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No Welsh players in a British and Irish Lions test team for the first time in 129 years
No Welsh players in a British and Irish Lions test team for the first time in 129 years

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

No Welsh players in a British and Irish Lions test team for the first time in 129 years

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — An important element in the great tradition of uniting players from Britain and Ireland to form the Lions will be missing Saturday when there's no Welshman in the test squad for the first time in 129 years. It'll be the might of Ireland, England and Scotland against Australia. Back-rower Jac Morgan was the only Welshman left in the touring group in Australia when scrumhalf Tomos Williams injured his hamstring and was ruled out of the series. Morgan's impressive appearances in the leadup to the three-test series against Australia weren't enough to earn him a spot in a back row comprising of Irish No. 8 Jack Conan and blindside flanker Tadhg Beirne and England openside Tom Curry. England's Ollie Chessum and Ben Earl were picked as cover off the bench. In announcing his match-day 23 on Thursday, Lions head coach Andy Farrell said Morgan got 'as close as you could imagine' to selection. He said he was 'gutted' for players like Morgan who were in good form and could have been picked but missed out because of the incredible depth in some areas and for the balance of the squad. 'Shows where we're at as a group,' Farrell said. 'That's the right balance for the first test.' Beirne is a big game player, strong on turnovers and ball-carrying, and complements Conan, Farrell said, while Curry has the kind of 'engine' needed to win a test. Farrell said there'd been 'very vigorous debate" in the composition of the team but ultimately all the selectors settled on the combination. The BBC described the selection as 'yet another sign ... to highlight Welsh rugby's fall from grace," adding that Morgan's absence against Australia 'rubs salt into an already hurtful wound.' In the 23 there's 11 from Ireland, nine from England and three from Scotland, the BBC noted, "and none from Wales for a squad against Australia, New Zealand or South Africa for the first time since 1896 — an extraordinary and damning statistic.' In the modern era, the Lions have toured every four years on a rotating basis to South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. The Welsh have had a proud tradition of being a force within the Lions. But Welsh rugby has been in serious decline since the 2023 World Cup, where they beat the two-time champion Australians. Wales' 18-match losing streak — tied for the longest by a major rugby team in test history — ended only last weekend in a 31-22 win over Japan. Former Lion and Wales international Dafydd James told the BBC the Lions test team 'says exactly where Welsh rugby is, and it's worrying." 'It's sobering and a sad indictment of the way the game has gone in Wales." Farrell said 'there's obviously scope' for players like Morgan to work their way into the test team for the second and third matches, but for the series opener, 'We picked the best team to win this match.' ___ AP rugby:

Andy Farrell favouring Lions reputation over form ahead of Australia clash
Andy Farrell favouring Lions reputation over form ahead of Australia clash

Extra.ie​

time4 days ago

  • Sport
  • Extra.ie​

Andy Farrell favouring Lions reputation over form ahead of Australia clash

Andy Farrell is banking on players with outstanding pedigree really stepping up for the Lions in their series opener against Australia on Saturday — because his likely line-up is not awash with form picks. The visitors are set to rely on a side full of stellar reputations, but in several positions, the players who have performed best are expected to miss out. That is certainly the case at No. 8, where Ben Earl has made more of an impact than Jack Conan, but the Ireland specialist is preferred. Lions player Jack Conan. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan There are other examples, as the head coach follows what so many predecessors have done by trusting players he knows best. James Lowe has been operating far below his exalted standards on the left wing, but he should make the cut, partly due to the injuries which have hampered back-three contenders Blair Kinghorn and Mack Hansen. At scrum-half, Jamison Gibson-Park is another member of the Leinster and Ireland contingent who will be deployed en masse in the belief that he will soar to a performance peak when needed. Lions player Jamison Gibson-Park. Pic: INPHO/Billy Stickland He was named man of the match against the Brumbies, but had blown hot and cold. Even the great Tadhg Furlong has just about located second gear — he is not at full tilt. However, there are pockets of form. Ellis Genge and Dan Sheehan are on a thunderous roll in the front row. At lock, Maro Itoje and Joe McCarthy have stood out with towering exploits. There is a fingers-crossed feeling about some of the marginal selections, but even allowing for the misgivings, this potential line-up should have far too much firepower for the Australians.

