Latest news with #AndrewPorter
The Journal
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Journal
Here's the Lions team - including nine Irish starters - for Saturday's second Test
Murray Kinsella Reports from Melbourne ANDY FARRELL HAS brought Bundee Aki, Andrew Porter, and Ollie Chessum into his Lions starting XV for Saturday's second Test against the Wallabies in Melbourne [KO 11am Irish time, Sky Sports]. Despite Joe McCarthy missing out due to injury, Ireland head coach Farrell is calling on nine Irish starters in his Lions team as he looks to clinch the series at the MCG. Porter comes in at loosehead prop as Ellis Genge drops to the bench, meaning it's an all-Irish starting front row of Porter, Dan Sheehan, and Tadhg Furlong. Chessum starts in the second row in place of McCarthy, who has a foot injury. Maro Itoje captains the side again, while the back row of Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, and Jack Conan is unchanged. Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell continue as the halfbacks, but there's a change at inside centre as Aki comes in for Sione Tuipulotu, who is left out of the matchday 23 altogether. Having initially been selected to start, Garry Ringrose misses out due to a head injury, as Huw Jones instead continues at number 13. The back three of James Lowe, Tommy Freeman, and Hugo Keenan is unchanged. There are a few fresh faces on the Lions bench, with Ireland's James Ryan, Wales' Jac Morgan, England's Owen Farrell, and Scotland's Blair Kinghorn included. Meanwhile, Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt has brought heavy hitters Will Skelton and Rob Valetini into his starting XV for the second Test. Second row Skelton and back row Valetini missed last weekend due to calf injuries. Advertisement Hooker Dave Porecki also comes into the Wallabies team, while back row Langi Gleeson returns from injury as part of a 6/2 split on the bench Lions: 15. Hugo Keenan 14. Tommy Freeman 13. Huw Jones 12. Bundee Aki 11. James Lowe 10. Finn Russell 9. Jamison Gibson-Park 1. Andrew Porter 2. Dan Sheehan 3. Tadhg Furlong 4. Maro Itoje (captain) 5. Ollie Chessum 6. Tadhg Beirne 7. Tom Curry 8. Jack Conan Replacements : 16. Rónan Kelleher 17. Ellis Genge 18. Will Stuart 19. James Ryan 20. Jac Morgan 21. Alex Mitchell 22. Owen Farrell 23. Blair Kinghorn Australia: 15. Tom Wright 14. Max Jorgensen 13. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 12. Len Ikitau 11. Harry Potter 10. Tom Lynagh 9. Jake Gordon 1. James Slipper 2. David Porecki 3. Allan Alaalatoa 4. Nick Frost 5. Will Skelton 6. Rob Valetini 7. Fraser McReight 8. Harry Wilson (captain) Replacements : 16. Billy Pollard 17. Angus Bell 18. Tom Robertson 19. Jeremy Williams 20. Langi Gleeson 21. Carlo Tizzano 22. Tate McDermott 23. Ben Donaldson Referee : Andrea Piardi [Italy].
Irish Times
25-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Lions v Wallabies head-to-heads: Andrew Porter v Allan Alaalatoa
Andrew Porter Position: Loosehead prop Age: 29 Height: 6ft Weight: 123kg (19st 5lbs) READ MORE Lions Tests: 1 Points: 0 Why he's so important: There is a two-fold reason why the Leinster and Ireland prop has found his way into the starting team from the bench last week. The first revolves around the scrum, a strength in general terms earlier in the Lions tour, but one of the few areas that Australia shaded in the first Test. He is part of an all-Irish frontrow that is used to working together as a unit. Porter has fallen foul of referees in the past, unfairly so at times, so it's a huge investment in his capacity to present the right pictures for the officials and solidify this area. Andrew Porter during a Lions training session at Xavier College in Melbourne on Thursday. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho The second issue was the lack of positive impact in a collective sense when Lions head coach Andy Farrell went to his bench last week. The Wallabies dominance in the last half-hour, in the collisions and on the scoreboard, has seen Farrell made sweeping changes in the replacements, injuries notwithstanding, to seek greater impact. Ellis Genge has been outstanding in his general play and especially his powerful carrying and it is that energy and dynamism to which his team will be looking when he does arrive. Porter knows that he can empty the tank in the first 50-60 minutes rather than having to play through 70 plus. Trivia: Porter made his Ireland senior debut against the USA in 2017, an honour he shares with James Ryan and Jacob Stockdale, with whom he previously had reached an Under-20 World Championship final the previous summer in Manchester. Allan Alaalatoa Position: Tighthead prop Age: 31 Height: 6ft Weight: 125kg (19st 10lbs) Caps: 81 Points: 5 Why he's so important: A son of former Manu Samoa prop Vili Alaalatoa, and a younger brother of one-time Leinster prop Michael, Allan is noted for his strong work in the scrum, an area in which Australia won two penalties and a free-kick in the first Test. Joe Schmidt brought in fellow Kiwi Mike Cron to work with the Wallabies as scrum coach after his work with the All Blacks and as a consultant with World Rugby. Allan Alaalatoa during a Wallabies Training training session at Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne on Thursday. Photograph:'You can really feel that change and that consistency and it probably does come from the quality of coaching that we've had and the simple messaging, but a clear understanding from the boys as well on how we can improve throughout that scrum set-piece,' Alaalatoa said of Cron's impact on their scrum. 'I think from where we were this time last year, there's been a massive growth around that, so I think for us it's just to continue to take that forward and have plenty of belief in our scrum.' A three-time Brumbies player of the year, he became the 85th player to captain Australia against Italy and in doing so, he and Michael (Samoa), became the first set of brothers to captain different countries. Trivia: Alaalatoa is a rare phenomenon in that he represented Australia at three Under-20 World Championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014, a staggering achievement for a frontrow forward considering he was just 18 the first time around. Andy Farrell's Lions fire the first shot in Australia Listen | 46:27
