The countdown to the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour is well underway, but not everyone is punching their ticket to Australia just yet.
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While some players are peaking at the perfect time, others—big names, no less—are crashing harder than a dropped high ball.
Here are four once-nailed-on Lions who are currently miles off the pace…
Marcus Smith – From Starlet to Side Show?
Remember when Marcus Smith lit up the 2021 tour with his electric cameos off the bench? Fast forward to 2025 and things aren't quite so rosy.
The Harlequins playmaker was bizarrely shoehorned in at fullback during the Six Nations, and, frankly, looked more lost than a tourist on the Tube. Things went from bad to worse post-tournament, as Smith jetted off to Miami instead of joining Quins for their epic win over Saracens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
And when he did return? Quins shipped 109 points in back-to-back humiliations against Bath and Leinster—with Smith firmly in the firing line.
With Owen Farrell suddenly finding his mojo again at Racing 92, Smith's Lions dream is hanging by a thread.
Tom Curry – The Forgotten Twin
Tom Curry has always been an engine room of England's pack, but 2025 has been cruel. After a string of indifferent performances, he was outshone by twin brother Ben and then cruelly struck down with injury in Sale's Champions Cup loss to Toulouse.
To make matters worse? Jack Willis—his direct Lions rival—is bossing it in the Top 14.
The Lions back row is an arms race this year, and Curry's stuck in neutral at the worst possible time.
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