Latest news with #Invincibles'
Straits Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
British & Irish Lions look to history, Wallabies to pride in rugby series finale
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox British and Irish Lions' Bundee Aki during the second test against Australia. – The British & Irish Lions have history on their minds, as they head into the third and final clash with the Wallabies on Aug 2 determined to sweep a Test series for the first time in living memory. No Lions team have gone unbeaten in a Test series since Willie John McBride's 'Invincibles' in South Africa in 1974, when a controversial draw in the fourth match denied them the sweep. The Lions did sweep Argentina 4-0 in 1927 and also beat the Wallabies 2-0 three times in the 1950s and 1960s as part of losing tours of New Zealand, but you would need to go back to 1904 for the last 3-0 triumph over Australia. For coach Andy Farrell, however, the importance of the sweep is simply that it was something the Lions had committed to achieving as a squad before heading to Australia. 'Hopefully (the tour) will be remembered for the type of rugby that we played and the way that we went about it together. That's it,' he said, after naming his team on July 31. 'We came here wanting to win a series. We've achieved that, but we've a massive responsibility to make sure that we finish this off with something that we promised ourselves.' In keeping with that spirit, he made only minor tweaks to his team for the clash at Stadium Australia in Sydney, bringing Blair Kinghorn in on the wing, James Ryan into the second row and an extra forward on the bench. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Hidden vapes and where to find them: Inside ICA's clampdown at land checkpoints Singapore East-West Line MRT service resumes after delays lasting around 5 hours; track point fault fixed Opinion Internships open doors but only if students can first find the key World Meta says it's working to thwart WhatsApp scammers Singapore Jail for 2 friends who swopped seats in car to try and evade justice after drinking alcohol Singapore Sorting recyclables by material could boost low domestic recycling rate: Observers Singapore SM Lee receives Australia's highest civilian honour for advancing bilateral ties Asia Trump's sharp India criticism corners Modi as rift deepens Farrell has also dismissed talk that the Wallabies are not worthy opponents as 'insulting' and said it would be 'tragic' if Australia was axed as a tour host. Australia, part of a four-year rotation with New Zealand and South Africa as Lions destinations, are sixth in the world rankings, having dropped as low as 10th after a horror 2023 World Cup. It has sparked chatter that the Lions should seek tougher competition and better commercial opportunities elsewhere, with Argentina and France said to be keen for a slice of the action. 'It would be tragic for us not to tour here. We've had a blast and to me it's insulting to even talk about it in that type of way,' insisted Farrell. The Wallabies are undergoing a rebuild with coach Joe Schmidt after being dumped out of the 2023 World Cup at the pool stage for the first time when Eddie Jones was at the helm. For them, the match is all about salvaging some pride after losing the second Test, and the series, to a last-minute try in Melbourne a week ago. They have proved they can play by 'winning' the second half of the opening Test 14-10 in Brisbane and taking a 23-5 lead after half an hour of the second in Melbourne. Schmidt said it had been difficult to pick the players up after the defeat but thought they should not ignore the progress they have made since he took over in 2024. 'My belief is that 18 months ago, no one gave us a chance of challenging the Lions,' he said. '(But) there's not been nearly as much between the teams as maybe people might have expected.' Flanker Rob Valetini and two other starters from last week will miss the match because of injury, but Schmidt made a choice to bring scrum-half Nic White into the team for his last Test before the 35-year-old retires from international rugby. The New Zealander denied it was a sentimental selection, citing White's kicking skills in what are expected to be wet conditions, but was certain he would get an emotional dividend from the rest of the team. 'When you make that contribution over 12 years, it's not sentimentality, but it is a reality when someone is important to the group, the group want to support them,' he said. REUTERS, AFP
Scotsman
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Lions lose battle but win war and their four Scots are modern greats
