Sale's Opoku-Fordjour called up to Lions training squad
Sale's 20-year-old tight-head prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour has been called up to the British and Irish Lions training squad.Opoku-Fordjour has only won one cap for England but will now travel to Portugal next week as the Lions prepare for the match with Argentina in Dublin on Friday, 20 June.With 12 players from United Rugby Championship (URC) finalists Leinster unavailable for training next week, as well as those from Premiership finalists Bath and Leicester, Lions boss Andy Farrell is in desperate need of extra bodies to prepare for the Pumas.After taking on Argentina at Aviva Stadium, the Lions will fly to Perth before their first match in Australia against the Western Force on 28 June.Farrell is particularly short of options in the front row. Hookers Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher are still on Leinster duty, leaving Luke Cowan-Dickie the only hooker from the original party available for training in the coming week.Meanwhile, at tight-head the Lions are seriously stretched. Tadhg Furlong is an injury concern and is also with Leinster, Bath's Will Stuart is unavailable, while Scotland and Glasgow's Zander Fagerson is recovering from a calf strain.Opoku-Fordjour's Lions call-up comes at the end of a breakthrough season. He won his first England cap in the autumn and made the shortlist for Premiership young player of the season. He started for Sale in Saturday's 21-16 defeat by Leicester at Welford Road.Meanwhile, Ireland prop Finlay Bealham and England hooker Jamie George are also expected to be called into the Lions squad, with official confirmation of the additions expected on Monday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Why James Courtney cried after Supercars podium finish
James Courtney has already won a Supercars championship, but it was his third-place finish in Perth that brought him to tears. The 2010 champion finally ended his two-year podium drought with a spirited drive in the final sprint race at Wanneroo Raceway on Sunday. After qualifying 13th, the 44-year-old had found himself in a position to vie for the podium when Erebus rookie Cooper Murray brought out the yellow flag in the final 20 laps of the 200km race. Murray's Chevrolet Camaro had come to a sudden halt after a mechanical failure. Courtney showed his experience in the Blanchard Racing Team car and overtook in-form drivers Cam Waters and Ryan Wood to follow second-placed Matt Payne to the podium. Championship leader Broc Feeney took back-to-back victories, but his feat was largely overshadowed by fan favourite Courtney's first podium since 2023 - claimed at the same racetrack. View this post on Instagram A post shared by James Courtney (@jcourtney) Courtney was driving for Tickford when he last finished in the top three. His last race win was in 2016. Well aware it's been a long time between drinks, Courtney says his podium finish is made even more special after 'head-scratching and soul-searching' following dismal bottom-five results in New Zealand. He gifted Blanchard Racing their first podium result since the team's entry in 2021. Courtney wasn't the only driver to break through for a milestone, with second-year racer Wood claiming his first career win earlier in the weekend. 'I couldn't have been prouder of everyone. I got so emotional,' Courtney said. 'I felt like I probably looked like Woody with his first win, but it was me crying for a third. 'It's been pretty dark without the lights on for a while, but we've managed to get the headlights back up and heading in the right direction. 'It's like being an alcoholic. You have to admit that, yeah, you've got a problem before you can fix it.' Team principal Tim Blanchard was just as relieved. 'The last 12 months since going to two cars has been a real struggle,' Blanchard said. 'We've had some really challenging times. At times, we question why we're doing this. 'James kept making me come back.' Confident his best hasn't left him yet, Courtney is bent on finishing his final full-time season on a high. The western Sydney product is set for life as a real estate agent after calling time on his career last year. He made his debut in 2005 for Holden Racing Team as a co-driver before joining full-time the following season for Stone Brothers Racing Courtney hasn't ruled out returning to co-driving. 'Might just mic drop it and never be seen again,' Courtney joked. 'To be able to hopefully finish on a high and walk away from it when you're competitive, I don't want to be that guy where everyone's quietly saying, 'You need to pack it in'. 'I can pretty comfortably take off my hat at the end of this, happy with what I've done, and don't feel that I haven't achieved or need to do anything more.' Supercars heads to Darwin next from June 20 to 22, with Feeney holding a 72-point lead over reigning champion Will Brown.
