Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard: Aidan Hutchinson looks better than he was before injury
Hutchinson rehabbed with an eye on a potential return for the Super Bowl and he kept working after those hopes were dashed by the Commanders in the divisional round of the playoffs. He's been practicing without restrictions at camp and Sheppard said that the work has been of an even higher quality than he expected to see.
'Listen I'm not saying anything about numbers, statistics or any of that. But, I see a better player than we had last year,' Sheppard said, via Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com. 'And you might be like, 'Woah.' Like, that's the same thing I said when I saw him out there. I'm like, 'Woah.''
Hutchinson broke his ankle while at Michigan in 2020 and then returned with 14 sacks to propel the Wolverines to the playoffs the next year. He also propelled himself to the Lions with the second overall pick in the 2022 draft and Sheppard's comments suggest a similar rebound may be taking shape this time around.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Lions roar to series victory over Australia after dramatic win in second Test epic
Out of a second Test epic, the British and Irish Lions roar to series victory. The Melbourne Cricket Ground has seen many a great sporting occasion over its 172 years, but even this grand old sporting cathedral seemed to shake to a seismic encounter of grand magnitude, settled at the last by a sliding Hugo Keenan and a decision to be argued long into the Australian night. Contention, colossal contacts and moments of majesty and magic – what more could one want in an encounter to restore faith in Australian rugby and prove again just how special the Lions can be? This was a riotous, raucous game befitting an almighty night, the many worshippers and few rugby infidels captivated alike at a rocking church that provided a suitably monumental backdrop. But, for a few moments after Keenan had scored what proved the match-winning score, no one inside the MCG seemed quite sure what their emotions were – Jac Morgan's clearout of Carlo Tizzano requiring further scrutiny before the try was awarded. 'No foul play,' referee Andre Piardi eventually concluded, and the Lions' celebrations could begin. But series victories do not come easily, and how they had to earn this win. Across 80 minutes of serious ferocity, the Wallabies answered a great many of the questions that had been asked of them after their meek first Test showing. Joe Schmidt, their head coach, had declared that his side would not be so passive and not play nice – Australia backed up both proclamations with the thunderous hits and clever skulduggery that Test rugby demands of any team. Thoughts of a one-sided series, common before this contest, were clearly misplaced; reports of the demise of Australian rugby union exaggerated. And yet the history books will show a Lions side victorious with a game to spare after their biggest Test comeback in history. Andy Farrell and his squad have made a point of stating their ambition to be regarded as one of the great touring teams, writing themselves in the annals. A 3-0 series clean sweep would be a unique achievement; immortality is within reach. 'To me, this is a dream for everyone in that dressing room,' Farrell beamed. 'They've dreamt of being a British and Irish Lion all of their life. To get to a point now where Hugo Keenan scores a try in the last minute to win a series in Australia. If you're a child watching that back home, do you want to be a British and Irish Lion? One hundred per cent. 'That's the dream and that's the fairytale that these lads have wished for since they were this high. It's alive and kicking and we're over the moon.' The atmosphere both before and during a magical encounter enhanced the spectacle, the 90,307 in attendance marking a new record for a Lions clash. Heavy traffic and the crowding of the streets that thread the short distance out to the MCG from the city centre meant the hosts were 20 minutes late – far from ideal, even if one could uncharitably suggest that it took them until 42 minutes in to turn up last week. The Wallabies would have been much more content with how they began here, with the impact of the returning Will Skelton and Rob Valetini instantly obvious. The former's carry helped draw a penalty out of old Saracens chum Maro Itoje, before two more meaty rumbles from Valetini forced the Lions offside. Tom Lynagh slotted it from the tee, as he did again after a slicing Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii – seldom sighted in the first 40 minutes a week ago – had been corralled by Tom Curry, subsequently off his feet. The difference in intent on and off the ball was clear, too. Skelton was picking fights with just about everyone in red like an enraged bull, with plenty of Wallabies piling in to support their barroom brawler. Not all in Lions red were innocent, mind, and Piardi soon called both skippers into his office for a dressing-down. The warning came amid a spell of prolonged Lions pressure that culminated in a quick tap from Dan Sheehan and a dart to the line. An ill-tempered first half hour had left both sides in the disciplinary dock, though. With the tourists unable to get their linespeed timing to the liking of the officials, Tommy Freeman was bound for the bin as the Wallabies thumped against the Lions' line. The try was inevitable, James Slipper a surprise snuffling scorer – try four of a Test career now 146 matches long, surely his favourite yet. Suddenly, great mines of gold sprang up around the MCG. Seventeen punishing phases from a home forward pack proving a point were rewarded by Jake Gordon's sniping