EXCLUSIVE Ben Te'o: Rugby union and league must merge - and this is how they should do it
The 38-year-old former England rugby union centre is back in league as an assistant coach with the mighty Brisbane Broncos, after his first cross-code switch led to him having a key role in the 2017 tour of New Zealand as Lion #815.
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The Independent
4 minutes ago
- The Independent
Jack Conan reveals video from Katie Taylor inspired Lions before second Test win
Jack Conan has revealed that an inspiring video from Irish boxing great Katie Taylor helped the British and Irish Lions find the resilience needed to close out their series against Australia. Taylor, an Olympic gold medal winner and current undisputed world super lightweight champion, sent the good luck message to Andy Farrell's squad in the build-up to Saturday's second Test at Melbourne Cricket Club. The 39-year-old's words on the ability to dig deep turned out to be prophetic as the Lions emerged 29-26 winners after fighting back from an 18-point deficit. 'The video was unbelievably poignant and powerful. It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but also being ready to win by will,' said Ireland number eight Conan, who like Taylor hails from Bray in County Wicklow. 'That was something that was massively summed up in the game because we were not at our best at all. 'It's huge because she comes from the town I'm from. I'm incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well. 'She's gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world. To be such a superstar, incredibly humble and driven is something that we leant on as well because we knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it in spades. 'Everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy – it resonated with everyone. It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us.' It took a beautifully-taken try by Hugo Keenan with 51 seconds remaining to separate the rivals in one of the greatest Lions matches ever played. Remarkably, Keenan's touchdown was the first time they led in the match. Conan admits that victory tastes all the sweeter for having been taken to the wire as Australia raised their game to a whole new level a week after starting the series with a whimper in Brisbane. 'We were not at our best by any measure, but physically the lads dug in unbelievably well,' he said. 'It was disappointing how we played, but we played for 80 minutes. Hugo getting over the line in the last minute was just unbelievable. 'It wasn't my best game. A lot of us weren't at the races at all, but we stuck in there. You can't fault the effort. I thought the defensive sets we put in, just whacking people and just staying in there, was unbelievable. 'It's something that will go down in history. They won't be writing the history books about how s*** we were, but they'll say that we won and that's all that matters. 'Everyone's over the moon. To be part of a Lions winning series team is incredibly special. The celebrations in the changing room wouldn't have been the same if we'd won by 20.'
Scotsman
4 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Scotland's trio deserve chance for sporting immortality with Lions - and one man deserves place in sun
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... After one of the greatest British and Irish Lions Test matches, it is safe to assume that a few drinks were consumed by the tourists in Melbourne over the weekend. The 29-26 victory in front of 90,000 spectators at the MCG clinched the series against Australia with a game to spare in the most dramatic of circumstances, with Hugo Keenan scoring a try right at the death. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Lions at one point in the first half trailed a rejuvenated Wallabies outfit 23-5. They produced their greatest fightback of all time, which had previously stood at toppling South Africa when 10 points behind in 1938. Keenan's score is now etched into folklore. Scotland's Finn Russell signs a flag after the Lions overcame Australia. | Getty Images The squad and the tens of thousands of Lions fans who flocked to Melbourne surely celebrated long into the night. Winning tours are the exception, not the rule, and regardless of Wallabies' well-documented issues, they put up a serious fight in the second Test. Some will argue that the hosts were hard done by when Italian referee Andrea Piardi stuck to his guns and refused to rescind Keenan's try amid Australian complaints that Jac Morgan had taken out Carlo Tizzano illegally in the build-up. It was a big call for Piardi and his team of officials, but Morgan did not do enough to concede a penalty. No doubt the ref enjoyed his post-match pint after such a stressful moment, even if the Australians were unhappy. The foundations of this Lions team have been been built in Ireland - nine starters on Saturday night came from that nation. But amidst the Guinness, there is whisky. Scotland can rightfully claim a tangible part in this victory, even if only two Scots were in the first XV in Melbourne. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jones has his moment in the sun Finn Russell pulled the strings at stand-off and while his goal-kicking was wayward - he only landed two from five - his general play was strong, especially in the second half. He spotted gaps in behind the Australian defence and held his nerve at the death to make sure the ball eventually found its way to Keenan. Huw Jones would not have kept his place at centre had Garry Ringrose not self-certified his concussion 48 hours before kick-off. Ringrose is undoubtedly a world-class 13, but so is Jones. This match was further evidence of his capabilities. He scored a try yet again, displayed his pace and power while defending diligently. From a Scottish perspective, it was a shame that his usual partner, Sione Tuipulotu, was unavailable due to injury after the first Test. He has been the poster boy of Scottish rugby over the past 12 months, but Jones rightly has his moment in the sun. Blair Kinghorn made his Lions Test debut on 60 minutes when replacing James Lowe and he played an important part in a vital period of the match. His searing running nearly brought a try and it was telling that the Lions wrestled control away from the Wallabies when they called for reinforcements off the bench. Kinghorn - the third Scot in this momentous win - continued his remarkable rise to the very top of world rugby. Since moving to Toulouse in December 2023, he's won the French Top 14 twice, the European Cup once and is now a Lions tour winner. Not bad at all. Blair Kinghorn came off the bench and helped the Lions land victory. | Getty Images There could be more for these Lions. Immortality awaits in Sydney next Saturday. A series whitewash beckons at the Accor Stadium and with Australia clearly shattered by events in Melbourne, history is there for the taking. Even the classes of 1971 and 1974 were unable to produce 100 per cent records, achievements that also eluded the 1997 and 2013 vintages from the professional era. Becoming the greatest Lions team of all time was the aspiration when arriving Down Under and, while the strength of the Wallabies may mitigate against that being a realistic claim, 2025 will at least be in the conversation. