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The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
South Pacific tour ‘crucial' to Scotland seeding for World Cup
Gregor Townsend stressed the importance of Scotland's summer tour of the South Pacific after naming his 36-man squad for the three fixtures. The Scots kick off with a match against the Maori All Blacks in Whangarei, New Zealand on July 5 before they take on Fiji a week later, with the match marking Scotland's first game on Fijian soil since 2017. In their final game, Scotland take on Samoa in Auckland, New Zealand at the historic Eden Park on July 18. Head coach Townsend, who named Rory Darge as captain with George Turner returning to the fold after missing the last year of international rugby following his move to Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan, said: 'We know that playing Test matches for Scotland and winning Test matches for Scotland is really important, so we have to pick a strong squad to take on the likes of Fiji and Samoa. 'It's an even more important issue with the world-ranking points. The World Cup draw gets made after November, so these games are crucial to make sure we've got the best chance of being in that top six and getting a better seeding. 'There's always, maybe one or two players that we decided not to select not because of form, but because we think it's not right for them to go into tour at this time. 'But other than that, it's as strong as a squad as we could select, and the benefit of having that third game of the game against Maori All Blacks will mean that we will everybody in tour will get game time, and players that maybe haven't played as much for us in the past are going to get game time on the tour and game time for Scotland.' There are three uncapped players named by head coach Gregor Townsend – stand-off Fergus Burke, back-row Alexander Masibaka and tighthead prop Fin Richardson – although all three have been involved with the squad before. In the back row, Matt Fagerson has been included despite missing the end of season with Glasgow through injury but there is no place for Jack Dempsey, who had been sidelined since the Six Nations win over Wales in March. Forwards Andy Onyeama-Christie and Max Williamson are back in after injury. Townsend said he was pleased to be able to recall Turner, who has signed for Harlequins for next season. He said: 'I think when George went to Japan, we never knew whether that would be extended and he was there until the end of his career, which would make it very difficult for him to be considered for us, given the Japan season is played during the Six Nations. 'So it was very good news that he got a club back in the UK and he was really keen to be back involved with us.' Townsend believes some of the Scotland players who narrowly missed out on selection for the British and Irish Lions squad for the tour of Australia may yet get their chance. He said: 'I don't want to say we hope that to happen because that means someone's been injured on the tour, but if someone does get injured, then we would like to feel that our players in a strong position. Some would have been very close to selection anyway. 'If they're playing in New Zealand or in Fiji and playing well, then that gives them an even bigger opportunity to potentially join the Lions tour. 'We've seen the weekend, unfortunately for us was Zander (Fagerson) being injured, but there will be injuries on the way to Australia and during the tour in Australia. 'But the good thing for our players and those that maybe were closer to selection is they were so keen to come out and tour. They've had long seasons, but some of these players are in great form. I look at the weekend and seeing lots of Rory Darge and Tom Jordan still playing some of their best rugby at this time of the season. 'So that's great for us as we go to tour, but it should be also good for chances of getting on the Lions tour.' Scotland Under-20 men's assistant coach Fergus Pringle has been appointed as forwards coach for the tour, deputising for John Dalziel, who will be with the Lions.
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
England v Zimbabwe: first men's cricket Test, day one
Update: Date: 2025-05-22T09:03:24.000Z Title: Ali Martin's preview Content: If the history of English cricket tells us anything – and a reminder came only last winter with the women's team and a bloodbath in Australia that forced a change of captain and coach – it is that these things tend to operate in accordance with the Ashes cycle. Whatever iteration of Bazball this is, its place in history – and a few jobs in the set-up – will likely be defined by the Test results over the next nine months. Update: Date: 2025-05-22T09:00:02.000Z Title: Preamble Content: Hello and welcome to the third and final act of Bazball, the high concept film that has consumed English cricket for the past few years. The first two acts followed a narrative arc that Robert McKee would approve of, if only he knew what the hell cricket was. In 2022 and 2023 we had the set-up, with England playing some astonishing cricket and sweeping (almost) all before them. Last year they encountered conflict and obstacles, with series defeats in India and Pakistan and a growing backlash against the B-word. Now it's time for the resolution. In the next eight months England will play 11 Test matches, starting with Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge over the next four days, and the historical judgement on Bazball will be cast. We all know what a happy ending looks like: Sydney, early January, Ben Stokes holding a little urn and haemorrhaging tears of joy like the modern man he is. But not every great film – and Bazball is most certainly that – has a happy ending: Mulholland Drive, Se7en, Casablanca, Chinatown. If England draw with India and are pummelled by Australia, the euphoria of act one will be forgotten. Forget it Baz, it's Australia away. There's something else to consider. England have crept up to No2 in the Test rankings, a subject that we are contractually obliged to mention only when they have a chance of reaching top spot. There's a disconcertingly feasible scenario whereby they can win the Ashes in Australia and become world No1 at the time. Don't get too excited, though; the World Test Championship is still off limits. Even if England win all 11 Tests, they'll lose so many points for a slow over-rate that they'll probably still be stuck in mid-table. England are expected to beat Zimbabwe at a canter, so the main focus will be on the individual narratives. Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope are realistically playing for one place against India; Sam Cook has finally been dropped from England's greatest uncapped XI; Shoaib Bashir has been retained despite a bruising six months; and Josh Tongue, who has bowled ferociously for Notts since returning from injury, plays his first Test since the Lord's Ashes Test of 2023. Lord's 2023. Jonny Bairstow's stumping, Ben Stokes pumping sixes to all parts. The stakes felt bloody high then, even though we were still in act one. Now it's the start of act three, and it's time for this laboured metaphor to stop the denoument. Play begins at 11am, with the toss at 10.30am.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Joe Root, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook to each score 50+ runs in the first innings is 10/1 - as England's Ashes preparations get underway with a one-off test against Zimbabwe next week
