Lions v Wallabies: First Test winners and losers
Tom Curry
Congratulations to Curry who has held off the claims of Jac Morgan, Henry Pollock and Josh van der Flier to wear the number seven jersey at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday. Both Morgan and van Flier have spent more time in that jersey in the preceding tour games with Curry having had just one start at openside flanker. He also has inferior tackle stats to Morgan and van der Flier and has turnover Lions ball more times than his rivals, making almost 50 per cent fewer metres from the same number of carries as Wales's Morgan. Yet Curry is a proven Lions Test starter who started at seven in all three Tests against South Africa four years ago.
Sione Tuipulotu
Scotland's captain may well have started this opening Test at inside centre alongside compatriot Huw Jones regardless, but Garry Ringrose's concussion against the Brumbies nine days ago brought an end to hopes of an all-Irish midfield pairing. Tuipulotu has not been pulling up trees so far on this tour and positional rival Bundee Aki has performed better but the Australian-born 12 appears to have benefitted from the desire to play an established pairing rather than mix and match.
Hugo Keenan
Keenan's selection at full-back caps a remarkable rebound from a nightmarish start to his first Lions tour. Arriving in Australia injured, the Ireland back then contracted a virus that left him reeling for 12 days. He still had the bug when he made his Lions debut against the Waratahs a fortnight ago and his poor performance in Sydney might have ended his Test hopes there and then. Yet Keenan has been nothing if not resilient and he grabbed his second chance, aided by injury to Blair Kinghorn, with both hands with an impressive display last Saturday in Adelaide against an AUSNZ Invitational XV.
LOSERS
Jac Morgan
A nation weeps with Morgan's omission from the Lions matchday 23, as Wales fail to provide a Test player to the famous touring side for the first time since 1896. There is some justification for Welsh frustration given his productivity at openside flanker in three tour games.
Josh van der Flier
You could say the same for van der Flier as was mentioned about Morgan, as the 2022 World Rugby Player of the Year gets ready to watch the first Test at Suncorp Stadium from the stands. Both men seem to have lost out to more powerful back-row rivals, with Tom Curry starting at openside flanker, backed up by fellow Englishman Ben Earl, whose versatility across the back row and as an auxiliary centre make him an ideal bench replacement. Yet having started 50 of the 56 Ireland Tests under Andy Farrell's watch, this omission will sting.
Bundee Aki
The Connacht and Ireland centre has the solace of a place on the bench as the outside backs replacement alongside Marcus Smith, who can cover 10 and 15, but Aki's candidacy for the number 12 jersey was possibly compromised when his Irish midfield partner Garry Ringrose was concussed against the Brumbies in Canberra nine days ago and stood down for 12 days.
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The 42
4 minutes ago
- The 42
Noel McGrath: 'To have my son there was one of the greatest things I could have done'
WHEN NOEL MCGRATH first tasted All-Ireland senior glory, he was a teenager. That was 15 years ago, the youngster firing home a goal as part of a memorable Croke Park day for Tipperary against Kilkenny. On Sunday he was sharing in another magical day for his county, lofting over the last point of the game and claiming his fourth medal. Now he is a father and sharing the aftermath with his son Sam elevated the meaning of this victory. 'To be able to have my son there was one of the greatest things I could have done and I lifted the Liam MacCarthy with him in my arms. 'He's two since March, I have another baby coming in October. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I'd be able to bring him to Croke Park. To win an All-Ireland with him is unreal. 'That will be something that I will remember forever and that I have forever. In time he'll see all the pictures from it, he won't remember it but he'll have them memories and all those pictures. It's special for me to be able to do that with him.' Tipperary's Noel McGrath lifts the Liam MacCarthy Cup with his son Sam. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO Life off the pitch is busy for McGrath, who works as a territory manager for MSD Animal Health in the Munster area. He turns 35 in December and has been a constant presence in the Tipperary squad since 2009. McGrath has not made any decision on whether he will prolong a glittering career but the question has been one he has had to consider in every off-season of late. 'Over the last number of years, at the end of every year, you do think about it. When you're feeling good about it and when you're enjoying it, it's hard to step away, because when you're gone, you're gone. You're not going to come back at my age, when it's over. 'So I'm delighted I have been able to contribute over the last number of years and especially to be able to be part of it this year. Who knows into the future? There's no point in me saying here now what I know I'm going to do. I'd love to stay playing forever but I know that can't happen. We'll see in time. I'll go back to the club and see how that goes over the next few months. Advertisement 'As I said after the semi-final, it never gets old. As long as you're able to do it and to have days like this, it would keep anyone in good form, and looking to do it again. It's unreal, it's unbelievable.' Tipperary's Noel McGrath celebrates after the game. