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BBC News
03-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Australia have 'won a lot of fans back'
Australia have won back a lot of fans during the British and Irish Lions Test series, says former Wallabies captain Stephen were well beaten in the first Test, but then came within one last-gasp Lions try of winning the second before taking the final Test 22-12 in Sydney to prevent the tourists securing a 3-0 series sixth in the world, two-time World Cup-winners Australia have been rebuilding after failing to qualify for the knockout stages of a Rugby World Cup for the first time in their history in 2023.A poor national team and the continued rise of rugby league and Australian rules football have been factors in a decline in interest in rugby union in the the Lions, who the hosts have not beaten in a series since 2001, proved popular, with the second Test at Melbourne Cricket Crowd played in front of 90,307, while more than 80,000 watched the match in Sydney."I know it sounds weird because we've lost the series, but I think the team will come out of this series in better shape than when they came into it," Moore told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast."Enhanced reputations individually, and collectively as a team. The people watching those games at the ground and on the TV will be proud of the way the Wallabies played for a lot of the series."Even though the Lions won - they deserved to win - we've won a lot of fans back in the last three weeks."The Test matches and particularly a Lions tour, that's our shop window. That's our chance to fill stadiums and get people talking about rugby [union]."Outside the noise around rugby league, and AFL is massive, that's the biggest thing in town."Joe Schmidt's side could not hold on to an 18-point lead in Melbourne as Hugo Keenan's last-minute try snatched a series win for the tourists, but Australia showed vast improvement from the first half of Brisbane, when they did not look remotely hosts led for 79 minutes in Melbourne and were one controversial clearout decision away from taking the game, and were never behind in the final Test of the series on proved to be a big factor, with standout forwards Rob Valetini and Will Skelton missing the first Test because of Taniela Tupou, capped 59 times, was not selected for the first Two Tests after struggling for form but was back to his powerful best in Sydney."We still have a long way to go with our domestic structure," former Australia captain Moore added."You look at Ireland's centralised model and I think we need to go down that path so that our best players are really closely managed so that they're cherry-right for that first game of the Lions series."We've had 12 years to get ready for this and we haven't got that part of it right and there's still a lot to do." Schmidt was criticised for not releasing his stars for warm-up games against the Lions, with his side only playing one game against Fiji to prepare for the fly-half Noah Lolesio was ruled out of the entire series after that game, further highlighting a lack of depth as his replacement Tom Lynagh, 22, ended up making his first three Test starts against the the impact of possible injuries, the slow start to the series proved costly and former British and Irish Lions tourist Alex Cuthbert disagreed with Schmidt's approach."You've got to question how Australian rugby prepared for this tour. They've known it was coming for 12 years," Cuthbert told Rugby Union Weekly."They had one prep game against Fiji, they had no top players involved. Imagine if they'd put themselves in a position where all those players were available before Brisbane. How different it could have been."
BBC News
25-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
🎧 Can Lions seal series or will Wallabies force decider?
A new episode of the Rugby Union Weekly podcast is available now on BBC Australia bounce back at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground to level the Test series on Saturday? Or will the Lions clinch a second successive series down under?With nine Irishmen in Andy Farrell's team, BBC rugby union correspondent Chris Jones gets the Irish perspective on the second Test with Murray Kinsella from The assistant coach John Fogarty speaks about the significance of playing at Australia's most iconic sporting venue and what legendary Lions captain Martin Johnson said to the players when handing them with their Stiles, one of the winning Wallabies from the 2001 Lions series, gives his view on Australian rugby and how he would make them competitive now on BBC Sounds
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Johnson focus on nailing basics as he addresses Lions
Australia v British and Irish Lions, second Test Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground Date: Saturday 26 July Time: 11.00 BST Coverage: Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app with post-match analysis on BBC iPlayer, Radio 5 Live and the Rugby Union Weekly podcast. British and Irish Lions great Martin Johnson urged Andy Farrell's side to nail the basics in order to seal the series win as he addressed the side for Saturday's second Test against Australia in Melbourne. Johnson became the first man to captain the Lions on consecutive tours when he skippered the side in Australia in 2001, four years after leading the legendary 1997 tour of South Africa. As the current crop attempt to win a series for just the second time this century, Johnson spoke to the squad on Thursday night and presented the matchday 23 with their Test jerseys. "What a privilege to have him come in," Lions assistant coach John Fogarty said on Friday. "He had a really nice presence to him. He spoke about the small margins in the biggest