Latest news with #Bealham
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Advantage Australia: Lions sweat on Wallabies rejects
And just like that, there are more Australian players in the British & Irish Lions squad than Welshmen. Canberra born-and-raised prop Finlay Bealham, now plying his trade in Ireland, has been drafted into Andy Farrell's touring squad for the upcoming showpiece series in Australia following the withdrawal of Scotland front-rower Zander Fagerson with a calf injury. Hailing from the same esteemed ACT high school as former Wallabies Matt Giteau and twins Anthony and Saia Faingaa, among others, Bealham has made 51 Test appearances for Ireland after leaving Australia searching for opportunities as a teenager some 15 years ago. Despite being selected for the national schoolboys' team and representing Australia A side, Bealham was not offered a place in the Brumbies academy and instead ventured to Ireland to start his professional career. Tighthead prop Zander Fagerson has been ruled out of the #Lions2025 Tour with a calf injury, with Ireland and Connacht's Finlay Bealham called up to replace him ⬇️ — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 9, 2025 However the 33-year-old is now viewed by the Brumbies, Bealham is certainly well respected by Wallabies mentor Joe Schmidt, who presented the tighthead his first Test cap as Ireland coach in 2016. "It's tough on Zander to miss out so close to the tour," Farrell said. "But now Finlay gets an opportunity to come in and add to the group. "This is unfortunately part and parcel of the game so we always have to be prepared for that." The veteran's call-up, and Fagerson's scratching, not only adds to the growing concerns about the Lions' tighthead-prop situation, but will also increase the angst among fans not happy about the increasing number of non-British and Irish born players in Farrell's squad. The ginger-bearded Bealham is the eighth southern hemisphere-born player in the 38-man group, joining fellow Australians Mack Hansen and Sione Tuipulotu, Kiwis Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe and South Africans, Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe, who all qualify on residency grounds. And less than two years after the Red Dragon sent Eddie Jones' Wallabies packing from the 2023 World Cup with a record 40-6 group-stage mauling, the ledger now stands at Australian players three, Wales two in the Lions squad. Skipper Jac Morgan and scrumhalf Tomos Williams are the only two Welshmen among the Lions - their lowest representation in a British & Irish Lions squad in the post-war era. The so-called "foreign invasion" has apparently not gone down well in the northern hemisphere, with the likes of legendary five-times Lions tourist John McBride among those said to be "bothered". But of greater concern for the Lions, perhaps, should be the diminishing front-row stocks. Fellow Irish prop Tadhg Furlong is also nursing a calf injury, while England's Will Stuart will only link up with the squad on Saturday after playing for Bath in the English Premiership final. The rest of the players in the Lions squad who are not still involved in club duties have assembled in Dublin and were to travel to Portugal on Tuesday for a six-day training camp.
West Australian
2 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Advantage Australia: Lions sweat on Wallabies rejects
And just like that, there are more Australian players in the British & Irish Lions squad than Welshmen. Canberra born-and-raised prop Finlay Bealham, now plying his trade in Ireland, has been drafted into Andy Farrell's touring squad for the upcoming showpiece series in Australia following the withdrawal of Scotland front-rower Zander Fagerson with a calf injury. Hailing from the same esteemed ACT high school as former Wallabies Matt Giteau and twins Anthony and Saia Faingaa, among others, Bealham has made 51 Test appearances for Ireland after leaving Australia searching for opportunities as a teenager some 15 years ago. Despite being selected for the national schoolboys' team and representing Australia A side, Bealham was not offered a place in the Brumbies academy and instead ventured to Ireland to start his professional career. However the 33-year-old is now viewed by the Brumbies, Bealham is certainly well respected by Wallabies mentor Joe Schmidt, who presented the tighthead his first Test cap as Ireland coach in 2016. "It's tough on Zander to miss out so close to the tour," Farrell said. "But now Finlay gets an opportunity to come in and add to the group. "This is unfortunately part and parcel of the game so we always have to be prepared for that." The