Lions Preview Ready to Roar ON SALE NOW
Get your hands on this special preview of the British and Irish Lions' Tour of Australia
Once every four years something very special happens in Rugby Union - a Lions tour!
To get you in the mood, this special edition, in-depth preview of the tour has been produced - Ready to Roar!
And the 2025 edition is a mouthwatering prospect as Andy Farrell takes his team Down Under to face the Aussies.
From the stunning wins over New Zealand and South Africa in the 1970s, to the famous Martin Johnson-lead triumph over the Boks in 1997 and up to the modern day drama-packed tours against the Kiwis, a Lions series is never dull.
Last time out, the Lions suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of South Africa, but they will be heading to Australia this time looking to repeat the 2-1 victory they enjoyed there in 2013 under the leadership of Warren Gatland.
We have features on head coach Farrell, captain Maro Itoje youngster Henry Pollock, Marcus Smith, Jac Morgan, Sione Tuipolutu and Mack Hansen.
Every member of the squad is profiled, we take a look at the Aussies and the battle between the coaches.
There is a guide to the venues and the tour matches as well as a look back at previous tours, and some of the greatest Lions.
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Scotsman
28 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Gregor Townsend expects talks on his Scotland future as landmark looms
Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Gregor Townsend has entered the final year of his Scotland contract but has offered little indication as to whether he expects his tenure to be extended. The 52-year-old head coach has already taken charge of more games - 92 - than any of his predecessors and is on course to hit the century mark during next year's Six Nations. Whether he remains in situ beyond the championship remains to be seen. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad His deal expires in April and although talks have taken place with Alex Williamson, Scottish Rugby's new chief executive, and David Nucifora, the performance director who has been hired on a consultancy basis, Townsend said they were not related to his contract. Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend announces his squad for the Skyscanner Pacific Tour. | SNS Group 'I've had conversations with both David and Alex about the future but not necessarily my future,' he said. '[They were] just about where the team is going, reviewing the Six Nations but also areas that we might have to strengthen or look to bring more players through, what's the challenges. So they're normal, those conversations, but nothing about my own situation. 'So I'd imagine those conversations will start as we get closer to November or after the summer tour.' Townsend, who has led Scotland into two Rugby World Cup and eight Six Nations Championships, sees the tour as a chance to gain important ranking points which would help his side gain a higher seeding when the draw for the 2027 World Cup takes place in December this year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It opens with a (non-ranking) fixture against the Māori All Blacks in Whangārei on July 5 and continues with two Test matches, against Fiji and Samoa, which will count towards the world rankings. Scotland sit seventh at the moment, tucked in between sixth-placed England and eighth-placed Australia, and Townsend would like to see his team in the top six in time for the draw, thus ensuring they would be in the first group of seeds and avoiding the calamity of the last World Cup when, as third seeds, they were paired with South Africa and Ireland and eliminated in the pool stage for the second tournament running. The match with the Māori All Blacks will be Scotland's first since they lost to France in the Six Nations finale and the period since has been a time for reflection and education, said Townsend. He travelled to Australia to spend time with the Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm rugby league teams and the Brisbane Lions Australian Rules side, while assistant coach Pete Horne went to New Zealand. For the second year running, Scotland finished fourth in the Six Nations, winning two and losing three, an outcome that fell below expectations. Not surprisingly, Townsend was keener to draw on the positives from the tournament and felt that Scotland's performance against France in Paris offered cause for optimism despite the 35-16 defeat. He felt his side matched the champions physically and talked up the way his forwards competed. Gregor Townsend felt Scotland fronted up physically against France in the final game of this year's Six Nations. | SNS Group 'We've reflected a lot on our performance, we've had learnings,' said Townsend. 'Pete Horne was out in New Zealand for three weeks, I was out in Australia for a week, so it is a good period to not just focus on your own game but how can you add from other experiences. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The most relevant game is the last one you played, which I thought was a really positive performance in Paris. And it gives me a lot of optimism of what our team can do when we go up against a big side. And the big sides we've gone up against this year - South Africa, Ireland, England, France, the real physical teams. . . . Most - not the Ireland game, but South Africa, France and England - we've really fronted up physically and we've been able to impose our game.' That may be so but Scotland still lost those games and there remains doubts about the depth of their forward resources to compete against South Africa, Ireland and France who are able to field ferocious starting packs and replace them with equally formidable substitutes. 'There are other areas we have to improve, we know that,' added Townsend. 'Taking opportunities. We were held up over the line against France, we were held up a couple of times against Wales, and we had opportunities against England - we should have scored another seven to 14 points. 'But a lot of the game that we want to work on with our players is in place. It's against the top teams as well, and accuracy and keep driving our game, our players driving it as much as the coaches, is what we want to do with the team. But there's nothing there when we reflected 'Oh we really need to change this,' or 'This is a big part of the game that we're struggling with'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I think the forwards in particular showed what they can deliver this year, so that gives us a lot of encouragement for the future.' Fiji's Tevita Ikanivere leads the cibi war dance before the match against Scotland at Murrayfield in November. | SNS Group / SRU Next month's games are against sides ranked below Scotland but have a hazardous feel to them. The Scots scored eight tries in beating Fiji 57-17 at Murrayfield in November but playing them in the heat and humidity of Suva is a different challenge altogether as Townsend knows only too well. His first tour in charge of Scotland saw them lose 27-22 in the Fijian capital in 2017. The final game, against Samoa, will be played at Eden Park in Auckland, negating any home advantage the islanders might have had. Sky Sports will show live coverage of the opener against the Māori All Blacks which is scheduled for 4.35am in the UK. 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North Wales Chronicle
