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Irish Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Owen Doyle: First game of Lions tour showed why the lineout is heading for same farcical fate as the scrum
Three flashes of sheer brilliance delivered for the Lions . In a poor first-half with many penalties conceded, plus a consequent yellow card, those magical moments provided a handy 14-point cushion. Things then improved in the second period and they swept aside a tiring Western Force . Referee Ben O'Keeffe will reappear for the first test, but this was little more than an evening stroll for him. He can expect a different challenge when Joe Schmidt 's Wallabies and the Lions share the same den. The Lensbury Club, near the Thames' famous Teddington Lock, has hosted many rugby events. About 20 years ago the world's referee cohort gathered there under the auspices of World Rugby. There were long discussions concerning the scrum put-in, which was not being whistled if the ball was delivered squint. The active referees argued hard that there were so many other scrum things to look out for that a crooked throw was not very high on their agenda. READ MORE My attempted insistence that a reasonably straight throw should be the first thing on their list, not the last, fell on deaf ears. After much huffing and puffing, it was agreed to allow a little leeway. Well, we all know where that quickly ended up; it is never a contest for possession. It is disappointing to see a similar issue, regarding the throw-in at the lineout, continue unresolved. Referees and their assistants seem happy to ignore it. This phase is in real danger of following the path of the scrum. It is on track to soon become just a restart of play and no longer that vital contest for possession. Which Irish players have impressed for the Lions? Listen | 43:53 The Western Force have, apparently, a very good lineout record in Super Rugby. That's hardly surprising if they are allowed to throw in down their own side. We saw enough of it on Saturday and the Lions weren't total saints either. But, ironically, a straight contestable throw by Dan Sheehan was actually nicked by the Force. The daft law trial of not whistling crooked throws if the opposition don't jump to compete has obviously put coaches into scheming mode. Everybody is at it now. Glasgow recently constructed a try by putting up a dummy jump while their thrower passed the ball directly to his front man. The front man, who hadn't budged an inch before receiving the ball, strode over unopposed. The Lions' Ollie Chessum contests a lineout with Western Force's Will Harris. Photograph: Billy Sitckland/Inpho It is technically true to say the Force threw the ball in straight, but often it was straight along the line of their own players. This translates as crooked in line-out law as the opposition cannot contest the ball. However, to trigger the referee's whistle, they must put a jumper up. The problem is that everyone knows match officials ignore the offence, so why would anyone bother putting a jumper up? It's completely counter productive. Unlike the scrum, there is a simple fix. It requires the match officials to understand that the throw has to be contestable. If it isn't, then they must not opt out of a very basic law, which is what happened to the scrum. Referees' positioning at the lineout is consistent. Without fail, they stand at the back along the line of touch. A small adjustment would usefully see them stand in line with the last man of the thrower's team. Then, if the trajectory of the ball's flight is directly 'at' the referee, it's safe to say it's not straight. [ Australian rugby's incendiary attitude towards nationality needs extinguishing Opens in new window ] The scrums were an easier job for O'Keeffe. Some were actually perfect, enabling us to watch backs running at backs. When the Lions bench arrived, their scrum put legal pressure on the Force, rather than driving across. Work done with the coaches, by World Rugby referees manager Joel Jutge, has paid an initial dividend. It is early days, but encouraging. Maybe he'll find time to chat about the lineout. The Top 14 final was an epic encounter. It was 33-33 at the end of normal time between Bordeaux-Begles and the eventual winners, Toulouse. The match was well refereed by Pierre Brousset. In addition to a jam-packed Stade de France, the city centres of Bordeaux and Toulouse were thronged with spectators watching on giant screens. It was another demonstration that the northern hemisphere does not have a problem with supporter numbers. However, the unions of the Six Nation must get organised and reject law trials that attack the heart and soul of rugby. It can be done. History shows that in 2009, those unions did succeed in persuading the reversal of several 'southern' radical proposals which were on the cusp of changing the sport irrevocably. Those particular proposals have never reappeared. Rugby fans at Optus Stadium in Perth were treated to an impressive Lions showing. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho The 40,000 Lions supporters who travel south will guarantee packed houses. They are true rugby followers who understand the nuances and core characteristics of the game. When the tour is over, if Australia still can't manage to sell rugby for what it is to their own public, then they should certainly not be allowed to meddle with it. Ian McGeechan, the foremost coach of his generation, brought Scotland to a grand slam in 1990 and then there were his Lions days. He coached the tourists of 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2009, having played for them in all eight tests in 1974/1977. Yes, you read all of that correctly. In 1974, in South Africa, the invincible Lions were unbeaten. McGeechan's centre partner for the four tests was Dick Milliken, of Bangor RFC, Ulster and Ireland. It was a delight to listen to 'Geech' in studio giving us his insights of how the Lions performed and how they'll go about building their test team. He should know – he's done it often enough. Finally, a plea to World Rugby. Don't do a 'Lensbury' on the lineout.