Australia salvage pride in rain-delayed final Test in Sydney Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... In the end, it proved to be a game too far for the British and Irish Lions. Their hopes of a series clean sweep were washed away in the Sydney rain as Nic White and Will Skelton inspired Australia to a deserved victory in the third and final Test. On a night when the threat of lightning forced the players off for almost 40 minutes at the start of the second half, the hosts adapted to the downpour, kept it simple and got under the skins of the Lions players. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Congratulations to Australia, they deserved to win,' said a magnanimous Andy Farrell. 'They played the conditions better than us.' Maro Itoje of the British and Irish Lions lifts the trophy after the tourists defeated Australia 2-1 in the Test series. | Getty Images Farrell's Lions still got to lift the silverware, Maro Itoje hoisting the Qatar Airways trophy. They lost the battle but won the war, defeating the Wallabies by two Tests to one and becoming the first Lions squad to win a series since the tourists of 2013, also 2-1 victors in Australia. Failed to emulate the 'Invincibles' They did not, however, manage to emulate Willie John McBride's 'Invincibles' of 1974 and go unbeaten for the whole tour. The defeat in Sydney followed eight successive wins on Australian soil for Farrell's squad. Itoje was able to play only 27 minutes of the final Test and was one of three Lions players to be forced off early after failing head injury assessments. A bloodied Tommy Freeman departed just before half-time and James Ryan just after the break, the latter taking a blow from Skelton's knee as he tried to tackle the marauding Aussie lock and got it all wrong. Happily, Ryan was able to join the celebrations at full-time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lions captain Maro Itoje and his players stand in the torrential rain during the third Test match against Australia in Sydney. | AFP via Getty Images Also spotted in the happy throng was Darcy Graham whose tour involvement had been all too brief. Called up late as injury cover, the Scotland winger played for 15 minutes in the midweek game against the First Nations & Pasifika XV before succumbing to an ankle injury. He at least had the consolation of scoring a try in the match and was among the Lions players collecting series winners' medals on the podium in Sydney. Finn Russell gripes well and truly silenced For Finn Russell, it was another bauble to add to his burgeoning collection from what has been an annus mirabilis. For all his talent, his lack of silverware has sometimes been cast up as a criticism but such gripes can now be silenced. The Scotland stand-off adds a Lions series triumph to the Premiership and Challenge Cup honours he won this season with Bath. For good measure, Russell also picked up the Lions' player of the series trophy from the team's main sponsor, Howden. The fly-half was one of four Scots to play in the Test series and all can now be considered modern greats of the Scottish game. Russell, Blair Kinghorn, Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu have proven themselves to be winners with their clubs and now with the Lions. The hope now is that their success can rub off on the national team. Getty Images Having pushed the Lions so close last weekend in Melbourne, Australia were desperate to salvage something from the series and they looked the hungrier side throughout. They took only seven minutes to score the first of their three tries, through Dylan Pietsch, and they never relinquished their lead. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii played a big part in the score, taking out two Lions defenders with his footwork before playing a no-look pass which put Pietsch away in the corner. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nic White was going out in style The conditions were terrible and it didn't pay to overplay. Australia were winning the battle of the breakdown and celebrating each mini-victory with relish. Skelton in particular was in the ears of his Lions rivals. White, meanwhile, was dictating play, determined to finish with a flourish in what was his final Test appearance. The players were keeping their footing remarkably well given the volume of rain that was falling but the ball was greasy and even the normally immaculate Russell dropped it at one point. Louis Lynagh nudged the Aussies further ahead with a penalty, with the Lions losing their captain, Itoje, a couple of minutes before that. Australia's Nic White (L) wasn't afraid to mix it with the British and Irish Lions players. | AFP via Getty Images Freeman and Ryan followed him soon after, also with head injuries, and it was while the Irishman was receiving treatment that referee Nika Amashukeli took the decision to suspend play. Lightning strikes within a 10-kilometre radius of the Accor Stadium had been reported and the teams returned to the changing rooms while those spectators sitting in the front 19 rows were told to take cover. Nice career, well done The players were kept inside for 38 minutes and it gave them the chance to cool off. This match may have been a dead rubber but there was an intensity about the home side's play which sometimes spilled over into belligerence. White and Skelton were at the vanguard, mixing brilliant play with antagonism as they sought to disrupt the Lions. Taniela Tupou was on top in the scrum and the lineout was also a real cause for concern for the visitors who were making too many mistakes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Lions tried to move the ball wide but lacked any zip and Bundee Aki was in front of Kinghorn as received a pass from the Scot. Max Jorgensen took full advantage, collecting the spilt ball and rampaging up the right wing to score Australia's second try. Ben Donaldson, on for the injured Lynagh, converted to make it 15-0 on 55 minutes, leaving the Lions needing three scores. White left the field soon after, receiving the acclaim of the Sydney crowd. 