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Telegraph
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Australian rugby is saved, they should keep next Lions tour
If those organising this year's Lions tour to Australia had sat down and sketched out their dream second Test, it would not have been too far off what we saw at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. They would have wanted a citadel, they would have wanted over 90,000 people - with roughly half of that travelling, Home Nations support - and they would have wanted the dramatic finale, with the series on the line. If you were scripting the perfect match, I'm not sure what else you would have included before critics accused you of being too Hollywood. The MCG was, quite frankly, an amazing venue for a Test of such calibre. An incredible atmosphere; and the match had everything. In one Melbourne evening, Australia proved that it is still a valid and viable location for a Lions tour, despite Union's struggles in the country. Saturday was totally different to Brisbane, which was in part down to how things transpired on the field. The atmosphere had a real edge. If we could have three Tests exactly like Saturday then we're back here in a heartbeat. Where do I sign? Pre-match, I was at an event at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and there were fans almost banging the door down to get in, almost like a zombie apocalypse, to hear the thoughts of Lions legends like Martin Johnson and Alun Wyn Jones over a pint. All roads had been leading to the MCG and the appetite was huge. Everyone was loving Australia. Second Tests in Lions series are just special. The Lions were chasing shadows but they found a way to get back into it. The final try from Hugo Keenan was one of those moments where you were just glad you were there. In fact, the whole game was one that you were just proud you could say you were at. HUGO KEENAN WINS IT FOR THE LIONS! 🦁 — Sky Sports (@SkySports) July 26, 2025 You always want your team to win but when your team wins with drama it is the Holy Grail of sport. Authentic, organic, unscripted sporting drama. If Manchester City had beaten Queens Park Rangers 5-0 then we'd never remember 'Aguerooooooo'; and the same could be said for plenty of iconic sporting moments. What about Jonny's drop-goal, the 2019 Cricket World Cup final super over? What if Federer-Nadal at Wimbledon in 2008 had been over in three sets? Chatting to the Lions players after - I spoke to five or six on television - they all said they never thought they would lose, and I believe that. That's the leadership from Andy Farrell - play big, stay strong - the direction on the field, a physically tough set of lads, and then the tip of the spear, the finer details; Finn Russell's offload to Blair Kinghorn to keep playing at the end, with the game in the balance, and Keenan's effort to clean out the ruck before himself becoming the hero. Crucial moments. After I had finished chatting to them, with the final whistle having gone at 10pm, the Lions players came out onto the field with a load of plastic chairs to have a little sing-song. That was at 11.30pm local time. Keenan then recreated his winning moment in his socks, beer in hand. I suggested he should have got a spade and dug up his little bit of the turf but Collingwood have a massive AFL game next weekend and the groundspeople probably would have throttled me! The Wallabies did their country proud, too; they were awesome. They absolutely ripped the Lions apart in the first half and were well deserving of their 23-5 lead. The issue for the hosts was that that counts for little if it ends up as 23-17 at half-time, as it did. But Australia showed they could play, they could carry, they could rip you apart and they could also go the length from the restart. Will Skelton was big, Rob Valetini was extraordinary. I'm assuming he picked up a knock because he looked like he would be player of the match by half time. The Lions were more clinical. And credit must go to referee Andrea Piardi and his officials for getting both the Dan Sheehan and Jac Morgan decisions correct. You can dive in the act of scoring - and that's what Sheehan did - but you cannot jump a tackle, like Welshman Blair Murray did in the Six Nations. In any case, the Wallabies defenders had their heads down, their chins down for Sheehan; they should have had greater awareness. The Morgan incident did not even need looking at. It was a brilliant clean-out; I've watched it 50 times. Whatever lens you view it through, I don't see how you give that as a pen. I've spoken to Johnno and Warren Gatland - they both agreed. I've not come across anyone who has said Morgan was lucky. In Melbourne the series came alive but