Back to the future: Anzac team to wear a replica of 1989 strip against Lions
'There's talk about probably making sure we have enough avenue for Wallabies players to have access to that game, particularly as it's the last major match before the Test series starts. No doubt there's going to be some moves in that area to get some players in there, to be able to give them more game time, and [give] Joe [Schmidt] and the coaching team at the Wallabies more insight to what they're looking at in terms of their players.
'Make no mistake, we want to try and get that quality in, for sure, [but] in the right positions that allow us to expose the players that we want to. We don't want to close out any opportunities for our [Australian] guys in certain positions. So, those discussions will be ongoing, and we need to be fluid right to the last minutes.'
With the AUNZ game scheduled as the last tour game before the first Test in Brisbane a week later, the Lions will almost certainly deploy the first-choice team they intend to use at Suncorp Stadium.
When putting the 2025 tour schedule together, the Lions management were at pains to say they didn't want to play a quasi fourth Test against an Australia 'A' side.
In a hard-fought and feisty clash in 2001, an Australia A side coached by Eddie Jones rolled the Lions in Gosford, and several other tour matches also saw the Lions cop mountains of aggression and physicality from the Australian state sides.
Though it may have a festival vibe, Kiss said there would be a huge intensity to the AUNZ-Lions clash and the hosts will also be looking to do their part to help the Wallabies a week later.
'I think if you look at what the possibilities could be in terms of personalities in that squad, there's going to be a lot of competitive people there. They'll want to do something special themselves,' Kiss said.
'I can't see anything but a super competitive battle, really. They're going to be loaded. They're very physical, very talented right across the squad. We'll do our best to get out there and bash them, for sure.
'We want to make sure we make it an enjoyable experience, but get out there and make sure we do a job that can soften the Lions up a bit for us.'
Menawhile, Reds five-eighth Tom Lynagh has suffered a broken finger, throwing his involvement in tour matches against the Lions into doubt and potentially limiting his chances of playing in the Test series.
Lynagh picked up a finger fracture as the Reds' Super Rugby campaign ended last week and is facing a three- to four-week recovery, which will see him racing the clock to be fit to play for Queensland against the Lions on July 2, or for the Wallabies against Fiji on July 6.
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There is confidence Lynagh's injury is not major, and he will be fine by the start of the Wallabies-Lions Test series on July 19.
But sitting behind Noah Lolesio, at least, in the pecking order of Wallabies five-eighths, Lynagh's hopes of winning the No.10 jersey for the first Test could potentially rest on a standout performance for the Reds against the Lions.
The AUNZ game could also be an opportunity for a final audition, but Kiwi superstar Richie Mo'unga is set to also play in the game as a marquee attraction in the No.10 role.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
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Incredibly, Johnson and Niemann were among some 60 players to finish at 10 over or worse, with American George Duangmanee racking up a +35 total with horror rounds of 86 and 89. With agencies True to his word, Adam Scott has hung tough to storm right into contention as a raft of golfing heavyweights floundered during the US Open second round at the beastly Oakmont Country Club. While defending champion Bryson DeChambeau led the exodus of big names to miss the halfway cut, Scott carved out a second straight even-par round of 70 to be tied fourth in the clubhouse. Contesting his 96th consecutive major, 44-year-old Scott showed the younger stars how to play major championship golf, repeatedly rebounding from bogeys with birdies to sit just three shots off the pace at the halfway mark of the tournament. Sam Burns fired the low round of the championship, a brilliant five-under 65 to snare the clubhouse lead at three under. Fellow American and first-round leader JJ Spaun is second, one stroke behind Burns, after following up his starting 66 with a 72 on Friday (Saturday AEST). Seeking his maiden major, Norwegian super talent Viktor Hovland is the only other player above Scott on the leaderboard and one of only three players in red numbers at one under after posting a second-round 70. Scott's fellow former world No.1 Jason Day battled back into the picture with the second-lowest round of the day to also raise hopes of a famous Australian triumph at the US Open's most gruelling venue. Former PGA champ Day was way off the pace after his opening round of 76 but demonstrated his enduring class with a three-under 67 to get back to three over for the tournament, just