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Irish Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Lions player ratings: Jamison Gibson-Park and Tadhg Beirne impress in first Test win over Wallabies
Lions Tour, first Test: Lions 27 Australia 19 Hugo Keenan Although beaten in the air by Max Jorgensen for a try, his aerial work was assured for the most part, he covered the backfield to deny the Aussies kicking options, tackled and was composed in his passing. Rating: 7 Tommy Freeman Reasonably good aerially but two poor kicks – one chip, one long kick out on the full – and a turnover from trying to force a pass late on in the second half meant that it was a patchy display. He didn't really get any ball in attack. Rating: 6 READ MORE Huw Jones Might have passed for his try that was disallowed with Jamison Gibson-Park unmarked on his inside. Some lovely touches in attack and didn't give the Aussies any space on the rare occasions that they had a chance to attack. Rating: 7 Huw Jones in action for the Lions. Photograph:Sione Tuipulotu A run-in try, courtesy of his team-mates' work and especially the lovely cut-out pass from his outhalf. Strong in contact and used his footwork to cause problems for the Wallaby defenders. Rating: 8 James Lowe Good kick/chase for the most part in winning tap backs, great step in tackle on Joseph Suaalii, nice fend for the Huw Jones try that was disallowed, try saving intervention too but some glitches in kicking and in not passing for a nailed-on try. Rating: 7 Finn Russell The attacking linchpin that the Lions would have wished for, the Scot controlled the game superbly, varying the point of attack, composed yet providing the touches of flair for which he is synonymous none more so than the pass for Sione Tuipulotu try. Instincts were spot on to play or to kick. Rating: 8 Finn Russell during the first Test against the Wallabies. Photograph:Jamison Gibson-Park Turning box-kicking into an art form, it guaranteed a lucrative return for his team. Great identification of space for one try his decision-making in general was first. Kept his team moving forward and ensured a great tempo. Rating: 9 Ellis Genge Superb power through contact in his carries, gave his team front-foot ball and on a couple of occasions made significant post contact metres, an example of which was evident in the build up to the Tom Curry try. One scrum penalty conceded but super shift. Rating: 8 Dan Sheehan A typically excellent all-round display, it started with his lineout throwing, great footwork and pace to beat tacklers, one maul turnover and to cap off his display, finishing off a Lions counterattack with a try. Rating: 8 Dan Sheehan celebrates scoring a try for the Lions. Photograph: David Davies/PA Tadhg Furlong Close to his best, excellent footwork and power in contact, took him over the gain-line regularly, while he hit his quota of rucks and contributed in a voracious similar manner in his tackling, one high clear-out notwithstanding. Rating: 8 Maro Itoje (capt) Worked hard on behalf of his team, performed a lot of the menial tasks that allowed others to play but by his lofty standards this will have been a little underwhelming. He can be happy with the win but not the second half performance. Rating: 7 Joe McCarthy The concern is that he might have picked up an injury given his early departure in the second half but when he was on the pitch he was excellent, physical but also in using his underrated footwork. He was mobile, powerful and dynamic and nearly scored a try. Rating: 8 Tadhg Beirne Team's leading tackler (22), won penalties and turnovers (three) at the breakdown, claimed two lineouts, nicked one on the Wallabies throw. An absolutely outstanding performance from a brilliant rugby player that was long on quality and work-rate. Rating: 9 Tom Curry Eight carries, seven of which he took over the gain-line, 11 tackles half of which half were dominant, scored a try and had a double assist in that of Dan Sheehan's. Went into the game with a little chat about his selection, left it with no further debate required. Rating: 9 Jack Conan in action for the Lions against the Wallabies. Photograph:Jack Conan It was his diligence and honesty on both sides of the ball that allowed his team-mates to go off and do their thing. He carried slow ball over the gain-line, hit rucks, and made tackles in a productive, hard-working display. Rating: 8 Replacements They wouldn't have had the impact that Andy Farrell would have hoped for and it was Australia that benefited to a far greater extent from their bench. The home side dominated for much of the last quarter of the game. Rating: 6 Coach Andy Farrell got his selection right in terms of his starting team with the backrow of Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry and Jack Conan especially prominent. Happy with the win, he will drill into the detail of a substandard final quarter. Rating: 8
ABC News
6 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Five quick hits: Wallabies Suaalii denied try, Tom Curry not given yellow card as British and Irish Lions bea
