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The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Owen Farrell opens door to England return after sidestepping social media ‘poison'
Owen Farrell is considering making himself available for England again despite the social media 'poison' that contributed to him stepping back from Test rugby last year. Farrell, who has been picked as captain of the British & Irish Lions in their final midweek tour game, now says he would love to emulate Johnny Sexton and keep playing at the highest level for as long as possible. Farrell, who will turn 34 in September, has not played for England since the 2023 World Cup but has loved his involvement on the current Lions tour of Australia and sounds more open to the idea, if selected, of rejoining the England fold than at any stage since announcing his intention to take a break from international rugby 'to prioritise his and his family's mental wellbeing.' Several of Farrell's Lions colleagues, having seen him slot seamlessly back into a leadership role since replacing the injured Elliot Daly this month, have asked the former England captain about his future plans and he freely admits to being inspired by the example of Sexton, who was still playing for Ireland at the age of 38. 'I'm determined to enjoy what I'm doing and love every minute of however long that I've got left,' said Farrell, who will start at 12 for the Lions against a First Nations & Pasifika XV at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday. 'I'm not old yet. Johnny played forever and I'm obviously a half-back as well. There's loads left in us and I'm just determined to enjoy it. I've come back to make the most of what I am doing. We'll see what happens.' Farrell, sounding as upbeat in public as he has done in many years, has now returned to Saracens after an ill-starred and injury-hit spell at Racing 92 and is clearly relishing his fourth Lions tour since being called up by his father, Andy. His selection prompted a significant reaction on social media, however, and Farrell Jr admits he has not always found the attention easy to cope with. 'There's times where people can say this, that and the other and it just goes over your head. And there's times where you're not in the best place of all time and you're almost waiting for something to set you off. 'I understand that it's different now. I understand that times are different … sometimes [social media] catches fire and just takes a life of its own. It goes wherever it goes and there's momentum behind it. But I don't always understand it, no. If you go and knock on someone's door and ask them their opinion of how you played at the weekend, you wouldn't really listen to their answer. Both [good and bad reactions on social media] are a poison. That's not to say it's all bad but the things that should matter to me and to us as players are the people that matter to us. 'The people I think we should listen to are proper rugby people. Your mates … they'll give you a real answer. If you're in a good place yourself then you can deal with it. There's obviously a lot of external factors that can creep in but ultimately it's up to me how I am. Making sure I'm looking after myself, making sure I'm giving myself a break at times. I'm not someone who needs revving up too much. It's normally the other way, of coming back down and relaxing. So having some perspective and making sure I look after myself in that way will, I think, lead to me being more myself.' If Farrell does return to the England fold it will further increase the options available to the head coach, Steve Borthwick. Fly-halves Fin Smith and Marcus Smith are both on tour alongside Farrell in Australia while George Ford has just reached 100 caps while steering his country to victories against Argentina and the United States. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion For now, though, Farrell is more intent on serving the Lions than fixating on his own prospects of featuring in the last two Tests. 'I think the most important thing is that I come here, be myself and then see where that goes,' said Farrell, chosen as midweek captain by his father ahead of the Wales captain Jac Morgan and England's Jamie George. 'And I mean that genuinely. I'm not saying that but don't mean it. We'll see what happens.' The Lions are also collectively keen to extend their winning momentum ahead of Saturday's second Test against the Wallabies following their 27-19 victory in Brisbane. 'Obviously there is going to be a reaction from the weekend,' said Farrell. 'We need to be ready for that and more.' Those who know Farrell best of all, however, are convinced the Lions have a 'Test match animal' at their disposal if needed. 'The better we train as a non-23 team, the better prepared the Test team are going to be and he has driven that massively,' said George, delighted to be back in the same dressing room as his Saracens teammate. 'He's unbelievably impressive. You don't play with him for a year and it still takes your breath away.'
