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It would be tragic not to tour Australia: Farrell

It would be tragic not to tour Australia: Farrell

The Advertiser3 days ago
Coach Andy Farrell has insisted that the debate over Australia's future as a British and Irish Lions tour destination is "insulting".
The Lions are seeking to complete a series whitewash when the rivals clash for the final time in Sydney on Saturday.
Australian rugby is facing significant challenges on and off the field and is the weakest of the three nations visited by the elite of British and Irish rugby, with South Africa and New Zealand completing the 12-year rotation.
Furthermore, there is growing support for the Lions to visit France because of the strength of their national side and club game, as well as the commercial possibilities.
The Wallabies answered their critics at Melbourne Cricket Ground by taking the second Test to the wire in an all-time classic before falling 2-0 behind in the series when Hugo Keenan struck with 51 seconds left.
When asked if Australia had earned the right to host another tour, Farrell replied: "It was never off the agenda, in my opinion.
"Every single team, country and province have their ups and downs but Australia - the sporting nation that they are - are always going to come back.
"Have a look at the year they've got coming up. Come the 2027 World Cup they're going to be a force to be reckoned with, 100 per cent.
"It would be tragic not to tour here. We've had a blast. To me its insulting to talk about it in that kind of way."
Farrell's success as Lions head coach - as well as his obvious passion for the concept - makes him overwhelming favourite to lead the next tour to New Zealand, but he is refusing to look beyond attending an Oasis concert at Croke Park upon his return home.
"Would I do this again? Give me a break would you! Let me get through Saturday. I have absolutely loved every single minute and I knew I would because I just love everything that the Lions is about," he said.
"Thinking about the future is not something that is on my mind until I get home and have a bit of reflection on the whole thing.
"I'm definitely going to Oasis and that's why I'm going home! I'll be taking a few friends. There are a few coaches here that are trying to get on the bandwagon."
Coach Andy Farrell has insisted that the debate over Australia's future as a British and Irish Lions tour destination is "insulting".
The Lions are seeking to complete a series whitewash when the rivals clash for the final time in Sydney on Saturday.
Australian rugby is facing significant challenges on and off the field and is the weakest of the three nations visited by the elite of British and Irish rugby, with South Africa and New Zealand completing the 12-year rotation.
Furthermore, there is growing support for the Lions to visit France because of the strength of their national side and club game, as well as the commercial possibilities.
The Wallabies answered their critics at Melbourne Cricket Ground by taking the second Test to the wire in an all-time classic before falling 2-0 behind in the series when Hugo Keenan struck with 51 seconds left.
When asked if Australia had earned the right to host another tour, Farrell replied: "It was never off the agenda, in my opinion.
"Every single team, country and province have their ups and downs but Australia - the sporting nation that they are - are always going to come back.
"Have a look at the year they've got coming up. Come the 2027 World Cup they're going to be a force to be reckoned with, 100 per cent.
"It would be tragic not to tour here. We've had a blast. To me its insulting to talk about it in that kind of way."
Farrell's success as Lions head coach - as well as his obvious passion for the concept - makes him overwhelming favourite to lead the next tour to New Zealand, but he is refusing to look beyond attending an Oasis concert at Croke Park upon his return home.
"Would I do this again? Give me a break would you! Let me get through Saturday. I have absolutely loved every single minute and I knew I would because I just love everything that the Lions is about," he said.
"Thinking about the future is not something that is on my mind until I get home and have a bit of reflection on the whole thing.
"I'm definitely going to Oasis and that's why I'm going home! I'll be taking a few friends. There are a few coaches here that are trying to get on the bandwagon."
Coach Andy Farrell has insisted that the debate over Australia's future as a British and Irish Lions tour destination is "insulting".
The Lions are seeking to complete a series whitewash when the rivals clash for the final time in Sydney on Saturday.
Australian rugby is facing significant challenges on and off the field and is the weakest of the three nations visited by the elite of British and Irish rugby, with South Africa and New Zealand completing the 12-year rotation.
Furthermore, there is growing support for the Lions to visit France because of the strength of their national side and club game, as well as the commercial possibilities.
The Wallabies answered their critics at Melbourne Cricket Ground by taking the second Test to the wire in an all-time classic before falling 2-0 behind in the series when Hugo Keenan struck with 51 seconds left.
When asked if Australia had earned the right to host another tour, Farrell replied: "It was never off the agenda, in my opinion.
"Every single team, country and province have their ups and downs but Australia - the sporting nation that they are - are always going to come back.
"Have a look at the year they've got coming up. Come the 2027 World Cup they're going to be a force to be reckoned with, 100 per cent.
"It would be tragic not to tour here. We've had a blast. To me its insulting to talk about it in that kind of way."
Farrell's success as Lions head coach - as well as his obvious passion for the concept - makes him overwhelming favourite to lead the next tour to New Zealand, but he is refusing to look beyond attending an Oasis concert at Croke Park upon his return home.
"Would I do this again? Give me a break would you! Let me get through Saturday. I have absolutely loved every single minute and I knew I would because I just love everything that the Lions is about," he said.
"Thinking about the future is not something that is on my mind until I get home and have a bit of reflection on the whole thing.
"I'm definitely going to Oasis and that's why I'm going home! I'll be taking a few friends. There are a few coaches here that are trying to get on the bandwagon."
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As it happened: Norris wins Hungarian GP while Piastri settles for second in dramatic final lap
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As it happened: Norris wins Hungarian GP while Piastri settles for second in dramatic final lap

