Latest news with #British&IrishLions
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘Playing with the Lions is like the Olympics' – Nick Popplewell on being part of last amateur touring side
The former Irish International, who toured New Zealand with the Lions in 1993, says only the test matches matter Proud Wexford man Nick Popplewell, has been in the property industry with Sherry Fitzgerald Radford for the best part of a quarter of a century. Before that he was one of Ireland's greatest amateur athletes. In 1993 he was selected for the British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand, where he played in all three test matches. That year, the Lions lost the series 2-1, but Nick became the only Irishman to play on a victorious team against New Zealand since 1978, a record he held until 2016, when Ireland finally did beat New Zealand in Chicago.
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Lions eye series victory against Australia- talking points ahead of second Test
A flawless record of seven wins since arriving Down Under has placed the Lions on the brink of an achievement that has only been managed twice before in the professional era. Successful Lions tours are the exception, not the rule, but they are overwhelming favourites to crush Australia for the second time. The persistent rain forecast to fall throughout Saturday could be a leveller, but on the strength of a one-sided first Test, Andy Farrell's men should be comfortable winners. We're ready for you Melbourne! 🔜🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 25, 2025 The Wallabies are not just playing to keep the series alive, but also their credibility as a tour destination for the elite of British and Irish rugby. These are difficult times for Australian rugby and even though their precarious finances have been shored up by the Lions' visit, problems abound on and off the field. It is imperative that they take the series to a decider by rising to the occasion in Melbourne. If they lose again, calls for the Lions to instead turn their attention to the mouth-watering prospect of a tour to France will only grow louder. For all their difficulties, Joe Schmidt's men are not without hope for their shot at levelling the series. They scored more points in the second-half at Suncorp Stadium where, unexpectedly, their bench made the greater impact. Reinforcing their assault on the Lions are the return of powerful forwards Rob Valetini and Will Skelton, whose very presence after missing the first Test because of calf injuries should prevent their pack being bullied again. Valetini's ball carrying at the blindside flanker is a particularly important weapon. A rock in red! 💪🔴#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 24, 2025 One of the most fascinating stories of the tour took another twist when Owen Farrell was named on the bench for the MCG clash. If he comes on, the former England captain will be making his first Test appearance in almost two years. Even after two quietly encouraging performances on tour, including a full 80 minutes on Tuesday when he proved his fitness following a season of injury setbacks, the involvement of Andy Farrell's son as a late call-up divides opinion, but so far his presence has only benefitted the squad. Much of the spotlight this week has fallen on Owen Farrell, allowing the Lions' real star to glide into the second Test relatively unnoticed. In Brisbane, Finn Russell was mesmerising at times during a first half when his passing repeatedly unlocked Australia's defence. Aided by a dominant pack and the generalship of scrum-half Jamison Gibson Park, the 32-year-old is functioning at the peak of his powers and has another opportunity to prove that on current form, he is the game's standout fly-half.
North Wales Chronicle
2 hours ago
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Lions eye series victory against Australia- talking points ahead of second Test
A flawless record of seven wins since arriving Down Under has placed the Lions on the brink of an achievement that has only been managed twice before in the professional era. Successful Lions tours are the exception, not the rule, but they are overwhelming favourites to crush Australia for the second time. The persistent rain forecast to fall throughout Saturday could be a leveller, but on the strength of a one-sided first Test, Andy Farrell's men should be comfortable winners. We're ready for you Melbourne! 🔜🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 25, 2025 The Wallabies are not just playing to keep the series alive, but also their credibility as a tour destination for the elite of British and Irish rugby. These are difficult times for Australian rugby and even though their precarious finances have been shored up by the Lions' visit, problems abound on and off the field. It is imperative that they take the series to a decider by rising to the occasion in Melbourne. If they lose again, calls for the Lions to instead turn their attention to the mouth-watering prospect of a tour to France will only grow louder. For all their difficulties, Joe Schmidt's men are not without hope for their shot at levelling the series. They scored more points in the second-half at Suncorp Stadium where, unexpectedly, their bench made the greater impact. Reinforcing their assault on the Lions are the return of powerful forwards Rob Valetini and Will Skelton, whose very presence after missing the first Test because of calf injuries should prevent their pack being bullied again. Valetini's ball carrying at the blindside flanker is a particularly important weapon. A rock in red! 💪🔴#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 24, 2025 One of the most fascinating stories of the tour took another twist when Owen Farrell was named on the bench for the MCG clash. If he comes on, the former England captain will be making his first Test appearance in almost two years. Even after two quietly encouraging performances on tour, including a full 80 minutes on Tuesday when he proved his fitness following a season of injury setbacks, the involvement of Andy Farrell's son as a late call-up divides opinion, but so far his presence has only benefitted the squad. Much of the spotlight this week has fallen on Owen Farrell, allowing the Lions' real star to glide into the second Test relatively unnoticed. In Brisbane, Finn Russell was mesmerising at times during a first half when his passing repeatedly unlocked Australia's defence. Aided by a dominant pack and the generalship of scrum-half Jamison Gibson Park, the 32-year-old is functioning at the peak of his powers and has another opportunity to prove that on current form, he is the game's standout fly-half.