ironically it also died. That is the thing with Lions tours; in eight days it is done. Four more years now - and 12 for the Wallabies. But selection for the third Test in Sydney will be fascinating. I think Farrell will be tempted by fresh legs. There has been a massive collective effort with some huge impacts for those who played both Tests. We are told selection was nip and tuck. I could see five or six changes, rotating out the guys who are spent. The data will inform them. For Australia, the issue is that a fortnight after the third Test they face South Africa in Ellis Park, in the opening round of the Rugby Championship. Does that come into play? There are arguments for both Farrell and Joe Schmidt sending out a full-metal jacket team, with one looking for 3-0 and the other looking to salvage some pride, in the country's showcase rugby event. But Joe might think about saving some of his big guns, especially those with niggles, for the Rugby Championship, with the series done. Farrell might also think of doing the same.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Johnson offers stark warning: Lions should expect fierce Wallabies backlash
This week the Rugby Club of Victoria hosted a fundraising dinner in the Olympic Room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Among the evening's highlights was a fascinating Q&A session featuring Martin Johnson and Alun Wyn Jones, both of whom have led Lions teams into series-defining games and know from personal experience just how swiftly a sure thing can disintegrate. Johnson may have hoisted the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2003 but the merest mention of the 2001 Lions tour, even two decades later, still prompts him to put his head in his hands. The Lions, as now, had won the opening Test with relative ease and were in front at half-time in Melbourne the following week. They felt firmly in control of the game and on the verge of sporting immortality. And then, in a flash, all their dreams were summarily dashed. Jonny Wilkinson had an attempted long pass intercepted, Richard Hill was taken out by an off‑the‑ball elbow and the Wallabies, 11-6 down at the interval, surged clear to win 35-14. A week later, with the Lions by now feeling the effects of a long, hard season, Justin Harrison's stolen late lineout duly completed a famous Australian triumph in Sydney. It may not be entirely coincidental, then, that the battle-hardened Johnson was invited into camp to present the 2025 squad with their jerseys before what, for many, is the biggest game of their lives. He fully expects the underdog Wallabies to bite back after their Brisbane bashing, when the Lions won most of the key collisions and might have scored two or three more tries in the first half alone. With rain also around to complicate things, his gut feel is that those blithely expecting a Lions clean sweep are getting ahead of themselves. Jones, similarly, was part of the 2013 Lions squad which took the first Test in Australia only to go down narrowly in the second. They went on to win the decider in Sydney but, once again, nothing was guaranteed until the closing night of the series. The present Wallaby squad may not be the strongest in history but there is no more potent sporting cocktail than a mixture of damaged pride and do-or-die necessity. It is also hard to believe their head coach, Joe Schmidt, has not been sifting the ashes of the first‑half Suncorp surrender with the finest-toothed comb. Now Rob Valetini and Will Skelton are back, supported by a 6-2 forward‑heavy bench, the Wallabies should be much harder to skittle this time, particularly with Joe McCarthy injured and Ellis Genge benched. And if some front-foot ball is forthcoming, the hosts' attacking potential will potentially be transformed. At which point one of two hairline cracks in the Lions edifice might just be exposed. Talking to several former Lions out here there is near-unanimous concern that the touring side have not yet fully clicked as a forward unit. Their work around the breakdown can be frustratingly bitty and has lacked a cold-eyed ruthlessness that, say, the All Blacks would regard as non-negotiable. No one could also accuse James Lowe of being in the form of his life on the left wing. It is a not dissimilar story with James Ryan, who is nevertheless now involved on the Test bench. Hugo Keenan has been an Irish linchpin for several years but, again, has yet to soar to any great heights in Australia since returning from illness. Farrell must be hoping his green-tinged Lions are saving their best until last. Then there is the midfield duo of Bundee Aki and Huw Jones, which would have morphed into an all-Irish duo had the originally selected Garry Ringrose not stepped aside because of concussion symptoms. How exactly will Jones react, having dovetailed nicely with his mate Sione Tuipulotu in the first Test only for both players to be initially jettisoned for the second? And can he and Aki – 'Hundee'? 