Stadium announcer's cheeky dig at Ireland stars ahead of Lions game

Irish Daily Mirror

14 hours ago

The stadium announcer for the British and Irish Lions' opening game in Australia couldn't resist a joke at the expense of some of Andy Farrell's men.
Ireland stars Mack Hansen and James Lowe were among those on the receiving end as the announcer highlighted the number of southern hemisphere natives in the Lions squad.
The Times' Will Kelleher posted on X: "The Western Force announcer here, going through the Lions 23...
"'Our former Aussie, Mack Hansen!'"
"'Another former Aussie, Sione Tuipulotu!'"
"'It's the Kiwi, now Irishman, James Lowe!'"
"'The former SA schoolboy, now Scotsman, Pierre Schoeman'."
The Lions secured their first victory on Australian turf, trouncing Western Force 54-7. However, a potential injury crisis looms at scrum-half after Tomos Williams was forced to leave the pitch.
Williams was one of the standout performers for the Lions at Optus Stadium, but his game ended abruptly when he injured his left hamstring while scoring his second try in the 47th minute.
The Welsh half-back's departure has left the Lions anxious about his fitness, especially as Jamison Gibson-Park has yet to play on tour due to a glute issue. This could potentially leave Alex Mitchell as the only available option for the position.
This was the biggest disappointment on a mixed night for Andy Farrell's squad, who rebounded from their 28-24 loss to Argentina with an eight-try thrashing of Australia's weakest Super Rugby franchise, despite revealing some areas of concern.
Defensive cohesion remained lacking and the scrum regressed after shining against the Pumas, contributing to an overall shaky set-piece performance. However, their passes connected in attack and they crafted some stylish tries.
Henry Pollock, Joe McCarthy and James Lowe all bolstered their cases for Test selection against the Wallabies, while fly-half Finn Russell delivered a creative debut on tour.
Russell's masterful play was instrumental in Dan Sheehan's fourth-minute try, his precise kick to Lowe setting up the score. However, the Force retaliated with their first offensive move of the match, resulting in Nic White squirming over the line.
The hosts were applying all the early pressure but saw themselves turned over thrice when in dominant positions, one instance being when man-of-the-match McCarthy snatched a line-out ball.
Despite the Force's spirited efforts, the Lions' superior skill was evident in the 16th minute. Pollock teamed up with Josh van der Flier, broke free, and then passed out of the tackle for Williams to score.
Their precision was on show again in the 36th minute when Russell initiated a quickly taken free-kick with Pollock and Elliot Daly backing him up. When he was halted just shy of the line, Daly managed to touch down.
Pollock's provocative celebration of the try near Force openside Nick Champion de Crespigny sparked a heated moment that drew in numerous players.
The England back row was subsequently sin-binned, although his yellow card was due to referee Ben O'Keeffe's growing frustration with the number of Lions infringements.
Before Pollock could return to the game, the Lions struck once more early in the second half. Wings Mack Hansen and Lowe participated in a counterattack that concluded with Williams diving over in the corner for his decisive finish.
Just 10 minutes post-half-time, the Force's defence was already showing signs of fatigue, providing an easy opening for the visitors with Hansen setting up Garry Ringrose for the scoring pass.
Once back in play, Pollock seized a loose ball to initiate a counterattack that concluded with McCarthy crossing the line. The gaps kept appearing as Marcus Smith, who replaced Russell at fly-half, assisted Daly in scoring before Alex Mitchell delivered the final blow.