to his already strong scrummaging and general play output.
Behind that duo, both Nasser and Pollard saw Test action in 2024 and will better for the experience. However it will be the return of former Wallabies captain Dave Porecki and Brumbies hooker Lachie Lonergan that will most intrigue Schmidt. Porecki has not played since the 2023 World Cup, a debilitating Achilles injury sidelining him for the entirety of last season, while Lonergan played only the first few weeks of Super Rugby before his season was ended by a nasty broken leg.
Porecki is well regarded for his set-piece prowess, while Lonergan is busier around the field and an accurate lineout thrower.
LOCK
Entrenched: Nick Frost, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Jeremy Williams
In the hunt: Angus Blyth, Josh Canham, Will Skelton, Darcy Swain, Tom Hooper
In Nick Frost, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Jeremy Williams, Schmidt has a lovely blend of athleticism, abrasiveness, set-piece quality and work rate; the trio appears poised to see plenty of action across the three Tests with the Lions.
Given his decision to step away at the end of the Rugby Championship, Schmidt may then be inclined to take a punt on what may be a very weary Will Skelton, particularly if the hulking lock's La Rochelle do not go deep into the Top 14 and Champions Cup playoffs. If Schmidt decides against that move, then he has several interesting options to consider, depending on what exactly he is after.
Josh Canham is an excellent ball-carrier who should benefit from playing in a quality Reds pack, while Ryan Smith and Angus Blyth are very much in the worker category. The player of most intrigue perhaps is Swain, who has moved from the Brumbies to Force in the hunt for a fresh start. He needs a big season in the west to return to the Test frame for the first time since 2022.
Tom Hooper, who can play at lock and in the back-row, has made the decision to head offshore at season's end, which has likely shuffled him down the pecking order despite his versatility.
BACK-ROW
Entrenched: Fraser McReight, Carlo Tizzano, Rob Valetini, Harry Wilson
In the hunt: Charlie Cale, Langi Gleeson, Liam Wright, Seru Uru, Rob Leota, Luke Reimer
It's clear that Schmidt has settled on his first-choice back-row of Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight and skipper Harry Wilson, while Carlo Tizzano proved a capable replacement, particularly defensively, for the Queensland No. 7 while he was injured last year.
Langi Gleeson, like Hooper, has made the decision to head offshore and while he still holds hopes of a start against the Lions, if the likes of Rob Leota, Liam Wright and Seru Uru are fit and in-form, Gleeson will likely shift down the selection chart.
Beyond that, Luke Reimer is the third-choice No. 7 should injury hit either McReight or Tizzano, while Charlie Gamble needs a big season with the Waratahs to put himself back in the frame. Queensland youngsters Joe Brial and John Bryant both toured with Australia A last year, while there are big wraps on Force recruit Nick Champion de Crispegny, who has returned home after a successful stint in France.
SCRUM-HALF
Entrenched: Jake Gordon, Tate McDermott, Nic White
In the hunt: Ryan Lonergan, Isaak Fines-Leleiwasa
The Wallabies start 2025 with a clear pecking order at halfback: 1. Gordon, 2. McDermott, 3. White. And without any major injuries, it's hard to see that changing, nor how anyone can broach that triumvirate's stranglehold on the position. Schmidt loves McDermott's energy off the bench, leaving Gordon to start and White to deputise when the Waratahs skipper needs a spell or the Force veteran is better suited to a particular opposition.
White is certainly nearing the end of his career, and it would be unlikely he makes it all the way to the 2027 World Cup, particularly with a new coach set to bring at least a tweaked approach to the Wallabies at the end of 2025. Lonergan has long been considered the fourth-string option, despite Issak Fines-Leleiwasa being taken to the 2023 World Cup behind McDermott and White.
Keep an eye out for young Waratahs halfback Teddy Wilson who despite being overlooked for Round 1 this weekend, has a classy all-round game. Wilson also captained the Australia under-20s.
FLY-HALF
Entrenched: Noah Lolesio
In the hunt: Ben Donaldson, Tane Edmed, Tom Lynagh
Mismanaged at Test level for years, Noah Lolesio enjoyed a consistent run in the Wallabies No. 10 jersey last year and, by the end of the year, proved he had the game to handle Test rugby. He is by no means the finished product, but Lolesio is undoubtedly Schmidt's man at No. 10.
Behind him both Ben Donaldson and Tom Lynagh have had opportunities, though the Queensland pivot struggled with a hamstring injury for much of the back half of 2024. That opened an opportunity for Tane Edmed to join the spring tour, with the Waratahs playmaker eventually making his debut off the bench against Ireland.
Unfortunately for Edmed, that debut lasted little more than 90 seconds due to a head knock. However, if he can put in a consistent season behind what is a near Test-strength Waratahs pack, Edmed is certainly capable of adding cover at No. 10 against the Lions. Donaldson is perhaps most at risk of missing out, particularly if the Reds get going with Lynagh at the wheel.
MIDFIELD
Entrenched: Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami, Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii
In the hunt: Josh Flook, Lalakai Foketi, Bayley Kuenzle, Samu Kerevi, Hamish Stewart
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii looks set for a career in the Wallabies midfield, at least in the near-term future, after starring on his debut at Twickenham last year. That hasn't stopped new Waratahs coach Dan McKellar naming him at fullback this weekend however, putting an end to suggestions that Schmidt would dictate Super selections.
Suaalii's partnership with Len Ikitau brought near instant success, while Hunter Paisami also showed glimpses of his best, both for the Reds and Wallabies, at different times last year.
It may be then that the chasing pack is fighting it out for one position in the wider squad, pending injuries, with Flook's versatility perhaps putting him ahead of the rest. Samu Kerevi spurned his big opportunity with a red card against Wales last year and, at 31, it might be time to move on from the Japan-based centre.
OUTSIDE BACKS
Entrenched: Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Tom Wright
In the hunt: Filipo Daugunu, Darby Lancaster, Harry Potter, Dylan Pietsch, Tim Ryan, Corey Toole
The Wallabies outside back options are growing nicely, headed by Tom Wright's outstanding play towards the end of 2024. The fact that he, Andrew Kellaway and Max Jorgensen can also cover fullback, make them walk-up starts to the squad to face the Lions.
Behind that, Dylan Pietsch, Filipo Daugunu and Harry Potter all impressed when given a chance last year, only for injury to cut short the seasons of the former two. The Lions series may come too soon for Darby Lancaster and Corey Toole however, with the Brumbies flyer, in particular, still needing to finetune some parts of his game.
Tim Ryan could well prove to be the Wallabies "bolter" after his meteoric Super Rugby rise last season. The man known as the "junkyard dog" was thought to be nearing at least an Australia A call-up late last year, before an ankle injury ended his season.