Irish Examiner
24-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
'Another dream ticked off' for Porter as Lions Test start awaits
It just keeps getting better for Andrew Porter. From being a Lions Test debutant off the bench in Brisbane last Saturday to reaching the pinnacle of any Irish player's career and becoming a starter, it cannot get much better for the 29-year-old loosehead prop. Except that the Leinster and Ireland star gets to do it in an all-Irish front row alongside Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong and in a pivotal Test match against Australia that could end in a first Lions series victory for a dozen years. At the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and in front of an expected crowd in excess of 90,000. If Carlsberg did perfect scenarios and all that. Definitely. 'It's a dream come true,' Porter said. 'Firstly just being a part of this squad and then hearing your name in the Test team last week was incredible. Hearing my name in the starting line-up for this week is another dream ticked off again. 'I'm just incredibly excited for the opportunity to go out there and play for this team and play with these lads who we've created such a great connection with over the last few weeks. It's incredibly exciting and looking forward to ripping into it. 'I'd say it's up there with one of the biggest games of my life. How often can you say you've done this down in the MCG with 90,000 plus people there? 'With, obviously, the series on the line like this and being able to kind of back up 2013, to win back-to-back tours. It's definitely up there with one of the highlights. 'Like, even just being on this tour up there with one of the highlights of my life and career as a professional rugby player.' That the first squad member to congratulate Porter was the man he will replace on Saturday, Ellis Genge, made it all the sweeter as a moment to savour. "Yeah, he was the first one. It's been said so many times but you come into this squad with perceptions of different players. You're so used to playing against them in the Champions Cup or Six Nations or wherever but your perceptions are dashed pretty much the minute you step in the door. 'Me and Ellis were rooming together as well, so I got to know him better. He's an incredible guy, an incredible player, and it's been great to build a friendship as well as learn from him. He's one of the best in the business, so it's great being able to become closer as mates and learn from each other along the way. "But yeah, he was the first one to congratulate me yesterday and sure he handed out my cap to me last week instead of my dad. So he's the dad of the squad. He's a great fella and a great player. 'Starting or finishing, it's a huge honour to do both in a Lions Test team. 'Probably everyone would probably say starting. But, being a part of this squad is just an incredible privilege and incredibly grateful to be part of it, whether it's on the bench last week or starting this week.' Either way, Porter has and will have given blood to the cause. His ears were weeping as he spoke and he said: 'They're cut all year round now. They're just all year round. I can't have white pillowcases at home anymore because it looks like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre after I wake up in the morning. 'So, yeah. I've been banned from the white linens anyway at home.' Porter now favours black pillowcases, explaining: 'You can't see anything on them. Probably disgusting though.' The patience of Mrs Porter, Elaine, has been further stretched by her husband's lengthy absence so soon after the birth of their first child. 'What have I learned about myself? I learned that babies get very big when you're away from home. Yeah, my wife is at home looking after the baby. He's nine weeks now. 'I could say it's not easy for me, but I don't think my wife would like that too much. I wouldn't get much sympathy. 'Yeah, it's that side of it as well. My wife is at home looking after our baby at the moment. She's the one in the trenches at home at the moment. I'm in the trenches over here. Well, I can't really say that. We're looked after here quite well. 'But it's a sacrifice on both ends. She's there with sleepless nights at home looking after him and I'm here representing my family, my country, and representing the Lions. It's two different kinds of sacrifices. But I'll definitely owe her for this for a long time anyway.' Porter is not totally without family support in Australia. His father Ernie arrived in time for the first Test and has been catching up with his sisters, Andrew's aunts Becky and Vera, both of whom left Dublin when they were young. 'My old man came down. He was down there for last weekend in Brisbane and he's down here now. So, he's having a nice old holiday. We have a load of family down here as well… all around the place. Perth, Brisbane, and most of them in Sydney. 'It's a good opportunity for him to go and meet up with all the family and everything. Yeah, I mean, it's great for me as well. There's a lot of them I wouldn't have even met before. A few cousins and stuff, a lot of them I haven't seen in years and years. 'So, it's a great opportunity, obviously, to reconnect with family as well as being down here. A lot of Porters all over the world now. 'They got most of their own tickets, in fairness. So, yeah, I'm trying to get rid of tickets now.'
