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Beale labels Russell as Lions danger man

Beale labels Russell as Lions danger man

BBC News5 hours ago

Former Australian international Kurtley Beale says Finn Russell is the player that could lead the Lions to victory in the Test series.Beale, who played in all three Tests for the Wallabies in 2013, is set to face the Lions again for Western Force when the tour gets underway in earnest here in Perth on Saturday.Russell is expected to start the game for Andy Farrell's tourists after helping Bath win their first Premiership title since 1996, a couple of weeks ago.Farrell names his squad on Thursday.Beale, 36, told The Australian newspaper,, external 'I played with him at Racing and he's such a mercurial, unpredictable player. And I think with a forward pack like he will have in front of him, he can create a lot of damage.'He's obviously got some exciting backs outside him as well who will thrive off of his delivery, his service. So I'd think he'd be the danger man.'Beale had a stellar international career but infamously slipped when he lined up to take a potential match-winning penalty in the first Test in 2013.He missed, the Lions won 23-21, and although Australia bounced back to win the second test, they lost the decider and the series.

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Overseas-born players ‘fully submerged' in Lions culture
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Overseas-born players ‘fully submerged' in Lions culture

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Australia release two Reds players to face Lions
Australia release two Reds players to face Lions

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Australia release two Reds players to face Lions

Western Force v British and Irish LionsDate: Saturday, 28 June Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth Time: 11:00 BST Coverage: Live text commentary on BBC Sport website Centre Hunter Paisami and hooker Matt Faessler have been released by Australia to play for Queensland Reds against the British and Irish Lions in their match next six other Reds players - including Wallabies captain Harry Wilson and key back row Fraser McReight - have instead stayed with Australia to prepare for their warm-up Test against Fiji on 6 coach Joe Schmidt's decision to allow Paisami and Faessler to return to the Reds for the match on 2 July follows tension over whether the hosts' big names will be allowed to play against the Lions for their Super Rugby sides. Lions chief executive Ben Calveley had warned holding back Test players for the fixtures was contrary to an agreement with Rugby Australia and risked devaluing the Schmidt has argued it is counterproductive to release all Wallabies back to their provincial sides as he attempts to prepare for the three-Test also pointed out the Lions will not put out a first-choice line-up for every match, with a Test team and midweek side made up of more fringe squad members invariably and Rugby Australia counterpart Phil Waugh met on Wednesday to discuss the issue, before Schmidt opted to release Faessler and Ben Donaldson, who will stay in the Wallabies camp instead, admitted it would have been "awesome" to play for Western Force on Saturday in the Lions' first match on Australian soil. "Yes and no," he said when asked if he regretted not being able to turn out for the Perth-based side."Obviously it is out of the players' control - we do what the coaches want, we get the schedule and we come into camp."There are four Force boys here [retained by the Wallabies], five back there, so there is a good share back there ready to rip in this weekend."It would have been awesome to play - any game you get to play against the Lions is pretty cool - but we are in camp, preparing for Fiji next week and we are really excited to watch the Force boys play at the weekend."Donaldson is one of three fly-halves in the Wallabies squad, competing with Tom Lynagh to back up first-choice Noah Lolesio. If selection goes against him, he could miss out on facing the Lions at finished ninth in this season's Super Rugby Pacific table, the lowest of any of the Australian sides."Yeah, they will win I reckon," Donaldson said with a smile when asked about the outcome of Saturday's match."It is an awesome experience for them and a great challenge, you saw the Brumbies win 12 years ago so it is not impossible."Lions assistant coach Andrew Goodman said he expects all the Super Rugby sides to raise their game considerably for a meeting with the Lions that only comes around once every 12 years."If you watch a Force team or a Reds team during Super Rugby, it's not an indication of what you're going to get against a Lions team," he said."It's a once-in-a-life opportunity for most of those guys, so the level of intensity is going to be through the roof."

RUGBY CONFIDENTIAL DOWN UNDER: Elliot Daly's attempt to bond with Irish Lions team-mate, celebrity couple touch down in Perth and why Kurtley Beale jumped out of his skin
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timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

RUGBY CONFIDENTIAL DOWN UNDER: Elliot Daly's attempt to bond with Irish Lions team-mate, celebrity couple touch down in Perth and why Kurtley Beale jumped out of his skin

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