The Independent
27-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
John Mitchell: ‘People see the Red Roses as an easy team to coach - but it's a very challenging programme'
The wind is whipping along the terrace at the back of England's Teddington training base, rattling the protective canopies overhead, but John Mitchell is presenting an image of perfect tranquillity. Pupils scanning in an ever-considered manner from behind the clear-framed eyewear that have become his trademark, a Red Roses bucket hat adorns his familiar dome, the head coach fresh off the training paddock as preparations intensify for a Rugby World Cup for which England expects. Mitchell's squad came together at the start of June; they will not properly disperse, they hope, until after a trophy is lifted at Twickenham on 27 September. A team that has been unbeaten since World Cup final heartbreak in Auckland are fully focussed on ensuring they go one better this time around. If the New Zealander's appointment raised eyebrows in 2023 – Mitchell had never worked in the women's game – it was for this period that he was so coveted as England prepare for a tournament that, for many reasons, they will feel they have to win. 'I think people see it as an easy team to coach and that might look like that from the results,' Mitchell explains, having not yet lost in the job. 'But to me it's a very challenging programme that gets me up every morning. 'They give you a lot of energy back. They're highly driven. They're highly competitive. They don't like sitting second in the pecking order. 'They all want to make it. They all want to get better. And I think they're hungry as well because they haven't got something done in 11 years. So to be part of that and to lead that means I've got to pay attention to where the team needs to improve.' Mitchell's desire to lead a programme again was a key factor in his desire to take on the role; it helped, too, that he was based in Surrey and already familiar with the English ecosystem from two stints as an assistant with the men's team. He emerged as the chosen candidate to take the Red Roses into the World Cup with something of an outsider's edge, the 61-year-old carrying with him no preconceptions of the job he was about to take on but the experience of a broad coaching career that began almost three decades ago. His buy-in since taking the role has been clear; the bucket hat is a nod to that. In his time as coach, Mitchell has popped up in TikTok videos and been greeted by a Being John Malkovich-esque room full of cut-outs of his head. It is a culture rather different to that which he oversaw with the All Blacks at the turn of the century – yet the squad all suggest they have been encouraged to embrace and celebrate their somewhat idiosyncratic identities. The scrutiny heightens, though, as the World Cup looms ever larger and the focus will be on ensuring a side unbeaten in their last 25 games remains ahead of the chasing pack. Mitchell, and England, are not yet considering the threats that Canada, New Zealand or France might pose, knowing that they have to get out of the group first, but setting standards has been a consistent motivating force in recent years. Their preparations for the tournament will include a trip to Treviso, the sort of warm-weather camp now commonplace for men's sides ahead of a World Cup but believed to be the first of its kind for England's women. Having made clarity of communication a priority in his tenure, most of Mitchell's players will know by the time they arrive back from Italy on 12 July where the stand in the pecking order before the official World Cup squad is named 12 days later. 'It will probably be our most uncomfortable training camp of all of them because it will be hot and you'll get bothered,' Mitchell says of the week in Treviso. 'The amount that we've layered on our game will put them under a lot of questions through scenarios, the unfairness that comes in the games through cards, those sorts of things. The play to rest ratios will be probably a little bit lower as well. 'I think it's really important to go away from your country and that will create connection as well. The heat will in itself create its own duress. I'd rather be ready for every eventuality. If we don't create that exposure then we're probably going to let ourselves down, like the last World Cup [where England's Lydia Thompson was sent off in the first half].' Mitchell will balance the need to develop cohesion with getting minutes into his wider squad in two warm-up games against Spain and France ahead of the opening fixture of the World Cup against the United States in Sunderland on 22 August. After defence coach Sarah Hunter 's return from maternity leave, it is a settled staff with no further additions planned before the tournament. A strong CV possessed by the Kiwi coach does have one glaring omission. Mitchell is yet to be part of a World Cup win, his All Blacks in 2003 undone by Australia and, a little, themselves at the semi-final stage and Eddie Jones's England beaten by South Africa in the final in 2019 while Mitchell was overseeing their defence. This would appear a golden opportunity to correct the record – though he insists his focus is fully on the team. 'I think I've been in that position where you individually put yourself first,' Mitchell admits. 'I think what the game has taught me the older I've gotten is that you just put yourself second, and just control what you can control, and deal with whatever happens. Ultimately, I think when you do that, you enjoy it more and there's less pressure on yourself to do that. 'This team's attracted to consistency. It's not in a hurry to give that up. It knows it's going to be challenged in its home World Cup and we know that we've got to earn the right to contest the final. There's plenty to do and that's why we're working hard into the tournament.'
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Art exhibition celebrating creativity set to open in Teddington this week
The Richmond Art Society is set to launch its highly anticipated Summer Exhibition, showcasing an exciting collection of works by Richmond Art Prize winners. The exhibition opens with a special evening on Thursday, June 26, from 6pm to 8pm at the Landmark Arts Centre, Ferry Road, Teddington TW11 9NN. Entry is free and all are welcome. The exhibition continues over the weekend, with viewing hours from 10am to 5pm on Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28, and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday, June 29. Visitors can enjoy a diverse range of artwork, including paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, ceramics, photography and digital art. A bar will be open during the Thursday opening evening, while the on-site café will be available throughout the event. The show celebrates creativity and community spirit, offering art lovers a chance to explore and purchase original works. Full details are available at
