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Glasgow Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
I'm all in – Australia-born Sione Tuipulotu eager to show Lions commitment
Amid ongoing debate about the selection of foreign-born players, the Glasgow centre is set to line up against his native Australia during this summer's Lions tour. Melbourne-born Tuipulotu, who made his international debut in 2021, is among seven members of Andy Farrell's 38-man squad who hail from overseas. While five of those players are eligible for their adopted nations purely on residency rules, Tuipulotu qualified through ancestry. The 28-year-old's Greenock-born grandmother was at Murrayfield last autumn to see him score a try while leading Scotland to a 27-13 defeat of the Wallabies. 'I put so much on myself that I really wanted to be a Lion because I know how much it means to people over here,' said Tuipulotu, who initially feared his tour participation may be ruined by injury. 'I had gone all in with the stuff with Scotland and I just felt what better way to prove my allegiance to Scotland than go all in and try and make the Lions. That's why it meant so much to me. 'Genuinely early days you have that feeling of 'am I part of this?'. I always feel like talking about it is one thing but showing people how much it means to you in how you play (is another). 'When my gran came over before the Australia game, it allowed the public to put a face to the story and listen to my grandma and how much it meant to her. I think that gave eyes to the public that my story was authentic. 'I'm all in and I'm looking forward to showing how committed I am to playing for the Lions.' Tuipulotu is raring to go after returning from four months out with a pectoral issue during Glasgow's 13-5 defeat to Leinster on Saturday. He will be joined on tour by South Africa-born Scotland team-mates Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe and New Zealand-born Ireland trio Bundee Aki, James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park. Canberra-born Ireland wing Mack Hansen, whose mother comes from Cork, will also be on the plane back to his homeland. 'I've been nothing but embraced by the Scottish public ever since I started playing for Scotland,' said Tuipulotu, who has 30 Test caps. 'There's always going to be a couple of people (who criticise), like there are for some of the Irish boys, but I take that in my stride because I don't blame those people either. Ireland's Australia-born wing Mack Hansen is one of seven members of the Lions squad who hail from overseas (Domenico Cippitelli/PA) 'I didn't grow up dreaming of playing for Scotland or the Lions, that's the truth. 'But this is where my path has led me and I'm all in for this Lions team and for Scotland and for Glasgow, and I genuinely feel like this is where I'm supposed to be. 'I just want to grab this opportunity because I'll never get it again, to go back to Australia, and play for the Lions.' Ireland wing Lowe lined up against the Lions for the Maori All Blacks during the 2017 series in New Zealand. The 32-year-old joined Leinster later that year and won the first of his 40 international caps in 2020. 'When you don't have the blood running through your veins, there's a little bit of that,' he replied when asked about his allegiance being questioned. 'When I was first selected for Ireland, all the people come out of the woodwork saying, 'how is this person representing Ireland?'. 'The rules were there. We've all done our time and we're fully embedded in the culture of Irish rugby.'
