Western Force v British Lions live updates from opening game of Australian tour
The British & Irish Lions' tour kicks off on Saturday, with the renowned side squaring off against Western Force in the opening match of their Australia tour.
Andy Farrell's squad landed Down Under at the beginning of the week, jetting to the southern hemisphere after a 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin.
The outcome wasn't the best preparation for the men in red, but they will have put that behind them now, focusing solely on today's game in Perth.
Farrell has made 13 changes to the team defeated by the Pumas as Dan Sheehan captains the side in the absence of Maro Itoje.
Today's match, which starts at 11am Irish time, will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event, but you can also keep up with live updates in our blog below, via Wales Online.
Here are the teams:
Lions: E Daly; M Hansen, G Ringrose, S Tuipulotu, J Lowe; F Russell, T Williams; P Schoeman, D Sheehan (c), T Furlong, S Cummings, J McCarthy, T Beirne, J Van der Flier, H Pollock.
Replacements: R Kelleher, A Porter, W Stuart, O Chessum, J Conan, A Mitchell, H Jones, M Smith.
Western Force: T Robertson, B Paenga-Amosa, O Hoskins, S Carter, D Swain, W Harris, N Champion de Crespigny, V Ekuasi; N White (c), A Harford, D Pietsch, H Stewart, M Proctor, M Grealy, B Donaldson.
Replacements: N Dolly, M Pearce, T Tauakipulu, L Faifua, R Prinsep, H Robertson, M Burey, B Kuenzle.
Andy Farrell has made wholesale changes to the side which narrowly lost to Argentina in Dublin last Friday.
A new Lions record has been set for the number of players in a matchday squad from one club with nine Leinster players on show.
There's captain Dan Sheehan, centre Garry Ringrose, second-row Joe McCarthy, wing James Lowe, openside flanker Josh van der Flier and tighthead Tadhg Furlong in the starting XV while Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher and Jack Conan is on the bench.
England star Henry Pollock start at No 8 but arguably the most exciting selection is at half-back with Welshman Tomos Williams partnering the mercurial Scotland fly-half Finn Russell.
British and Irish Lions: Elliot Daly, Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Huw Tuipulotu, James Lowe, Finn Russell, Tomos Williams; Pierre Schoeman, Dan Sheehan (capt), Tadhg Furlong, Scott Cummings, Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Henry Pollock. Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum, Jack Conan, Alex Mitchell, Huw Jones, Marcus Smith
Today's opponents, Western Force, are the weakest of the four Australian teams in Super Rugby Pacific.
The force finished 9th out of 11 on the table with just four wins to their name but they were competitive in many of their games.
But they won't be at full strength against the Lions with second-row Jeremy Williams, openside Carlo Tizzano and wing Harry Potter not getting released from the Wallabies squad while Kurtley Beale is injured.
However, there will be a handful of Wallaby squad members on show in the shape of full-back Ben Donaldson, scrum-half Nick White, wing Dylan Piestsch, prop Tom Roberston and lock Nick Champion de Crespigny.
In 2013 the Lions smashed the Western Force 69-17.
Western Force: Donaldson, Grealy, Proctor, Stewart, Pietsch, Harford, White (capt); T Robertson, Paenga-Amosa, Hoskins, Carter, Swain, Harris, Champion de-Crespigny, Ekuasi
Replacements: Dolly, Pearce, Tauakipulu, Faifua, Prinsep, H Robertson, Burey, Kuenzie
Welcome!
Join us for live updates of the British & Irish Lions' first warm-up clash in Australia against the Western Perth.
The Lions will desperate to start the tour with a bang after last Friday's disappointing defeat to Argentina in Dublin.
Kick-off is at 11am UK time.
