Latest news with #IrishLionsTour
Irish Independent
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘To become a true rugby legend you have to play for the Lions' – the Irish greats who roared on the pitch
As the 2025 tour kicks off, we look at some green giants who made their mark Today at 21:30 Tonight the 2025 British and Irish Lions Tour begins with a special match in Dublin against Argentina to mark the 150th anniversary of Irish rugby. Legendary Irish and Lions player Ollie Campbell captured the importance of wearing the Lions' jersey, saying: 'You can become famous playing for Ireland but to become a true rugby legend you have to play for the Lions.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Joseph Suaalii in major blow ahead of Lions Tour as Wallabies face $5m dilemma
Waratahs superstar Joseph Suaalii is set to undergo surgery on a fractured jaw and is a possibility of missing out on the British and Irish Lions Tour later this year after the setback. Suaalii sent a scare throughout the Waratahs and Wallabies camps on the weekend when he left the field on a stretcher after copping an accidental knee to the head in a tackle during the seven-point loss to the Queensland Reds. While initially being cleared of a serious injury, resulting in Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt keen to see Suaalii return to Super Rugby action as soon as he can, the fullback was then sent for scans due to some pain. And in a huge blow for the 21-year-old ahead of the Lions tour, the Waratahs revealed their star NRL convert required surgery to reinforce a fractured jaw. The star's return to playing time is yet to be revealed, but he now remains a massive doubt ahead of the much-hyped three-Test series that begins in Brisbane on July 19. Suaalii has made waves since switching from the NRL to rugby union on a three-year deal worth more than $5 million. He starred for the Wallabies in his most recent outings during the tour of the Northern Hemisphere and was working his way nicely into the fullback role back at Super 15. "We will do all we can to facilitate his recovery in consultation with Rugby Australia to have him in the best shape possible for his availability for the Wallabies," Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said after the news. Even if Suaalii is cleared to play next month, it leaves him very short on game time. Wallabies coach Schmidt pointed out that Suaalii had only played a handful of games in his debut season for the Tahs and the final few games of the campaign were invaluable for their marquee signing. Although Suaalii will now certainly miss the final three games of the Waratahs' season. His absence for the Lions Tour would not only be a blow for the Wallabies and their chances, considering they are already underdogs, but it's a huge blow for Rugby Australia. The governing body made the call to help bring the youngster over in a move to help revitalise interest in the code. And while Suaalii has certainly helped bring eyeballs back to rugby union, his absence during the Lions Tour would be a major blow. While the Lions Tour is the next major event for Rugby Australia coming up, Wallabies legend Tim Horan has suggested Suaalii's worth will vital during the home World Cup in 2027. Horan is a huge fan of Suaalii and believes the 21-year-old could have a Jonah Lomu-like influence for Australia when they host the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The late All Blacks legend took the 1995 edition by storm and Horan thinks Suaalii has the potential to do something similar for the Wallabies, who are ranked a lowly eight in the world two years out from hosting the next edition of the global showpiece. "Rugby World Cups, you can identify with certain players - Jonah Lomu in '95 and David Campese all those years ago in '91 and Joseph Suaalii's got the chance to do that," Horan told AAP. "He's an athlete first and a footy player second and he could play three or four positions in the Wallaby backline and still be outstanding. So there's still a couple more years to go and he's really learning the game of rugby now and it's a great opportunity for him to be the star of the Rugby World Cup 2027." with AAP