veteran's call-up, and Fagerson's scratching, not only adds to the growing concerns about the Lions' tighthead-prop situation, but will also increase the angst among fans not happy about the increasing number of non-British and Irish born players in Farrell's squad. The ginger-bearded Bealham is the eighth southern hemisphere-born player in the 38-man group, joining fellow Australians Mack Hansen and Sione Tuipulotu, Kiwis Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe and South Africans, Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe, who all qualify on residency grounds. And less than two years after the Red Dragon sent Eddie Jones' Wallabies packing from the 2023 World Cup with a record 40-6 group-stage mauling, the ledger now stands at Australian players three, Wales two in the Lions squad. Skipper Jac Morgan and scrumhalf Tomos Williams are the only two Welshmen among the Lions - their lowest representation in a British & Irish Lions squad in the post-war era. The so-called "foreign invasion" has apparently not gone down well in the northern hemisphere, with the likes of legendary five-times Lions tourist John McBride among those said to be "bothered". But of greater concern for the Lions, perhaps, should be the diminishing front-row stocks. Fellow Irish prop Tadhg Furlong is also nursing a calf injury, while England's Will Stuart will only link up with the squad on Saturday after playing for Bath in the English Premiership final. The rest of the players in the Lions squad who are not still involved in clubduties have assembled in Dublin and were to travel to Portugal on Tuesday for a six-day training camp.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Advantage Australia: Lions sweat on Wallabies rejects
And just like that, there are more Australian players in the British & Irish Lions squad than Welshmen. Canberra born-and-raised prop Finlay Bealham, now plying his trade in Ireland, has been drafted into Andy Farrell's touring squad for the upcoming showpiece series in Australia following the withdrawal of Scotland front-rower Zander Fagerson with a calf injury. Hailing from the same esteemed ACT high school as former Wallabies Matt Giteau and twins Anthony and Saia Faingaa, among others, Bealham has made 51 Test appearances for Ireland after leaving Australia searching for opportunities as a teenager some 15 years ago. Despite being selected for the national schoolboys' team and representing Australia A side, Bealham was not offered a place in the Brumbies academy and instead ventured to Ireland to start his professional career. However the 33-year-old is now viewed by the Brumbies, Bealham is certainly well respected by Wallabies mentor Joe Schmidt, who presented the tighthead his first Test cap as Ireland coach in 2016. "It's tough on Zander to miss out so close to the tour," Farrell said. "But now Finlay gets an opportunity to come in and add to the group. "This is unfortunately part and parcel of the game so we always have to be prepared for that." The veteran's call-up, and Fagerson's scratching, not only adds to the growing concerns about the Lions' tighthead-prop situation, but will also increase the angst among fans not happy about the increasing number of non-British and Irish born players in Farrell's squad. The ginger-bearded Bealham is the eighth southern hemisphere-born player in the 38-man group, joining fellow Australians Mack Hansen and Sione Tuipulotu, Kiwis Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe and South Africans, Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe, who all qualify on residency grounds. And less than two years after the Red Dragon sent Eddie Jones' Wallabies packing from the 2023 World Cup with a record 40-6 group-stage mauling, the ledger now stands at Australian players three, Wales two in the Lions squad. Skipper Jac Morgan and scrumhalf Tomos Williams are the only two Welshmen among the Lions - their lowest representation in a British & Irish Lions squad in the post-war era. The so-called "foreign invasion" has apparently not gone down well in the northern hemisphere, with the likes of legendary five-times Lions tourist John McBride among those said to be "bothered". But of greater concern for the Lions, perhaps, should be the diminishing front-row stocks. Fellow Irish prop Tadhg Furlong is also nursing a calf injury, while England's Will Stuart will only link up with the squad on Saturday after playing for Bath in the English Premiership final. The rest of the players in the Lions squad who are not still involved in clubduties have assembled in Dublin and were to travel to Portugal on Tuesday for a six-day training camp.