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Irish Daily Mirror
32 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Lions bounce back from Pumas loss with dominating display against Western Force
The British and Irish Lions secured their first win on Australian turf, trouncing Western Force 54-7. However, a potential injury crisis is looming 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 came to an abrupt end 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 scrum-half position. It was the biggest disappointment of a mixed evening for Andy Farrell's men, who bounced back from their 28-24 defeat by Argentina with an eight-try demolition of the weakest of Australia's Super Rugby franchises while exposing areas of concern. The lack of cohesion in defence continued and the scrum took a step backwards after excelling against the Pumas as part of a shaky overall set-piece performance, but their passes stuck in attack and they created some classy tries. Henry Pollock, Joe McCarthy and James Lowe all advanced their claims to Test selection against the Wallabies, while fly-half Finn Russell produced an inventive first outing on tour. Russell's fingerprints were over Dan Sheehan's fourth-minute try with his pinpoint kick to Lowe making the score possible, but the Force hit back with their first attack of the match when Nic White wriggled over. All the early pressure was coming from the hosts but they were turned over three times when in commanding positions, one of them occurring when man-of-the-match McCarthy pinched line-out ball. The Force were showing plenty of endeavour but the Lions' extra class was evident in the 16th minute when Pollock combined with Josh van der Flier, raced clear and then passed out of the tackle for Williams to score. And their accuracy was on display again in the 36th minute when Russell ran a quickly taken free-kick with Pollock and Elliot Daly in support and when he was stopped just short of the line, Daly was able to touch down. Pollock provocatively celebrated the try close to Force openside Nick Champion de Crespigny, igniting a flashpoint that drew in a large number of players. The England back row was then sin-binned, although his yellow card was the result of Ben O'Keeffe running out of patience with the number of Lions infringements. Pollock had yet to rejoin play when the Lions struck again early in the second half with wings Mack Hansen and Lowe involved in a counter attack that ended with Williams diving over in the corner for his fateful finish. Just 10 minutes after the interval and the Force defence was already tiring, allowing the tourists to force an easy open with Hansen supplying Garry Ringrose with the scoring pass. Back on the field, Pollock pounced on a loose ball to launch a counter that ended with McCarthy crossing and the gaps continued to appear with Marcus Smith, on for Russell at fly-half, sending Daly over before Alex Mitchell landed the final blow.
Irish Times
42 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Lions ratings v Western Force: Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier the best of the Irish
15 Elliot Daly Very comfortable under the high ball. Always composed and put in a number of important clearance kicks in the first half when the Lions were under pressure. Alert to Finn Russell's tap and go to follow in support and get the first of two tries. Rating: 9 14 Mack Hansen Grew into the game after a slow start but when he got going was instrumental in several of the game breaking tries including the one Ringrose got and also Williams second score. Should be pleased with a high-visibility game and impact. Rating: 8 13 Garry Ringrose Set an excellent tone at the very beginning of the match when the Force had territory and possession with a couple of crashing tackles. Then began to carry a bit more ball and ended up scoring an excellent try in the second half off a Hansen break. Rating: 8 12 Sione Tuipulotu The Scottish centre didn't manage the same high-profile number of line breaks as he did against Argentina. But a full commitment to defence especially when the Force had momentum in the first half. Gave away a few penalties in the first half. Rating: 7 READ MORE 11 James Lowe A quiet start but the Irish winger showed his full array of skills in defence, kicking long balls, hitting rucks with commitment and setting up tries for Williams and especially his out the back door flick to Sheehan for his try at the start of the game. Rating: 8 James Lowe of the British Lions runs across the field. Photograph: James Worsfold/Getty 10 Finn Russell A lovely player to watch. His crossfield kick to Sheehan was inch perfect and his decision to tap and go for Daly's try is what you would expect of a world-class outhalf. His delayed passing, which stands defenders very effective. Rating: 8 9 Tomos Williams Injured what looked like his hamstring scoring his second try after a super interchange with James Lowe. A high-energy contribution from the scrumhalf, who was also perfectly placed for Pollock's offload in the first half. Rating: 8 1 Pierre Schoeman Did most of his work when the Force were pushing for scores. Showed high energy and put his body on the line every wave of attack. Even took the ball in hand on the Lions try line. The exact king of aggression needed in an arm wrestle phase of the game. Rating: 8 2 Dan Sheehan What a start as captain. A crossfield kick which he taps back to James Lowe and then carries on in support to score a killer try. Also made some trademark carries during the match and filled the leadership role well with