Connacht's Finlay Bealham called up to British and Lions squad in place of Zander Fagerson
Connacht and Ireland prop Finlay Bealham has been called up to the British and Irish Lions squad.
The 33-year-old tighthead replaces Scotland's Zander Fagerson after the Glasgow forward was ruled out of the trip to Australia with a calf injury.
Bealham made his Ireland debut in 2016 and has 51 international caps with two Six Nation titles to his name.
His inclusion takes the tally of Ireland players for the tour to 16, including Connacht team-mates Mack Hansen and Bundee Aki.
The Lions are currently in Dublin and will travel to Portugal for a training camp tomorrow before returning next week to prepare for their opening game, against Argentina in Aviva Stadium on Friday week.
Lions head coach Andy Farrell said: "It's tough on Zander to miss out so close to the tour, but now Finlay gets an opportunity to come in and add to the group.
"This is unfortunately part and parcel of the game, so we always have to be prepared for that.
"But it's great to finally be at the stage where we can get onto the training ground and get to work with these players.
"Portugal will be really important for us as we look to get our house in order with only a few training sessions before we take on Argentina in the 1888 Cup in Dublin."
Players involved in the Premiership Rugby and URC final between Leinster and Bulls on Saturday, remain with their clubs until next week.
England's Jamie George and Asher Opoku-Fordjour will also travel to Portugal to train with the squad. Saracens hooker George was a Lions Tourist in 2017 and 2021 - while Sale Sharks prop Opoku-Fordjour made his debut for England against Japan last November.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
28 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Leinster monitoring Lions quartet ahead of URC final
Leinster will continue to monitor the injuries of Josh van der Flier , Garry Ringrose , Hugo Keenan and Tadhg Furlong ahead of this Saturday's URC final against the Bulls at Croke Park (kick-off 5pm). The province confirmed Ringrose, Keenan and Furlong are all carrying calf injuries, while van der Flier is managing a hamstring injury, causing them to sit out last weekend's semi-final win over Glasgow Warriors at the Aviva Stadium. They will be assessed further over the coming days and a final decision will be made later this week on their availability for Saturday's final. The four are part of the British & Irish Lions squad set to get their summer Tour under way against Argentina in Dublin on June 20th. READ MORE Leinster also confirmed Tommy O'Brien, who featured in the win over Glasgow, and Jordan Larmour, who was part of the extended matchday squad, are both available for selection. No further updates were given on Caelan Doris, Robbie Henshaw, Brian Deeny or Will Connors.
Extra.ie
29 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Life beyond the touchline: Stuart Lancaster's new chapter in Ireland
As Stuart Lancaster begins his next chapter as head coach of Connacht Rugby, the former England boss is once again calling Ireland home – but this time, without the constant commute. Lancaster spent seven years with Leinster Rugby, earning praise for helping build a high-performance culture and guiding the team to multiple titles. Off the pitch, however, life wasn't always seamless, as for much of that time, Lancaster was commuting between Dublin and his family home in Leeds. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher Despite the demanding schedule, he made it work. His wife, Nina, and their two children remained in the UK, with Lancaster frequently flying home on weekends to be with them. In interviews, he often acknowledged the strain but spoke about how supportive his family had been throughout his career. 'It's worked surprisingly well,' he once said of the arrangement to The 42, 'The family are used to being away from home with the England job. This is actually closer to home than Twickenham was'. Stuart and Nina Lancaster. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile Nina Lancaster is a fitness, nutrition, and wellness expert, and runs her own coaching and consulting business. While Stuart's coaching took him abroad, she remained based in the UK to support their children, Dan and Sophie, and manage her own professional commitments. When news of Stuart's Connacht appointment was announced, Nina shared her excitement online, posting on social media: ' Looking forward to our next venture in Galway.' His son, Dan Lancaster, is an English professional rugby union player currently with Racing 92. He has previously played for Leicester Tigers in the Premiership, as well as for Ealing Trailfinders, Leeds Tykes, and Nottingham in the RFU Championship. Now, based in Galway for his new role with Connacht, Lancaster is enjoying a more settled experience in Ireland. The move to the west of the country marks a significant shift – not just professionally, but personally. With Connacht's state-of-the-art High Performance Centre and a strong local rugby culture, he has spoken enthusiastically about being part of a project he believes in from the ground up. Although Lancaster keeps his family life relatively private, it's clear his wife and children remain a core part of his decision-making. He has previously mentioned how his children's milestones, from finishing school to starting university, impacted his choices about where and how to work. Ireland has played an important role in Lancaster's coaching journey. His time at Leinster helped rebuild his reputation after England's 2015 World Cup exit and gave him a real appreciation for the Irish rugby culture. Now in Galway, he's deepening that connection, taking on a new challenge while enjoying a more balanced life off the pitch.
The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
Finlay Bealham called up to Lions squad as Fagerson ruled out
FINLAY BEALHAM HAS been called up to the 2025 British & Irish Lions squad, with Zandar Fagerson ruled out through injury. As reported by The 42 yesterday, the Ireland and Connacht prop gets the nod from Andy Farrell. The first available players linked up in Dublin today ahead of a six-day training camp in Portugal. The squad will travel to Quinta do Lago tomorrow, with players involved in the URC and Premiership Rugby finals joining the set-up in Ireland next week ahead of the Argentina clash. Bealham replaces Scotland and Glasgow Warriors prop Fagerson, who misses the Tour with a calf injury. Farrell named Tadhg Furlong and Will Stuart as the other tighthead props in his initial 38-man group last month; Furlong is also sidelined due to injury, while Stuart will be involved in next weekend's Premiership final with Bath. England's Jamie George and Asher Opoku-Fordjour will also travel to Portugal to train with the squad. 'It's tough on Zander to miss out so close to the Tour, but now Finlay gets an opportunity to come in and add to the group. This is unfortunately part and parcel of the game, so we always have to be prepared for that,' said Farrell. 'But it's great to be finally at the stage where we can get onto the training ground and get to work with these players. 'Portugal will be really important for us as we look to get our house in order with only a few training sessions before we take on Argentina in the 1888 Cup in Dublin.' The British & Irish Lions Squad (Portugal Camp) Forwards: Finlay Bealham (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland) #838 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks/England) #851 Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/ Scotland) Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England) #853 Ben Earl (Saracens/England) Jamie George (Saracens/England) #819 Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England) Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) #825 (C) Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales) Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks/England) Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England) Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) Advertisement Backs: Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) #837 Elliot Daly (Saracens/England) #822 Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England) Mack Hansen (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England) Fin Smith (Northampton Saints/England) Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England) #855 Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) #841 Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby/Wales) Fixtures 20 June: The Lions v Argentina, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, KO 8pm 28 June: Western Force v The Lions, Optus Stadium, Perth, KO 10:45am 2 July: Queensland Reds v The Lions, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, KO 10:45am 5 July: NSW Waratahs v The Lions, Allianz Stadium, Sydney, KO 10:45am 9 July: ACT Brumbies v The Lions, Gio Stadium, Canberra, KO 10:45am 12 July: Invitational AU & NZ v The Lions, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, KO 10:15am 19 July: Wallabies v The Lions, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, KO 10:45am 22 July: First Nations & Pasifika XV v The Lions, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, KO 10:45am 26 July: Wallabies v The Lions, MCG, Melbourne, KO 10:45am 2 August: Wallabies v The Lions, Accor Stadium, Sydney, KO 10:45am