2 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Victoria Beckham says she ‘could not be prouder' of David Beckham's knighthood
The former England captain, who played for his country 115 times, was honoured for his services to sport and charity. He married Lady Beckham, also known as Posh Spice, in 1999 and the pair share four children together, Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper. A post shared by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) In a post shared on Saturday on Instagram, Lady Beckham said: 'You've always been my knight in shining armour, but now it's official. Sir @davidbeckham!!! 'What an honour, I couldn't be prouder of you. Your dedication to the things that matter most — your country, your work, your passion, and most of all, your family — has never wavered. 'The way you've touched so many lives over the years with kindness and humility speaks volumes about the man you are and continues to inspire us everyday. 'But above all else, I'm so, so proud to call you mine. I love you so much xxxx.' The football star, who was formerly appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003, responded to the post by expressing his love for his family, mentioning each of his children and adding 'I love you all'. Sir David first made his Premier League debut for United in 1995 and was part of the team that earned a dramatic Champions League final victory in 1999 when they beat Bayern Munich with two late goals. In total he scored 85 goals and collected honours including six Premier League titles and two FA Cups as a footballer, before retiring from the sport in 2013. Alongside his footballing career, the sports star is also a supporter of a number of charity causes including being a founding member of the charity Malaria No More UK's leadership council. Sir David was also named as an ambassador last year for the King's Foundation, an educational charity established by the King in 1990 and has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the humanitarian aid organisation Unicef since 2005. In a statement to the PA News Agency, Sir David said: 'Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour. 'To have played for and captained my country was the greatest privilege of my career and literally a boyhood dream come true. 'Off the pitch I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Britain around the world and work with incredible organisations that are supporting communities in need and inspiring the next generation. 'I'm so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I'm grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment. 'It will take a little while for the news to sink in but I'm immensely proud and it's such an emotional moment for me to share with my family.' The businessman is also the co-founder of Studio99, the production company behind the hit Netflix series, Beckham, and is a part-owner of MLS side Inter Miami. He is also known for his fashion and was named most stylish man of the year by GQ magazine in 1998, has modelled for the likes of H&M, Armani and Boss, and was appointed ambassadorial president of the British Fashion Council (BFC) in 2018 where he assisted in its search for young British talent from all backgrounds. Sir David is not the only fashion star in the family, with his wife Lady Beckham launching an eponymous fashion label in 2008 followed by a beauty brand in 2019.
South Wales Argus
2 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Emma Raducanu is managing back issues after bowing out of Queen's
Newly reinstated British no.1 Emma Raducanu saw her Queen's run come to an end in a straight sets defeat to Qinwen Zheng. The 22-year-old produced a brilliant start to her second set as the Olympic champion and top seed from China ran into several issues, but was unable to make it count and missed out on a spot in the LTA's HSBC Championship semi-finals with a 6-2 6-4 loss. Raducanu had faced several back issues coming into the WTA 500 event and was forced to call the physio after her first set in the quarterfinal but noted that she was not overly concerned by the returned flare up. "I have been managing it pretty well over the last few weeks, but I guess as the week goes on it just tests it out and I just felt it," she said. "They took me off court and taped it to give me some extra stability, and some painkillers. "I have had back issues before. I think it's just a vulnerability of mine and I know I need to take good care of it. 'I'm in awe of her, to feel that love for the game is really precious' 🥹❤️ When Joanie met, played with and inspired her hero @EmmaRaducanu — LTA (@the_LTA) June 13, 2025 "I'm not overly concerned that it's something serious, but I know it's something that's very annoying and needs proper and careful management." Zheng was the commander of play during the opening set but Raducanu continued to push her opponent in each of her service games, as both players threatened to break throughout. The top left corner seemed to be Zheng's weak spot and Raducanu learnt that early on, consistently winning points in that area whilst employing her backhand slice to come from three break points down and win her service game. Zheng fell into a bit of an issue with her shoes, having not played on grass much before and needing to manage a change of shoe half way through the first set. The break in play looked like it had all turned out well for Raducanu who managed to bounce back to level the game, but it eventually turned into the break Zheng needed. With the Brit's return slipping, Zheng took flight and found her rhythm to break once more and take the set. "Returning is one of my big strengths, and I think Qinwen served really well," she said. "I didn't see many second serves and she hit her spots really well in some big moments. "Credit to her. She kind of took away one of my bigger strengths. "I think I have a lot of work to do, to be honest." Raducanu came out in the second set and immediately broke Zheng, courtesy of some well placed shots down the tramline. With several racket issues seeping into Zheng's play and as Raducanu went two breaks up in the second set, the world no.5 began to panic on the other side of the court and was evidently struggling to find the same accuracy and power she had in her first set. But the zing of Zheng's serve returned as quickly as it had left, and the bleak patch soon subsided as the Olympic champion began to turn around her second set and level the game. The Brit had one last chance to save her semi-final hopes, serving to halt Zheng's chance at going through, but double faults and nerves once again seeped through and although the British no.1 was able to come from three match points down, ultimately bowed out of Queen's. For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website
