
Williams ruled out of Lions tour with hamstring injury
Tomos Williams has been ruled out of the rest of the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with Ben White called up in his place.
The scrum-half was forced off with a hamstring injury in the Lions' dominant 54-7 victory over Western Force on Saturday after scoring two tries on his first start for the team.
His departure now means there is only one Welshman, Jac Morgan, left in the 38-man squad.
Williams has flown back from Australia, and Scotland's White will join the camp from New Zealand, where he was preparing to face the All Blacks, Fiji and Samoa with his national team.
"This is desperately sad news for Tomos," said Lions tour manager Ieuan Evans.
"He is an exemplary Lion, who had a brilliant season, having joined the Tour as Premiership player of the season. He lit up this Lions tour with both his personality and his talent."
Wishing Tomos a speedy recovery! #Lions2025
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 30, 2025
The Lions face the Queensland Reds in their second game on Australian soil, which takes place on Wednesday.
Head coach Andy Farrell has opted to ring the changes once more, making 14 from the team that faced Western Force.
Outside-half Fin Russell is the only player to retain his place from Saturday's win, with Maro Itoje coming back in to captain the side.
Hugo Keenan and Jamison Gibson-Park will both make their first appearances of the tour, with the latter replacing Williams in the line-up. James Ryan is also set to make his Lions debut off the bench.
Huw Jones will also make a maiden start on the 2025 tour, partnering Bundee Aki in midfield, the third different centre combination Farrell has tried so far.
Lions team in full: Hugo Keenan, Tommy Freeman, Huw Jones, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Will Stuart, Maro Itoje (captain), Ollie Chessum, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Jack Conan. Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith, Garry Ringrose.