logo
AUNZ finalise squad for Lions clash, Brumbies name ex-Connacht wing

AUNZ finalise squad for Lions clash, Brumbies name ex-Connacht wing

The 4211 hours ago
LES KISS HAS confirmed his final AUNZ Invitational XV squad for Saturday's clash with the British and Irish Lions in Adelaide.
Ex-Ireland assistant coach Kiss, who will succeed Joe Schmidt as Wallabies boss next year, will lead the AUNZ side for what will be the Lions' final warm-up game before their three-Test series against Australia.
Many of the names in the AUNZ group had already been announced but the finalised 30-man squad has now been confirmed.
New Zealand internationals David Havili, Shannon Frizell, Shaun Stevenson, Ngani Laumape, Hoskins Sotutu, and Folau Fakatava are among the stars, while there are several Wallabies involved, including Marika Koroibete, Lukhan Salakai-Loto, and Pete Samu.
Among the final crop of players confirmed are Chiefs tighthead prop George Dyer and a number of players who have already impressed against the Lions in recent warm-up games, such as Waratahs wing Darby Lancaster and Reds back row Joe Brial.
Advertisement
AUNZ Invitational XV squad:
Aidan Ross, AJ Lam, Angus Blyth, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Daniel Botha, Darby Lancaster, David Havili, Folau Fakatava, George Dyer, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Hoskins Sotutu, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Jock Campbell, Joe Brial, Joey Walton, Joshua Fusitu'a, Kalani Thomas, Kurt Eklund, Lachlan Anderson, Lukhan Salakai-Loto, Mac Grealy, Marika Koroibete, Matt Philip, Ngani Laumape, Pete Samu, Richie Asiata, Seru Uru, Shannon Frizell, Shaun Stevenson, Tane Edmed.
Former Connacht wing Ben O'Donnell. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Meanwhile, Brumbies boss Stephen Larkham has named his matchday 23 to face the Lions on Wednesday in Canberra.
Flanker Tom Hooper returns to the side having played off the bench for the Wallabies against Fiji on Sunday, while speedy wing Corey Toole, scrum-half Ryan Lonergan, openside Rory Scott, centre David Feliuai, and loosehead Lington Ieli are all part of the starting XV having recently trained with Joe Schmidt's national squad.
Former Connacht wing Ben O'Donnell, who was with the Irish province from 2020 until 2022, starts on the right wing in what will be his final Brumbies appearance before joining French D2 club Aurillac.
Tom Hooper's younger brother, Lachie, is set for his Brumbies debut off the bench, as is prop Cameron Orr.
Brumbies (v Lions):
15. Andy Muirhead
14. Ben O'Donnell
13. Ollie Sapsford
12. David Feliuai
11. Corey Toole
10. Declan Meredith
9. Ryan Lonergan (captain)
1. Lington Ieli
2. Lachlan Lonergan
3. Rhys van Nek
4. Lachie Shaw
5. Cadeyrn Neville
6. Tom Hooper
7. Rory Scott
8. Tuaina Taii Tualima
Replacements:
16. Liam Bowron
17. Cameron Orr
18. Feao Fotuaika
19. Lachie Hooper
20. Luke Reimer
21. Harrison Goddard
22. Jack Debreczeni
23. Hudson Creighton
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The five minutes of madness: A blow-by-blow analysis of the closing stages of Tipperary's controversial win over Kilkenny
The five minutes of madness: A blow-by-blow analysis of the closing stages of Tipperary's controversial win over Kilkenny

Irish Independent

time16 minutes ago

  • Irish Independent

The five minutes of madness: A blow-by-blow analysis of the closing stages of Tipperary's controversial win over Kilkenny

Tipperary booked their place in this year's All-Ireland SHC final when edging out Kilkenny in Croke Park yesterday but much of the aftermath was centred around a scoring controversy. The official scoreline in the stadium was 4-21 to 0-30 at full-time in Tipp's favour, the same score referee James Owens initially had recorded, before that was later corrected to 4-20 to 0-30. Here is the anatomy of chaos, five minutes of hurling madness.

Next Roscommon manager odds: Stephen Rochford is the bookies' favourite
Next Roscommon manager odds: Stephen Rochford is the bookies' favourite

Irish Daily Mirror

time18 minutes ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Next Roscommon manager odds: Stephen Rochford is the bookies' favourite

Stephen Rochford is the clear bookies' favourite to become the next Roscommon football manager. The Rossies are on the hunt for a new boss after Davy Burke stepped aside following three years at the helm. Rochford would bring plenty of experience to the role, having managed Mayo from 2015 to 2018, leading them to two All-Ireland finals. Most recently, the Crossmolina man was part of Kevin McStay's Mayo coaching ticket and stepped into the interim manager's role this season after McStay had to step back due to health problems. After Mayo's Championship exit at the round-robin stage, the counter board opted to relieve McStay and his coaching setup, including Rochford, of their management duties. Now Rochford, 46, is the 11/10 favourite to become the next Roscommon manager ahead of former Westmeath boss Dessie Dolan, who is next in at 7/2. Another former Mayo player in Andy Moran is also thought to be in the running for the job. Moran is currently 5/1 for the Rossies' role. Since hanging up his boots, Moran has managed Leitrim before joining Monaghan's backroom team in the past couple of seasons. Next in the betting is Dessie Dolan's cousin, Frankie Dolan. The former Roscommon player is 11/2 to take charge of his native county. Next Roscommon Manager Odds Stephen Rochford 11/10 Dessie Dolan 7/2 Andy Moran 5/1 Frankie Dolan 11/2 Mark Dowd 6/1 Tony McEntee 6/1 Alan Flynn 9/1 Ger Brennan 9/1 Pat Flanagan 11/1 Kevin McStay 11/1 Mark McHugh 11/1