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Russell, Jones and Kinghorn will want to be part of that. Russell is the Lions' undisputed stand-off and it would be madness to take him out of the firing line next weekend, but Jones' and Kinghorn's positions are less nailed-on. Head coach Andy Farrell may want to turn to Ringrose if he has recovered from his concussion in time, or his son Owen Farrell, who came on in Melbourne. Tuipulotu could also be in contention. Pre-tour, many saw Kinghorn as the first-choice full-back. Has he done enough to push back in front of Lowe? Farrell and Co know the significance of one final win. Ahead of travelling down under, many rugby experts believed the Lions may never have a better chance of going undefeated on tour and while some of the pre-Test matches were tough watches, the team was never in any real danger. You can only defeat what is put in front of you and the Lions, so far, have pounced upon their prey. Do other Scots have a chance? Could any other Scots enter calculations? Prop Pierre Schoeman is down the pecking order and winger Duhan van der Merwe, despite scoring a hat-trick of tries against an Invitational XV, hasn't yet troubled at Test squad. Lock Scott Cummings and scrum-half Ben White have been more impressive when called upon and would be in with a shout should Farrell wish to switch things up. Then again, the coach may stick with the guys that have so far proved their worth. They deserve to finish the job. That includes Jones, one of the stars of this tour. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What do Australia have left? Returning forward Rob Valetini and Will Skelton, both back from calf injuries, were magnificent and lifted everyone around them in Melbourne, but their team was clearly undercooked for the first Test. While pride is at stake, the Wallabies have a Rugby Championship starting next month to focus on.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Finn Russell urges Lions to show no mercy and hand wounded Aussies a Tour whitewash
FINN RUSSELL has urged the British and Irish Lions to end their Australian tour 'on a high' by securing a historic 3-0 whitewash over the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday. Andy Farrell's men won the series courtesy of Hugo Keenan's dramatic late try in an epic 29-26 victory in the second Test in Melbourne at the weekend. Now Scotland fly-half Russell is calling on the tourists to show their hosts no mercy by achieving the Lions' first clean sweep since 1927. Relishing one of 'the best nights of my life', the 32-year-old said: 'Everyone here has been gunning for this for their whole career. To get to the Lions is one thing and then to get a series win is another. This is my third tour and I'd not won one, so it's so special to get this, bringing four nations together to be a family for five, six weeks. 'But it's not job done yet. We need to go and try and finish it off next week. Even though we've got the series, we need to go and finish on a high. 'Sydney is the final destination, everyone wants to play in that game. When we come back in on Monday, we'll be ready to go again. If we can make it a 3-0 series, that's amazing. Everyone's going to be gunning for that.' Russell didn't have his finest games on Saturday but still proved influential in a match which saw the Lions launch a magnificent comeback after trailing 23-5 after half an hour. The Australians produced a strirring performance after a lukewarm display in the first Test, but Russell insisted that neither he nor his team-mates panicked. 'Surely you guys know me enough now that if I miss a conversion, it's not going to be the end of the world,' he said. 'I felt pretty chilled, pretty calm. We had a lot of momentum, we were on top of them at the end of it. We had them on the ropes when Blair (Kinghorn) broke through. 'There was no stress. The whole team was amazing. Jac Morgan's cleanout that obviously created the try, it was just sticking to what we were doing, just playing rugby.' Russell admitted he could finally appreciate his Lions experience after being parachuted into his first tour as a late call-up in New Zealand in 2017, before injury hampered him in South Africa four years later. 'You've got to appreciate every part of it,' he said. 'You can't look back and think: 'Had I not been injured in South Africa, had I been called out before in New Zealand', you can't look like that. You've got to look at the positives. 'It's always a privilege getting called into the Lions, whether that's later on in the tour or being there from the start. 'This year's been very special. We've won a couple of titles with Bath - and I've not won much in my career. It's hard to appreciate it just now, because you're still in the moment, you're still half an hour or an hour after the game, so you're still riding on that wave. 'But when I get down time, and if I get any time away from the kids, I can reflect and it'll make it even more special. It's probably one of the best nights [of my life].' Meanwhile, Australian rugby boss Phil Waugh has demanded an explanation from World Rugby about the decision to award the Lions' series-clinching try. The Wallabies were furious that referee Andrea Piardi did not disallow Keenan's 80th minute try for what they perceived to be an illegal clear-out by Morgan on Carlo Tizzano. Head coach Joe Schmidt pointed the finger at the match officials immediately after the match, questioning their ability to look after player safety. Schmidt has been backed by his bosses, although governing body officials are not expected to take action. 'We've got the utmost respect in respecting the referee's decision,' said Waugh, the Rugby Australia CEO. 'But I do think there's a level of accountability and explanation that needs to come with that. And we look forward to that. 'My response is absolutely identical to Joe's comments in the press conference. 'I played professionally for 13 years and Joe's coached professionally for 20 years and both our views, and all those organisationally, are very aligned with what Joe talked to in that post-match press conference. 'Probably the number one priority for World Rugby is player welfare and we've seen great progress made in that space, and in a lot of ways World Rugby lead world sport in protecting the safety of players. So the progress the game globally has made can't be underestimated. World Rugby should be very proud around their leadership position on player welfare.'