Jack Conan says nerves mounting as Lions prepare to name first Test team
Jack Conan says nerves mounting as Lions prepare to name first Test team

BreakingNews.ie

time6 days ago

  • Sport
  • BreakingNews.ie

Jack Conan says nerves mounting as Lions prepare to name first Test team

Jack Conan admits the British and Irish Lions squad are feeling the tension as Andy Farrell prepares to reveal who has claimed the ultimate prize of a Test place against Australia. Six matches into their tour, all of them producing wins except the Dublin curtain-raiser against Argentina, and the Lions management have finalised selection for Saturday's series opener at Suncorp Stadium. Advertisement The players will be told who has made the matchday 23 at a meeting on Wednesday and Conan believes the performances delivered over the last four weeks have not made selection easy. Tuesday Training 🏉 T minus 4 days to the 1st Test 🇦🇺🦁 #Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 15, 2025 'Everyone will be a bit nervous, but everyone has gone incredibly well, especially in the back row,' said Conan, who is expected to be named at number eight when the team is officially announced on Thursday. 'It's tough for the coaches, I'm sure, and hopefully we've given them plenty of headaches over the last while. No matter who's been out there, they've taken their opportunity really well. 'It's about those lads who get to run out at the weekend to do right by the lads who aren't playing. Advertisement 'It's going to be unbelievably special to play the first Test so hopefully everyone can make the most of it.' No area of the team has been more competitive than the back row, with Conan the closest thing to a certainty given he is the only specialist number eight in the 44-man squad in Australia. England duo Ollie Chessum and Tom Curry just hold the edge in the race to be picked as flankers, but Farrell is blessed with options in both positions. 'There's huge amounts of class and talent in the back row. It's been great to get to know the lads, to learn off them, to see how they do things and to push each other on as well,' Conan said. Advertisement 'That level of talent pushes everyone on to be your best and I think everyone has been at their best. No one can say they've been poor over the last few weeks. 'Especially in the back row, the standard has been unbelievably high, so it's been a joy to play with the lads and get to know with them.'

'Nervous' Lions await Andy Farrell's team selection
'Nervous' Lions await Andy Farrell's team selection

RTÉ News​

time6 days ago

  • Sport
  • RTÉ News​

'Nervous' Lions await Andy Farrell's team selection

Jack Conan admits the British and Irish Lions squad are feeling the tension as Andy Farrell prepares to reveal who has claimed the prize of a Test place against Australia. Six matches into their tour, all of them producing wins except the Dublin curtain-raiser against Argentina, and the Lions management have finalised selection for Saturday's series opener at Suncorp Stadium. The players will be told who has made the matchday 23 at a meeting on Wednesday and Conan believes the performances delivered over the last four weeks have not made selection easy. "Everyone will be a bit nervous, but everyone has gone incredibly well, especially in the back row," said Conan, who is expected to be named at number eight when the team is officially announced on Thursday. "It's tough for the coaches, I'm sure, and hopefully we've given them plenty of headaches over the last while. No matter who's been out there, they've taken their opportunity really well. "It's about those lads who get to run out at the weekend to do right by the lads who aren't playing. "It's going to be unbelievably special to play the first Test so hopefully everyone can make the most of it." No area of the team has been more competitive than the back row, with Conan the closest thing to a certainty given he is the only specialist number eight in the 44-man squad in Australia. England duo Ollie Chessum and Tom Curry just hold the edge in the race to be picked as flankers, but Farrell is blessed with options in both positions. "There's huge amounts of class and talent in the back row. It's been great to get to know the lads, to learn off them, to see how they do things and to push each other on as well," Conan said. "That level of talent pushes everyone on to be your best and I think everyone has been at their best. No one can say they've been poor over the last few weeks. "Especially in the back row, the standard has been unbelievably high, so it's been a joy to play with the lads and get to know with them."

Jack Conan says nerves mounting as Lions prepare to name first Test team
Jack Conan says nerves mounting as Lions prepare to name first Test team

Yahoo

time6 days ago

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

Jack Conan says nerves mounting as Lions prepare to name first Test team

Jack Conan admits the British and Irish Lions squad are feeling the tension as Andy Farrell prepares to reveal who has claimed the ultimate prize of a Test place against Australia. Six matches into their tour, all of them producing wins except the Dublin curtain-raiser against Argentina, and the Lions management have finalised selection for Saturday's series opener at Suncorp Stadium. Advertisement The players will be told who has made the matchday 23 at a meeting on Wednesday and Conan believes the performances delivered over the last four weeks have not made selection easy. 'Everyone will be a bit nervous, but everyone has gone incredibly well, especially in the back row,' said Conan, who is expected to be named at number eight when the team is officially announced on Thursday. 'It's tough for the coaches, I'm sure, and hopefully we've given them plenty of headaches over the last while. No matter who's been out there, they've taken their opportunity really well. Advertisement 'It's about those lads who get to run out at the weekend to do right by the lads who aren't playing. 'It's going to be unbelievably special to play the first Test so hopefully everyone can make the most of it.' No area of the team has been more competitive than the back row, with Conan the closest thing to a certainty given he is the only specialist number eight in the 44-man squad in Australia. England duo Ollie Chessum and Tom Curry just hold the edge in the race to be picked as flankers, but Farrell is blessed with options in both positions. 'There's huge amounts of class and talent in the back row. It's been great to get to know the lads, to learn off them, to see how they do things and to push each other on as well,' Conan said. Advertisement 'That level of talent pushes everyone on to be your best and I think everyone has been at their best. No one can say they've been poor over the last few weeks. 'Especially in the back row, the standard has been unbelievably high, so it's been a joy to play with the lads and get to know with them.'

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