The British & Irish Lions will get the Australian part of the Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia 2025 underway on Saturday against the Western Force at Optus Stadium.

Dan Sheehan is set to captain the side, with Andy Farrell making 13 changes from the team that was narrowly beaten by Argentina in the 1888 Cup in Dublin last Friday.

Farrell is expecting to face a tough challenge from the Force, who have named a strong team of their own including Wallaby scrum-half Nic White and playmaker Ben Donaldson, who was a late inclusion after Kurtley Beale was forced to withdraw.

Farrell said: “We know the quality and experience the Force have and the opportunity to play against the Lions always brings out special performances from the Super Rugby sides, so we expect them to be at their best.”

So what can we learn from the team that Farrell has put out for this first fixture on Australian soil?

Sheehan captaincy on debut

Dan Sheehan has emerged over the past four years to cement his position as one of the world’s best hookers and he will captain the Lions on debut against the Force.

He only made his Ireland debut in the autumn following the Tour of South Africa, but his dynamism has made him a regular fixture in the Ireland 23 ever since.

READ MORE: Sheehan to captain the Lions

This season alone, Sheehan has scored 14 tries for club and country, and captained Ireland for the first time against Wales during the Guinness Six Nations.

With Caelan Doris leading both Leinster and Ireland, leadership opportunities have been a little limited for Sheehan, but Farrell clearly believes he has the necessary qualities to captain the team.

And with no Maro Itoje in the 23 for this encounter, it will be a chance for Sheehan to show that he can step up when required.

Beirne shift

The other task for Sheehan is to help fix some of the lineout issues the Lions had in their defeat to Argentina.

Given the make-up of the pack that day, there was always likely to be a bit of a concession in the area, and Farrell has made a notable decision by moving Tadhg Beirne to blindside flanker for this game.

One of just two players to start each of the first two games – along with Sione Tuipulotu – Beirne is the first of the locks to be tested in the back row.

Ollie Chessum and Scott Cummings have also got experience in the back row this season, and that may end up being a template that is used for the Test series depending on how the lineout develops over the coming weeks.

With the power of Joe McCarthy, as well as a first start for Cummings, a fine lineout operator in his own right, the hope for the Lions will be that Sheehan has enough options when throwing in against the best defensive lineout operation in Super Rugby Pacific.

Pollock gets the nod at No.8

Used off the bench against Argentina in Dublin, Henry Pollock will make his first start for the Lions on Saturday in the No.8 jersey.

While he is primarily an openside flanker, Pollock has made eight starts at No.8 this season, including his first league start for Northampton Saints and the Champions Cup final last month.

The decision to start him while leaving Jack Conan on the bench is an intriguing one, and Pollock will want to take this chance to stake a claim for Test involvement.

His versatility will certainly come in handy, with Ben Earl, who started at No.8 against Los Pumas, also capable of playing multiple positions in the back row.

The youngest player on tour, Pollock has been busy looking after BIL, the lion, and will now get his first chance to go up against Australian opposition.

Swiss army knife Daly in at full-back

On his third Lions Tour, Elliot Daly will aim to force his way into the Test conversation once again, having made the matchday 23 for every Test of the last two Tours.

Daly started on the left wing for all three Tests in the drawn series against the All Blacks in 2017, before starting at outside centre in the opening victory over the Springboks four years later.

He was named on the bench for the second and third Tests of that series, and now has a chance to make it a hat-trick of Test opponents for the Lions.

Against the Force, he will start at full-back, with Hugo Keenan still not quite ready to go and Blair Kinghorn in France with Toulouse in the Top 14 final.

It remains to be seen where Daly is used most often on this Tour, but a player who can cover outside centre as well as being able to play across the back row, will have a good shot at challenging for a place in the Test 23.

Finalists enter the fray

There are nine Leinster players included in the matchday 23 against the Force, obviously starting with skipper Dan Sheehan.

He joins Joe McCarthy, Josh van der Flier, Garry Ringrose and James Lowe in making their first appearances in the starting XV, while Andrew Porter and Jack Conan will come off the bench for their Lions debuts.

That should certainly help the cohesion of the team, as three Premiership finalists also get their chance.

Will Stuart and Ollie Chessum are on the bench, but it is Finn Russell starting at fly-half who could be the most anticipated inclusion.

His last appearance for the Lions came in the decider against the Springboks four years ago, and he joins this Tour off the back of a treble-winning club season at Bath.

Russell will have Wales’s Tomos Williams feeding him the ball from scrum-half, while he should quickly reconnect with his inside centre, international colleague and skipper Sione Tuipulotu.

Expect some fireworks from the duo in Perth.