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO The mental capacity to keep going is key for McGrath. 'You know what, physically-wise, with the way the thing has gone nowadays with S&C, if you're willing to put in the work, you'll get your body right. It's the head more than anything. You have to be willing to get yourself up and to go training every week. That's probably the hardest part – if you're able to do that. And if you're mentally able to do it. 'Because physically, with the way everything has gone, people are keeping themselves fit going to the gym, even if you're not playing sport. But yeah, mentally I've been really, really enjoying it. I never really had that evening where you're dragging yourself out to training. You'd be looking forward to it and that for me is the part that really keeps you going, that you're not feeling it as a drag.' McGrath had a key input in shaping Tipperary's All-Ireland winning campaign but was largely operating in a changed role off the bench. 'Of course, everyone wants to play. I'm no different, I'd love to be starting. But there's 38 lads on our panel that would love to start and you have to trust the management that what they're deciding is the right thing for the team. I go in training and I burst myself every night to be trying to get on that 15. And if you're not on it, you want to be one of the ones that come on. 'To get on the field and to get involved was unreal. To be able to get that score at the end was a great feeling. It was just nice to be part of it.' The McGrath family influence extended beyond Noel. Brian, the youngest of the trio, was also on the panel. John was in sensational attacking form as he fired 2-2 from play and was fouled for the penalty where Darragh McCarthy netted. Tipperary's Brian McGrath, Noel McGrath and John McGrath celebrate with the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO 'He's been very good for us this year,' said Noel. 'He's had a tough few years where he had been on (the team), he wasn't on, he was off. But his club form has been unbelievable, especially in the last five or six (years). I think the whole country is seeing that now, how good he's been over the last six months with Tipperary.' 'That's a big injury (John tore his Achilles in 2022). He got back from it and he's flying fit now again and it's great to see.' The triumph enshrines McGrath's status in the pantheon of Tipperary hurling greats. A fourth All-Ireland medal win places him on a higher tier/ 'It's a nice honour. There's no point in saying that I didn't know that if we won, getting to four was the first time since '65 or '71 that someone has done it. I love hurling and I know a lot about the history of Tipperary so I would have been aware of that. 'Now that's happened, sure it's a great feeling and I'm delighted to be one with four. There's a lot of lads with three and a few with two and more with their first so to be in that category is unreal. 'I'd love to be able to give it a go and have a rattle off it next year again but we'll go back to the club over the next few months and we'll battle it out against each other there and see what happens.' The transformation in the season of team-mate Darragh McCarthy pleased McGrath. Sent-off against Cork in the opening seconds of the Munster championship, he struck 1-13 on Sunday when the teams renewed acquaintances on the biggest stage. 'He's had a tough few weeks and months with different things but his form and his attitude and his mood never really changed. He's one of the most dedicated hurlers you'll find. He's always practising. 'Nobody likes to see that happen to a teammate and he had a tough few weeks and months but he gave an exhibition in an All-Ireland final. 'I have great time for him, he's a lovely young fella and I was delighted that yesterday went the way it did.' *****
RTÉ News
19 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Red hot Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne set out Lions stall leaving Wallabies an uphill task
A dominant first half led the Lions to a straightforward victory in the first Test match against Australia. Some notable performance justified Andy Farrell's selection, particularly in the back row, showing that there's a lot more to team selection. Public focus was on most recent form, whereas Farrell proved why he's the man in charge with his selection of Tadhg Beirne and Tom Curry. The Beirne selection was less surprising. He's one of the head coach's go-to guys in the Irish team and there are much clearer intangible attributes to Beirne. The Kildare man is a captain and leader while being a dominant setpiece player. It wasn't a case of whether Beirne would start, it was more about whether he would play in the second row or back row. While accepting his player of the match award after the 27-19 win, Beirne discussed his recent form being poorer than he would have liked, yet unsurprisingly, he stepped up when the challenge was at its highest and he put in a standout performance. Beirne won a penalty in the breakdown within 20 seconds, giving the Lions an immediate 3-0 lead, which meant that Australia were under pressure from the