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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lions make two changes for final Wallabies Test
The British and Irish Lions made two changes Thursday for the final Test against the Wallabies, with James Ryan in at lock and Blair Kinghorn on the wing as they look to finish their Australia tour on a high. Andy Farrell's side sealed the series last weekend in Melbourne with a stunning comeback, overturning an 18-point deficit to claw home 29-26, courtesy of a controversial last-gasp Hugo Keenan try. They clinched the first Test in Brisbane 27-19 and have won all eight games on tour so far. But Farrell resisted resting any of his big guns for the showdown in Sydney as they go in search of a rare whitewash. The last time the Lions went through a series unbeaten was in 1974 when they won the first three Tests against South Africa and drew the last. England's Maro Itoje again leads the side and is partnered in the second row this time by Ireland's Ryan, with Ollie Chessum dropping to the bench. In the front row, the Irish trio of Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong keep their places with Furlong set to start his ninth consecutive Lions Test. The backrow remains England's Tom Curry at openside flanker, Jack Conan at No.8 and fellow Irishman Tadhg Beirne at blindside. The potent combination of Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park and Scotland's Finn Russell are again the half-back pairing with Ireland's Bundee Aki and Scotland's Huw Jones in midfield. Scotland's Kinghorn is introduced into the back three at the expense of Ireland's James Lowe, alongside England's Tommy Freeman and Ireland's second Test hero Keenan. "Last weekend's Test match in Melbourne was an incredible spectacle and illustrated how special Lions tours are and what it means to both the players and the supporters," said Farrell. "We are expecting another epic battle this weekend against a Wallaby side that showed their quality last week." British and Irish Lions (15-1): Hugo Keenan; Tommy Freeman, Huw Jones, Bundee Aki, Blair Kinghorn; Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park; Jack Conan, Tom Curry, Tadhg Beirne; James Ryan, Maro Itoje (capt); Tadgh Furlong, Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Owen Farrell mp/fox
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Andy Farrell makes two alterations to an otherwise unchanged Lions starting XV for the third Test against Australia as tourists go in search of whitewash
Blair Kinghorn and James Ryan have been promoted into an otherwise unchanged Lions starting XV for the third Test against Australia here at Accor Stadium on Saturday. Head coach Andy Farrell has opted to retain the vast majority of those players who started at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last Saturday, as the British and Irish tourists edged out the Wallabies 29-26 to win the series with one match to go. There was speculation that Farrell may choose to freshen-up his side or offer chances to other players who have had limited roles in the Tests, but instead he has put his faith in most of the same men to go again, in the quest for a 3-0 whitewash. That was always the ambition for this 2025 crusade; for the Lions to earn a series clean sweep and to win every match they played Down Under. Now that they are within reach of that objective, Farrell has shown his laser focus on completing the quest by demonstrating utter ruthlessness as a selector. He has not been swayed by sentiment; this is a statement that the Lions are back in business mode – after their protracted celebrations – and are going for the jugular. Just two starting changes is a very modest reshuffle in the circumstances. Kinghorn plays full-back for Scotland but he has been picked on the left wing for this game, having often operated there for Toulouse. He is a supreme asset as a runner, commanding aerial presence, kicker and distributor, and after a glittering cameo last weekend he is deservedly included at the expense of James Lowe, who has been a shadow of his normal self on this trip. The other alteration is in the second row, with Ryan preferred to England's Ollie Chessum, to partner captain Maro Itoje. The Leinster lock had not been a stand-out figure in the tour matches leading up to the series, but he was another who made a positive impact off the bench at the MCG and he is among the Irish stalwarts well known and trusted by Farrell. Ryan's provincial and Test team-mate, Joe McCarthy, is not in the match-day 23, which suggests he has not recovered from a foot injury. Chessum is among the replacements this time but instead of an outside back filling the void left by Kinghorn's elevation, Farrell has opted for a six-two bench split. Ben Earl will act as additional back-row cover but also has the ability, at a push, to be deployed in midfield, in an emergency. Owen Farrell will once again be primed to come on at 10 or inside centre, as required. Lions third Test squad H Keenan (Ire); T Freeman (Eng), H Jones (Sco), B Aki (Ire), B Kinghorn (Sco); F Russell (Sco), J Gibson-Park (Ire); A Porter (Ire), D Sheehan (Ire), T Furlong (Ire); M Itoje (Eng. capt), J Ryan (Ire); T Beirne (Ire), J Conan (Ire), T Curry (Eng). Replacements: R Kelleher (Ire), E Genge (Eng), W Stuart (Eng), O Chessum (Eng), J Morgan (Wal), B Earl (Eng), A Mitchell (Eng), O Farrell (Eng). His father set the scene for the final act in Australia, saying: 'We've put ourselves in a great position to finish this tour with our best performance to date and create our own piece of history. 'Last weekend's Test in Melbourne was an incredible spectacle and illustrated how special Lions tours are and what they mean to both the players and the supporters. 'We are expecting another epic battle this weekend against a Wallaby side that showed their quality last week.'