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
It feels like we're a group of mates – Skipper Harry Brook hails England unity
Brook has won five on the bounce against the West Indies since taking over from Jos Buttler, sweeping the tourists 3-0 in the ODI leg and going 2-0 up with one to play in the T20s. England did not have it easy in Sunday's four-wicket win at Bristol, with the asking rate climbing past 11 an over at one stage as they chased down a stiff target of 197. IT20 series win secured! 🔒 Victory in Bristol 🙌 Banton and Carse see us home 👏 Match Centre: — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 8, 2025 But they stuck together to get over the line, with five of their top six making handy contributions before Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton took the bull by the horns. The middle-order duo hammered 56 off just 21 deliveries between them to puncture the West Indian resistance and keep the good times rolling for Brook. It was the kind of game England were losing in the difficult final days under Buttler, whose reign ended with eight straight defeats across both formats. But there is a new lighter feeling around the group – including the newly liberated former skipper, who has top-scored with 96 and 47 in the last two games. 'It feels like we're a group of mates. We're just going out and having fun,' said Brook. 'It's been nice for me. The results are awesome and we're really enjoying it. We're having a good time out there. 'At the end of games we go around the circle and Baz (head coach Brendon McCullum) asks if anybody has anything to say. In every game so far someone has stood up and said something. I think that's a great way of showing how the team is at the minute and we feel a proper togetherness.' The West Indies made England sweat at times, taking 82 off their last five overs including an unexpected tirade against Adil Rashid in the 19th. For so long the team's most bankable bowler, the leg-spinner shipped five sixes and 31 runs in what goes down as the second most expensive over by an English bowler in T20s. Stuart Broad holds the unwanted record of 36, taken for six off every ball by Yuvraj Singh at the 2007 World Cup. Brook, though, insists he and his team were never rattled. 'I'm always very chilled. We knew that there was going to be one, two, maybe three big overs,' he said. From a different angle 📐 All 25 of our boundaries! 💥#ENGvWI | #EnglandCricket — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 8, 2025 'On a pitch that size, with 60-metre boundaries nearly all the way around, we accepted that before the game and we knew we could get big overs as well. 'The way Bants went about his business, getting 30 off 11 balls having never really batted in the middle order before was just awesome.' The West Indies have one more chance to avoid a winless tour in Southampton on Tuesday but head coach Daren Sammy paid tribute to Akeal Hosein, who took the field just six hours after arriving from the Caribbean following visa delays. 'He said to me, 'there's no way I'm not playing',' Sammy explained. 'Kudos to him, he turned up for us. An eight-hour flight straight into a game is not ideal but it shows his commitment.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
How arch-rivals India found a way to sabotage Australia's bid for back-to-back World Test Championship titles - despite bombing out of the final at Lords
India may not be playing in the World Test Championship final this week, but their presence is still being felt - and not in a way Australia appreciates. In a bizarre twist just days out from Wednesday's final, Australia were booted from their planned training session at Lord's, only to discover India had been granted access to the hallowed ground instead. Despite being eliminated from the WTC race back in January, India managed to muscle their way into the iconic venue on Saturday, leaving Australian players scrambling for alternative facilities. Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green were forced into a three-hour round trip to Beckenham in South London to train, believing Lord's was unavailable. But when the Australian squad arrived at Lord's on Sunday, they learned that India had trained there the day before. The move stunned many in the cricket world and raised fresh questions about the influence India wields over the global game. India's Test team won't play at Lord's until July 10, yet they were allowed a full session at the venue while Australia – the defending WTC champions – were locked out. It's a fresh layer of drama in a storied rivalry that has produced iconic moments, unforgettable series, and plenty of controversy. From Steve Waugh's 'final frontier' tour in 2001 to the Monkeygate scandal of 2008, India vs Australia has never been short on tension. The rivalry reached new heights during India's heroic 2–1 comeback in Australia in 2020-21, capped by a stunning win at the Gabba. But this week, the drama has spilled off the pitch and into the politics of cricket itself. As Australia quietly went about preparations in Beckenham, the optics at Lord's spoke volumes. Inside the ground, cricket's top officials gathered for a major summit to discuss the game's direction. Outside the window, India were in full training – despite not even being part of the WTC decider. The message was clear: India runs the show. Australian all-rounder Beau Webster, experiencing Lord's for the first time, said just being at the ground was special. 'I've been here to watch games before,' Webster said. 'But to be out in the middle? It's extra special.' Webster is hoping for a debut in the WTC final and believes he can contribute as a fifth bowling option. 'If they go that way, I'll give it my best,' he said. Hazlewood, meanwhile, sent a strong message to selectors with a 12-over effort followed by another five later in the session. The selectors are yet to confirm the final XI, but Hazlewood is expected to edge out Scott Boland for the final bowling spot. Marnus Labuschagne is also tipped to retain his place ahead of young Sam Konstas. Pat Cummins enters the final feeling fresh and ready after fixing an ankle issue and enjoying paternity leave earlier this year. 'Physically I feel as good as I have in years,' Cummins said. The Aussie skipper led his side to WTC glory in 2023 against India at The Oval and is now gunning for back-to-back titles. He's also defending the relevance of the WTC, calling it 'awesome' and a rare opportunity to win tangible silverware for sustained excellence. 'It gives relevance to some two-match series that otherwise get lost in the calendar,' he said. The Lord's final will be the third straight WTC decider held in England – but the first at the home of cricket. Cummins floated the idea of the previous winner hosting the next final, though he admits Lord's 'is a pretty good place.'