beginning. Aside from his leading tackle count, Beirne had two breakdown turnovers and a crucial maul turnover when Australia were beginning to find some momentum. As Farrell said, Beirne is a Test-match animal, and he justified his selection after receiving some criticism during the week. The more surprising selection was Curry, considering the form and quality of other players in the back row. While the Sale forward won't give you the same volume of match moments as Beirne, or the other back-row options for that matter, everything that Curry does is of the highest intensity. Not only did he set the physical tone for the Lions from his very first tackle, Curry was clever in his work rate and impacted the game at crucial times. He certainly strikes me as a guy that thinks his way through the game, and prepares himself both mentally and physically behind the scenes. Australia's Tom Lynagh made his starting debut on Saturday. His timing was pretty poor in attack, contributing to a lot of clunky play from the home side. However, Curry was a thorn in his side and disrupted any chance that Lynagh had of leading a cohesive attack. Joe Schmidt had clearly set Australia up for a clever move off their first scrum launch play. Teams often use a dummy play down the short side of a ruck or scrum to force the opposition back field to move across to that side. They then throw the ball back in the other direction to a more vulnerable defence because the backfield are out of position from chasing hard on the initial side. The Wallabies tried that in the first play, but when the ball was flashed back across the scrum to Lynagh running flat, Curry was aware and rushed the young out-half. It meant that centre Len Ikitau's timing off Lynagh was poor and the Australian out-half's kick to the manipulated back field didn't hit its mark. It's a small thing and might not be caught upon your first watch of the game, but small, sharp moments like this is what makes Curry shine in Test matches. He stayed up field and alive in the defensive line, despite the ball being thrown in the other direction. It might sound basic, but top internationals do the basics consistently and effectively. Club players switch off in that moment, Curry didn't. He had another standout moment from an Australian lineout overthrow move. The England international cut out the throw, offloaded to Finn Russell who sent Huw Jones into space. Curry didn't stop and admire his contribution. He raced around in support and when Jones faded onto a Russell pass to create a 3 v 2 situation on the right-hand touchline, Curry was on hand to finish the 2 v 1 after receiving the pass from Russell and Dan Sheehan (below) finished in the corner. They're small moments that make big impacts. These are moments that don't show up on the stats sheet. Curry won't have the same volume of actions as Jac Morgan or Josh van der Flier, something that was used as evidence against his selection during last week. However, when you notice the impact of the moments that he has, he more than justified the chance that Farrell gave him, in an unbelievably competitive position. International rugby doesn't rely on the same volume of efforts as club rugby. The ball-in-play time is often lower and players contribute equally. At club level you get top players doing the work of others. At international level that's rarely needed. Curry fit into a system and when called upon, he gave everything in the moment. He played on the edge, and might have been penalised or even carded at times, but good players can play on the edge and find a way to stay out of trouble. Curry did that for the Lions last weekend and he had a huge part to play in the dominant parts of their victory. It's not to say that Van der Flier, Morgan or Henry Pollock wouldn't have contributed very positively to a Lions win, they probably would have. Curry certainly did. Farrell can enjoy the first victory, knowing that when his selection was questioned, the players that he showed loyalty to, paid him back in spades. He'll have to prove his value as a coach once more next week in what is arguably the most difficult game. Win and the series is over as a contest, with a freebie to finish off the tour. Lose and it's a draw with all the momentum against the Lions. There'll be a few impactful players returning to the wounded Wallabies. I'm not sure they'll have enough impact to turn this Test series around. The hosts were pretty poor for large parts of the game. The Lions indiscipline left the Wallabies back into the game. With their replacement half-backs, Australia showed that they have something to build on. You'd expect Tate McDermott and Ben Donaldson to take control from the start on Saturday and give Schmidt's side a better chance of competing in the opening quarter, instead of playing for pride in the closing one. The Lions will make some changes too. Their bench didn't provide the punch that Farrell would have expected. McCarthy's injury might force at least one change, otherwise I think the starting pack will be the same, with a greater chance of changes coming onto the bench and potentially a back-three player. It's still all to play for and Australia could pull off a surprise this weekend. However, they didn't have enough punch across the pitch last week, and I don't think the return of Rob Valetini, Will Skelton and even a few others are going to tame this Lions tour.
