Maro Itoje welcomes ‘quality players' into Lions squad as Scots are summoned
The fresh faces have been brought in to provide cover that will prevent key personnel from playing in the Test series while backing up in next Tuesday's match against a First Nations and Pasifika XV.
Farrell's decision to turn to those from Scotland's tour of nearby New Zealand has evoked memories of eight years ago when Finn Russell, Allan Dell, Kristian Dacey, Tomas Francis, Cory Hill and Gareth Davie joined Warren Gatland's Lions.
Picked because of their geographical location with their national sides and not on merit, they were shunned by some squad members and Gatland later revealed that internal concern over 'devaluing the jersey' forced him to not deploy them off the bench against the Hurricanes.
Itoje's Lions will take a different approach with their captain declaring 'we are all in this together'.
'I have no doubt that they will be welcomed in,' said Itoje ahead of the Saturday's first Test in Brisbane.
'The boss, Andy, has called them in because he believes they will help the Lions to achieve their goal of winning a Test series.
'All of the players who have been called in are quality players. They are players like everyone else in the team, have a high level of experience and have achieved things in their career.
'We are all in this together. It's not us and them. It doesn't matter if there's a late call-up. We've seen in the past how late call-ups have had huge impact on the tour in positive ways.
All eyes on Brisbane! 👀🦁#Lions2025 pic.twitter.com/bgqgO2chKs
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 13, 2025
'I have no doubt that everyone who has called up will play a significant role in helping the team achieve its goal.'
Meanwhile, Itoje has doubled down on Henry Pollock's revelation that the Lions are determined to complete a series whitewash of Australia – an aim that has been noted by the hosts.
'That's definitely the ambition. It goes without saying – no one ever wants to lose a game,' Itoje said.
'It would be a bit weird if one of my team-mates said we want to win two and lose one.
'If you asked any of the Wallabies players, I hope it's also their ambition to win all the games.
'We want to win, but all we're focussed on is this Saturday. The other two games will look after itself.'
After playing four matches in four different states in 11 days, the Lions are based in Brisbane where preparations for the first Test have begun,
'We know there's going to be a big step up. As we get closer and closer to the game, we'll sharpen and sharpen,' Itoje said.
'There's a healthy tension in the squad because we know this is what we've been working towards.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
2 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Why Lions' top try-scorer Duhan van der Merwe is not getting a look-in under Andy Farrell
With just a Sydney dead-rubber left for the British and Irish Lions, those who simply study the data would be forgiven for thinking that Duhan van der Merwe has been among the stars of 2025. The 30-year-old has plundered five tries, bringing his tally to 10 across two tours. That puts him top of the tree among his squad mates. According to Stats Perform, he has amassed 336 metres with ball in hand. Huw Jones is next, with 287 metres despite seeing 46 minutes more game-time. Only Tommy Freeman and Sione Tuipulotu, with 17, have beaten more than the 16 defenders that Van der Merwe has brushed aside and the latter is also second for line-breaks (one behind Mack Hansen) with six. And yet, his prospects of repeating the three Test starts granted to him by Warren Gatland in South Africa four years ago have seemed remote since the outset. Ahead of a final meeting with Australia on Saturday, it would appear more likely for Blair Kinghorn to replace James Lowe on the left wing than it would to see Van der Merwe in action. Hansen is also back in contention after injury and likely above him in the pecking order. As a player leading Scotland's all-time scoring list with 32 tries in 49 Tests, he will be remembered with great fondness whatever else happens in his career. But the past few weeks will have been difficult. Unforgiving context Van der Merwe's chances of a fast start were compromised by ankle ligament damage that required surgery in April and meant that the Lions' opener against Argentina was his first outing in almost three months. He looked understandably rusty because of that lay-off. His next game against the Reds at Suncorp Stadium represented a blend of dangerous running and positional uncertainty. Then, four days later, Van der Merwe was drafted onto the bench for a disjointed win over the Waratahs. Henry Pollock's tight calf saw Scott Cummings come into the starting side as Tadhg Beirne shifted to blindside flanker. Van der Merwe joined the replacements and wore the No 20, a sure-fire sign of how late the decision was made and an indication that numbers 22 and 23 had been sized up for Marcus Smith and Ben White. After coming on for Hugo Keenan for the