Go to latest Norris beats Piastri by 0.698 seconds to win Hungarian GP in a nail-bitingly close finale By Hannah Kennelly In the dying seconds of the penultimate lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri lunged his McLaren towards his teammate Lando Norris near Turn 1 to regain the lead of the race. The Australian locked up and Norris – who miraculously kept his tyres alive on a one-stop strategy for 39 laps – powered through to win the race and beat his teammate by 0.698 seconds. Piastri pitted twice and finished second, with Mercedes driver George Russell completing the podium and a frustrated Charles Leclerc in fourth. The McLaren 1-2 finish marks the team's 200th grand prix victory and also narrows the margin between championship leader Piastri and Norris to just nine points. As exhausted but elated Norris claimed his ninth win and declared he 'was dead' in a post-race interview. 'I'm dead. It was tough, it was tough,' Norris said. 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Latest posts 1.44am Norris beats Piastri by 0.698 seconds to win Hungarian GP in a nail-bitingly close finale By Hannah Kennelly In the dying seconds of the penultimate lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri lunged his McLaren towards his teammate Lando Norris near Turn 1 to regain the lead of the race. The Australian locked up and Norris – who miraculously kept his tyres alive on a one-stop strategy for 39 laps – powered through to win the race and beat his teammate by 0.698 seconds. Piastri pitted twice and finished second, with Mercedes driver George Russell completing the podium and a frustrated Charles Leclerc in fourth. The McLaren 1-2 finish marks the team's 200th grand prix victory and also narrows the margin between championship leader Piastri and Norris to just nine points. As exhausted but elated Norris claimed his ninth win and declared he 'was dead' in a post-race interview. 'I'm dead. It was tough, it was tough,' Norris said. 'We weren't really planning on the one-stop but after the first lap it was kind of our only option to get back into things' he said. 'The final stint, with Oscar catching, I was pushing flat out.' A gracious Piastri congratulated his teammate and said McLaren had done a great job. 'I don't know if trying to undercut Leclerc was the right call in the end but we can go through that after,' Piastri said when asked about the team's differing tyre strategies. It was a rocky start to the race for Norris, who started third but dropped to fifth after trying to pass his teammate on the opening lap. Piastri spent the first half of the race in pursuit of race-leader Charles Leclerc, however was initially unable to catch him. McLaren chose to pit Piastri in lap 19 in an attempt to undercut Leclerc , however Ferrari executed a two-second stop and Leclerc emerged in front of Piastri. Norris pitted on lap 31 and chose to stay out – taking the lead of the race when the others pitted for a second time. Suddenly, Norris was a contender for the crown and Piastri – thanks to the team's tyre strategy – found himself chasing Leclerc and Norris. Notoriously nicknamed 'Monaco without walls', The Hungaroring has limited overtaking spots and tight turns demanding flawless perfection for every driver at every corner. The circuit's scare overtaking opportunities meant Piastri had to wait for the perfect moment to attack the Ferrari. A frustrated Charles Leclerc was unable to convert his pole position into a podium and issued an ominous and ultimately prophetic plea to his team during the race, telling his race engineer 'we are going to lose this race'. Piastri finally managed to get within DRS range down the main straight and swooped past Leclerc. 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Piastri suffers title blow in tense Hungarian finish
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Piastri suffers title blow in tense Hungarian finish

Budapest | Lando Norris held off McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix on a one-stop strategy and slash the Australian's Formula One lead to nine points going into the August break. Norris completed 39 of the 70 laps on a single set of hard tyres while Piastri stopped twice and closed a 12-second gap to just 0.6 at the finish, with a nail- biting chase to the chequered flag and a near-collision on the penultimate lap. Reuters

Oscar Piastri rebuked by McLaren engineer as Lando Norris clings to Hungarian Grand Prix victory
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Oscar Piastri rebuked by McLaren engineer as Lando Norris clings to Hungarian Grand Prix victory

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