RTÉ News
19 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Jim McGuinness urges Donegal to 'grasp the nettle' against Kerry
Jim McGuinness has urged his Donegal team to "grasp the nettle" in their All-Ireland final showdown with Kerry. McGuinness famously led the county to Sam Maguire glory in 2012 – a first win in 20 years – and stepped away from the role following the All-Ireland final defeat to Kerry in 2014. His second stint in charge of the county has brought back-to-back Ulster titles and a return to the biggest stage for Sunday's clash with the Kingdom, who are gunning for a 39th SFC success and a first since 2022. Donegal have played an incredible ten games in the championship this season, losing just once, to Tyrone, in the round-robin phase. "The challenge is immense in many respects but where would you want to be other than Croke Park on All-Ireland final day," McGuinness (above), whose side beat Meath in the semi-final, told RTÉ Sport. "Hopefully now they can grasp the nettle and really get after the game, and enjoy the game and enjoy the occasion – don't be overwhelmed but enjoy it and take the positives from all of the other games we've played into the match and show their true colours." The Tír Chonaill men will arrive at Jones's Road as underdogs, with Munster champions Kerry, who suffered a shock defeat to Meath in the All-Ireland group stage, hitting form at the right time. Talismanic forward David Clifford's performances in the All-Ireland knockout series, in particular, have the Kingdom supporters travelling to Dublin in expectation. The Fossa man has registered a total of 4-23 in wins over Cavan, defending champions Armagh and Tyrone. Asked how they plan to deal with Kerry and their numerous threats, McGuinness said: "That remains to be seen, I suppose. We know exactly what we are going to get with Kerry. "They are a team full of talent, full of confidence. They know their way around Croke Park so well, like the back of their hand. "One of the biggest challenges will be that, will be meeting the green and gold jersey, for our players on the big day. "It's a great opportunity for everybody in the county, none more so than the players and hopefully now they can take that opportunity." McGuinness has also urged his players to dig deep when their opponents have their inevitable purple patches, emphasising that staying the fight is the key to victory. "I suppose over the last two years you'd be really happy with any moment that they were backed into a corner, that they were always able to respond," said the 52-year-old. "That didn't happen against Tyrone in the match in Ballybofey that we lost but they were pushing hard to make that happen towards the end. "We've been in a couple of difficult situations. We were four points down twice against Armagh last year in the Ulster final. "There was moments along the way this year as well where you are pinned to your collar but they always seem to hold the head and find a way and keep digging in. "And if you can get that, that's probably the most important characteristic for any team. "It's never over and without question there's going to be many questions asked by Kerry on All-Ireland final day. "It's just important when you are going well not to get too excited and when you are not going well and things are going against you that you keep the head down and keep responding. The opening round-robin loss to Tyrone meant a busier schedule for Donegal than they might have preferred and McGuinness admits that they have been glad of the lighter load in the build up to the semi-final and final. "You're just working game by game," he said. "The fact we lost against Tyrone, we knew we were going to be out three weeks on the bounce. "That was going to bring its own challenges and thankfully we got the two-week build up to the semi-final and now to the final so it feels great to have that opportunity, take a breather, to have a step back, get coaching again and prepare the team. "We're happy with all that. Obviously when you are in a final you've to be very thankful. It's a very privileged position to be in. "I'm delighted that the players will get to experience that but hopefully now we want to be in the situation where we make it count."