France 24
4 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
Lions make two changes for final Wallabies Test
Andy Farrell's side sealed the series last weekend in Melbourne with a stunning comeback, overturning an 18-point deficit to claw home 29-26, courtesy of a controversial last-gasp Hugo Keenan try. They clinched the first Test in Brisbane 27-19 and have won all eight games on tour so far. But Farrell resisted resting any of his big guns for the showdown in Sydney as they go in search of a rare whitewash. The last time the Lions went through a series unbeaten was in 1974 when they won the first three Tests against South Africa and drew the last. England's Maro Itoje again leads the side and is partnered in the second row this time by Ireland's Ryan, with Ollie Chessum dropping to the bench. In the front row, the Irish trio of Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong keep their places with Furlong set to start his ninth consecutive Lions Test. The backrow remains England's Tom Curry at openside flanker, Jack Conan at No.8 and fellow Irishman Tadhg Beirne at blindside. The potent combination of Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park and Scotland's Finn Russell are again the half-back pairing with Ireland's Bundee Aki and Scotland's Huw Jones in midfield. Scotland's Kinghorn is introduced into the back three at the expense of Ireland's James Lowe, alongside England's Tommy Freeman and Ireland's second Test hero Keenan. "Last weekend's Test match in Melbourne was an incredible spectacle and illustrated how special Lions tours are and what it means to both the players and the supporters," said Farrell. "We are expecting another epic battle this weekend against a Wallaby side that showed their quality last week." British and Irish Lions (15-1): Hugo Keenan; Tommy Freeman, Huw Jones, Bundee Aki, Blair Kinghorn; Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park; Jack Conan, Tom Curry, Tadhg Beirne; James Ryan, Maro Itoje (capt); Tadgh Furlong, Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter
BreakingNews.ie
4 hours ago
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Andy Farrell makes two changes for final Lions Test
Andy Farrell has made two changes to the British & Irish Lions team for Saturday's third and final Test against Australia, with James Ryan and Blair Kinghorn coming into the starting line-up. Both players made big impacts off the bench in last Saturday's series-clinching second Test victory over the Wallabies in Melbourne, and each played an important part in the final attacking sequence that led to Hugo Keenan's try, which secured the Lions' dramatic 29-26 victory. Advertisement Ireland lock Ryan comes in for Ollie Chessum to partner captain Maro Itoje in the second row, while Scotland's Kinghorn replaces James Lowe on the left wing. Otherwise, the Lions are unchanged with tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong set to make his ninth consecutive Lions Test start in an all-Irish front row alongside Andrew Porter and Dan Sheehan. Try-scoring flankers Tadhg Beirne and Tom Curry continue in a settled back row with Jack Conan at No.8, while the backline sees half-backs Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell and the centre pairing of Bundee Aki and Huw Jones retained with Kinghorn slotting into a back three alongside fellow wing Tommy Freeman and full-back Keenan as head coach Farrell bids to complete a 3-0 series victory over Joe Schmidt's Australia. The selection means there is no place for Ireland openside flanker Josh van der Flier, while Joe McCarthy and Mack Hansen are also omitted despite returning to training this week following foot injuries. Garry Ringrose was unavailable due to concussion return-to-play protocols. Advertisement The Lions' bench, which made such a vital contribution to the victory at the MCG, has been switched from a 5-3 split between forwards and backs to a 6-2, with Ben Earl restored as a third back-rower alongside Jac Morgan and Chessum, who can cover lock and blindside. Schmidt has made four changes to the Wallabies starting side for this Saturday's 82,000 sell-out crowd at Sydney's Accor Stadium.
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Lions make two changes for final Australia test
SYDNEY, July 31 (Reuters) - British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has made only two changes to his starting team for final test against Australia on Saturday, when the tourists will be looking to seal a 3-0 series sweep. Farrell has resisted the temptation to give fringe players a run despite the series already being decided as the Lions target getting through a test series unbeaten for the first time since 1974. Blair Kinghorn, who missed the first test because of a knee injury, replaces James Lowe on the left wing as he did during last week's second test victory in Melbourne, while James Ryan starts in the second row in place of Ollie Chessum. Chessum drops to the bench, where Ben Earl comes in as back row cover alongside Jac Morgan with Farrell opting for a 6-2 split in favour of the forwards for what is forecast to be a wet weather test at Stadium Australia. The starting back row and halfback pairing remain the same for the third consecutive match, while Irish prop Tadhg Furlong will start his ninth straight Lions test in the front row. "Last weekend's test match in Melbourne was an incredible spectacle and illustrated how special Lions tours are and what they mean to both the players and the supporters," Farrell said in a news release. "We are expecting another epic battle this weekend against a Wallaby side that showed their quality last week." Team: 15–Hugo Keenan, 14–Tommy Freeman, 13–Huw Jones, 12–Bundee Aki, 11–Blair Kinghorn, 10–Finn Russell, 9–Jamison Gibson-Park, 8–Jack Conan, 7–Tom Curry, 6–Tadhg Beirne, 5–James Ryan, 4–Maro Itoje, 3–Tadhg Furlong, 2–Dan Sheehan, 1–Andrew Porter Replacements: 16–Ronan Kelleher, 17–Ellis Genge, 18–Will Stuart, 19–Ollie Chessum, 20–Jac Morgan, 21–Ben Earl, 22–Alex Mitchell, 23–Owen Farrell