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Needless controversy over foreign-born Lions players ramps up pressure
For the class of 2017 it was the Geography Six and for the current crop, it may prove to be the Southern Hemisphere Seven. Andy Farrell's squad announcement was low on controversy, on glaring omissions or shock inclusions, and even the Owen issue was dealt with diplomatically. In the days since, however, provenance has been raised as a problem. Farrell selected in his squad three players born in New Zealand, two in Australia and two in South Africa. Willie John McBride – a legend of five Lions tours – is apparently 'bothered' by it and is not alone in expressing concerns at the number of foreign-born players in the 38-man squad. All seven are, of course, entirely eligible. Mack Hansen and Sione Tuipulotu were born in Australia but qualified for Ireland and Scotland respectively via a parent or grandparent. Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe, Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe all qualified on residency grounds. For the record, Marcus Smith was born in Manila and Joe McCarthy in Manhattan while Huw Jones was born in Leith, moved to the south of England as a child and spent his formative rugby years in South Africa. In short, nationality is a complex issue and each player has had their own journey towards a seat on the plane to Australia. Tuipulotu admits he 'didn't grow up dreaming of playing for Scotland or the Lions, that's the truth,' before adding: 'But this is where my path has led me.' He speaks of feeling the need to prove his allegiance and Lowe agrees. 'Obviously when you don't have the blood running through your veins, there is a little bit of that.' The merits of the residency rule have long since been debated and, when World Rugby extended the qualification period from three years to five, it felt like the admission of a loophole needing to be closed, or at least tightened. Certainly, the proliferation of 'project players' has dried up since then. That Farrell's selections have provoked criticism now should be met with unease, however. Hansen was the last of the seven players to make his Test debut three years ago and it is sanctimonious to suggest players with more than 300 Test appearances between them are not befitting of the precious red jersey. 'When I play rugby, I play better when there is a chip on my shoulder anyway,' says Tuipulotu. 'I've been nothing but embraced by the Scottish public since I've been playing for Scotland. There are always going to be a couple of people like there are for some of the Irish boys, but I take that in my stride because I don't blame those people, either. I'm looking forward to showing how committed I am to playing for the Lions with how I play and I can't wait to get over there.' After making his comeback from a long-term pectoral injury last weekend, Tuipulotu is the frontrunner for the Test No 12 jersey in Australia. Before injury struck, he captained Scotland against the Wallabies last autumn and his grandmother, Jaqueline, flew over from Australia to take her place in the Murrayfield crowd. 'In those early days, just to be completely transparent, you have that feeling of: 'Am I part of this?'' Tuipulotu says. 'When my gran came over before the Australia game, it allowed the public to put a face to the story, listen to how much it meant to her. I think that gave eyes to the public that my story is authentic.' Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion The sleepless nights brought on by fears that his injury might cost Tuipulotu his place in the Lions squad only highlight his determination to prove himself this summer. 'I think it was just the fact it was my pec,' he says. 'If you had asked me what the first big injury of my career [would be], I'd say my ankle or my knee but the fact that it was my boob just didn't make any sense to me. 'I just felt it was over for me and I put so much on myself that I really wanted to be a Lion because I know how much it means to people over here.' Lowe, meanwhile, is set to join the select band of players who have played for and against the Lions. In 2017 he lined up at full-back as the Maori All Blacks were well beaten by Gatland's tourists in Rotorua. 'I think everyone would admit that was their first actual Test match, the first one they properly turned up for,' Lowe says. 'It was an introduction into what it actually meant to the boys playing for the Lions and a level of intensity that was unmatched. 'When I was first selected for Ireland, all the people come out of the woodwork saying: 'How is this person representing Ireland?' But the rules are there. We've all done our time. I am fully embedded in the culture of Ireland. Sione's captained Scotland. You don't have to question where his allegiance lies. My old man walks around in an Ireland jersey and a Leinster jumper. 'Everyone's got a different story, my story just didn't start in Ireland. But I can see it ending in Ireland. My two kids were born in Ireland. My wife and I are super happy with everything Ireland has given us and we don't see ourselves moving.'
ABC News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
British and Irish Lions squad has been criticised for including overseas-born players. But what do the numbers say?