Owen Doyle: For the good of the Lions tour, referees need to stop ignoring the rules of rugby
Owen Doyle: For the good of the Lions tour, referees need to stop ignoring the rules of rugby

Irish Times

timean hour ago

  • Irish Times

Owen Doyle: For the good of the Lions tour, referees need to stop ignoring the rules of rugby

When Ronan O'Gara and Will Greenwood are right, and the match officials are wrong, it doesn't say much for the latter. My view is that of course it was a foul blow to the head of Mack Hansen . Waratahs' Fergus Lee-Warner was the guilty party just moments before teammate Darby Lancaster touched down in the corner. Referee Paul Williams and all of his supporting cast reviewed the incident. Their deliberations concluded that it was not dangerous play. The try stood when, clearly, it shouldn't have. It was a poor Lions performance in Sydney. Well, okay, maybe a bit better than that, but not by much. When Tadhg Beirne – strangely out of sorts – dropped a pass in the last minute, it mirrored what had gone on all day. I am referring to all the handling errors. Add that to being skinned at the breakdown and the 'quietly resolved' Joe Schmidt might just be thinking that this is a winnable series. Lions coach Andy Farrell spoke afterwards of the need to get out of the blocks faster and he is so right. Most of all, the performance was lacking intensity, lacking the ferocious physicality which must accompany them into the Test arena. It has to change or Schmidt could well have his day in the sun. The exception was the scrum, where the Lions pummelled the home team. Penalty after penalty was won, with their three tries originating from lineout mauls which followed. But, heck, is that what these Lions are about? Why not show belief, ambition and release the backs? With Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones in fine fettle, it bordered on the criminal. READ MORE Ireland impress as the Lions struggle Listen | 26:21 The Tests will be refereed by Ben O'Keeffe, Andrea Piardi and Nika Amashukeli. It is important to know whether or not they'll referee the same way as the New Zealand men have done so far. The game 'down south' (and to a lesser degree up here) sees referees ignoring blatant side entries and sealing off the ball at the tackle-breakdown. To some extent, the Lions joined in, so real clarity is needed here from World Rugby. Frenchman Pierre Brousset will handle the Brumbies match and both teams will want him to produce his A-game, which he certainly didn't in Australia v Fiji. French referee Pierre Brousset during the Champions Cup semi-final between Leinster and Northampton in May. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Against both Queensland and the Waratahs, scrum problems returned. There is a serious inconsistency in whether the referee penalises collapses immediately or resets it; plays on with no advantage, or plays on with advantage. Scrum penalty decisions, often questionable, have far too much influence on results. The lineout shenanigans, outlined here last week , continued. The very first throw of the match was as crooked as the proverbial dog's hind leg and was right in front of Williams. But he allowed play to continue until his TMO tipped him off. Throw-ins directly to the front man were one apiece, neither noticed by any official. Each team had a try correctly ruled out following TMO intervention. On both occasions a lifter inserted himself in front of the catcher as the maul formed – blatant obstruction. It's harder to pick up by the referee at ground level than you might think, but with a little awareness it is very doable. However, it's difficult not to be suspicious that some refs are leaving these decisions, including the throw-ins, to the TMO. So much is going to, or coming from the TMO, that their input is now becoming too close to dominating proceedings. Owen Farrell and that wonderful Lions player of yore, the never-to-be-forgotten Belvederian Tony O'Reilly, have something in common. Both were 33 years of age when they received late call-ups to perform at the high end of the game. O'Reilly's amazing try-scoring exploits still stand as a Lions record: six tries in 10 tests, 38 in all tour matches. Owen Farrell of the British and Irish Lions looks on during last Saturday's match against Waratahs in Sydney. Photograph:He was playing for London Irish when recalled to the Ireland team in 1970, against England at Twickenham, after a seven-year break. Unsurprisingly, it didn't work out. O'Reilly's chauffeur then returned him to his day job of leading the Heinz corporation, with some soft insults ringing in his years. 'Beans means has-beens', and 'you really landed in the soup this time' were as nasty as things got in those days. Farrell stood down from Test rugby after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, departing for Paris to play for Racing 92, on a tip-top financial deal. It was an unfortunate failure, due both to injury and a dip in form. Then, in early May this year, he suffered a concussion against Lyon in the Challenge Cup semi-final. He has not played since. It's impossible to think of any other player with a similar profile who has ever earned a call-up, anywhere. Andy Farrell assures us that his son is fighting fit, but can he really be Lions match-level fit? However this works out, the optics aren't particularly good, but that's not going to bother either Farrell. Publicly, all the Lions players will undoubtedly row in behind the decision of their coach. But privately? A guess suggests that some noses will be out of joint. Maybe he will come on and kick the series-winning points, but that's hardly the issue. It's a strange, completely unexpected rabbit that the coach has pulled out of his hat. If it works out in line with O'Reilly's performance, then Farrell junior can expect the slings and arrows of vile, detestable social media. Very different from amusing tinned-food reprimands. It would be a sorry way to finish a stellar international career. We can but wait and see, and hope.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store