final half-hour, Van der Merwe could not impress himself on the match. On the last play, he took a looping pass from Kinghorn and was shepherded towards the touchline by several defenders before the ball squirted out of a messy ruck. The moment encapsulated both an unconvincing display from the Lions and how Van der Merwe's Test hopes were dwindling: Some have suggested that Van der Merwe was lucky to be selected for the initial squad on May 8 but his pedigree and Lions experience will have been hard to ignore. Andy Farrell evidently wanted size in the back three and Van der Merwe was particularly impressive in Scotland's 27-13 victory over the Wallabies last November. He scored a trademark try out wide… …and burst through Australia from a hidden inside pass move: This was something the Lions attempted themselves from a goal-line drop-out in the first Test, with the Wallabies snuffing it out: Good work from Nick Champion de Crespigny to get across to Hugo Keenan: — Charlie Morgan (@CharlieFelix) July 19, 2025 Indeed, with Finn Russell and Sione Tuipulotu certainties to tour, Farrell had scope to lean on the familiarity of a potent Scotland back line. Although modern wings men roam around the field, they tend to have a preferred side of the pitch that is dependent on factors such as their favoured foot to step off. Van der Merwe is a specialist left wing. Remarkably, according to All Rugby, he has only once worn a No 14 shirt in his professional career; in a Top 14 match for Montpellier against Racing 92 in 2017. In that respect, Van der Merwe was probably not competing against the unfortunate Darcy Graham for a place in the initial Lions squad. Graham, normally a right wing, could have been edged out by Hansen. Once the group assembled, Van der Merwe was up against James Lowe, a favourite of Farrell's from their time together with Ireland. Having started the past two Top 14 finals on the left wing for Toulouse, Kinghorn became another potential candidate for the 11 shirt. Van der Merwe needed to be at his most devastating. Pros and cons As early as the sixth minute against Argentina, there was a reminder of Van der Merwe's athleticism as he stepped off his left foot and carved through the Pumas: He flipped an overhead offload to Tommy Freeman a little later and slipped off a tackle early in the second half before linking with Bundee Aki: It is interesting to note that Van der Merwe has registered all five of his tries in Australia on the Lions left. Here against the Australia and New Zealand (AUNZ) invitational outfit, for instance, he is on hand to capitalise on the attack sparked by Hugo Keenan's quick line-out: Later in the same game, Van der Merwe caps his hat-trick on the end of a slick first-phase move that outflanks the defence: This try, against the Reds, was probably the most difficult finish and requires him to dot down in a tight space amid the attention of opposing full-back Jock Campbell: While it might be tempting to downplay this propensity for apparently easy tries, it is worth remembering that Lowe missed a similar chance against the Brumbies. As an outlet capable of surging into space, few are better than Van der Merwe. Scotland feed width readily to tap into that asset. Recent weeks have also showcased less assured areas of Van der Merwe's game. The Reds clearly targeted his back-field positioning. This Hunter Paisami cross-kick caused problems before Van der Merwe rescued himself… …and Kalani Thomas set up a try for Josh Flook with a grubber towards the same wing: Les Kiss, the Reds boss, also coached AUNZ in Adelaide. Forcing Van der Merwe to turn was a pillar of his strategy again, as suggested by Tane Edmed probing in behind from this early line-out: Van der Merwe loses his composure here and was fortunate that the ball bobbles into touch to give the Lions a line-out – the kick did not qualify for a 50:22 – because his actions would otherwise have conceded a five-metre scrum. As for kicking itself, a necessary skill for back three players, Van der Merwe is not a natural. Whereas Lowe's left boot has been predictably prominent, accounting for 416 metres from 11 kicks, Van der Merwe has hit a solitary strike all tour – after AUNZ had again found space in behind him: This tour, during which Andy Farrell has implemented systems reminiscent of those that characterise his Ireland team, has reinforced how coaches will back trusted individuals – and those who suit their methods – to deliver. Van der Merwe always faced a tricky task. Farrell's preferences Wings under Andy Farrell are granted licence to fizz around the field. While this table using data from Stats Perform is not bulletproof, because it is taken from multiple games and possession shares will have varied, it can broadly show us how much four Lions wings – Hansen, Tommy Freeman, James Lowe and Van der Merwe – have been around the ball. Hansen has been around the ball most, either carrying or hitting a ruck once every 2.8 minutes he has been on the field. Van der Merwe is fourth of the four: Freeman (15 defensive rucks