Lions Team v Western Force: Sheehan Captains 54-7 Win

Dan Sheehan captained the British & Irish Lions to their biggest winning margin of the 2025 Australia tour, a dominant 54-7 victory over Western Force at Optus Stadium in Perth.

Captain: Dan Sheehan · Final Score: Lions 54 – 7 Western Force · Date: 28 Jun 2025 · Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth · Irish Starters: 8 · Broadcast: Sky Sports

The match data below consolidates official sources on both teams’ lineups, scoreline, and key match details.

What time is the Lions vs. Western Force?

Kick-off at Optus Stadium was scheduled for 5:45pm Western Standard Time, which translates to 9:45am BST for viewers in the United Kingdom. The match was the Lions’ first fixture in Australia on the 2025 tour, following their opening defeat against Argentina in Dublin the previous week.

Kick-off time and venue

The match took place at Optus Stadium in Perth, a venue with a capacity exceeding 60,000 that has become a regular stop for international rugby tours visiting Western Australia. For UK audiences, the 9:45am BST kick-off meant an early start — Sky Sports Action and Main Event began their broadcast coverage from 10am.

Live broadcast details

Sky Sports held the UK broadcast rights, with coverage on both its main channel and Action channel from 10am to ensure pre-match build-up. International viewers could access the match through various regional sports broadcasters, with the Lions’ official website also providing live updates throughout the fixture.

“Dan Sheehan gets the opportunity to lead the side against Western Force, which is a great honour for him and his family,” Andy Farrell said ahead of the match.

Who was the captain of the Lions v Western Force?

Dan Sheehan was named captain for the match, marking his debut in the role for the Lions. The Irish hooker had previously skippered Ireland to Triple Crown success against Wales in February 2025, but this was his first occasion to lead the four-nation touring party. Andy Farrell confirmed the selection two days before the match, describing it as a great honour for Sheehan and his family.

Dan Sheehan leadership

“We have had a good week of training and all of the travel and time zone changes have been managed really well, so we are good to go,” Farrell added in his preview comments. The selection came despite Sheehan facing competition from several experienced candidates within the squad. Tour captain Maro Itoje did not feature in the matchday 23, leaving Sheehan as the on-field leader for the Perth fixture.

Starting XV changes

Farrell made 13 changes to the starting XV from the side that lost to Argentina. Only Sione Tuipulotu and Tadhg Beard retained their places from that match, with the rest of the lineup refreshed entirely. The scale of change indicated Farrell was using the mid-week fixture to evaluate depth rather than persisting with a lineup that had underperformed in Dublin.

Lions team vs Western Force line up

The Lions named their strongest available side for the Perth fixture, blending Irish internationals with English and Scottish representatives. The backline featured Finn Russell at fly-half and Henry Pollock at No.8 — two players whose club form had demanded Test-team inclusion — alongside Sione Tuipulotu at centre, who was one of just two survivors from the Argentina defeat.

Full Lions team list

Lions starting XV: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Tomos Williams, 1 Pierre Schoeman, 2 Dan Sheehan (c), 3 Tadhg Furlong, 4 Scott Cummings, 5 Joe McCarthy, 6 Tadhg Beard, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 Henry Pollock. Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum, Jack Conan, Alex Mitchell, Huw Jones, Marcus Smith.

Irish players starting

Eight Irish players started the match, a record-equalling number that gave the side a heavy Irish complexion. The eight starters were Dan Sheehan, Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Beard, and Josh van der Flier. Three more Irish players featured on the bench. This dominance of the Irish representation reflected both the form of those players and Farrell’s knowledge of their ability to execute his game plan under pressure.

Western Force response

Western Force arrived with several notable selection storylines. Captain Jeremy Williams was unavailable due to involvement with the Wallabies camp, with scrum-half Nic White taking the armband for the fixture. Former Wallabies players Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, and Ben Donaldson also started, giving the side considerable representative experience. Matt Proctor returned from a shoulder injury that had kept him out for the entire 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.