'Jaki'? – now write themselves into Lions folklore regardless? The most obvious conclusion is that Farrell is braced for an awkward contest which will require his side to dig deep defensively at times. There is also the minor matter of the refereeing. Andrea Piardi was the man in the middle in April, when Munster were mistakenly forced to play with 14 men for almost a quarter of an hour in a United Rugby Championship match against the Bulls after confusion over the laws surrounding uncontested scrums. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion On the flip side, Piardi – who will become the first Italian to take charge of a Lions Test – has plenty of experience when it comes to refereeing Leinster, who supply no fewer than nine members of the Lions' matchday 23. Australia would be foolish to pin hope on anything out of their control, anyway. A more proactive plan, surely, is to start more strongly, get ahead on the scoreboard for the first time in the series and then see how the Lions respond when they are required to chase a game. And if the contest is still tight after an hour, the Wallaby bench is by no means the worst, with Angus Bell, Carlo Tizzano, Langi Gleeson and Tate McDermott all equipped to raise the tempo a notch. It is not a stretch to suggest the Wallabies will be a dozen points stronger this week which, if so, will require the Lions to up their game as well. Either way, it is necessary to rewind to 1950 and 1989 to find postwar instances of the Lions winning both the last two Tests of a series. Which backs up Johnson's warning to today's players that it is less a case of picking up where they left off at the final whistle in Brisbane as in effect starting again from scratch. 'We had Martin Johnson in last night,' said the Lions scrum coach, John Fogarty. 'He talked about the small margins in the biggest games and doing the fundamentals. For him as a player the issue was compounding errors. Those are the things you need to make sure you're on top of during the match. We are not going to get everything our own way.' Ironically enough, Johnson could yet be left clutching an unwanted record if the Lions take an unassailable lead. Should that happen, as he self-deprecatingly observed this week, it will leave him as the only postwar Lions captain to have lost a series in Australia. In isolation this contest could be nip and tuck but a dead rubber in Sydney still feels the likeliest outcome.
BBC News
19-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Alun Wyn Jones appointed to Royal Welsh military role by King
Rugby legend Alun Wyn Jones has become an ambassador of the Army's only reserve infantry regiment in was appointed honorary colonel of 3rd Battalion, the Royal Welsh, by King Charles former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain said he was "hugely flattered and humbled", as well as "a little apprehensive".Jones, from Swansea, played 158 times for Wales, and 12 for the Lions, making him the most capped rugby player in history. In his role, Jones will wear military uniform and serve as an ambassador for Wales, "inspiring current and future generations" of The Royal Welsh."It is an honour for us to bring into the fold a true Welsh warrior," said Maj Gen Chris Barry, colonel of the regiment. The battalion supports the regular Army in its operations, including deploying soldiers said that during his time playing rugby that seeing the men and women in uniform holding Wales' national flag "was always a significant and poignant symbol of the history and connection to the military in Wales"."My apprehension was borne out of the responsibility felt while wearing the red jersey and all that comes with representing our nation," he said that learning about the history of the The Royal Welsh meant it was "something I couldn't turn down"."The fact that personnel serving with 3rd Battalion also have day jobs also sparked an awareness that reservists are all around us in civilian life," he added. Brig Wardle, for former head of the Army in Wales and outgoing honorary colonel, said there is "no set job description" in the role but its main task "is to support the battalion in any way possible"."The main role though is to see what reservists do, to listen to their stories and to encourage them and to be a positive role model."Alun Wyn has a history of service to his country, and he has widely-recognised leadership qualities - I can't think of a more fitting person to enthuse, motivate and inspire the battalion than him," he said.