The British and Irish Lions squad makeup is always primed for controversy. And yet, from a playing perspective, few can have many arguments about who was and wasn't selected for this year's tour. However, there has still been significant discourse. Jokes have been circulating on social media along the lines of: What do you call three Kiwis, two Aussies and two South Africans on a rugby pitch — the British and Irish Lions. Several UK-based commentators, journalists and punters have also voiced significant displeasure based on where the players that have been selected were born and what that means on whether this is a true British and Irish Lions team. First, some facts. Of the 38 named players in the squad, nine were born outside the UK and Ireland, just under a quarter of the touring party. This in itself is not unusual. In a more modern, connected world, tying one's nationality to the nation of their birth is an increasingly nebulous concept. For example, of those nine players born outside of the British Isles, Joe McCarthy was born in New York to Irish parents who returned with him to Ireland when he was three years old. England's Marcus Smith, meanwhile, did not live in the UK until he was 13 years old, growing up in Singapore after being born in Manila, the Philippines. But then there are other examples. Two players, Canberra-born Mack Hansen of Ireland and Melbourne's Sione Tuipulotu of Scotland, were born in Australia and even played for the Junior Wallabies, but because they have relatives from the British Isles — Hansen's mother is Irish and Tuipulotu has a Scottish grandmother — they are allowed to complete for those nations. Then there's the project players. Scotland pair Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe were born in South Africa and Irish trio Jamison Gibson-Park, Bundee Aki and James Lowe were born in New Zealand. None of those five players had any ties to their new nations before signing for club sides in the country. When you consider just two Welsh players made the cut, that is pretty high percentage. A quarter of players being born overseas may seem like quite a lot but, by World Rugby standards, it's pretty much par for the course. The Wallabies have 49 players listed on the squad page of their website, 16 of whom were born overseas, almost a third. Five of those players — Alex Hodgman (New Zealand), Filipo Daugunu (Fiji), Marika Koroibete (Fiji), Hunter Paisami (Samoa) and Will Skelton (Samoa) — played under 20 internationals for other nations. Hodgman, meanwhile, played four full Tests for the All Blacks before switching his allegiances, while Koroibete suited up seven times for Fiji's rugby league team. Other nations are not immune to this trend either. Of the 38 active squad members listed on the All Blacks website, six players were born overseas, a shade over 15 per cent — including former junior Wallaby Tyrel Lomax and Gold Coast-born Ethan de Groot. At the other end of the spectrum, of the 42 squad members listed on the French Rugby Union website, just four (just 10 per cent) were born overseas — not including the New Caledonian pair of Peato Mauvalia and Yoram Moefana. The Springboks, meanwhile, list 52 squad members on their website, all of whom were born in South Africa, the last foreign-born player to represent the Springboks being Zimbabwe-born prop, Tendai 'The Beast' Mtawarira. So what does it mean? Does it mean anything? Time for some more numbers. According to the 2021 UK Office of National Statistics, 16.8 per cent of people in England and Wales were born overseas, with that figure rising to 17.8 per cent for Scotland. European Union statistics agency Eurostat showed that 22 per cent of the population of the Republic of Ireland was born overseas in 2023, while France has around 13 per cent and Italy just under 11 per cent. The Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed that 31.5 per cent of Australians were born overseas and 28.8 per cent of New Zealand's population was born overseas. Interestingly, just 3.9 per cent of South Africa's population was born overseas in 2023 according to Stats SA, while figures in Argentina suggest just 4.5 per cent of its population was born overseas. With those numbers, the make up of the respective Test teams makes a whole lot more sense. The huge discrepancy in Scotland's data reflects that nation employing a program, "The Scottish Qualified Programme," which is, according to the Scottish Rugby Website, "a player centred initiative designed to identify, develop and support Scottish Qualified players living outside of Scotland". It should also be noted that nine of Scotland's 21 "foreign-born" players were born elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Eight of Wales' 12 were born outside Wales but inside the UK, and two of England's three were likewise born within the UK. Italy's higher rate of players born overseas is likely a result of it lacking a significant domestic pathway akin to the others. Is the lack of immigrants to Argentina and South Africa and therefore the lack of overseas-born Test players down to their relative geographical isolation from other rugby playing nations or for economic reasons? For the record, at the 2023 Rugby World Cup Samoa (72.7 per cent) and Tonga (62.1 per cent) were packed with overseas-born talent — all 47 of them born in either New Zealand or Australia — while Fiji had just 12.5 per cent of their squad from overseas-born players. It could be reasonably said that nationality is not the same, narrowly defined feature it was a century ago. Increased global travel has meant people travel for work opportunities all the time, meeting partners from different countries. To cite a real-life scenario, Tom Lynagh, a player born in Italy to an Australian rugby legend and raised in England has now played for the Wallabies, while brother Louis played age group rugby for England but made his senior