British & Irish Lions v Australia First Test Predictions & Betting Tips

The opening Test match of the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour of Australia takes place on Saturday morning.

Andy Farrell’s side have been dominant since landing in Australia, winning all five warm-up matches and sports betting punters will be keen to side with the tourists in the opener.

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It is only the second time in the professional era that the Lions have won their opening five games on tour, having won six on the bounce in the 2009 visit to South Africa.

But have the Lions shown enough to suggest that they should be such warm favourites for the first Test? Andy Farrell’s side are priced at 2/9 to beat the Wallabies this weekend.

Wallabies vs Lions First Test Odds:

Punters can bet on the opening Test match of the 2025 British & Irish Lions series at William Hill and the current odds can be seen below:

• Australia – 7/2
• Draw – 28/1
• British & Irish Lions – 2/9

History is on their side, with the Lions winning 17 of their 23 Test matches against Australia. That equates to a 74% win percentage, which is higher than the win ratio against either New Zealand or South Africa.

In addition, the Lions have won six of their eight series openers against Australia – and their last defeat in an opening Test match against the Wallabies came back in 1989. Expect Finn Russell to play a key role throughout, with the Scotsman pulling the strings at fly-half.

Write Australia off at your peril. The Wallabies have shown significant improvement since Joe Schmidt arrived at the helm and they have clinched victories over two Lions nations, Wales and England, since the start of 2024.

Australia v Lions First Test Prediction

The stage is set and all eyes will be on Brisbane on Saturday morning. Australia are no slouches but the Lions should prove too powerful and the tourists can get off to the perfect start with victory in the opening Test of the series.

While the Lions have shipped points, they have shown plenty of flare going forward. Expect a relatively high scoring contest in Brisbane, though Test openers can be cagey affairs.

The breakdown will be key to the outcome and the Lions can overpower Australia in that area of the field. With that in mind, the Lions can take control and they may even pull away to clinch a comfortable success.

Wallabies v Lions score prediction: Australia 17-27 British & Irish Lions.

*Odds correct at time of writing – prices subject to change*