six shots back entering the weekend in a tie for 13th. Day's round, which began at the 10th hole, was ignited by a terrific eagle at his third hole - the gigantic par-five 12th that measures 647 yards. He struck his approach from 323 yards to 20 feet from the hole and sank the eagle putt. Two birdies quickly followed in the next five holes. His biggest disappointment as he looked set to finish with a 66 after two more birdies on the homeward nine was his wayward drive at the ninth that led to an anti-climactic final bogey. Burns, who shot a final-round 62 on Sunday at the Canadian Open before losing in a play-off, also started his second round on the back nine and birdied 11, 13, 17 and 18. He responded to his lone bogey at the first hole by putting his approach at the next hole to about six feet. American world No.1 Scottie Scheffler had five bogeys and four birdies in his 71 to be left at four over, alongside countryman Collin Morikawa (71) and fellow dual major winner Jon Rahm, who exploded after shooting a 75. The second-round spoiler left the superstar Spaniard seven shots adrift of Burns. "Honestly, I'm too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective," Rahm said. "Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn't sniff the hole, so it's frustrating." Masters champion Rory McIlroy birdied the last hole in a round of 72 to be six under and just inside the cut line. Australian Marc Leishman, who had begun promisingly with a 71, suffered in his second round with a 75 that included a double-bogey six at the ninth hole to also hover at six over. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field, started his day two shots off the pace but dropped back after a 74 that featured eight bogeys. After out-duelling McIlroy down the stretch to reign last year at Pinehurst, DeChambeau won't feature on the weekend after slumping to 10 over with a second-round 77. At nine over following rounds of 77 and 72, Australian Min Woo Lee was also sent packing, along with dual major winner Justin Thomas, 2016 Oakmont champion Dustin Johnson, fellow former world No.1 Justin Rose, LIV Golf dominator Joaquin Niemann and Swedish sensation Ludvig Aberg. Incredibly, Johnson and Niemann were among some 60 players to finish at 10 over or worse, with American George Duangmanee racking up a +35 total with horror rounds of 86 and 89. With agencies True to his word, Adam Scott has hung tough to storm right into contention as a raft of golfing heavyweights floundered during the US Open second round at the beastly Oakmont Country Club. While defending champion Bryson DeChambeau led the exodus of big names to miss the halfway cut, Scott carved out a second straight even-par round of 70 to be tied fourth in the clubhouse. Contesting his 96th consecutive major, 44-year-old Scott showed the younger stars how to play major championship golf, repeatedly rebounding from bogeys with birdies to sit just three shots off the pace at the halfway mark of the tournament. Sam Burns fired the low round of the championship, a brilliant five-under 65 to snare the clubhouse lead at three under. Fellow American and first-round leader JJ Spaun is second, one stroke behind Burns, after following up his starting 66 with a 72 on Friday (Saturday AEST). Seeking his maiden major, Norwegian super talent Viktor Hovland is the only other player above Scott on the leaderboard and one of only three players in red numbers at one under after posting a second-round 70. Scott's fellow former world No.1 Jason Day battled back into the picture with the second-lowest round of the day to also raise hopes of a famous Australian triumph at the US Open's most gruelling venue. Former PGA champ Day was way off the pace after his opening round of 76 but demonstrated his enduring class with a three-under 67 to get back to three over for the tournament, just six shots back entering the weekend in a tie for 13th. Day's round, which began at the 10th hole, was ignited by a terrific eagle at his third hole - the gigantic par-five 12th that measures 647 yards. He struck his approach from 323 yards to 20 feet from the hole and sank the eagle putt. Two birdies quickly followed in the next five holes. His biggest disappointment as he looked set to finish with a 66 after two more birdies on the homeward nine was his wayward drive at the ninth that led to an anti-climactic final bogey. Burns, who shot a final-round 62 on Sunday at the Canadian Open before losing in a play-off, also started his second round on the back nine and birdied 11, 13, 17 and 18. He responded to his lone bogey at the first hole by putting his approach at the next hole to about six feet. American world No.1 Scottie Scheffler had five bogeys and four birdies in his 71 to be left at four over, alongside countryman Collin Morikawa (71) and fellow dual major winner Jon Rahm, who exploded after shooting a 75. The second-round spoiler left the superstar Spaniard seven shots adrift of Burns. "Honestly, I'm too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective," Rahm said. "Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn't sniff the hole, so it's frustrating." Masters champion Rory McIlroy birdied the last hole in a round of 72 to be six under and just inside the cut line. Australian Marc Leishman, who had begun promisingly with a 71, suffered in his second round with a 75 that included a double-bogey six at the ninth hole to also hover at six over. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field, started his day two shots off the pace but dropped back after a 74 that featured eight bogeys. After out-duelling McIlroy down the stretch to reign last year at Pinehurst, DeChambeau won't feature on the weekend after slumping to 10 over with a second-round 77. At nine over following rounds of 77 and 72, Australian Min Woo Lee was also sent packing, along with dual major winner Justin Thomas, 2016 Oakmont champion Dustin Johnson, fellow former world No.1 Justin Rose, LIV Golf dominator Joaquin Niemann and Swedish sensation Ludvig Aberg. Incredibly, Johnson and Niemann were among some 60 players to finish at 10 over or worse, with American George Duangmanee racking up a +35 total with horror rounds of 86 and 89. With agencies True to his word, Adam Scott has hung tough to storm right into contention as a raft of golfing heavyweights floundered during the US Open second round at the beastly Oakmont Country Club. While defending champion Bryson DeChambeau led the exodus of big names to miss the halfway cut, Scott carved out a second straight even-par round of 70 to be tied fourth in the clubhouse. Contesting his 96th consecutive major, 44-year-old Scott showed the younger stars how to play major championship golf, repeatedly rebounding from bogeys with birdies to sit just three shots off the pace at the halfway mark of the tournament. Sam Burns fired the low round of the championship, a brilliant five-under 65 to snare the clubhouse lead at three under. Fellow American and first-round leader JJ Spaun is second, one stroke behind Burns, after following up his starting 66 with a 72 on Friday (Saturday AEST). Seeking his maiden major, Norwegian super talent Viktor Hovland is the only other player above Scott on the leaderboard and one of only three players in red numbers at one under after posting a second-round 70. Scott's fellow former world No.1 Jason Day battled back into the picture with the second-lowest round of the day to also raise hopes of a famous Australian triumph at the US Open's most gruelling venue. Former PGA champ Day was way off the pace after his opening round of 76 but demonstrated his enduring class with a three-under 67 to get back to three over for the tournament, just six shots back entering the weekend in a tie for 13th. Day's round, which began at the 10th hole, was ignited by a terrific eagle at his third hole - the gigantic par-five 12th that measures 647 yards. He struck his approach from 323 yards to 20 feet from the hole and sank the eagle putt. Two birdies quickly followed in the next five holes. His biggest disappointment as he looked set to finish with a 66 after two more birdies on the homeward nine was his wayward drive at the ninth that led to an anti-climactic final bogey. Burns, who shot a final-round 62 on Sunday at the Canadian Open before losing in a play-off, also started his second round on the back nine and birdied 11, 13, 17 and 18. He responded to his lone bogey at the first hole by putting his approach at the next hole to about six feet. American world No.1 Scottie Scheffler had five bogeys and four birdies in his 71 to be left at four over, alongside countryman Collin Morikawa (71) and fellow dual major winner Jon Rahm, who exploded after shooting a 75. The second-round spoiler left the superstar Spaniard seven shots adrift of Burns. "Honestly, I'm too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective," Rahm said. "Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn't sniff the hole, so it's frustrating." Masters champion Rory McIlroy birdied the last hole in a round of 72 to be six under and just inside the cut line. Australian Marc Leishman, who had begun promisingly with a 71, suffered in his second round with a 75 that included a double-bogey six at the ninth hole to also hover at six over. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field, started his day two shots off the pace but dropped back after a 74 that featured eight bogeys. After out-duelling McIlroy down the stretch to reign last year at Pinehurst, DeChambeau won't feature on the weekend after slumping to 10 over with a second-round 77. At nine over following rounds of 77 and 72, Australian Min Woo Lee was also sent packing, along with dual major winner Justin Thomas, 2016 Oakmont champion Dustin Johnson, fellow former world No.1 Justin Rose, LIV Golf dominator Joaquin Niemann and Swedish sensation Ludvig Aberg. Incredibly, Johnson and Niemann were among some 60 players to finish at 10 over or worse, with American George Duangmanee racking up a +35 total with horror rounds of 86 and 89. With agencies