ITV News
19-07-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
Alun Wyn Jones appointed to military role by King Charles III
Alun Wyn Jones OBE has been appointed as Honorary Colonel of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Welsh, by King Charles III. The former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain is the most capped rugby player in history, with 170 caps for appearances between 2006 and 2023. He became Wales' 129th captain when he led the side against Italy in the Six Nations tournament in 2009 and is one of only four players to have been selected on four British and Irish Lions tours, achieving 12 caps between 2009 and 2021. In his new role, the Welsh rugby legend will serve as an ambassador for Wales, taking over the position from Brigadier Russ Wardle OBE DL, the former head of the Army in Wales. Alun Wyn Jones, who will wear military uniform in this role, said he was "hugely flattered and humbled", but also "a little apprehensive." 'Having played in our great stadium and seeing the men and women in uniform holding our national flag, it was always a significant and poignant symbol of the history and connection to the military in Wales,' he said. 'There was also the iconic Royal Welsh Band serving to provide acoustics in the stadium, which is something that I enjoyed as much as a player as I continue to do now as a fan. 'My apprehension was borne out of the responsibility felt while wearing the red jersey and all that comes with representing our nation. 'Learning more about the history of The Royal Welsh, particularly Sir Tasker Watkins who served in the Welch Regiment and his heroism and commitment to Wales and Welsh rugby, made it something I couldn't turn down.' He added that he is looking forward to learning more about 3 Royal Welsh and to share his experience of leadership in sport and of leaving one career and moving into another. 'The fact that personnel serving with 3rd Battalion also have day jobs also sparked an awareness that Reservists are all around us in civilian life,' he said. 'Yes, the uniform I'll wear in this role will be very different to what I'm used to, but one I will be equally proud to wear as any jersey in my playing career and represent 3 Royal Welsh and Wales.' Colonel of the Regiment, Major General Chris Barry CBE, added: 'I am proud to welcome Alun Wyn Jones to the Regimental family as the Honorary Colonel of 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh – a position that has been personally approved by our Colonel in Chief, King Charles III. 'It is an honour for us to bring into the fold a true Welsh warrior, who has served and led the national rugby team of Wales and The British and Irish Lions and the most capped rugby player in history. 'We now look forward to building a long-lasting, two-way relationship between our 3rd Battalion and Alun Wyn Jones. 'The Regimental Headquarters, on behalf of all ranks of The Royal Welsh, would like to thank the outgoing Honorary Colonel of 3 Royal Welsh, Brigadier Russ Wardle OBE DL, for more than 11 years of outstanding leadership and service to the Regimental family. We wish him all the very best for the future.'
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
British and Irish Lions vs Argentina: Kick-off time, TV channel, live stream, team news, lineups, h2h, odds today
Captain: Maro Itoje will lead the British and Irish Lions for the first time against Argentina tonight (Getty Images) The British and Irish Lions host Argentina in Dublin tonight ahead of the much-anticipated tour to Australia. The traditional curtain-raiser will see the 1888 Cup on the line for only the second time, with the Lions having won it four years ago by beating Japan at Murrayfield ahead of the trip to South Africa in a game that saw captain Alun Wyn Jones suffer a dislocated shoulder that ruled him out for the summer. Advertisement CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW THE LIONS VS ARGENTINA LIVE! Andy Farrell will be desperate to avoid any such setbacks in a historic date with the Pumas, with England's Maro Itoje set to lead the Lions for the first time after being announced as captain prior to the squad announcement last month. After a training camp in Portugal, the Lions will be keen to warm up for their tour Down Under with a statement victory over tough opponents, with their first game in Australia coming up against the Western Force of Super Rugby in Perth next weekend. They have six warm-up matches on a busy six-week schedule in total against a mix of Super Rugby and invitational opposition, with three Tests then coming up against Joe Schmidt's improved Wallabies. Advertisement Argentina will be hoping to spoil the farewell party, having pushed Farrell's Ireland hard during last year's autumn international series and put 50 points on Italy as well as beating France in the summer during a 2024 in which they finished third above Australia in the Rugby Championship. This game serves as part of their warm-up for the 2025 edition of the premier southern hemisphere competition, with an England team weakened by Lions call-ups also heading their way for a two-Test tour in July. British and Irish Lions vs Argentina date, kick-off time and venue The British and Irish Lions take on Argentina tonight, Friday June 20, 2025, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm BST. Advertisement The match will take place at the Aviva Stadium, the first time the Lions have ever played a fixture in Dublin. It's not yet sold out, with high ticket prices a major talking point in the build-up. How to watch British and Irish Lions vs Argentina TV channel: In the UK, the game is being broadcast live via Sky Sports. Coverage begins on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action at 7pm BST. Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also watch live online via the Sky Go app. Live blog: Follow the action as it happens with Standard Sport's live match blog. British and Irish Lions vs Argentina team news The Lions were dealt an injury blow last week when Scotland prop Zander Fagerson was ruled out of the entire tour with a calf injury as Ireland's Finlay Bealham was drafted in as his replacement. Advertisement It added to growing issues for Farrell at tighthead, with questions continuing to surround Lions veteran Tadhg Furlong's fitness after an injury-plagued season, though he is on the bench tonight as Bealham starts. Bath duo Will Stuart and Finn Russell are not involved as two of the 15 players who joined up with the squad after last weekend's respective Premiership and URC finals, along with Leicester's Ollie Chessum and 13 from Leinster. Farrell goes almost exclusively with those who have been in camp for the entire time so far save for Leinster hooker Ronan Kelleher, who is named among the replacements. Fin Smith gets the nod at fly-half in the absence of Russell, with England namesake Marcus keen to impress at full-back with Hugo Keenan carrying a calf issue. Call-up: Finlay Bealham has been drafted into the Lions squad as a replacement for Zander Fagerson (Getty Images) Alex Mitchell will hope to make a similar impression at scrum-half with presumed locked-in Test starter Jamison Gibson-Park having missed Leinster's win over the Bulls as a late withdrawal with a glute injury. Advertisement Farrell has paired No12s Sione Tuipulotu and Bundee Aki together in a powerful centre partnership, flanked by England's Tommy Freeman and Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe. England duo Ellis Genge and Luke Cowan-Dickie complete the front row, with captain Itoje joined at lock by the versatile Tadhg Beirne. Wales captain Jac Morgan is in the back row along with Tom Curry and Ben Earl, who take the number of English starters in the first Lions XV of the summer up to nine. Budding superstar Henry Pollock is on the bench along with Elliot Daly, plus Irish trio Kelleher, Furlong and Mack Hansen, Scotland forwards Pierre Schoeman and Scott Cummings, and Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams. Advertisement England prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour had been training with the Lions as cover earlier in the week, along with hooker Jamie George and scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet. There is no Blair Kinghorn, the only France-based player in the Lions squad who will join up late with Toulouse aiming for Top 14 glory this month. Argentina have named a strong lineup that is captained by departing Leicester hooker Julian Montoya and also features Gloucester's Bath-bound star Santiago Carreras, plus Saracens pair Juan Martin Gonzalez and Lucio Cinti. Pumas coach Felipe Contepomi is without players based in France, with Bautista Bernasconi, Boris Wenger and Simon Benitez Cruz all poised to earn their debuts off the bench. British and Irish Lions vs Argentina lineups Lions XV: M Smith; T Freeman, Tuipulotu, Aki, Van der Merwe; F Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Bealham; Itoje (c), Beirne; Curry, Morgan, Earl Advertisement Replacements: Kelleher, Schoeman, Furlong, Cummings, Pollock, Williams, Daly, Hansen Argentina XV: Carreras; Isgro, Cinti, Piccardo, Mendy; Albornoz, Garcia; Vivas, Montoya (c), Sclavi; Molina, Rubiolo; Matera, Gonzalez, Oviedo Replacements: Bernasconi, Wenger, Coria Marchetti, Grondona, Moro, Benitez Cruz, Moroni, Cordero British and Irish Lions vs Argentina head to head (h2h) history and results The Lions twice visited Argentina all the way back in 1927 and 1936, with all six matches won by the tourists. The sides last met in 2005, when Jonny Wilkinson's late penalty rescued a 25-25 draw for Clive Woodward's disappointing Lions against a depleted Pumas team in Cardiff ahead of a miserable tour to New Zealand in which they lost every Test. Advertisement Lions wins: 6 Argentina wins: 0 Draws: 1 British and Irish Lions vs Argentina prediction The Lions are hardly likely to be firing on all cylinders for their first game of the summer, with so many moving parts still and a number of key players to be properly integrated into the fold after last weekend's domestic club finals. However, they will still be looking to send a clear early message to the Wallabies with a confident win in Dublin and have more than enough firepower to get the job done. Playing it cool: Andy Farrell will be desperate to avoid any injuries ahead of the trip to Australia (Getty Images) But underestimate Argentina at your peril - the Pumas are always a granite-tough match-up regardless of the circumstance and will be itching to make it a damp squib of a send-off as they warm up for England. Advertisement The biggest hope for Farrell will be no major injuries after Alun Wyn Jones' tour-ending setback in the previous 1888 Cup fixture against Japan ahead of the trip to South Africa in 2021. Lions to win, by at least 10 points. British and Irish Lions vs Argentina match odds Lions to win: 1/16 Argentina to win: 9/1 Draw: 35/1 Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