The 42
2 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Bealham's Lions delight as Farrell's men get up and running
WHEN FINLAY BEALHAM first arrived in Ireland back in 2010, he couldn't have imagined where his rugby career would lead. The Lions were surely not on his radar. The Australia U20s had overlooked the Canberra native. There was no place for Bealham in the Brumbies academy. So he chased up his family connections. Bealham's granny on his mum's side hails from Enniskillen and they had been on a few family holidays to Ireland during his youth. Bealham sent some video clips of him in action to Ireland U20s boss Mike Ruddock and the young Australian loosehead prop was soon jetting to the other side of the world. Initially, he linked up with Ulster's academy on a trial basis and played club rugby for Belfast Harlequins, but after featuring alongside the likes of Iain Henderson, JJ Hanrahan, and Kieran Marmion for the Irish U20s, Bealham got a call from Connacht academy boss Nigel Carolan. He leapt at the academy contract offer and moved west. Bealham spent his first season living with Marmion in a house in Renmore that didn't have heating. He must have pined for Canberra, but he put his head down and learned the ropes in Connacht. Dan McFarland, who was forwards coach at the time, suggested Bealham should move to tighthead prop and he hasn't looked back since, bar one start at loosehead for Ireland against Georgia in 2020. He does still get marked as an option at loosehead on the official Irish team sheets, but Bealham is now a Lions tighthead. A popular figure in the Irish squad, the quirky and affable Bealham should add plenty to Farrell's group on tour, while he has earned everyone's respect with his strong performances in Tadhg Furlong's absence over the last few years. Bealham's slick hands have featured in some of Ireland's best tries in recent seasons, he is a technically strong tackler, and has worked hard to become a consistent, disciplined set-piece operator. It's fitting that this latest big step in Bealham's career will bring him back to Canberra, where the Lions face the Brumbies on 9 July. That will be a proud day for him and fellow Canberra man Mack Hansen. Connacht's impressive three-man contingent is, of course, completed by Bundee Aki. These are good times for the western province's fans. Advertisement Finlay Bealham with the Lions today. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO 33-year-old Bealham's delight comes at the same time as despair for Scotland's Zander Fagerson, ruled out of the tour due to a calf injury. The honour of being a Lion remains at the forefront of players' minds, yet the financial gain that comes with the honour is important too. A new profit-sharing agreement in place for the upcoming tour means that the players who make it to Australia as part of the squad will earn a minimum of €100,000 each, regardless of whether they feature in the Test series against the Wallabies. In what tends to be a relatively short career, that is serious stuff. It's all the more cruel for Fagerson in a sporting sense, given that he had a frustrating tour back in 2021 when a back injury stymied his chance to get off to a strong start. He played no part in the Test series. The 29-year-old had a shot of doing so this time around, but now follows Caelan Doris into that horrible list of players denied their Lions shot by injury. So it is that the Irish contingent on this tour becomes 16-strong as Bealham joins lots of familiar faces. The Connacht tighthead is one of 24 players to have linked up at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin yesterday. Andy Farrell's men had a gym session today and fly out to Portugal tomorrow for a warm-weather training camp. The Lions will use the same facilities in Quinta do Lago where Ireland train at least once a year. Farrell's men will return to Dublin for training next week and face Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in their opening warm-up game on Friday 20 June. Leinster advancing to the URC final this weekend means Farrell doesn't have their 12-man contingent this week, while there are three players – Finn Russell, Will Stuart, and Ollie Chessum – involved in the Premiership decider, and Blair Kinghorn is still on Top 14 duty with Toulouse. Tom Curry and Marcus Smith in Dublin. