FinlayBealham

Finlay Bealham will return to the country of his birth as a British & Irish Lion as part of the 2025 Australia Tour.

Bealham was born and raised in Canberra and grew up playing rugby league before eventually switching both codes and countries.

The prop represented Australian schools but was rejected from the Brumbies academy and instead headed to Ireland to kickstart his career.

It proved a pivotal move, with the 33-year-old ultimately opting to represent Ireland internationally, qualifying through his Enniskillen-born grandmother.

Bealham arrived in Ireland aged 19, initially with Belfast Harlequins before joining the Connacht academy.

The prop has stayed with the western province ever since, making his professional debut in 2014 and subsequently racking up more than 200 appearances.

Alongside fellow Lion Bundee Aki, he played a key role in Connacht’s sole URC (then Pro12) title in 2016.

Bealham was duly named in the league Dream Team that season, a feat he repeated in 2023. The 2015-16 season also yielded his first senior Ireland call-up to that year’s Six Nations squad, having previously represented Ireland Under-20s and Emerging Ireland.

Bealham has since established himself as a key part of Andy Farrell’s Ireland set-up, winning two Six Nations titles, including a Grand Slam in 2023.

The prop started four times in the 2025 Six Nations, and brought up a half-century of Ireland caps during the tournament.

His form was rewarded with a maiden call-up to the British & Irish Lions squad by Farrell to replace the injured Zander Fagerson in June.