logo
Lions hold off First Nations-Pasifika XV 24-19 in Melbourne

Lions hold off First Nations-Pasifika XV 24-19 in Melbourne

Straits Times6 days ago
MELBOURNE - The British & Irish Lions were rocked by the underdog spirit of the First Nations & Pasifika XV (FNP) but held on grimly to claim an unconvincing 24-19 win in their last tour match of Australia on Tuesday.
Centre Jamie Osborne scored a try in each half, while Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe also crossed for the Lions who remain unbeaten on their Australian tour despite producing a largely ragged display at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium.
It was full credit to the FNP outfit, who gave Joe Schmidt's Wallabies a lesson in ferocity at the breakdown and had tries from Tristan Reilly, Seru Uru and Rob Leota, the last allowing them to creep within five points with less than 10 minutes on the clock.
The Lions swept the nation's four provincial teams and an Australia-New Zealand invitational side before downing the Wallabies 27-19 in the first test in Brisbane last Saturday.
They will look to seal the test series with victory over the Wallabies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. REUTERS
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rugby Australia want 'accountability' on late call in Lions test
Rugby Australia want 'accountability' on late call in Lions test

CNA

time3 hours ago

  • CNA

Rugby Australia want 'accountability' on late call in Lions test

SYDNEY :Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said he would seek an explanation from World Rugby on the late call by referee Andrea Piardi that ultimately decided the match and the series in the second test against the British & Irish Lions. Hugo Keenan's last-minute try gave the Lions a 29-26 win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but the Irish fullback only scored after Jac Morgan had cleared out Carlo Tizzano in a ruck in the buildup. The Wallabies wanted a penalty for high contact but Piardi allowed the try to stand, a decision slammed by Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt in his post-match press conference as contrary to World Rugby's campaign to improve player safety. "Joe's comments at the press conference were 100 per cent aligned with mine as a CEO and a former Wallaby," Waugh told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Our position on that particular decision is consistent to what Joe outlined in his analysis of that last breakdown. "Clearly there'll be the usual process, which is what happens after every test match, and we'll certainly be looking for a level of accountability from World Rugby over the next period of time." Waugh will not have to go far to air his views with senior World Rugby officials in Sydney this week for events looking forward to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. Saturday's victory gave the Lions an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series ahead of the third and final test at Sydney's Stadium Australia this weekend. Max Jorgensen, one of the few Wallabies who might still be playing when the Lions next visit Australia, said on Monday it had been crushing to lose in Melbourne after leading the match for 79 minutes. "It really hurts, it's a tough pill to swallow. I was absolutely gutted personally, I know everyone in the team was," the 20-year-old winger told reporters at the team hotel. "To have to wait another 12 years to have the chance of getting a series win is obviously devastating." It is 121 years since the Lions swept the Wallabies in a test series and forward Nick Frost said there was a real determination in the squad to put their best foot forward in Sydney at the weekend. "We're definitely keen to rip in," the lock said. "It's a massive match, going out there playing in front of your friends, for your family and your nation. We know there's so many things that we've got to improve on but there's some really good parts of that game. "There's definitely a sense of confidence in what we have done and, in general, what we want to do."

Rugby Australia want 'accountability' on late call in Lions test
Rugby Australia want 'accountability' on late call in Lions test

Straits Times

time7 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Rugby Australia want 'accountability' on late call in Lions test

SYDNEY - Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said he would seek an explanation from World Rugby on the late call by referee Andrea Piardi that ultimately decided the match and the series in the second test against the British & Irish Lions. Hugo Keenan's last-minute try gave the Lions a 29-26 win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but the Irish fullback only scored after Jac Morgan had cleared out Carlo Tizzano in a ruck in the buildup. The Wallabies wanted a penalty for high contact but Piardi allowed the try to stand, a decision slammed by Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt in his post-match press conference as contrary to World Rugby's campaign to improve player safety. "Joe's comments at the press conference were 100% aligned with mine as a CEO and a former Wallaby," Waugh told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Our position on that particular decision is consistent to what Joe outlined in his analysis of that last breakdown. "Clearly there'll be the usual process, which is what happens after every test match, and we'll certainly be looking for a level of accountability from World Rugby over the next period of time." Waugh will not have to go far to air his views with senior World Rugby officials in Sydney this week for events looking forward to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. Saturday's victory gave the Lions an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series ahead of the third and final test at Sydney's Stadium Australia this weekend. REUTERS

'Lucky' De Minaur saves three match points to lift Washington Open title
'Lucky' De Minaur saves three match points to lift Washington Open title

Straits Times

time7 hours ago

  • Straits Times

'Lucky' De Minaur saves three match points to lift Washington Open title

Alex De Minaur rallied from a set down and saved three match points to claim the Washington Open title with a 5-7 6-1 7-6(3) win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final of the ATP 500 event on Sunday. The Australian number one, who lost the 2018 final to Alexander Zverev, felt he rode his luck to secure his 10th career title and ensure he will enter the top 10 in the world rankings ahead of next month's U.S. Open. The two 26-year-olds exchanged breaks early in the opening set before Spain's Davidovich Fokina seized control by breaking again and closed out the set with the help of some crisp forehand winners. De Minaur responded emphatically in the second set, converting two of four break-point opportunities while holding serve throughout, wrapping up the set in just over 30 minutes with an ace to level the contest. The Spaniard looked on course for his first career title when he broke to grab the lead in the decider but he failed to serve out the match at 5-3, sending a forehand long to hand the break back to seventh seed De Minaur. Davidovich Fokina's frustration mounted as the 12th seed squandered three match points on De Minaur's serve, and the Australian then capitalised on a series of unforced errors in the tiebreak to edge the contest. "I came here in 2018 and it gave me so much confidence, so I'm so happy that I was able to come back and end up winning the title," De Minaur said at the trophy presentation. "Alejandro, you're way too good not to have one of these, it's coming for sure," he added, gesturing to the trophy. "You deserved it today, I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor, hell of a player. No one on the tour wants to play you. And this is not the end, this is only going on for you." Davidovich Fokina recalled that he had required a wild card to play in the U.S. capital last year and was pleased to have at least guaranteed a rise to a career high world number 19 when the rankings are updated on Monday. "He deserved the win, he was fighting every ... ball, he was always pushing through my limits," Davidovich Fokina said. "We had a job to do before we started the year, to be at the middle of the year in the top 20. This week we did it, just not with the trophy. But for sure, we will keep going, pushing our limits, pushing harder." REUTERS

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