The British and Irish Lions started the Test series with a bang and only let up in the closing stages, winning 27-19 in front of 52,229 fans at Lang Park. The Lions were the better team for longer periods on the night, but the Wallabies may feel hard done by after a couple of calls went against them. Here are the five quick hits from the first Test in Brisbane. Finn Russell has been making a habit of orchestrating Scotland's magnificent back line weapons around the park in recent years. Who knows, one might have asked, how that back line would operate off the back of a dominant pack? Wonder no more. With a penalty coming, the Lions moved the ball out to Dan Sheehan, Russell with a magic pass out of contact to release the Irishman, who found his New Zealand-born teammate James Lowe. The Wallabies defence recycled but were too congested, giving Russell the chance to see a lonely Sione Tuipulotu in midfield, all on his own 20 metres away. The floated pass was inch-perfect and the Lions had the first try. The Lions have had issues at fullback. England's Elliot Daly broke his arm against the Reds, the late-arriving Blair Kinghorn did his knee in Canberra. So Ireland 15 Hugo Keenan made the cut as fullback for the first Test and looked pretty good, right up until Max Jorgensen picked his pocket in an aerial challenge to race away and score in the corner. It was a desperately needed score from the Wallabies and perhaps highlighted an area that they could try to exploit more in Melbourne. Timing is everything in sport. A fraction late and the opposition will get the upper hand. A fraction early? You could be in the sin bin. So when Tom Curry was a fraction of a second early in nailing Tom Lynagh as he rose to claim a high kick, the Wallabies and the crowd in Brisbane were furiously demanding a card. Referee Ben O'Keeffe said it was only a penalty, something the home team arrived, on mass, to discuss with him as they went into the sheds at half-time. The incident did earn the Wallabies a penalty, but nothing more. Curry had been busy in the first half, making two monster shots on Fraser McReight in particular and was hugely influential as the Lions scored almost immediately following the restart with his offload, releasing Russell. The Wallabies may have felt hard done by after Curry's non-yellow card, but they'd have been just as miffed when Tadhg Furlong escaped censure for a clean out of Len Ikitau. Here's what Ben O'Keeffe told a less-than-impressed Brisbane crowd. "We do have foul play. We have shoulder to the head," he said. "It starts as a yellow card. The mitigation is the fact the player is rising up. So he's changing his hit position. "It's a penalty only." Joseph-Ausuko Suaalii had been kept desperately quiet in the contest until, with around 25 minutes to go, he burst into the action. A massive hit up got the Wallabies over the gain line first up re-introduced him to the Lions defensive line. Then, another crashing run saw him felled 5 metres short of the try line, only to be dragged over the line by the Wallaby support. Initially, a try was given, but Maro Itoje was pleading with O'Keeffe to look at the replay and, much to the home fans' frustration, he did. Ben Earl just about wrapped his arms around Suaalii in the initial contact, despite a condescending query of "are you sure?" from Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson. Suaalii was able to spin out of that tackle but the Lions had their hands all over the ball, obligating Suaalii to let it go, which he didn't, so the penalty went the Lions' way.
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Record number of Irish players will start first test against Australia
Eight Ireland internationals will start for the British and Irish Lions in the first test against Australia in Brisbane on Hugo Keenan, wing James Lowe and scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park are named among the backs while Dan Sheehan, Taghg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, Jack Conan and Taghg Beirne will pack down together up front. It equals the record of most Ireland players to start a Lions test that dates back to the 3rd test in South Africa in of the eight were from Ulster including captain Sammy Walker. Blair Mayne, George Cromey, Harry Mckibbin and Robert Alexander were the others and were joined by Robert Graves, Charles Boyles and George game was also the last one that the Lions wore blue shirts in a test match. Lions coach Andy Farrell has also named three more Irish players on the bench. Prop Andrew Porter, hooker Ronan Kelleher and centre Bundee of the starters are a surprise with Keenan, the only recognised full-back in the squad at the moment, with Blair Kinghorn will depend on the half-back partnership between Gibson-Park and Finn Russell that looked like it was gelling last week against the Gary Ringrose on the sidelines with concussion, the all-Scottish midfield combination of Huw Jones and Simone Tuipulotu preferred with Aki starting on the the most debated selection is that of Taghg Beirne over England's Ollie Chessum in the back row Where he joins Conan and Tom Curry with Josh Van der Flier missing times Beirne hasn't looked like his normal commanding self but has captained the side to a pair of wins.'Yeah, I suppose that's the hotly contested one, part of the side that's been talked about for quite some time and rightly so because of the quality that we've got there,' admitted Farrell.'Obviously we feel that that's the right balance for the first test, the combination of Taghg, being the type of player that he is, as far as his quality in the set piece but yet his all-round ability, either on the floor or a ball-playing six. 'I think that complements Jack in a similar regard and Tom being the engine that we all know that you need in regards to test match football.'