international debut for Italy. That is where it gets messy, a complexity that no matter of hand-wringing can sort — just ask World Champion and Olympic track cycling medallist Matthew Richardson and his decision to move back to the land of his birth after years in the Australian system. The issue is actually not where players are born. It is more where the players are developed. What is far more of an issue is that there are Southern Hemisphere-born stars in the Lions squad who are so-called project players, expressly recruited to play for nations they had little or no prior connection to, qualifying under the three-year residency rule that was previously in place by World Rugby. That means, essentially, that you can play for a country you have lived in for three years, having previously had no ties to it. Schoeman and van der Merwe both played for the Junior Springboks as they reached the final of the Junior World Championships in 2014 before taking up contract offers in Europe. Then there are the Irish Kiwis, avowed project players who were recruited as if they were playing for a club side rather than a country. Lowe and Gibson-Park are both capped players for the Māori All Blacks — Lowe even played for the Māori All Blacks in the unofficial fourth Test against the Lions in 2017 while Aki, despite never being an All Black of any guise, admitted in no uncertain terms that his move to Ireland was for the sole purpose of playing international rugby. All up, in last year's Six Nations, 14 players qualified for their nations on residency grounds: Three from Scotland (Schoeman, van der Merwe and Tom Jordan), three from Ireland (Gibson-Park, Aki and Lowe), two from Wales (Christ Tshiunza and Taulupe Faletau), as well as five from France (Dany Priso, Uini Atonio, Giorgi Beria, Joshua Brennan and Emmanuel Meafou) and one from Italy (Montanna Ioane). Of those 14, five completed their residency requirements as children, making it a not unreasonable suggestion they had no say in their move to a new country. The other nine — Ioane, Schoemann, Jordan, van der Merwe, Gibson-Park, Aki, Lowe, Atonio and Meafou — all qualified in their 20s as professional players. Ex-Wallaby Anthony Abrahams, who also gained credence for his stand against playing Apartheid-era South Africa, wrote about his objections to the "naked pillaging" of players from the Southern hemisphere on The Roar, describing such players as "mercenaries". "In their zeal to stack their teams, the main Northern offenders have entirely lost sight of what a 'national' team means," Abrahams wrote in his emotively-charged piece. "In rugby terms, 'nationality' reflects the collective endeavour of a nation; the year-on-year school and club Saturday rugby games; the weekly contests in outlying farming districts, Indigenous rugby groups; the investment in development. Home grown players are deeply immersed in this process. "Nationality is not a Scottish or Irish scout, waving a cheque in front of a Southern player's face and promising an El Dorado to entice him to change countries." That three-year requirement has since been upped to five years of continual registration with a union or rugby body or 10 years of cumulative residency thanks to the urging of ex-Argentinian international, Augustine Pichot. In its list of the regulations, World Rugby states that the regulation is in place, "to ensure that players selected to represent [a country] have a genuine, close, credible and established national link with the country of the union for which they have been selected. "Such national link is essential to maintain the unique characteristics and culture of elite international sporting competition between unions." All three of the Irish New Zealanders have had Irish citizenship conferred upon them in the last year or so, with Aki in particular praised for his contribution to Galway in his role as a Connacht player. Both the others play in Dublin for Leinster. Makes it hard to argue that they haven't developed a "close" national link. So what does that mean for the Lions? Overseas-born players are not alien to the Lions set up. The Lions have had squad members from as far afield as Russia (Prince Alexander Obolensky), Israel (Jamie Heaslip and Brendan Mullin), Kenya (Simon Shaw), Zambia (Dafydd James), India (Andy Mulligan and Nick Jeavons), Malaysia (Tony Underwood), Egypt (Graham Price) and Germany (Paul Ackford), among others. And there have been more than a handful of Aussies who have worn a Lions jersey. Indeed, Tuipulotu and Hansen are the seventh and eighth Australian-born players to have been picked for the Lions. Geelong-born Alec Timms, a former Geelong Football Club (Victorian Rules) player, appeared for the Lions in 1899 after he moved to Edinburgh to complete his medical degree, winning 14 caps for the Scots and three more for the Lions. Tom Richards, the son of a Cornish miner, was born in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales and ended up being a touring Wallaby to the British Isles in 1908 as well as a Queensland legend. While working in South Africa later in his life, he was drafted into the Lions team that played the Springboks in 1910. Melbourne-born, New Zealand-raised and Oxford University-educated Ian Smith (1924) is another who progressed to play for the Lions. While Junior Wallaby Brent Cockbain (2005), ex-North Sydney Bear Nathan Hines (2009) and former shot putt prospect Tom Court (2013) have all suited up for the Lions having been born in Australia. There can, reasonably, be questions asked of the flow of project players to the richer northern unions, a flow that threatened to become a flood, weakening the foundations of the unions that have produced them. That flow has since slowed somewhat with the new eligibility rules. But perhaps, as the most heavily criticised players have found, home is where the heart is. And come July, that heart will be beating for the Lions.