score, before Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, the million-dollar man, sparked a beauty finished off by Tom Wright. The Lions briefly looked entirely unsure what had hit them, but soon refocused. First, Jack Conan and Tom Curry combined neatly to finish a sweeping move to the right corner, then Huw Jones – who wouldn't have been playing if not for Garry Ringrose's misfortune – wriggled through two tacklers to the line to get his side back within a score, 23-17. It felt like a few Australians had already emptied their tank; it was little surprise that neither Slipper nor Valetini re-emerged after the break, with Allan Alaalatoa off too. Seven minutes later, Skelton was done, the giant's weary trudge to the touchline a welcome sight for those in red. With replacement scrum-half Tate McDermott already on to the wing to replace a hamstrung Harry Potter, it looked like the strength of the wounded Wallabies might have been waning. The Lions, though, were unable to take advantage. Uncharacteristic errors from James Lowe, Keenan, Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell all arrived in relatively quick succession, allowing Lynagh's right boot to extend the hosts' lead by three. Enter the Lions' own bench, charged with doing more than they managed in victory a week ago. Ellis Genge immediately impacted, and James Ryan, too, while starter Bundee Aki was gathering steam, cutting up the middle with sirens sounding. Lowe's sharp work set up Tadhg Beirne to barrel in – with Russell's touchline conversion, the Lions were within two. And then came Keenan at the death to settle one of the great spectacles – after the most anxious of waits for those of a Lions persuasion as Piardi and his team deliberated. No foul play, they ruled, and it was over. 'It was our honour and privilege,' captain Itoje said – most inside the MCG agreed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Debate over "that" try continues long after the Lions clinch a series win over Australia
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Debate continued Sunday on a hemispheric basis over the last-minute try and absence of a penalty that sealed the British and Irish Lions' 29-26 win over Australia in the second test and a series victory with a match to spare. From the Northern Hemisphere, Jac Morgan's cleanout of Carlo Tizzano at the last breakdown Saturday was fair and perfectly executed. From the Southern Hemisphere, Morgan breached rugby's law 9.20 by striking Tizzano above the shoulders which likely in most matches in the south would have been considered endangerment and would have been penalized. While the Lions woke with the sore heads of celebrants, the Wallabies were left to brood over what might have been. Australia coach Joe Schmidt was emphatic after the match that Italian referee Andrea Piardi had erred in not penalizing Morgan and ruling out the last-minute try to Hugo Keenan which prevented the Wallabies from leveling the series. Piardi and his assistant referees closely studied replays of the final ruck before waving away the entreaties of Wallabies captain Harry Wilson and awarding the try. In explanation, Piardi said Tizzano and Morgan had arrived at the ruck at the same time and their collision was part of the normal rough and tumble of the game. 'You just have to read law 9.20 and I guess you just have to listen to the description from the referee and then watch the vision,' Schmidt told a news conference after the match. 'When two players are described as arriving at the same time, just watch the footage. 'Players make errors. Match officials make errors. Our perspective is we felt it was a decision that doesn't really live up to the big player safety push that they're talking about. You cannot hit someone above the level of the shoulders and there's no wrapping with the left arm, the hands on the ground. That's what we've seen, and we've watched a number of replays from different angles. It is what it is. We just have to accept it.' From the northern perspective, Morgan makes contact with Tizzano below the neck and shoulders. It was, Lions coach Andy Farrell said 'brilliant". Some Lions fans even went as far as to accuse Tizzano of 'simulation," by trying to exaggerate the incident to influence the referee. 'I thought it was a brilliant clear-out, honestly, didn't you? It depends on what side of the fence you come from,' Farrell said. 'I thought it was a good clear-out live. I couldn't understand what they were going back for. They seem to go back for everything these days. But I'm so pleased that the referee held his nerve. It was the right decision in my opinion. 'I can understand people's opinions.' Wallabies and Lions fans clashed on social media long after the crowd of more than 90,000 fans — the most ever to watch the Lions — had left the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Fans from the north and south agreed only that this had been one of the great test matches and most memorable of rugby occasions. ___ AP rugby: The Associated Press
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Debate over "that" try continues long after the Lions clinch a series win over Australia
MELBOURNE, Australia — Debate continued Sunday on a hemispheric basis over the last-minute try and absence of a penalty that sealed the British and Irish Lions' 29-26 win over Australia in the second test and a series victory with a match to spare. From the Northern Hemisphere, Jac Morgan's cleanout of Carlo Tizzano at the last breakdown Saturday was fair and perfectly executed. From the Southern Hemisphere, Morgan breached rugby's law 9.20 by striking Tizzano above the shoulders which likely in most matches in the south would have been considered endangerment and would have been penalized.