The Independent
17-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Tommy Freeman revels in Lions selection after mother's injury mishap in Australia
Tommy Freeman has revealed that his selection in the British and Irish Lions team for the first Test came as timely news to cheer up his mother, who was forced into an Australian hospital after breaking her foot out on tour. Freeman has been picked to start on the right wing against the Wallabies in Brisbane, with the Englishman joining Irish pair Hugo Keenan and James Lowe in the back three with Mack Hansen an injury absentee. Suncorp Stadium will be familiar turf to the 24-year-old having made his international debut in the city on England's summer tour of Australia in 2022, and he will now get the chance to run out again at the ground in Lions red. On that tour Down Under, Freeman promised to pay for his parents, Sara and Cliff, to fly business class for this tour if he were to earn a Lions selection that looked a long way off at that time - a vow he regretted after making Andy Farrell 's touring party. But having followed through with his promise, the Freemans suffered a mishap when Sara suffered a Lisfranc injury out on tour, forcing her into hospital in Adelaide. 'I gave them a ring [when I learned of selection], but they are having troubles of their own,' Tommy Freeman revealed. 'Mum has just broken her foot so she has had surgery in Adelaide, so a bit of good news for them was good. They were obviously delighted and all the travelling miles they have put in for me has paid off. 'They were travelling from Canberra to Adelaide and thought they would drive it, so they pulled over, got some photos and she hurt her Lisfranc [joint]. Her only concern was whether she fit enough to fly to get here, and luckily she has touched down here and that [selection] news probably put a smile on her face.' After earning three caps in 2022, Freeman's international career was put on hold after a half-time hooking against South Africa at Twickenham in what proved to be Eddie Jones's final game in charge. The Northampton wing, who can also play at outside centre, had to wait for a chance to appear under Steve Borthwick but forced his way back into the side during last year's Six Nations, and has since been a consistently impressive performer and certain starter. He became the first England men's player to score in every game of a Six Nations campaign earlier this year and has looked good since joining up with the Lions, thriving in a system that affords the wings plenty of opportunities to roam and get touches on the ball. 'That's something Andy goes after us for as wingers,' Freeman said. 'it's not like the olden days with the speed on the wings, and you just kind of stay on your wing. 'For me, I want to find the ball as much as possible and playing in the midfield has probably helped that. I've kind of found cues of where I can pop up in spaces and things like that. 'that's where the game's going at the moment for wingers in general. I kind of just try to focus on myself and making sure I get as many touches as I can in the game and pop up in spaces that aren't expected. Mack [Hansen]'s very good at that and very good at linking as well. It's good competition and it's awesome to learn off each other as well and get each other's ideas.'
The 42
17-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Farrell includes eight Irish players in Lions team for first Test
LIONS HEAD COACH Andy Farrell has included eight Irish players in his starting XV to face the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday [KO 11am Irish time, Sky Sports]. Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park, Jack Conan, Tadhg Beirne, Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Furlong, and Dan Sheehan have all been named in the starting team for the opening clash with Australia at Suncorp Stadium. Ireland's Rónan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, and Bundee Aki have been included on the Lions bench. Farrell has opted for England's Tom Curry at openside flanker, with Josh van der Flier missing out on the matchday 23 altogether as Ben Earl provides back row cover from the bench. Beirne has held off competition from Ollie Chessum to start at blindside, with the Englishman included among the replacements, while Conan completes the starting back row. McCarthy will team up with captain Maro Itoje in the second row, as Sheehan and Furlong join Ellis Genge in the front row, meaning Porter has been asked to make an impact off the bench. Gibson-Park and Scotland's Finn Russell are the halfback pairing, while Farrell has opted for the Scottish centre combination of Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones. With Garry Ringrose missing out due to a head injury, his Irish midfield partner Aki has to make do with a bench role. Advertisement Lowe is on the left wing, England's Tommy Freeman is on the right, and Keenan claims the number 15 shirt. English halfbacks Alex Mitchell and Marcus Smith are included on the bench, with the latter covering fullback and out-half. Mack Hansen and Blair Kinghorn were ruled out of potential involvement after suffering foot and knee injuries, respectively. Joe Schmidt named his Wallabies matchday 23 earlier today, with Tom Lynagh starting at out-half and Rob Valetini and Will Skelton missing out due to injury. Lions (v Australia): 15. Hugo Keenan 14. Tommy Freeman 13. Huw Jones 12. Sione Tuipulotu 11. James Lowe 10. Finn Russell 9. Jamison Gibson-Park 1. Ellis Genge 2. Dan Sheehan 3. Tadhg Furlong 4. Maro Itoje (captain) 5. Joe McCarthy 6. Tadhg Beirne 7. Tom Curry 8. Jack Conan Replacements: 16. Rónan Kelleher 17. Andrew Porter 18. Will Stuart 19. Ollie Chessum 20. Ben Earl 21. Alex Mitchell 22. Marcus Smith 23. Bundee Aki
