Your Guardian sport weekend: Club World Cup last 16, F1 Austrian GP and more
The Lions are eager to kickstart their tour after falling 28-24 to Argentina in Dublin as they build towards the Test series against the Wallabies, which begins in Brisbane on 19 July. Captain Maro Itoje has been stood down for the opening fixture on Australian soil, so the Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan takes charge of Andy Farrell's tourists at Perth's Optus Stadium. Henry Pollock makes his first Lions start after being picked at No 8, while Finn Russell, the early favourite to take the playmaking duties against the Wallabies, is given his maiden outing of the tour at fly-half. There are two survivors from the side beaten by the Pumas in Sione Tuipulotu and Tadhg Beirne, although they have been switched to inside centre and blindside flanker, respectively. Lee Calvert is your liveblog host, while Robert Kitson reports from WA.
Daniel Gallan helms our over-by-over coverage as Sophie Ecclestone returns to England duty after a near-five-month absence. A knee injury meant the spinner missed the recent clean sweep of West Indies under England's new leadership team of head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt. Ecclestone then took a break from playing for Lancashire to manage a sore quad and 'prioritise her wellbeing' but she is in contention for England's opening T20 against India . It would be her first international appearance since the Women's Ashes debacle in early February, with England whitewashed 16-0 in the multi-format series. Raf Nicholson reports from Trent Bridge.
Lando Norris's confidence will have been dented by his crash with Oscar Piastri. The British driver collided with his McLaren teammate as they fought for fourth place in the closing laps of last Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix. Norris accepted full responsibility for a coming together he said made him look foolish and leaves him 22 points behind Piastri in pursuit of the drivers' title. Norris retired from the race while Piastri went on to take the chequered flag. The Briton was already on the back foot after two mistakes in qualifying which left him seventh on the grid. He drove well to bring himself back into contention only to misjudge the move on Piastri which again raises questions over his credentials as a championship contender. Yara El-Shaboury has live updates from qualifying at 3pm while Giles Richards is trackside at Spielberg.
Two years on from winning the competition for the first time since 1984, the Young Lions are preparing for another final having narrowly avoided a shock group stage exit. Slovenia's defeat of the Czech Republic meant England edged through as Group B runners-up despite losing 2-1 to a much-changed Germany, who they will face again in Saturday's Bratislava showpiece. Lee Carsley's side have kicked on since then, with a 3-1 quarter-final win against favourites Spain followed by a 2-1 semi-final triumph against the Netherlands in midweek. England played with a swagger against the Dutch, much like they did in Georgia two years ago, as Carsley seeks to follow Dave Sexton in masterminding a second Under-21 Euros triumph. Emillia Hawkins has minute-by-minute coverage and Ed Aarons is our match reporter.
With fellow forward Nicolas Jackson still suspended, Liam Delap has a chance to cement his place in Enzo Maresca's side. The 22-year-old striker scored a first goal since his £30m move from Ipswich as Chelsea beat Espérance 3-0 in Philadelphia to reach the last 16. It was the striker's second start in succession, having made his debut as a substitute in their opening Group D game against LAFC. The result meant the Blues finished second in Group D behind Flamengo. They face a Benfica side who beat one of the tournament favourites in Bayern Munich to top Group C. Scott Murray helms our minute-by-minute coverage while Jacob Steinberg reports from Charlotte. Earlier Rob Smyth covers the action as Palmeiras meet Botafogo in the 5pm game.
Yorkshire take on Essex at Clifton Park, from where Tanya Aldred will be casting around all the grounds as the County Championship resumes. Nottinghamshire remain top of Division One but their lead is now just two points after the draw with Yorkshire. The pacesetters travel to Taunton to face Somerset, who coasted to a forgettable draw against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in midweek. Surrey, targeting a fourth successive title, wrapped up a dominant nine-wicket win over Worcestershire on Tuesday and host Durham at the Oval. In Division Two, the leaders Leicestershire are unbeaten but Glamorgan denied them a sixth win in eight games last time out. Middlesex offer their next challenge at the County Ground.
Last time out at the Canadian Grand Prix, George Russell won from pole position to claim his first triumph of the year and just the fourth of his career. The British driver has been one of the grid's standout performers this season, and his win in Montreal takes him to 62 points behind the championship leader Piastri. The Mercedes driver is 40 points behind Norris while Max Verstappen is 43 points off the championship pace. Niall McVeigh picks up the baton for our live coverage of the race, with Giles Richards reporting from venue.
