
Tony Ward: Insipid performance a step backwards for Lions but Test team is starting to take shape
Describing the Lions tour to date as two steps forward, one step back may be overstating it, but Saturday's performance in Sydney certainly diverged from what was shown in Perth and Brisbane.
Building cohesion in any representative team is a challenge irrespective of the playing talent at the coaching group's disposal. It is particularly frustrating because the best of the British and Irish should be on a different level to whatever the host nation can offer, especially provincial opposition short on Test players.

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The Irish Sun
12 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Sligo Rovers' Sam Sargeant ‘top-drawer' says boss John Russell for ‘phenomenal' saves against Shamrock Rovers
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The Irish Sun
13 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Umpire at centre of Wimbledon controversy ABSENT from match-list after chiefs were forced to apologise for blunder
THE Wimbledon umpire at the centre of yesterday's line calling controversy was absent from the match-list for today's action. German Nico Helwerth was in the chair for Sonay Kartal's Centre Court battle with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. 4 Nico Helwerth chats with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Credit: Getty 4 Helwerth, 40, was in the chair during the controversy Credit: PA The match erupted into life with Pavlyuchenkova holding a game point while serving at 4-4 in the first set. British favourite Kartal clearly missed a shot long, but the electronic line calling (ELC), run by tech company Hawk Eye, did not call it out. As the tech system called "stop, stop" - Helwerth halted the point and told the crowd "there is a problem". Bizarrely no video replay, which would have clearly shown the ball out, was available to Helwerth - and following a three-minute delay the 40-year-old followed protocol by replaying the point. Pavlyuchenkova, who should have already won the game, went on to lose it - meaning that Kartal would go on to serve for the first set. The Russian fumed at Helwerth during the next change of ends, even going as far as to accuse Wimbledon of home player bias. The 34-year-old said: "I don't know if it's in or it's out. How do I know? "How can you prove it? Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me.' Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 4 Pavlyuchenkova, 34, was understandably fuming with the decision Credit: Getty Pavlyuchenkova went on to break back and eventually win the first set, and the match. But she did not row back on her comments much in her post-match press conference, again pointing to Kartal being a "local" player. Britain's last hope in Wimbledon women's draw Sonay Kartal OUT after huge controversy as rival accuses umpire of bias Hours after the incident, Wimbledon chiefs released the following statement: "Following the Pavlyuchenkova vs Kartal match, we have had the opportunity to undertake further investigation, including speaking to the players, chair umpire, Hawk-Eye operators and Review Official. "It is now clear that the live ELC system, which was working optimally, was deactivated in error on part of the server's side of the court for one game by those operating the system. "In that time there were three calls not picked up by live ELC on the affected part of the court. Two of these were called by the chair umpire, who was not made aware that the system had been deactivated. "Following the third, the chair umpire stopped the match and consulted with the review official. It was determined that the point should be replayed. The chair umpire followed the established process. "We have apologised to the players involved. We continue to have full confidence in the accuracy of the ball tracking technology. The live ELC system relies on the Hawk-Eye operators, the review official and the technology to work in harmony. "This did not happen. In this instance there was a human error and as a consequence we have fully reviewed our processes and made the appropriate changes." 4 Wimbledon 2025 LIVE - follow all the latest scores and updates from a thrilling fortnight at SW19 All Engand Club chiefs have stressed that it is perfectly normal to rotate umpires throughout the tournament - and confirmed to SunSport that Helwerth would return to the chair tomorrow. Wimbledon ditched line judges this year in favour of electronic line calling. The ELC is run by the same company, Hawk Eye, that operated the challenge system that was previously available to players. On Helwerth, Pavlyuchenkova said: "The chair umpire was so confused. "I think they just need to… chair umpire needs to maybe have a clear plan if that happens, 'Okay, what am I going to do in this situation'. "I think they are a little bit lost. They start calling everybody. They don't know what to do. "Instead [they should be able to say]: 'if the system is down, then I'm going to take initiative and call this'. Read more on the Irish Sun "We probably should have this system like in football to review." Pavlyuchenkova will return to action tomorrow, when she faces No13 seed Amanda Anisimova on No1 Court.


Irish Independent
22 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Wexford swimmer Luca Power plays his part in Ireland's record-breaking performance
An exciting men's 4 x 200m freestyle relay, consisting of John Shortt, Denis O'Brien, Power, and Seán Donnellan, combined for a new Irish Junior record of 7:33.36. The quartet broke the 2018 record of 7:33.73 set at the European Junior Championships and held by Robbie Powell, Cadan McCarthy, Finn McGeever and Jack McMillan. Both McGeever and McMillan went on to represent Ireland at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games in that same event. Luca flew the Wexford flag proudly in Slovakia, with his first race taking place on Tuesday morning, when he touched in 1:54.12 in the 200m freestyle. National Centre Limerick's Denis O'Brien was the fastest of the Irish swimmers in a personal best of 1:51.80, while Power's time was better than the other competitor from Ireland, Dolphin's Tadgh O'Brien (1:57.45). Luca's last race was in the 400m freestyle heats on Sunday, when he clocked 4:09.43. 'That was tough, the first few races were tough, it's my first time racing outdoors and racing at an international level,' he said. 'The relay was great, I made personal best in my split yesterday, I was happy with that.' Meanwhile, excitement is building as the 2025 Irish Summer National Age Group Championships draw near. Set to take place from July 10–13 in Limerick, this prestigious event will bring together the best young swimmers from across the country to compete at the highest level. Among the talented athletes representing the New Ross club are four exceptional junior swimmers: Seán Moran, Emersyn Scully, Katie Ryan and Paula Gallardo. These young swimmers have demonstrated remarkable dedication, skill and determination in their journey to qualify, and now they're set to take on the national stage. Each of them has emerged as a rising star within the club, showing promise and consistency through a season of hard training and competition. They won't be the only names to watch, however. Other strong contenders from the club are hot on their heels, showing that the future is bright for our swim programme with a new generation of talent ready to make their mark. We wish Seán, Emersyn, Katie and Paula the very best of luck as they head to Limerick to represent the club. No matter the outcome, their hard work and achievements already speak volumes – and the experience will surely fuel even greater success ahead.