across 390 minutes) and Hansen (13 defensive rucks in 270 minutes) have also grafted at the breakdown on the other side of the ball. This is not to say Van der Merwe has not come off his wing. The Lions have asked him to swing around from strike plays such as this one against the First Nations and Pasifika XV: However, with the best will in the world, it would be a surprise to see Van der Merwe set up a try like Beirne's in the second Test from first-receiver as Lowe did. The fact that Jamison Gibson-Park feeds Lowe rather than Keenan in the first place underscores their relationship: Kinghorn was off his wing and into the opposite 15-metre channel as soon as he had replaced Lowe. This cut-out pass to Keenan punctuated the first phase of the winning attack: Freeman, like Lowe adept at contesting high-balls, has continuously roamed. As pointed out by Kevin Millar, he burrowed into rucks on opposite touchlines in the build-up to Keenan's last-gasp try. It is not that Van der Merwe is incapable of this, just that others seem to do so more impulsively. Much earlier in the second Test, just beyond the half-hour mark with the Lions trailing 23-5, Lowe and Freeman contributed to a key moment. From a left-hand scrum, Bundee Aki attempts to launch Huw Jones but a flat tip-pass ricochets off Len Ikitau. Lowe reacts brilliantly and keeps the attack moving with a pass to Keenan, who sends Freeman charging into contact: A strong carry, with the help of Keenan's latch, ends up metres from the try-line and foreshadows Tom Curry's crucial finish. No doubt Lowe's awareness will have been heralded by the Lions coaches this week. What next? Van der Merwe's response to this tour will be intriguing. Graham and Kinghorn, one suspects, would be shoo-ins for any Scotland side. There is fierce competition developing for back-three spots, though. Kyle Steyn, exceptional in the air, is a reliable operator. Kyle Rowe, Harry Paterson and Arron Reed all had bright moments on the summer tour. Besides Rowe and Ollie Smith, Tom Jordan and Fergus Burke could be considered as potential full-backs that shift Kinghorn to the wing. Van der Merwe will be eager to begin the 2025-26 campaign strongly for Edinburgh to assure himself of action over autumn fixtures against USA, New Zealand, Argentina and Tonga. As with other Lions colleagues, how he moves on from the tour may be more significant than what has happened in Australia.
The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Calls for more respect for referees after Wallabies' uproar in second Lions Test
World Rugby officials have called for greater respect to be shown towards referees following the furore over the pivotal late call in Saturday's second Test between Australia and the British & Irish Lions. Alan Gilpin, World Rugby's chief executive, believes the mental health of match officials needs prioritising and has described the post-game outburst by the Wallabies coach, Joe Schmidt, as'disappointing'. The call by the Italian referee Andre Piardi to allow the Lions' match-clinching late score was criticised by Schmidt, who was unhappy with the decision not to penalise Jac Morgan for a clear-out just prior to Hugo Keenan's try. A routine post-match review of the officiating is continuing but Gilpin says public criticism of match officials is unfair on those at the sharp end. 'We've got match officials who, when they're criticised publicly, are having their families targeted outside the school gates,' said Gilpin, all too aware of the external pressure to which referees can now be subjected. 'That's not good, that's not fair, and that's not right, so we've got to support these guys.' World Rugby's chairman, Brett Robinson, is similarly concerned and says Nic Berry, the referee whose performance was criticised by the Springboks coach, Rassie Erasmus, on the previous Lions tour in 2021, is still suffering from the after-effects. 'Nic Berry is a mate of mine from Brisbane and he got absolutely hammered in the last Lions series in South Africa,' said Robinson. 'You talk to Nic today and he is still incredibly scarred by the abuse and trolling that happened to him. This [latest episode] reinforces why we have to protect our officials. The sport needs to respect them. Without these people turning up every week we don't have a game.' World Rugby has no plans to release the outcome of their post-game review but Schmidt is set to avoid any sanction for his comments despite publicly suggesting that failing to penalise Morgan for making contact with the neck of Carlo Tizzano undermined the game's stated aim of prioritising player welfare. 'I think it is disappointing when the reaction is, 'this means player welfare isn't taken seriously', because we have worked really hard on that narrative,' said Gilpin. 'Everyone knows we are putting player welfare, in its broadest sense, at the top of the agenda. 