With a massive Ashes series later this year - England will be using this summer's test matches to find the right combinations in the lead-up to their highly-anticipated tour Down Under. Their first Test match of the year gets underway next week - as Brendon McCullum's side take on minnows Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge. Predictably - England are huge odds-on favourites at 1/8 to come away with the win, while the visitors are sizeable outsiders at 20/1. Meanwhile, if you're anticipating a draw - that is the second best-backed result in the market at 7/1. In addition to the head-to-head odds - Sky Bet are offering three Price Boosts for this one-off test match. The first boost - which is valued at 9/1 - requires Ben Stokes to hit a six, hit a four and take a catch in the first innings. Meanwhile, the other two boosts are England to hit a boundary in each of their first three overs in the first innings at 4/1, and Joe Root, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook to each score 50+ runs in the first innings at 10/1. Root and Brook had fantastic 2024 campaigns - with the pair averaging 55.57 and 55 runs per game respectively in Tests. Additionally - Duckett registered six half centuries and two centuries in Test matches in 2024. Sky Bet odds for England vs Zimbabwe: England 1/8 Zimbabwe 20/1 Draw 7/1 Sky Bet Price Boosts for England vs Zimbabwe: Ben Stokes to hit a six, hit a four and take a catch in the first innings WAS 7/1 NOW 9/1 England to hit a boundary in each of their first three overs in the first innings WAS 10/3 NOW 4/1 Joe Root, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook to each score 50+ runs in the first innings WAS 8/1 NOW 10/1
Telegraph
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Adding Owen Farrell to Lions squad is fraught with risk
This is a strange time for those players who have been named as part of the 38-man British and Irish Lions squad to tour Australia. You could call it a 'phoney war', but it is from this point on that their thoughts will turn to the battle for starting berths. It is an honour to be selected for any Lions tour, but Test appearances make the experience complete. Every selected player will have this at the back of his mind from now until the first Test squad is named. All this has been made more opaque by Andy Farrell's decision to leave open two places to give what he calls 'wiggle room' to continue to look at 'a few guys that are trying to play back into fitness and form'. I understand the need for flexibility, but this decision has to be balanced against the uncertainty it brings to the squad psyche. Farrell and his team will have planned the methods through which they intend to mould players from four different countries into a united unit. They will understand the difficulties that players have accepting a secondary role, having been used to being a first choice for most of their careers. They will also bear in mind that each player needs to see that they have had a genuine opportunity to contest for a Test-squad jersey. Nothing undermines a tour like a split in the camp and this one will kick off with the Lions as firm favourites, irrespective of the fact that Australia's form has recently improved. It is a series that they should win with the combined talents available. Most of the speculation around the 'mystery two' has naturally been about Owen Farrell, Andy Farrell's son who recently suffered a head injury during Racing 92's Challenge Cup semi-final defeat by Lyon. Farrell snr is far too professional to allow personal issues to intrude on what would now be a controversial pick, given Farrell jnr's injury-hit season with Racing. If Owen is to be one of the two choices, his selection could have already been made and justified by his abundant experience at Test level and of his previous tours with the Lions. A later selection just complicates things further. Lions history shows that there will be replacements needed during the tour and that anywhere between six and 10 players might be put on the plane back home due to injury. However, given Blair Kinghorn's ability to cover as a fourth fly-half, it is not at No 10 that the squad needs further back-up. Depending on where they ask Elliot Daly to play, it is in the centre where injuries early in the tour might force Farrell's hand, and the choice of only two specialist No 8s might also come into play, depending on whether Farrell wants to follow the recent trend to have a 6-2, forwards to backs, split on his match-day bench. I would be more concerned about the back row, given that they routinely record the highest work rates of all players during games. Another specialist blindside flanker would give Farrell more options when it comes to balancing the back row and doing so from a position of choice rather than reaction. If Tadhg Beirne or Ollie Chessum, who have both played in the No 6 jersey, are being considered as possible blindsides, they ideally need to have played in their back-row units for a couple of games before they play in a Test match. Each selected player must now negotiate a difficult end to their domestic season, needing to play without restraint but knowing that anything more than a trivial injury will deny them an opportunity that only comes around every four years. It is also difficult to celebrate with team-mates who have made the Lions selection, while not treading on the sensibilities of those who have not. It is easy to say that as professionals this comes with the job, but players are not automatons, and they know that the full attention of all their colleagues is needed for the domestic play-offs and finals to come. Finally, spare a thought for players who are in the most difficult of all positions, the ones who have undoubtedly been told that they are on the 'reserve' list for call-ups. The players and their unions will probably have been notified, but the list will remain confidential. Keeping fit and knowing that your only way on to the tour will be via an injury to a fellow player is a strange mindset. Hoping that someone gets injured might not be professional but it is understandable.
Times
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Andy Farrell will pick Lions centre pairing to suffocate Australia
Stage one. Who will tour? Bar the odd injury and late change of personnel, we now know the answer to that. The more significant question, however, is: 'How?' How will the British & Irish Lions — brought together once every four years — play? It will dictate the nature of selection come the Test matches. Let's look to the centres for an answer. Elliot Daly is blessed with the skills to shine at outside centre, wing or full back. He's wonderfully versatile but it would be a surprise to see him start in the No13 shirt. And then there's Tommy Freeman. The Northampton Saints right wing showed he has potential to influence games from the midfield when he scored his solo try against Wales, but