Before England head to Euro 2025 with the same goal as three years ago when they conquered Europe, they have one final warmup match for Sarina Wiegman to assess her new-look Lionesses in the buildup to their opener against France. With four of her 2022 mainstays now retired, many of Wiegman's 13 returnees – such as Alessia Russo and Hannah Hampton – have stepped up, and seven major tournament newcomers will be looking to make their mark. Aggie Beever-Jones has enjoyed a breakout season, last month completing a hat-trick on her Wembley debut for England, while the 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang scored 41 seconds into her maiden senior international appearance in April. Jamaica's captain will be familiar to WSL observers, Khadija Shaw, sharing the golden boot this year alongside England's Russo with 12 goals. Helming our live coverage is Rob Smyth from 3.30pm, with Suzanne Wrack our correspondent at Leicester's King Power Stadium.
One of the picks of the last 16 pitches Inter Miami's Lionel Messi against his former side, PSG. Messi's new club beat Porto in the group stage but a late collapse against Palmeiras meant they finished second and now face Luis Enrique's European champions. They may be expected to subdue their MLS opponents, but Botafogo beat them in the group stage to prove they are not invulnerable. Dominic Booth will be at the helm of our MBM blog, while Sid Lowe reports on the game.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Expect Farrell's frustrations to vanish: the Lions will prioritise hunger and energy
The British & Irish Lions' defeat by Argentina will have been shaken out of their system even before the jet lag. It is not difficult to draw a line under it. The tour starts when boots are on the ground in Australia and listening to the noises coming out of the camp, I'd be amazed if Andy Farrell is voicing the same frustrations after Saturday's match against Western Force. The handling errors against the Pumas stood out. I don't mind so much those that were committed in aerial contests – though there were a lot in open play as well – but I think what really frustrated Farrell is that Argentina appeared to be playing with more urgency at the breakdown and when it came to feeding off the loose scraps. The first match is always difficult. There is so much goodwill, so much energy behind the first Lions game of a tour that it can be hard not to force things, not to get carried away with a determination to impress. Bear in mind that Argentina are ranked fifth in the world and the Lions will not face another challenge like the Pumas until we get into the Test series. Clearly there was a desire to move the ball and keep it alive – and I always say that what we see on the pitch is a reflection of what has been worked on in training – but some of the decision-making let the Lions down. Whether it be a two-on-one on the edge that Marcus Smith ought to have spotted, or Duhan van der Merwe's failure to pass inside to Alex Mitchell. The expectation on Saturday is that the Lions demonstrate better decision-making and better accuracy, all underpinned by improvements according to Farrell's frustrations – namely hunger, desire and energy. I'm encouraged by the team that Farrell has selected and while I don't think it will be the Test team, I would have no problem with this XV lining up against the Wallabies. I like the blend of the backline, with pace, creativity and power and the fact that there is plenty of familiarity given the number of Leinster and Ireland players selected can only be a good thing. Last week there were certain similarities in what the Lions were trying to achieve in attack with how Farrell's Ireland go about things and that makes obvious sense. I would say that Ireland have the best attacking framework and structure of the four home nations so it stands to reason. When I talk about structure it can sound like a negative thing, like it can be constraining, but that doesn't have to be the case. Excuse the analogy but when I was doing Strictly Come Dancing, I thought that ballroom dancing would be really quite boring because it was all about 'the frame'. What I soon realised is once you've got the frame built and set, it effectively just becomes a pillar in the foundation. What you do within that frame – shoulders back, traps down, elbows high, fingers pointing, neck long, chin to 45 degrees – once you've got those principles in place, you can do whatever you want. So when it comes to the Lions' attacking structure, it looked similar to that of Ireland but that doesn't mean there is no room for players to act on instinct. A good example was Mitchell's pass out the back when recovering near his own line and I'd have liked to see a bit more of it. I was a bit surprised there was no attempt to tap and go, to up the tempo that little bit more. At this stage it is too early to read too much into combinations and what implications they might have for the Test team. It will only become apparent by the third match of the tour in Australia. Maro Itoje isn't playing Saturday but that's likely because Farrell wants to see him lining up alongside another second row and the time is not yet right for that. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion That said, this is certainly an opportunity for Henry Pollock, who had a mixed introduction off the bench against Argentina, while it will be interesting to see how Tadhg Beirne fares in the back row after the lineout troubles against the Pumas last week. I don't think it's unfair to say that the Lions should beat Western Force emphatically. They are the worst-ranked Australian team in Super Rugby whereas the Lions are now fully stacked, barring the odd injury niggle and Farrell will want them to go out and deliver a statement. The noise has already started coming from one or two former Australia players, claiming even that the Wallabies will whitewash the Lions. I love it when the noise starts but that is quite simply an incredible claim. I don't mean to get all Chris Whitty, but we have to follow the evidence and it simply doesn't exist to suggest the Lions will be whitewashed. Bold statements like that do, however, signal that the tour is up and running.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
'The only team that can beat us is us'