an all-round performance. Rating: 7 3 Tadhg Furlong Great to see him start and he showed his typical abrasive way of getting in the face of the opposition and working hard to stay relevant throughout his time on the pitch, especially in defensive positions. The scrum was not an issue either. Rating: 7 Hamish Stewart of the Force gets tackled by Tadhg Furlong of the Lions. Photograph: Paul Kane/Getty 4 Scott Cummings Did his best work in the first half-hour when the Force were pressing. Put his body on the line and knuckled down to the painful work of hitting getting up and hitting again. Didn't have the profile of his secondrow partner McCarthy. Rating: 6 5 Joe McCarthy Daly might have gotten man of the match on TV but McCarthy was given the award on the pitch with an outstanding contribution from beginning to end. Carried, tackled, mullocked in when he needed to in an excellent all-round contribution. A try too. Rating: 9 6 Tadhg Beirne Had some valuable early carries and especially when the Force were pressing after Ireland scored their first try made some essential tackles and defensive plays. Rating: 7 7 Josh van der Flier Probably another contender for Player of the Match. Van der Flier was showing when others were not in a difficult opening 30 minutes. He made mini breaks and twice held up players on the Lions line. He made 19 tackles and missed zero. Rating: 9 8 Henry Pollock All that was said about the young backrow's pace and maturity was on show. Okay, it was not an international opposition but his defensive work and awareness to offload for the Tomos Williams try will have greatly pleased Andy Farrell. Rating: 8 British and Irish Lions' player Henry Pollock. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Replacements A try from Alex Mitchell at the end was just reward for a bench that kept pushing the match and the scoreboard forward against a tired opposition. A Huw Jones kick and chase, Ronan Kelleher, Ollie Chessum, Jack Conan and Andrew Porter also kept the tempo high. Rating: 8 Andy Farrell He turned around a team that were weak at the breakdown in the first half and were falling off some tackles and lacked intensity in the physical clashes. More than 50 points scored is good outcome against a non-international side. Rating: 8
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Joe McCarthy stars as Lions hammer Western Force in Perth
The British and Irish Lions claimed their first victory on Australian soil by overwhelming Western Force 54-7, but a possible injury crisis is brewing at scrum-half after Tomos Williams was forced off. Williams was among the Lions' star performers at Optus Stadium but his match was over when he injured his left hamstring during the act of finishing his second try in the 47th minute. The Wales half-back limped from the pitch to leave the Lions sweating on his fitness given Jamison Gibson-Park has yet to play on tour because of a glute problem, potentially leaving Alex Mitchell as the only available option in the position. It was the biggest disappointment of a mixed evening for Andy Farrell's men, who bounced back from their 28-24 defeat by Argentina with an eight-try demolition of the weakest of Australia's Super Rugby franchises while exposing areas of concern. The lack of cohesion in defence continued and the scrum took a step backwards after excelling against the Pumas as part of a shaky overall set-piece performance, but their passes stuck in attack and they created some classy tries. Ireland lock Joe McCarthy turned in a Man of the Match display, strengtening his claims to Test selection against the Wallabies, while his Leinster teammate James Lowe also impressed on the wing. Northampton's Henry Pollock again caught the eye, while out-half Finn Russell produced an inventive first outing on tour. Russell's fingerprints were over Dan Sheehan's fourth-minute try with his pinpoint kick to Lowe making the score possible, but the Force hit back with their first attack of the match when Nic White wriggled over. All the early pressure was coming from the hosts but they were turned over three times when in commanding positions, one of them occurring when man-of-the-match McCarthy pinched lineout ball. The Force were showing plenty of endeavour but the Lions' extra class was evident in the 16th minute when Pollock combined with Josh van der Flier, raced clear and then passed out of the tackle for Williams to score. And their accuracy was on display again in the 36th minute when Russell ran a quickly taken free-kick with Pollock and Elliot Daly in support and when he was stopped just short of the line, Daly was able to touch down. Pollock provocatively celebrated the try close to Force openside Nick Champion de Crespigny, igniting a flashpoint that drew in a large number of players. The England back row was then sin-binned, although his yellow card was the result of Ben O'Keeffe running out of patience with the number of Lions infringements. Pollock had yet to rejoin play when the Lions struck again early in the second half with wings Mack Hansen and Lowe involved in a counter attack that ended with Williams diving over in the corner for his fateful finish. Just 10 minutes after the interval and the Force defence was already tiring, allowing the tourists to force an easy open with Hansen supplying Garry Ringrose with the scoring pass. Back on the field, Pollock pounced on a loose ball to launch a counter that ended with McCarthy crossing and the gaps continued to appear with Marcus Smith, on for Russell at fly-half, sending Daly over before Alex Mitchell landed the final blow.