'Nice career, well done,' said Amashukeli as the scrum-half trotted off. The Lions needed a spark and Russell provided it with a well judged up-and-under. Hugo Keenan won the aerial duel to put the tourists on the attack and a couple of plays later Jac Morgan dived in low to score from close range, with Russell converting. They couldn't build on it. Instead, it was Australia who took back control, forcing the Lions back on to their own tryline. There was a desperation about the visitors' defending and Amashukeli was losing patience. There were too many offsides and Ronan Kelleher was sent to the sin-bin. Tom Curry limped off at the same time and the Lions couldn't hold out any longer. Tate McDermott, on for White, darted round a ruck for the Aussies' third try. Donaldson's conversion put the contest beyond doubt. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Will Stuart scored from close range for the Lions in the final seconds but the Wallabies were worthy winners. Teams and scorers Scorers: Australia: Tries: Pietsch, Jorgensen, McDermott. Cons: Donaldson 2. Pen: Lynagh. Lions: Tries: Morgan, Stuart. Con: Russell. Yellow card: Kelleher (Lions, 69min) Australia: T Wright; M Jorgensen (A Kellaway 77), J-A Suaalii, L Ikitau, D Pietsch; T Lynagh (B Donaldson 32), N White (T McDermott 59); J Slipper (A Bell 58), B Pollard (B Paenga-Amosa 72), T Tupou (Z Nonggorr 61), N Frost, W Skelton (J Williams 64), T Hooper (L Gleeson 77), F McReight, H Wilson. Lions: H Keenan; T Freeman (O Farrell 38), H Jones, B Aki, B Kinghorn; F Russell, J Gibson-Park (A Mitchell 72); A Porter (E Genge 46), D Sheehan (R Kelleher 58), T Furlong (W Stuart 58), M Itoje (O Chessum, 27min), J Ryan (J Morgan 43), T Beirne, T Curry (Sheehan 69), J Conan (B Earl 63). Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia).
Leader Live
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
‘The job isn't done' says coach as British and Irish Lions target a whitewash
Andy Farrell's team took an unassailable 2-0 lead against the Wallabies after edging a classic encounter in Melbourne last weekend and are heavy favourites to prevail again when the rivals meet for the final time on Saturday. Victory would see them become the first Lions team since Willie John McBride's 'Invincibles' of 1974 to go unbeaten for the whole tour and the first to win every Test since 1927. Our team for Saturday's third Test in Sydney! 🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 31, 2025 And they want to dispatch Australia for a third consecutive weekend by matching the quality shown in the first half in Brisbane and the second 80 minutes at Melbourne Cricket Ground. 'The job isn't done in any shape or form. We've got a really motivated group that have set their stall out,' forwards coach John Dalziel said. 'There's only one way that we want this to end and that's to go unbeaten and to try and win 3-0. We don't want anything to derail it. 'We know it is going to be incredibly hard work and Australia showed that last week. They are a good side and they are going to be good again. They are going to be motivated playing here. 'We've got to find that energy and go again, getting that performance that we all want. 'There is still a performance in us. We've had 40 minutes in both of the Tests so we want to give our supporters and everyone watching at home a full 80 minutes and show what the Lions are about.' Wing Tommy Freeman missed Friday's eve-of-match training run at Accor Stadium due to his overall workload for the tour, but Dalziel stressed there is no concern over his fitness. Pulling the strings for the climax to the tour is Finn Russell, the Scotland fly-half who has forged an effective creative alliance alongside Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park while also providing the generalship needed by his team. 'Finn's maturing all the time,' said Dalziel of his fellow Scot, who has developed a more rounded game since his early days as a maverick. 'A lot of players like him get criticism for not being able to play different styles. But here, where we are pulling four nations together, he has delivered a gameplan while also being himself. That's why he was picked and why he's world class. 'There have been the moments when he has been driving the team around the park but also the moments when he has seen and put others into space, which is outstanding.'