games and he talked about the fundamentals - doing those things properly. It is going to be the smallest of margins. "For this group and for him as a player, mentality wasn't an issue. It was compounding errors, these are the things you need to make sure you are on top of during the match. "He handed some jerseys out, and it was a cool moment. In a tour of loads of cool moments." The whole Lions squad visited the MCG on Friday, taking part in an impromptu game of cricket on the famous outfield, when prop Finlay Bealham's shot-making on both sides of the wicket was a highlight along with fitness guru Aled Walters' trigger-happy umpiring. As the players soaked in the surroundings, Fogarty has urged them to embrace to the occasion on Saturday. "What a stage. What a game it's going to be," he said. "We need to make sure we are rising to the occasion but not letting it take us out. It is such an iconic stadium and there is already excitement building within the group. "We are expecting an absolute battle, a war, and I believe there are 95,000 supporters coming, so it is all mounting to be a huge occasion for both teams. "We have got to deliver now. It's a massive game for them. It's a massive game for us." 'Ringrose doesn't realise magnitude of his call' Ringrose withdraws after being named in Lions side Rugby Union Weekly: Ringrose out but nine Irishmen start at the MCG Fogarty has also paid tribute to the travelling hordes of Lions fans, with more than 30,000 Lions supporters expected in Melbourne this weekend. "There are so many travelling supporters," he added. "The cost, the time - everything that goes into coming over to support a Lions tour - is not lost on us either. "What a privilege just to be here and have this game in front of us. To be able to do something special would be amazing." Get the latest updates from the Lions tour Listen: Sport's Strangest Crimes - Bloodgate Listen to the latest Rugby Union Weekly podcast
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Win the first Test, win the series
Ex-Wallabies scrum-half Will Genia joined the Rugby Union Weekly podcast this week and gave his prediction for the Test series."I look at that Lions team on paper and I think – what a team," said Genia."There are world-class players all across it but I do give us a chance. I think we have some athletes in our team that can really challenge this Lions team and if we can create some time and space for them we can get in the game."Whoever wins the first Test will win the series because you gain confidence and rhythm for the remaining games.""Australia win 2-1. We win the first and third Tests."
Extra.ie
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
England rugby legend: Inclusion of foreign-born Lions ‘doesn't sit right with me'
England rugby legend Danny Care has questioned the inclusion of foreign-born players in the Lions squad. Several players who weren't born in Ireland or Britain, including James Lowe, Bundee Aki and Jamison Gibson-Park, were included in the Lions squad ahead of their upcoming tour, which kicks off against Argentina next Friday, June 20, in Dublin. Other players who qualified through residency and ancestry rules include England's Marcus Smith and Sione Tuipulotu of Scotland. Finlay's inclusion in the squad prompted a debate among former England player Danny Care, with him saying that the residency rule — where players are eligible to play for the national team of a country they've been living in for 36 months or more — would make him uncomfortable. England rugby legend Danny Care has questioned the inclusion of foreign born players such as James Lowe in the Lions squad. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile 'Whatever I say here, you're going to get stick. You open yourself up to it,' Danny said on the Rugby Union Weekly podcast. 'It doesn't sit that well with me that some of these…both your starting wingers are going to be lads that never, ever once in their childhood or even their mid-20s ever dreamt of wearing a red Lions jersey. 'It is what it is, it's the rules, and why not…if you're James Lowe or you're Duhan van der Merwe or you're Gibson-Park, you go, 'oh, I'll play for the Lions, yeah.' We're not going to change it, but… I think there's a lot of people that feel the same but can't say it.' Three Irish players — Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe and Bundee Aki — are eligible to play for the Lions via the residency rule, while Scotland's Duhan van der Mewe is also heavily tipped to start. Danny Crane criticised the residency rule, saying that a lot of people 'feel the same way.' Pic:Chris Ashton also joked about the inclusion of players under the residency rule, saying that players who aren't born in Ireland or Britain but could be eligible via the residency rule, saying that prospective Lions should be asked to name their favourite highlights DVDs. James Lowe, who was born in New Zealand, has defended his call up to the Lions squad, which also came from Ireland and Lions legend Willie John McBride — saying 'When you don't have the blood running through your veins, there is a little bit of that. 'When I was first selected for Ireland, all the people come out of the woodwork saying 'how is this person representing Ireland?' I'm sure it was the same for Sione [Tuipulotu], but the rules are there.' James, who was born in New Zealand but plays for Ireland via the residency rule, clapped back at critics ahead of the Lions tour next week. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile '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. 'Leinster and Ireland have given me everything. They've made me a lot better as a rugby player, they've looked after me physically and they've given me time off to get back to New Zealand when I need it.'
