The Aussie Lions who will face the Wallabies

NEWS: Two Australians will return to their homeland with a power-packed British & Irish Lions side led by Maro Itoje for the eagerly awaited three-Test series against the Wallabies.

Canberra’s Ireland wing Mack Hansen and Melbourne’s Scottish centre Sione Tuipulotu are set to be key figures in the 38-strong squad for the 10-match tour that was named on Thursday in a special unveiling event at London’s O2 Arena.

Tuipulotu, the Scottish captain who had missed the whole of the Six Nations with a pectoral injury and hasn’t played all year, learned the news at training with three of his Glasgow Warriors colleagues who were also selected.

“To be honest, I’m struggling to speak a bit. I’m just relieved, excited, everything you could imagine … it’s unreal,” said Tuipulotu, who led the Scots to victory over the Wallabies last November.

“I’ve been back in full training for the last couple of weeks, hitting things again and I’m feeling really good. It’s either this week or next week that I’ll be able to play again.”

Winger Hansen is one of Farrell’s favourites, having done such a fine job for the Englishman when he was in charge in Dublin — and he’s one of 15 Irish internationals in the squad.

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“I’m lost for words for the first time in my life,” said the fun-loving Hansen, who’s bound to be one of the characters in the team. “It’s incredible.”

Henry Pollock, the exciting 20-year-old English flanker, was the bolter in the squad, having only played one international, but Farrell didn’t pick his own son Owen Farrell, who’d been hoping to go on a fourth tour.

Instead, fellow Englishmen Fin Smith and Marcus Smith and Scotland’s mercurial Finn Russell were the preferred flyhalves.

Only Ireland has more players than England’s 13. Scotland will have eight players, but there are just two from Wales – scrumhalf Tomos Williams and flanker Jack Morgan. It’s the smallest Welsh representation since World War I.