Powys County Times
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Powys County Times
‘The job isn't done' says coach as British and Irish Lions target a whitewash
The British and Irish Lions are aiming to sign off their Australia tour in style by delivering a series whitewash through their most complete performance of the three Tests. Andy Farrell's team took an unassailable 2-0 lead against the Wallabies after edging a classic encounter in Melbourne last weekend and are heavy favourites to prevail again when the rivals meet for the final time on Saturday. Victory would see them become the first Lions team since Willie John McBride's 'Invincibles' of 1974 to go unbeaten for the whole tour and the first to win every Test since 1927. Our team for Saturday's third Test in Sydney! 🦁 #Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 31, 2025 And they want to dispatch Australia for a third consecutive weekend by matching the quality shown in the first half in Brisbane and the second 80 minutes at Melbourne Cricket Ground. 'The job isn't done in any shape or form. We've got a really motivated group that have set their stall out,' forwards coach John Dalziel said. 'There's only one way that we want this to end and that's to go unbeaten and to try and win 3-0. We don't want anything to derail it. 'We know it is going to be incredibly hard work and Australia showed that last week. They are a good side and they are going to be good again. They are going to be motivated playing here. 'We've got to find that energy and go again, getting that performance that we all want. 'There is still a performance in us. We've had 40 minutes in both of the Tests so we want to give our supporters and everyone watching at home a full 80 minutes and show what the Lions are about.' Wing Tommy Freeman missed Friday's eve-of-match training run at Accor Stadium due to his overall workload for the tour, but Dalziel stressed there is no concern over his fitness. Pulling the strings for the climax to the tour is Finn Russell, the Scotland fly-half who has forged an effective creative alliance alongside Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park while also providing the generalship needed by his team. 'Finn's maturing all the time,' said Dalziel of his fellow Scot, who has developed a more rounded game since his early days as a maverick. 'A lot of players like him get criticism for not being able to play different styles. But here, where we are pulling four nations together, he has delivered a gameplan while also being himself. That's why he was picked and why he's world class. 'There have been the moments when he has been driving the team around the park but also the moments when he has seen and put others into space, which is outstanding.'
Rhyl Journal
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
‘The job isn't done' says coach as British and Irish Lions target a whitewash
Andy Farrell's team took an unassailable 2-0 lead against the Wallabies after edging a classic encounter in Melbourne last weekend and are heavy favourites to prevail again when the rivals meet for the final time on Saturday. Victory would see them become the first Lions team since Willie John McBride's 'Invincibles' of 1974 to go unbeaten for the whole tour and the first to win every Test since 1927. Our team for Saturday's third Test in Sydney! 🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 31, 2025 And they want to dispatch Australia for a third consecutive weekend by matching the quality shown in the first half in Brisbane and the second 80 minutes at Melbourne Cricket Ground. 'The job isn't done in any shape or form. We've got a really motivated group that have set their stall out,' forwards coach John Dalziel said. 'There's only one way that we want this to end and that's to go unbeaten and to try and win 3-0. We don't want anything to derail it. 'We know it is going to be incredibly hard work and Australia showed that last week. They are a good side and they are going to be good again. They are going to be motivated playing here. 'We've got to find that energy and go again, getting that performance that we all want. 'There is still a performance in us. We've had 40 minutes in both of the Tests so we want to give our supporters and everyone watching at home a full 80 minutes and show what the Lions are about.' Wing Tommy Freeman missed Friday's eve-of-match training run at Accor Stadium due to his overall workload for the tour, but Dalziel stressed there is no concern over his fitness. Pulling the strings for the climax to the tour is Finn Russell, the Scotland fly-half who has forged an effective creative alliance alongside Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park while also providing the generalship needed by his team. 'Finn's maturing all the time,' said Dalziel of his fellow Scot, who has developed a more rounded game since his early days as a maverick. 'A lot of players like him get criticism for not being able to play different styles. But here, where we are pulling four nations together, he has delivered a gameplan while also being himself. That's why he was picked and why he's world class. 'There have been the moments when he has been driving the team around the park but also the moments when he has seen and put others into space, which is outstanding.'