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO It remains to be seen if any of those involved in this weekend's URC and Premiership finals will be pressed into action against Argentina. If, say, Rónan Kelleher plays 20 minutes off the bench for Leinster, he may well be able to go again the following Friday. Farrell could just about do without any of them if required, having added two players to his group on a temporary basis. The highly experienced Jamie George, a two-time Lions tourist, comes in with Dan Sheehan and Kelleher still with Leinster, while the highly promising 20-year-old English prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour also links up with the Lions as Andrew Porter, Will Stuart, and Tadhg Furlong are not available. The explosive Opoku-Fordjour shone for the England U20s as a loosehead but has featured mainly as a tighthead for club side Sale. That versatility will be handy in Lions camp over the next while. George and Opoku-Fordjour get the chance to convince Farrell that they need to be brought on tour, even if there aren't any further injuries to the original squad. Front row depth is always crucial, all the more so with Furlong still on the comeback trail. Farrell will be excited to get stuck into training for the first time this week as the Argentina game finally looms. Even if he is without all the URC and Premiership finalists, the Lions boss will still be sending out an excellent team. A potential pack of Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Bealham, Maro Itoje, Tadhg Beirne, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl, and Tom Curry would be punchy, with the likes of George, Pierre Schoeman, Opoku-Fordjour, Scott Cummings, and Henry Pollock in reserve. Halfbacks Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith could steer the ship and launch a backline including Aki, Huw Jones, Tommy Freeman, and Mack Hansen. Sione Tuipulotu, Elliot Daly, Tomos Williams, and Marcus Smith will also be hoping for the first shot. Duhan van der Merwe hasn't played since March, so it remains to be seen whether he's ready to go but the Lions still have plenty of firepower. That Argentina game is just four weeks before the first Test against the Wallabies, so opportunity knocks for the likes of new call-up Bealham.
The 42
4 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Ireland's Finlay Bealham set to join up with Farrell's Lions
CONNACHT AND IRELAND prop Finlay Bealham is set to be called into the British and Irish Lions squad. Lions boss Andy Farrell named Tadhg Furlong, Zander Fagerson, and Will Stuart as the three tighthead props in his initial 38-man group last month, but Furlong and Fagerson are currently sidelined due to injury, while Stuart will be involved in next weekend's Premiership final with Bath. Furlong has had a troubled season so far, with calf and hamstring issues limiting him to just nine appearances for Leinster and Ireland. Scotland's Fagerson, meanwhile, has been out of action since early April with a calf injury. Furlong and Fagerson both missed yesterday's URC semi-final between Leinster and Glasgow. Though it is still hoped that they will recover from injury ahead of the Lions tour to Australia, it seems that Farrell must look for cover for now. As such, 33-year-old Bealham is set to be added to Farrell's Lions squad. The Lions are gathering for a training camp in Portugal next week and will then move on to Dublin the following week ahead of their opening warm-up game against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on 20 June. Advertisement The Lions depart for Australia after that match and it remains to be seen whether Bealham remains with the group for the trip to his native land, but it seems quite possible given Furlong and Fagerson's injury concerns. Canberra man Bealham first moved to Ireland in 2010 and has since become a key figure for Connacht and in the Irish squad. Earlier this week, 51-times capped Bealham was named in Ireland's summer squad to visit Georgia and Portugal, but he could end up touring with the Lions instead. With Furlong sidelined, Bealham has been Ireland's first-choice tighthead this season and has been an impressive performer in green under Farrell in recent years. That meant he was always likely to be close to a Lions call-up if there were injury issues at tighthead. When naming his 38-man squad, Farrell indicated that he would likely add more players ahead of the tour and Bealham looks set to be one of them. With Leinster in the URC final next weekend, Farrell will be missing that 12-man contingent of his Lions squad this week, while three players are involved in Bath's Premiership final clash with Leicester. So Farrell will likely need to call in several players to the Lions squad, even if only for the Argentina fixture, which takes place just six days after the URC and Premiership finals. Bealham touring with the Lions would mean Ireland losing one of the few experienced players in their summer squad and with a big scrum challenge to come against Georgia, it would be an undoubted blow for interim head coach Paul O'Connell. Connacht's Jack Aungier, who trained with the Irish squad during the Six Nations and played for Ireland A during that window, is seen as the leading contender to replace Bealham if he goes on Lions duty.