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
‘It shows the person he is'
Like everyone else, Andrew Porter was shocked to hear the news that Garry Ringrose had unselfishly withdrawn himself from the Lions team for Saturday's second Test against Leinster centre told head coach Andy Farrell at the end of Thursday's training session that he was experiencing concussion first suffered the symptoms in the game against the Brumbies in Canberra two weeks ago and they caused him to miss the first returned against the First Nations and Pasifika XV on Tuesday, but has now been replaced in the team by Huw Jones.'I actually only heard that before coming here (to speak to the media) that he actually withdrew himself and that he wasn't pulled aside by a coach,' said Porter.'It's incredibly disappointing for Garry but it just goes to show the character and the player that he is to pull himself aside.'I think that's an incredibly hard thing to do - and given the magnitude of the game - but it's testament to the player and person he is to be able to put the team first.'In that sense if he's not right, he's not right and he's looking to let someone who's fit and able to come into the squad and do the job.' Porter has replaced England's Ellis Genge and is one of nine Irish internationals in the starting line-up, a new record for a Lions Test match. He will pack down in the front row with fellow Irish and Leinster team-mates Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong.'Obviously there's that comfort level to be able to pack down with two of your club and countrymen," said Porter.'They've obviously had an incredible tour individually and it's great being able to come and start alongside them in this huge game in the MCG, so it's incredibly exciting.'Porter can't wait to step out in front of what is expected to be a crowd in excess of 90,000 but knows with the return of Will Skelton and Rob Valetini, the Australians could be a different animal to the one the Lions beat a week ago in Brisbane.'It was an incredibly physical game last week but I think it's going to be another step up again in terms of physicality," he added.'They're going with a 6-2 split on the bench as well and with Skelton and Valetini, who are great ball carriers and incredibly experienced players, we're obviously gearing up for an incredibly physical game and as forwards you're always looking forward to those close quarter confrontations.'We're looking to continue on from the work we did last week. We obviously had a great first half and just a few errors maybe in the second half let them build a bit of pressure that let them into the game.'We're just looking for that complete performance as a team and I think we've been building on that for the last few weeks. That performance is overdue and I think it's due to come on Saturday.'
The Journal
24-07-2025
- Sport
- The Journal
Nine Irish players selected to start for the Lions in second Test against Australia
The 42 Reports from Melbourne ANDY FARRELL HAS brought Bundee Aki, Andrew Porter, and Ollie Chessum into his Lions starting XV for Saturday's second Test against the Wallabies in Melbourne [KO 11am Irish time, Sky Sports]. Despite Joe McCarthy missing out due to injury, Ireland head coach Farrell is calling on nine Irish starters in his Lions team as he looks to clinch the series at the MCG. Porter comes in at loosehead prop as Ellis Genge drops to the bench, meaning it's an all-Irish starting front row of Porter, Dan Sheehan, and Tadhg Furlong. Chessum starts in the second row in place of McCarthy, who has a foot injury. Maro Itoje captains the side again, while the back row of Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, and Jack Conan is unchanged. Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell continue as the halfbacks, but there's a change at inside centre as Aki comes in for Sione Tuipulotu, who is left out of the matchday 23 altogether. Having initially been selected to start, Garry Ringrose misses out due to a head injury, as Huw Jones instead continues at number 13. The back three of James Lowe, Tommy Freeman, and Hugo Keenan is unchanged. There are a few fresh faces on the Lions bench, with Ireland's James Ryan, Wales' Jac Morgan, England's Owen Farrell, and Scotland's Blair Kinghorn included. Meanwhile, Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt has brought heavy hitters Will Skelton and Rob Valetini into his starting XV for the second Test. Second row Skelton and back row Valetini missed last weekend due to calf injuries. Advertisement Hooker Dave Porecki also comes into the Wallabies team, while back row Langi Gleeson returns from injury as part of a 6/2 split on the bench Lions: 15. Hugo Keenan 14. Tommy Freeman 13. Huw Jones 12. Bundee Aki 11. James Lowe 10. Finn Russell 9. Jamison Gibson-Park 1. Andrew Porter 2. Dan Sheehan 3. Tadhg Furlong 4. Maro Itoje (captain) 5. Ollie Chessum 6. Tadhg Beirne 7. Tom Curry 8. Jack Conan Replacements : 16. Rónan Kelleher 17. Ellis Genge 18. Will Stuart 19. James Ryan 20. Jac Morgan 21. Alex Mitchell 22. Owen Farrell 23. Blair Kinghorn Australia: 15. Tom Wright 14. Max Jorgensen 13. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 12. Len Ikitau 11. Harry Potter 10. Tom Lynagh 9. Jake Gordon 1. James Slipper 2. David Porecki 3. Allan Alaalatoa 4. Nick Frost 5. Will Skelton 6. Rob Valetini 7. Fraser McReight 8. Harry Wilson (captain) Replacements : 16. Billy Pollard 17. Angus Bell 18. Tom Robertson 19. Jeremy Williams 20. Langi Gleeson 21. Carlo Tizzano 22. Tate McDermott 23. Ben Donaldson Referee : Andrea Piardi [Italy]. Written by Murray Kinsella and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
