Down here in Australia there’s a world of awe-inspiring wonders to behold, natural and man-made totems so stunning they can make your jaw drop to the floor. Which, in a rugby context, is a power that David Campese still possesses, in a way that’s part-Alan Partridge with a hint of David Brent. At times, the...
Henry Pollock must replicate the energy and abrasiveness that have fuelled his meteoric rise so far, says head coach Andy Farrell as the 20-year-old starts for the British and Irish Lions for the first time. Pollock will pack down at number eight as the Lions take on Western Force in their first tour game on...
Twelve years is a long time, and not just in sport. It’s June 2025 and George North is on the north bank of the Brisbane River, in the shadow of Story Bridge, practising yoga in the winter sunshine. “It’s probably the most Australian thing I’ve ever done,” says the former Wales winger. The sedate scene...
Dan Sheehan has challenged his British and Irish Lions team-mates to match the passion of the Western Force underdogs in Saturday’s tour opener in Australia. Sheehan will captain a Lions team with only two starters – Sione Tuipulotu and Tadhg Beirne – who were in the XV for the defeat by Argentina on Friday. “I’m...
Ireland’s Dan Sheehan will captain the British and Irish Lions in their opening game on Australian soil against the Western Force on Saturday. Sheehan is one of five players in the starting line-up who will make their Lions debut, his Leinster team-mates Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier being the...
Eight of the Lions’ 38-man squad in Australia were born, raised and spent their whole education in the southern hemisphere before moving north. They have taken two different routes to become eligible for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and therefore the British and Irish Lions. Aki, his Ireland team-mates James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park, and...
The British and Irish Lions have warned Australia the Wallabies’ superstars must appear for their Super Rugby sides in the tourists’ pre-Test series matches. The Lions will take on Western Force in their first match on Australian soil on Saturday, with five Wallabies – Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and...
Warren Gatland was first involved with the Lions as an assistant coach on the 2009 tour of South Africa, before taking charge as head coach for the 2013, 2017, and 2021 tours. The former Wales coach won the 2013 series in Australia, drew an epic series in New Zealand four years later, and suffered a...
Verbal jousting on British and Irish Lions tours is as much a part of the deal as the rugby itself – and the mind games started anew in recent days. Wallaby coach Joe Schmidt (a Kiwi) on one side and Lions general manager of performance David Nucifora (an Australian) on the other. The psychological bunfights...
Former Scotland captain and British and Irish Lions great Ian McLauchlan has died at the age of 83. McLauchlan led his country 19 times in his 43 caps and played his last Test against New Zealand at Murrayfield in November 1979. A prop known for his fearsome scrummaging despite weighing only 14st 6lb on his...
There was no competition for word of the day at the Lions media briefing on Wednesday – “cohesion” was clearly the focus. Given how clunky these affairs have been in the recent past, and that this represented a first hit for what is a brand new side, it was fair to assume clicking quickly would...
British and Irish Lions: Marcus Smith; Tommy Freeman, Sione Tuipulotu, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Finlay Bealham, Maro Itoje (capt), Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl. Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Pierre Schoeman, Tadhg Furlong, Scott Cummings, Henry Pollock, Tomos Williams, Elliot Daly, Mack Hansen. Argentina:...
British and Irish Lions: Marcus Smith; Tommy Freeman, Sione Tuipulotu, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Finlay Bealham, Maro Itoje (capt), Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl. Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Pierre Schoeman, Tadhg Furlong, Scott Cummings, Henry Pollock, Tomos Williams, Elliot Daly, Mack Hansen. Argentina:...
For British and Irish Lions boss Andy Farrell, building connections has always been as crucial to fostering a winning environment as tactics and systems. When he speaks to the media, he regularly outlines his desire to see players become the “best versions of themselves”. Not the best tacklers, or goal-kickers or scrummagers, but the best...
With Leinster, Bath and Leicester Tigers all involved in domestic finals last weekend, and Toulouse’s season still ongoing in France, it was a smaller panel that Farrell brought to Portugal last week for a training camp. Although Leinster hooker Ronan Kelleher will be on the bench on Friday night six days after lifting the URC,...