In looking forward to his first start for the British and Irish Lions, against Western Force on Saturday, Mack Hansen couldn't stop himself from looking back to last Friday night's defeat by Argentina and the lessons learned."The only team that can beat us is us," he says, an arresting line from a compelling character. "If we're not on it and we're not doing things to the best of our ability, then that's what's going to let us down."Hansen came off the bench against Argentina and made a fine impact, not that you could tell that from his demeanour when talking about it. The Ireland wing is laid-back, for sure, but the quirkiness and the chilled persona is only part of who he a deadly seriousness about him, too. "I've officially become a Lion, which is incredible and everything, but we lost, so it was a real weird vibe. We're four of the best teams in the world, so the expectation is to win regardless of who you're playing."There were a few excuses that we could have had [for the loss to the Pumas] but we've thrown them out the door. We have some of the best players in the world and you should be winning every time. We'll get our heads absolutely chewed off if it happens again. So the plan is to win from here on out." The Australia-born winger is in from the start on Saturday against the Force, a team containing three of his old mates from the ACT Brumbies, including his old house-mate Bayley Kuenzle, who starts on the bench for the hosts in is made of Hansen's relaxed attitude but he reveals another side of himself. Does he get nervous? Will he be fretful before running out at Optus Stadium on Saturday?"Definitely, yeah, yeah," he says. "You know, come pre-game, I can barely eat anything. You've got the butterflies, you feel sick, you definitely have all that stuff, but you know, it's the best job in the world. I'd rather have those feelings than sitting around not having them."Anyone that says they don't get nervous is lying, to be honest. That's just what comes with playing at those levels because there's a lot at stake. It means something."Hansen, 27, is a curious sort. For a wing, he's not a prolific try-scorer. He's only once registered double-figures for a season as an elite player. He's not tall, he's not all that quick by modern standards, he's not as powerful as many as you see these days. He's far from a physical the sum of his parts is an outstanding package. His intelligence is the key. That's one of the things that his Ireland and Lions coach, Andy Farrell, loves about it. His game awareness, his decision-making, his work-rate, his appreciation of space, his habit of doing the right thing at the right time."I guess the other guys [Duhan van der Merwe, Tommy Freeman and James Lowe] would be a bit quicker and more physical than me. That's just not my game. I try to help out where I can, whether that's getting my hands on the ball, being a player at the back, those sort of things."My main strength is my work off the ball, so that's my focus a lot of the time. Keep working and try to get into the game wherever I can." That's a modest appraisal. Hansen's ability to read a game is interesting on the likely mindset of the Force's players on Saturday. "When you're coming up against a big team such as us, those guys will definitely be able to get up for that," he says."They've only got one game and then they're on holidays. You can rev yourself up. No, we're not expecting anything easy. We're not playing the Force this week with them thinking, 'All right, boys, let's go out here and lose by 40'"They're coming out thinking we can cause an upset."Just as the Brumbies did in June 2013. Tevita Kuridrani scored the only try and the Canberra boys won 14-12. "I was at the Brumbies game and the Brumbies beat the Lions," recalls Hansen, who was born and raised in Canberra and qualifies for Ireland and the Lions through his Irish mother."Things do happen. I remember that tour vividly - I remember the buzz around Australia, seeing these players that you never really get to see. It was just amazing, it was just cool to me. Now it's here and I'm doing it and it feels like I'm properly living a dream."The memory of that Brumbies victory was a glorious one once upon a time but now he's using it as a salutary tale, an experience to keep him on his toes. Fear of failure can be a suffocating thing, but used wisely, it can be a powerful force for good."I was with my dad and my brother [at the Brumbies match]. We were sitting behind the goalposts," he says. "It was a mad thing, because you don't expect anyone to actually do it. I've talked to guys about that afterwards, and they were juiced. They'd been pumped up for that game for weeks."Hansen believes the Force will be no different. They've had a lousy season but this is a chance to redeem themselves, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to turn over the fire the underdogs will bring must be doused by captain Dan Sheehan's impressive-looking team - or else that Hansen line about heads being chewed off will resurface.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australia build lead after Head and Webster dig in against West Indies
Travis Head has given Australia a fresh scent of victory in the first Test after delivering his second half-century against West Indies in Bridgetown. It helped Australia reach lunch on the third day in an improving position. Having resumed on 4-92, the tourists shored up their position by reaching 5-181, growing their lead from 82 to 171. Head had contributed 59 as Australia were all out for 180 in their first innings. West Indies' reply of 190 left the match tantalisingly poised. On a difficult surface in Barbados, Head made 61 before becoming the only Australian wicket to fall in the first session. Despite a reputation built on aggressive batting, here he went about his work with great patience, testament to his quality and character. He eventually fell to a straight one from Shamar Joseph that kept low and thundered into his pads. There was no doubting that and Head departed with a rueful smile without considering a review. He had earlier had a moment of good fortune when dropped at second slip by Justin Greaves when on 21. Head took advantage of that reprieve to put on a 102-run partnership with Beau Webster, the highest of the match. After Head's departure, Webster had progressed to his half-century before falling for 63 leaving Alex Carey to lead the innings and make life difficult for the West Indian attack.