Western Force starting XV: 15 Ben Donaldson, 14 Mac Grealy, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Alex Harford, 9 Nic White (c), 1 Tom Robertson, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 3 Ollie Hoskins, 4 Sam Carter, 5 Darcy Swain, 6 Will Harris, 7 Nick Champion de Crespigny, 8 Vaiolini Ekuasi.

The match held particular significance for two departing veterans. Ollie Hoskins started his final career game at tighthead prop, while Sam Carter played his last professional match, having announced his retirement the previous month.

Lions team v Western Force score

The Lions won 54-7, scoring eight tries in the process. They led 21-7 at half-time, meaning the second half saw them add 33 unanswered points while keeping Western Force scoreless. The margin represented the Lions’ most commanding performance of the tour to that point, providing an immediate response to the disappointment of the Argentina defeat.

Half-time score

At the break, the Lions held a 21-7 advantage. The lead was narrower than the final margin suggested, indicating Western Force had competed reasonably in the opening 40 minutes before fading in the second half. Three tries to one at half-time left the outcome still in reasonable doubt before the Lions’ second-half surge.

Key tries and highlights

The eight-try haul reflected dominant forward play and clinical finishing from the Lions’ attacking players. Henry Pollock’s selection at No.8 was vindicated by his contribution, while the backline featuring Finn Russell and Mack Hansen created numerous threatening moments. The official match centre from Western Force Rugby confirmed the full try-scoring details, with Sky Sports YouTube providing video highlights of the key moments.

Final result

The final scoreline — Lions 54, Western Force 7 — gave the touring side a plus-47 point margin. For context, the Argentina defeat had produced a 19-9 loss for the Lions, meaning the Perth result represented a swing of 64 points from one match to the next. Such volatility within a tour is not uncommon, as coaches rotate heavily between mid-week and Test fixtures, but the scale of the turnaround was still notable.

Who are the Irish players on the Lions team?

The eight Irish starters represented the largest national contingent in the matchday 23. Their presence reflected both the depth of Irish rugby at the time of selection and Andy Farrell’s trust in players he had coached extensively during his tenure as Ireland head coach. Each had proven themselves at Test level, and several had experience of leadership roles within their provincial teams.

Starting Irish contingent

The eight Irish players in the starting lineup were: Dan Sheehan (hooker, captain), Mack Hansen (wing), Garry Ringrose (centre), James Lowe (wing), Tadhg Furlong (prop), Joe McCarthy (lock), Tadhg Beard (flanker), and Josh van der Flier (flanker). Sheehan was making his Lions debut but had captained Ireland earlier in 2025. Hansen, Ringrose, Lowe, Furlong, and van der Flier all had multiple caps for Ireland. McCarthy and Beard were less experienced internationally but had shown sufficient form to warrant selection.

Debutants and rotations

Four players made their Lions debuts from the bench: Andrew Porter, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum, and Huw Jones. These additions brought experience from the English and Scottish Premierships, providing Farrell with options to monitor as the tour progressed. The bench also included Rónan Kelleher, Alex Mitchell, Jack Conan, and Marcus Smith, ensuring substantial quality remained available if changes were required during the match.

What channel is the British and Irish Lions v Western Force on?

The match was broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage beginning at 10am to allow for pre-match build-up. Viewers in Ireland could access the coverage through Sky Sports or via regional sports channels carrying the feed. The Lions’ official website provided live text updates throughout the fixture, while the Western Force match centre offered real-time score and statistical updates.

British & Irish Lions 2025 Australia Tour Schedule

The Western Force fixture was the first of two mid-week matches in Australia before the Test series against the Wallabies begins. The tour continued with additional fixtures against Australian provincial and state sides, building towards the three-Test series that would determine the overall outcome of the 2025 tour. Each mid-week game offered Farrell the chance to evaluate players and combinations ahead of the Test selections.