
How to watch the Lions Vs Reds: Team news and more
Andy Farrell's side are now back on track after their shock defeat to Argentina in Dublin and are looking to continue that uptick in form against former Ireland and Ulster coach Les Kiss' Queensland Reds.
There were some nervy moments in the first half against the Western Force but the Lions' strength in depth shone through in the second half as they lit up the pitch at Optus Stadium, scoring 8 tries including two each from Tomos Williams and Elliot Daly as well as scores from captain Dan Sheehan, Joe McCarthy, Garry Ringrose and Alex Mitchell. Tomos Williams scoring a try for Lions Pic: Steve Christo/Sportsfile
Andy Farrell would be happy with how his side responded to the disappointment in Dublin and will face a stern test against the Queensland Reds, who reached the playoffs in Super Rugby Pacific this year.
The Lions face The Reds in their second match down under on Wednesday July 2, with kick-off taking place at 11am Irish time.
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action. Coverage on both channels starts at 10am. 28 June 2025; Dan Sheehan of British & Irish Lions runs through to score his side's first try. Pic: Steve Christo/Sportsfile
This game sees both Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan make their first starts for the Lions, meanwhile James Ryan is set to make his debut off the bench.
Maro Itoje is back in as captain after Dan Sheehan's try-scoring stint as captain, meanwhile Tomos Williams' tour has come to an end after tearing his hamstring against the Western Force. The Welsh scrum-half seemingly got injured in the act of scoring his second try of the game in the second half. He will now be replaced by Scotland and Toulon scrum-half Ben White.
Andy Farrell has made a number of changes to his side that faced the Western Force on Saturday. There's still a large Irish contingent in the team with Bundee Aki, Andrew Porter, Ronán Kelleher, Jack Conan as well as Keenan and Jamison Gibson-Park all starting.
Will Stuart join Porter and Kelleher in the front row while Itoje is paired up with fellow English International Ollie Chessum in the second. Tom Curry and Jac Morgan make up the backrow alongside Conan.
Finn Russell gets another start in 10 alongside Gibson-Park after his impressive display over the weekend. He is joined by fellow Scots Huw Jones and Duhan van der Merwe in the backline as Tommy Freeman and Hugo Keenan round off the backline.
The Queensland Reds are strong opposition as they finished 5th in the Super Rugby Pacific table this year before being knocked out by eventual champions Crusaders in the quarter-finals.
They have a pair of former All Blacks in the squad as former Ulsterman Jeffery Toomaga-Allen and Aidan Ross are both set to start in the front row. Ross is making his debut for the Reds after featuring in the Super Rugby Pacific final for the Chiefs as they lost to the Crusaders just two weeks ago.
Other names to look out for are Wallabies hooker Matt Faessler who has been released from the Wallabies squad by Joe Schmidt to play in this game as well as fullback and captain Jock Campbell, who too has represented the Wallabies.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


RTÉ News
30 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Leona Maguire changes clubs and finds form ahead of Women's Irish Open
All eyes will be on Leona Maguire this week when the KPMG Women's Irish Open takes place at Carton House, with the Cavan woman appearing to be rediscovering her form at just the right time. Maguire, who reached a career high of 10 in the world rankings in 2023, has plummeted to 84th place in the standings. This season, the 30-year-old, endured four consecutive missed cuts before recording a highly encouraging top-20 finish at last month's KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Texas. A final round of 76 was a little underwhelming, but finishing on six over was still good enough for a share of 19th place and marked her best performance at a major in two years. Last week, Maguire and Jennifer Kupcho finished in a tie for 18th at the Dow Championship, with the duo having led at halfway. In conversation with RTÉ Sport, Maguire revealed that the shift in her fortunes could be attributed to a couple of key equipment changes. "The last two weeks have been really good golf. I've been in contention heading into the weekend and it's really nice to be in that position again," she said. "The hard work behind the scenes is paying off and starting to show dividends in the numbers I've been shooting. "I made some tweaks with my driver, my putting has turned a corner as well, and I've been driving the ball nicely. "I went back to an old driver and a new putter in the bag from KPMG a couple of weeks ago. "I holed some nice putts last week and Jen joked about that in the team format, that it was nice to be on the right side of my putter for a change! "I've some good confidence from last week, I think I had seven birdies and an eagle on Friday in the fourball format. "The birdies are there, the signs are there, it's just a case of putting all the pieces together." Winds could reach highs of 30km/h at the Kildare venue, which could enhance Maguire's chances further. "I feel like my game is in good enough shape to post a good number out there," she said. "I think it's going to be windy, especially Friday and Sunday, and I suppose the wind is something that I'm quite comfortable in. "I think scoring might be a little bit different this year. It's a little bit more receptive. There are a couple of tees that are pushed a little bit further back. "But I'll do everything I can to try and get myself into contention come Sunday and once you're in contention on Sunday, anything can happen." After a nine-year absence, the tournament returned to the calendar in 2022. Maguire has led the Irish challenge in each of the last three seasons, finishing in ties for fourth, 14th and 15th. As the leading home hope of success, the Cavan woman will again have to shoulder plenty of expectation, but if it's a burden, it's one that weighs lightly on her, for the most part. "It's a bit of a balancing act, I think," she said. "It's a nice responsibility to have, that there are so many people wanting to come out to see me and wanting to see me to do well. "At the same team, I have to get my preparation in and play as well as I possibly can, but also it's important to give back to everybody that does come out and supports me. "Not just this week, I get messages on social media and letters throughout the year, and they don't normally get the opportunity to see me play in person. "It'll be nice to have that energy of the crowd, especially on the back nine, hopefully at the weekend. "Hopefully the crowds are just as big this year, if not bigger."


Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Lions v Queensland Reds – Hugo Keenan ruled out as five Irish start warm-up clash in Brisbane
Andy Farrell's side are at Suncorp Stadium - scene of their first Test meeting with the Wallabies later this month - as they step things up a notch against the Reds in a first midweek showdown of this nine-game trip Down Under. Farrell has had to make a late change with the news that Leinster and Ireland star Hugo Keenan has been ruled out of the game through illness, making it five Irish players starting the game against opponents who lost in the Super Rugby Pacific quarter-finals this season. Follow the Lions vs the Reds live below. Just now Sterner test coming, says Rúaidhrí O'Connor There is a breathlessness about the schedule and so far the Lions supremo has done a good job keeping us guessing on what his Test team might look like. Certainly, they'll get a better test against these Reds than they got against a game, but limited Western Force team on Saturday. Lions v Reds preview: Andy Farrell's Test team is slowly taking shape as the Lions look to avoid leaving Queensland Red-faced It felt like we were back in Paris, 2023 when Andy Farrell grinned and said 'This is proper touring' on Monday, echoing his World Cup quarter-final line 'This is living' that summed up the promise and excitement of that tournament. 7 minutes ago New arrivals and modes of transport. Rúaidhrí O'Connor's Lions Tour Diary: Lions on two wheels, Kinghorn's whirlwind ride and All Blacks on the menu for the tourists E-scooters are the preferred method of travel for the Lions who have been whizzing around Brisbane's Central Business District over the past couple of days. 16 minutes ago Hugo Keenan out, replaced by Elliot Daly - Welcome to live coverage of the Lions vs Queensland Reds in Brisbane The Lions are in Brisbane and they are ready to face the Queensland Reds, led by former Ulster and Ireland coach Les Kiss, who will take over the Wallabies after the tour. The Lions will look for a second consecutive victory, but their strong side has a late absentee. Keenan has been ruled out, with Andy Farrell calling on his Elliot Daly for the stricken Leinster ace. Keenan's absence brings to five the number of Irish starters for the Reds clash, with Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park, Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher and Jack Conan all aiming to put up their hands for a starting spot in the first Test against Australia at the SunCorp Stadium in Brisbane. Kick-off is 11am. Enjoy and stay tuned for reaction and analysis from Rúaidhrí O'Connor post-match. Hugo Keenan ruled out of Lions clash with Queensland Reds due to illness Hugo Keenan has been ruled out of the Lions' warm-up clash with Queensland Reds. Live Blog Software


Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Poignant scenes as Irish jockey wins race named in memory of late brother
It's over 20 years since jockey Seán Cleary tragically died following a fall at Galway but his memory lives on thanks to his brother Rory, and indeed his son Seán junior. Cleary was just 22 and one of the country's most promising young riders, but sadly passed away in November 2003 a week after he suffered severe head injuries from a fall off the Paddy Mullins-trained All Heart. In a tragic turn of events, Cleary's young girlfriend Maggie Farrell gave birth to their baby boy just days before he passed away in hospital. Incredibly his now 21-year-old son, Seán Cleary-Farrell, is now an apprentice jockey with Willie Mullins and has been catching the eye by riding a handful of winners for Closutton this season. The Cleary family are from Athlone and on Tuesday night at nearby Roscommon the annual Seán Cleary Memorial Handicap took place and resulted in a very poignant winner. Rory Cleary was just 16 when his older brother Seán died but has gone on to become a very successful jockey, famously winning the Irish 2,000 Guineas in 2021 on Mac Swiney. On Tuesday morning he had no ride in the race he had won twice before but with Jamie Powell stood down following a fall he came in for the winning ride on Thatwilldoso. Cleary punched the air after crossing the line first on the four-year-old filly in a victory that clearly meant an awful lot to the 37-year-old. 'It's my third time to win this race. Trainers next year should be looking for me!,' joked Cleary. 'It's a nice spare to get, especially for that race. It was nice and felt very special. 'It's great and fair play to Roscommon racecourse for holding his memorial handicap in my brother's name. It's our local track and it's a very special place to win for me and with all our family and friends able to come here. 'Out of the back straight I didn't think I'd be the firing line at all but when I got into the home straight and got a bit of light she rallied home really well. 'It's been a while since I won the race and I wouldn't mind winning it again.' Rory was just 16 when the accident involving his brother happened and in an interview with the Irish Daily Star in 2019 said: 'I was in Italy the day it happened. I was riding in an international challenge over there. 'I only found out about Seán's accident when Michael Halford met me at the airport. I thought I was after doing something wrong in the race when I saw the boss there to pick me up. He brought me to the hospital and that's when I knew about it first.' Cleary's biggest came in the Covid-hit Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh in 2021 when famously partnering Mac Swiney to win for veteran trainer Jim Bolger, with who Cleary has been associated with for many years.