Extra.ie
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Ireland stars feature as Canterbury unveil new boot range for Lions tour
Mack Hansen and another Irish Lions have starred in an ad campaign for Canterbury's new range of boots specially designed for this summer's tour of Australia. Andy Farrell takes his squad Down Under in just under two months as pre-tour Tests begin with a clash against the Brumbies on July 9. The first Test against Australia will then come in Brisbane on July 19, and we now know what boots the players may be donning for the big occasion. Mack Hansen is set to wear Canterbury's Speed boots from the new-release Heat Pack during this summer's Lions tour. Pic: Canterbury Canterbury have launched a Lions-specific range; the 'Heat Pack' features its Speed, Phoenix and Stampede boots. The Kiwi company will provide Lions stars with a firm footing and a bright appearance on tour. Canterbury senior vice president Simon Rowe said: 'With 120 years of rugby heritage, Canterbury's knowledge and expertise are unmatched. Andrew Porter will wear the Stampede boots from Canterbury's new range during the Lions tour of Australia this summer. Pic: Canterbury 'We've developed three innovative boots, each tailored to the unique styles of the modern player. 'Each of these blends player insights and cutting-edge design to deliver exceptional performance on the pitch. 'We can't wait to see them in action in the upcoming Lions tour in Australia.' Featuring in the shoot were Ireland's Mack Hansen and Andrew Porter. Hansen featured next to the Speed Elite boot, while Porter promoted the Stampede design. The Heat Pack is available for purchase now via the official Canterbury website.
Irish Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Legendary Lions, Ireland captain says Hansen and Ryan lucky to have made Tour
Former Lions captain Keith Wood is confident the Ireland dominated Lions squad is going to have a successful tour to Australia. And that's despite Ireland and Leinster starting to fall of the international and European pace and with, notably, Mack Hansen and James Ryan lucky to have made Lions selection. Ireland finished third in the Six Nations, Leinster were 'outperformed' at home in a European semi-final. Choosing Mack Hansen must have been a close call as Darcy Graham is the unluckiest player among the home nations not to have made the Lions plane. Moreover Wood also worries about taking players trying to recover from injury, a case in point being Ryan. Says the 58-times capped Ireland hooker of the 38-strong squad: "Northampton absolutely outperformed Leinster, who were overwhelming favourites. Leinster had gone into the game having nilled two big teams in the previous matches. They looked incredibly comfortable, until they weren't! "Northampton plotted a route with some very young players who had the rugby IQ to do things a little bit differently. "The game has been changing since last Autumn and I don't know that Ireland and Leinster have changed as much with it and it actually looked like Northampton had. "So, the idea of running at pace onto a ball, looking for a gap, not looking for contact, not looking to go through phases to get to the next one. "That totally destabilized Leinster and they looked undercooked and a little bit shell-shocked by the manner in which Northampton played." Leinster are still a top class team, one defeat doesn't make them poor players overnight. "I would have said that there would have been a lot of Leinster players on the tour anyway. "But there are cases where some players might not have been picked. I do think it has gone to the element of Andy knowing how the players are, how he wants them to play and how they fit into the plan. "James has been injured for a while. He was overlooked for the last tour. He was definitely jaded before that. He is a central player within Ireland and Leinster but we haven't seen a huge amount of him of late. "Coaches know all the details, but I am never keen on bringing guys who are injured because it disrupts the tour when you have to bring out a whole load of new guys. "There were a good few injuries in the second row with the Lions. I think we seem to be a little bit light there. I think that's the reason for Ryan's pick." Hansen is, of course, at Connacht. "Mack Hansen is very lucky. it. Up until the World Cup Mack Hansen was off the chart. He is a winger with pace, a magnificent footballer. "He is one of the most comfortable players you've seen in a winger's jersey. He is happy to be the first receiver, doing whatever is required. He has time and he plays with a level of calm that is rare. "It also shows a level of intent of trying to have as many playmakers there as possible. "But he has been out injured for a while, and he hasn't been at his peak this year. His selection is an example of Farrell looking at a guy he knows can be someone to unlock defences and who takes a lot of pressure off the no10. "Darcy Graham has a