'I think Joe ... there's a lot of emotion, understandably. The Wallabies had a chance to win an amazing Test match [and] Joe's comments have continued to respect the fact that the match officials have got a tough job to do. He might disagree with the decisions that were made, but I don't think he's called the integrity of our match officials into question.' Gilpin confirmed, however, that the outcome of the review process would not be made public despite widespread public interest. 'We won't talk publicly about that decision. The decision's happened, the game's finished, we'll move on. [But] we'll share with Joe and the coaching team why the match official has made that decision. Joe's got a view about what was wrong with that decision and there'll be a debate about that, so that Joe and his players can go into the next Test understanding how that game's going to be officiated. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion 'We are reviewing the way the game is officiated and played all the time. We'll continue to work really hard with the match officials group to get consistency in the way key areas are officiated and, hopefully, that provides clarity to players and coaches. But like in any high-level sport, coaches are always looking for an edge with their teams, and we respect that.' World Rugby also say they are still awaiting further details regarding the mooted R360 rebel league, whose backers are currently attempting to woo the world's leading players. 'Investment into the game is great – as long as that investment is driving into the right areas,' said Gilpin. 'If it is creating a more financially sustainable game for players and for the wider ecosystem then we encourage it. We've got to understand what that means in the R360 case.' He is also hopeful that an update regarding the new Nations Cup tournament set to commence in 2026 will finally be forthcoming next month. 'We're at the stage now where for a competition that's going to start next July we've got to get this thing nailed down,' Gilpin said. Organisers of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, meanwhile, have released details of their ticketing programme, starting with the launch next week of a limited number of 'Superfan passes'. In total the organisers say more than 2.5m tickets will be available for the expanded 24-team tournament, the highest number in history.
North Wales Chronicle
3 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Trio return for final Lions Test but ‘devastated' Garry Ringrose misses out
McCarthy, Tuipulotu and Hansen are in contention for the Sydney showdown after missing Saturday's 29-26 victory over the Wallabies that clinched the series with a game to spare. All three have completed their rehab for their respective foot, hamstring and foot injuries and took part in Tuesday's low-key training session. Back to Sydney for the last dance! 🙌🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 28, 2025 However, Ringrose has been left 'devastated' as the 12-day minimum return-to-play protocol for concussion means he will miss the entirety of a series which he entered as first choice outside centre. The Ireland star self-reported his concussion symptoms shortly before the team for the second Test was named last Thursday, resulting in his withdrawal from the starting XV. 'Garry was playing some amazing rugby throughout this tour,' attack coach Andrew Goodman said. 'It's been a dream of his for so long to represent the Lions and he's managed to do that, but he wanted to be a Test-match Lion so it's been devastating for him. 'He's disappointed for himself, but he's getting around everyone and making sure he helps prepare everyone as much as he can.' Andy Farrell announces his team for the third Test on Thursday and must decide to what extent he should freshen up his matchday 23 given they went toe to toe with the Wallabies for 80 gripping minutes at Melbourne Cricket Ground. There is also the question of whether to rotate in players as reward for those who have missed out so far in the series, but Goodman has discounted this approach. 'It will be the best team available to win the series. That might look like some changes, that might look like consistency,' he said. 'You've got to reward form when guys have been playing well and are match-hardened in those Test matches. It is a balance.' The Lions celebrated their success with friends and family for two days but have now hardened their resolve to become the first side to record a whitewash since the 1927 visit to Argentina and first side to go unbeaten in the Tests since the 1974 expedition to South Africa. 'It's huge. It's everything for us as a group to get excited about,' Goodman said. 'It was 1974 the last time a Lions team went through the Test series unbeaten, so there's huge motivation for the group. 'Andy has been massive on that since the start, his expectation not just of the players but us as management and coaches to be the most successful team. 'It has been driving us not just as players, but as a management group every day to get better every day and push each other forward. 'After two hard, physical Tests it's about getting the battery filled up and making sure we're good to go by the end of the week.'
