
Lions concern as Doris to undergo shoulder surgery
Leinster Rugby skipper Caelan Doris will undergo a procedure this week on a shoulder injury, the rugby union team said on Monday, making him a doubt for the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.
The 27-year-old number 8 picked up the injury around the 56th minute of Leinster's European Rugby Champions Cup semi-final loss against Northampton Saints on Saturday.
He is considered a captaincy contender for the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.
"The full extent of the injury, and implications for the summer, won't be known until after the procedure," Leinster said in a statement.
Ireland coach Andy Farrell is set to announce his squad on Thursday.
The Lions play Argentina in Dublin on June 20 before five warm-up matches in Australia and three tests on July 19, July 26 and August 2. The Lions won their last series in Australia 2-1 in 2013 having lost the 2001 series 2-1.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Fiji name strong squad for Australia and Scotland tests
Fiji coach Mick Byrne promised Australia and Scotland tough tests after naming a strong squad featuring 15 European-based players for the July clashes with the tier-one nations on Pacific islanders will play the Wallabies in Newcastle on July 6 in Australia's only warm-up match for the British & Irish Lions test series before hosting the Scots in Suva the following weekend. "We've announced a squad which is as strong as we're able to select, so that's excellent," said Byrne. "We're really looking forward to going over to Australia and putting on a great performance against the Wallabies and then coming home and playing against Scotland. "Both Australia and Scotland are established tier-one sides, and we know the level we need to rise to. This squad reflects our depth, strength, and we will give a performance that will make all Fijians proud." New Zealand-born former All Blacks sevens winger Salesi Rayasi, who now plays for French club RC Vannes, was included for the first time after switching national allegiance. His father Filipe played 13 times for Fiji in the 1990s. Alongside the 10 players who play their club rugby in France and five in England, the 32-man squad features a core of 13 players from the Fijian Drua Super Rugby team. "We've focused on combinations that give us both tactical adaptability and the trademark Fijian spirit," Byrne said. "We want to win – but more importantly, we want to win playing our brand of rugby." Australian Byrne, who coached the Drua until last year, said Fiji's likely inclusion in the Nations Cup meant they needed to start thinking and acting like a tier-one country. "We now need to step up as an organisation and a group of players and address the fact that we are now tier one," he added. Fiji squad: Forwards - Eroni Mawi, Luke Tagi, Haereiti Hetet, Mesake Doge, Peni Ravai, Tevita Ikanivere, Samuel Mativesi, Kavaia Tagivetaua, Isoa Nasilasila, Mesake Vocevoce, Temo Mayanavanua, Setareki Turagacoke, Viliame Mata, Elia Canakaivata, Lekima Tagitagivalu, Albert Tuisue, Etonia Waqa, Motikai Murray. Backs - Simione Kuruvoli, Philip Baselala, Sam Wye, Caleb Muntz, Isaia Armstrong-Ravula, Vilimoni Botitu, Josua Tuisova, Iosefo Masikau Baleiwairiki, Sireli Maqala, Kalaveti Ravouvou, Ponipate Loganimasi, Jiuta Wainiqolo, Selesitino Ravutaumada, Salesi Rayasi. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
'Ted Lasso' stars tell Los Angeles to surrender to the World Cup vibe
LOS ANGELES - The creators and stars of award-winning comedy series "Ted Lasso" were among those expressing hope that the World Cup would bring people together at an event in Los Angeles on Wednesday marking the one-year countdown to the tournament. Los Angeles will be one of the main host cities for the soccer showpiece in North America, welcoming eight matches including the United States' first match and a quarter-final. Brendan Hunt, a co-creator and actor in the Apple TV+ show about an upstart British football team with a U.S. coach, said Americans should embrace the influx of visitors from around the world. "What America needs to get ready for with this World Cup is something that most Americans instinctively know, but just to make sure for those who don't - there will be many people here who were not born here," Hunt said during an on-stage interview. "And just because they weren't born here, you don't need to be afraid of them." "Platform used," said fellow co-creator Jason Sudeikis, who plays Lasso on the show. Hunt said the tournament would be incredible. "You have to prepare yourself to surrender to a vibe you've never quite seen before because when folks come to these cities to see their teams play, they will take over in a way that is absolutely as benevolent as it is overwhelming," he added. The countdown to the tournament, which the U.S. is co-hosting with Mexico and Canada, comes on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump's directive banning citizens from 12 countries from entering the U.S., though athletes are exempt. The Trump administration has also said it will deploy 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to help protect federal property and personnel during the ongoing protests in the city. The protests broke out in response to a series of immigration raids in a city with a large immigrant population. Cobi Jones, who played for the U.S. in three World Cups, said he hoped the event would be a unifying one. "This is the game we all love and I'm hoping it can bring people together," he told Reuters on the red carpet of the event at Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles. "When we're talking about the travel bans, I'm hoping that FIFA can work together with our government to find a way that everyone can be here and everyone can enjoy this sport because it's a cultural event that's happening here in a year." FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last month after meeting with U.S. President Trump he was confident visitors would be welcomed for the World Cup as well as the Club World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 13 and also has matches in Los Angeles. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Australia's Suaalii fit to face the Lions after broken jaw
SYDNEY - Wallabies back Joseph Suaalii said he would be fit to face the British & Irish Lions in July and August after a month-long layoff with a broken jaw. The high profile signing from rugby league has had a disrupted first season in Super Rugby Pacific with injuries severely limiting his time on the pitch. "My face was really big for a bit, I was wearing a face mask everywhere," he told reporters after meeting some real lions at Sydney's Taronga Zoo on Wednesday. "I'll be fully fit. Obviously, had a toe injury, then my jaw and concussion as well. But you know, it's all part of the game. "It's such an important time for myself and Australian rugby and I want to be playing, so obviously I was a little bit of a nerves but ... I had surgery maybe three weeks ago now and looking good going into the Lions." Suaalii said he had lost nearly five kilograms due to the difficulties of eating with a broken jaw but had put it all back on again since. "I've been eating heaps," he said. "Thanks to my mum and my family around me to help me stay on track." The knee of his Wallabies teammate Andrew Kellaway's was the inadvertent cause of the broken jaw and the winger feared at one stage that he might be remembered as the man who ended Suaalii's chances of facing the Lions. "Nobody wants to crash the Ferrari, that's not what anyone wants," Kellaway joked. "He looks alright, he's doing a lot of talking, which is a good sign." Suaalii said he felt he had played enough rugby to compete at the highest level against the Lions, adding that he would be comfortable playing at fullback, on the wing or in the centres. Australia's one warm-up test against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6 was definitely on his radar, Suaalii said, and he could not wait to tangle with the tourists. "These are the biggest games of my life, I believe," he said. "Some people play it once in your career, and it happens every 12 years." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.