bit of X factor. The thing with the Lions and it may sound callous is that you never have the squad that was originally picked at the start of the tour. "For the most part, if there were a couple of other players who hadn't been injured, George Furbank for example, and a couple of other wingers, then they would have gone." Lions Tours are, by definition, short sharp bursts of activity where combinations have to be found that can hit off immediately, have to very little time to tease things out. "There is no time on a Lions tour for players to play their way into form "You would always have a good idea who's going to play. You would know that from the training sessions, not from how the coaches were thinking or how people were running out, but actually how the guys were training. "It is about how people turn up. You would say 'okay, he's got something', there's a good chance he could play'. "So if you have a preconceived notion that you're lucky to be on the plane, you shouldn't be on the plane. "You're on the plane, so you have as much of a chance as anybody else. It's up to perform in training and in matches and that you make an irresistible case to be picked. "It becomes very difficult after about two weeks when you have to choose teams to play different matches and you have to get ready for the Tests. "There is no time for players to play into form. There is not that luxury. You have to be in form immediately. That is a really tough pressure." Andy Farrell most likely knows who the bones of his Test XV are. "They often say (selection) is open. I think there's always a skeleton team, because they've been through the selection process. But I don't think they're fixed. "I think you would have some that are. That is the case. I go back to '97. I had a fairly decent idea. I'd been picked to play, and I was playing well at the time. "I had three Irish guys with me, Paul Wallace, Jeremy Davidson and Eric Miller, and they wouldn't have been in anybody's Test team. They all forced themselves into the first Test team. That was very unusual." It could well be an Irish 'spine' for Test XV. "It is a gamble, but these are guys that Andy Farrell knows. He knows where they're at. So he's kind of not gambling on these guys. I might like a little bit more of a gamble to be honest. "The difficulty is the blend of players. Under Warren Gatland there was a very Welsh squad for the most part. Now we have a very Irish one. "Everybody tends to bitch and moan about the number of players from respective countries. I don't think it is a squad that is not exciting. "There are going to be a few more injuries, there's a lot more games. It is the end of the season wanting to win trophies. It is very pressurized after a World Cup year. "There has been a huge amount of rugby played by a lot of guys. The Lions fills up the tank of every one of those players until the last minute of the last game, then they are a mess for about five months." The Lions have, nonetheless, selected a strong squad. "I don't really know Andy Farrell, I've never played for him and I've played against him a couple of times a long time ago. "He builds a squad where everybody has their voice, and everybody is comfortable and it's as much about the humanity of the squad as it is about anything else. "I think he will get a cracking blend of those players. There's a squad there to do some serious damage on the field and if they get excited by how they go and want to play I think that could result in one of the great tours." The Lions remain a terrific brand, four hearts beat as one. "The players selected are no longer English, Scottish, Irish or Welsh - they are Lions. "It is the pinnacle, so players give everything - I always say 'trust the coach to get it right'. Winning for the Lions is very important, but I also think the values of the Lions are equally important. "It's funny, I listened to a few different people and there was often a reaction, an emotional reaction to the Lions and that's kind of understandable. "I will say that the second you mentioned the Lions as a player, then metaphorically they cease to be English, Scottish, Irish or Welsh. They are Lions. "It takes a bit of time before that becomes a practicality, and it takes a bit of bonding and all that work that has to happen in the first couple of weeks to make that happen. "But it does require a mindset shift for the players because they do have an emotional attachment to the players of their own clubs, of their own countries - the key component of the Lions is actually putting it all on the table. "So, any animus has to go and if it doesn't, it becomes very problematic. That was my fear, that Andy Farrell would make a few decisions that might have made it very problematic for him." Keith Wood was speaking on behalf of Genting Casino. For a chance to roar the Lions on in Melbourne and Sydney then head over to Genting Casino LIONS TOUR Genting Casino: Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.