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Lions change three starters for second test, Owen Farrell on the bench
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - British & Irish Lions v Argentina - Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland - June 20, 2025 Owen Farrell before the match REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo MELBOURNE (Reuters) -British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has made three changes to the starting team that beat Australia in the first test and brought his son Owen in on the bench as the tourists look to sew up the series in Melbourne on Saturday. Irish lock Joe McCarthy injured his foot in the 27-19 victory in Brisbane last week and is replaced by England's Ollie Chessum in the second row, while Andrew Porter comes in for Ellis Genge at loosehead prop. Farrell has opted for Bundee Aki in the centres with Huw Jones after Australia-born Sione Tuipulotu was ruled out with a tight hamstring, depriving him of the chance of playing in his hometown. Playmaker Owen Farrell, who was called up as an injury replacement early in the tour, gets a chance to play his seventh Lions test from the bench. Flanker Jac Morgan is another change to the bench, ensuring a Welsh presence in the side after the principality was without representation in a test team for the first time since the late 19th century in Brisbane. Scottish fullback Blair Kinghorn was also named among the replacements for the Melbourne Cricket Ground clash after missing the first test because of a knee injury. Genge drops to the bench, where James Ryan comes in for Chessum to make a total of 11 Ireland players in the 23-man squad. "We have put ourselves in a good position after the First test, but we know there will be a massive reaction from this Wallaby team," said Farrell, who has taken a sabbatical from his job as Ireland coach to lead the Lions. "Everyone saw the quality they have in Brisbane and we know we will have to be a lot better than we were last week." The third and final test takes place at Sydney's Stadium Australia on Aug. 2. Team: 15–Hugo Keenan, 14–Tommy Freeman, 13–Huw Jones, 12–Bundee Aki, 11–James Lowe, 10–Finn Russell, 9–Jamison Gibson-Park, 8–Jack Conan, 7–Tom Curry, 6–Tadhg Beirne, 5–Ollie Chessum, 4–Maro Itoje, 3–Tadhg Furlong, 2–Dan Sheehan, 1–Andrew Porter Replacements: 16–Ronan Kelleher, 17–Ellis Genge, 18–Will Stuart, 19–James Ryan, 20–Jac Morgan, 21–Alex Mitchell, 22–Owen Farrell, 23–Blair Kinghorn
Rhyl Journal
2 days ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Lions have to battle for win over First Nations and Pasifika team in Melbourne
For the first time in seven matches Down Under there was a sense of jeopardy as scratch opponents comprising players with First Nations or Pacific Island heritage threatened to cause an upset at Marvel Stadium. A 64th minute try by Duhan van der Merwe propelled the Lions 10 points clear in what appeared to be the decisive moment, but big-hitting FNP refused to concede and struck again through Rob Leota to set up a tense finish. …and breathe 😮💨#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 22, 2025 The closing exchanges belonged to FNP, who replaced Melbourne Rebels after the Super Rugby franchise went into administration, and when they pinched a late line-out the Lions had to weather one last storm. Owen Farrell was captain for the first time in his four Lions tours and while he was solid enough, few players put their hands up for selection for Saturday's second Test against the Wallabies. Jac Morgan and James Ryan were replaced early in the second half, suggesting they might be involved in the Melbourne Cricket Ground showdown in some capacity, but in performance terms all the stars wore white – and none more than their brilliant openside Charlie Gamble. If the Lions were lulled into a false sense of security by running in early tries through Jamie Osborne and Darcy Graham, they soon woke up. Graham, one of nine late call-ups in the matchday 23, experienced 16 eventful minutes after being presented with two-half chances, finishing an easier third and being on the receiving end of a dangerous tackle from Triston Reilly. Reilly was sin-binned and soon after Graham limped off with what appeared to be an ankle injury. The Lions were too frantic and the tide turned quickly when Reilly – whose yellow card was not upgraded on review – picked off a poor pass by Blair Kinghorn to touch down. Van der Merwe's work in defence has been exposed all tour and his hesitation in dealing with a kick was the prelude to FNP drawing level when a series of forward drives ended with Seru Uru powering over. All the small wins were coming from the underdogs as they won a scrum penalty, defended their line manfully and then pickpocketed a Lions line-out. Seeking a reaction, Farrell barked 'let's go, let's go' at his players, but instead Kinghorn threw another loose pass and this time van der Merwe came to the rescue as FNP threatened to score. The Lions' conviction returned early in the second half and was evident as Farrell, Fin Smith and Kinghorn threw passes that provided Osborne with a simple run in. They continued to be met with thunderous defending but eventually struck for the fourth time with Farrell sending van der Merwe over. FNP were not done, however, as they advanced downfield to win a line-out through their determined harrying before Rob Leota found a way through. And the Lions were waiting for the final whistle to blow as they faced down a series of late attacks.