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Five reasons Australia could still beat Lions and win series
Although ifs and buts are futile in the unforgiving world of Test rugby union, Australia must cling to the hope of rebounding next weekend at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to force a decider. Harry Wilson, the Wallabies captain, seemed disconsolate after his team's 27-19 loss at Suncorp Stadium in the series opener. Joe Schmidt has to frame a disappointing defeat with optimism. Yes, the British and Irish Lions have a great deal of room to improve themselves and were undeniably superior. Yet Australia were still within eight points at the end. Had they landed one of two conversions they missed, there might have been much more tension in the final moments. Games with so much at stake invariably feature contentious turning points. While Joseph Suaalii 's try was correctly chalked off, for instance, Wallabies supporters may feel Ben Earl was lucky to escape a yellow card during that same attack on the hour-mark. With the Lions on a final warning, the back-rower appeared to fold underneath Suaalii in the shadow of his own posts. Australia were trailing 24-5 at the time and would still have needed an extraordinary turnaround. As they regroup for the second Test, they have to believe an upset is possible. Emulating 2001 with a 2-1 triumph may seem a long way off, so it is essential for them to dwell upon reasons for positivity. Reinforcements on the way Power was a major issue for Australia in the first half and their side will be more imposing if Rob Valetini and Will Skelton are able to feature in the second Test. Being without those two as well as Langi Gleeson proved to be predictably debilitating for the Wallabies. A pack containing Skelton would simply not have been man-handled at a driving maul as Australia were when they went for a pushover in the second period: Australia had used a front peel move minutes previously, but Nick Champion de Crespigny was wrapped up by Tadhg Beirne and Dan Sheehan and conceded a turnover. While the selection of James Slipper to start paid off in the scrummaging exchanges, it is difficult to envisage Angus Bell being upended as spectacularly as the veteran loosehead was in the opening seconds. Tom Curry and Sheehan whack Slipper in a tone-setting tackle… …and Beirne swoops in on the following phase to earn the penalty that put the Lions 3-0 ahead. For all of Slipper's nous, Schmidt may be better served with Bell playing 50 minutes rather than 30. There is scope for the Wallabies boss to change up other positions. Tate McDermott, the scampering scrum-half, scored a try from the bench and is a highly effective sniper around heavier runners. There is another stick-or-twist toss-up at fly-half regarding Tom Lynagh. The 22-year-old endured a tough outing and Ben Donaldson could come in to wear 10. As ever, the physical battle between the forwards will be paramount and it would represent a significant swing if the Lions lose Joe McCarthy as the Wallabies reintegrate Valentini and Skelton. Scrummaging promise In the end, the scrum was an annoying inconvenience rather than anything more damaging for the Lions. But they did concede two penalties and a free-kick in all. Australia had the ascendancy, which may have been surprising for many onlookers. The officials were evidently happy with the work of Wallabies tighthead Allan Alaalatoa, who worked infringements out of Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter. Porter is pinged here on the Lions put-in, with Ben O'Keeffe believing him to have collapsed under pressure: Mike Cron, Australia's vastly experienced scrum coach, will be pleased with proceedings overall. Nick Frost's steal on the final play was emblematic of a disruptive final quarter at the line-out as well. More to come from Suaalii One of the disheartening aspects of Australia's performance was their inability to hurt the Lions with any strike moves. Indeed, one backfired horribly as Curry picked off a throw from Matt Faessler that had sailed over the top of the line-out towards midfield. Sheehan scored from the ensuing attack. The peripheral nature of Joseph Suaalii's display was another curious and frustrating factor for the Wallabies. Led by Curry and Beirne, the Lions stifled their opponents and caused Australia's attack to look confused and rudderless at times. Even so, Suaalii could have been more prominent. Dinking shallow restarts for him to chase felt like an easy win for the Wallabies, yet they did not turn to this strategy until they were 10-0 behind. Here is the map of Australia's restarts: Despite the Lions' wobbles during the tour matches, Australia's first two restarts were hit long and caught under no pressure. It took until their third for Suaalii to be able to jump against a lifting pod: When it did happen, even if Australia did not regather one all evening, the tactic caused problems. This chip from Lynagh, mopped up well by the Lions, was another attempt to bring in Suaalii. The idea is right, yet let down by poor execution and a kick that travels slightly too long: Schmidt will hope that Australia will be slicker, and more able to unleash an exceptional athlete, after 80 more minutes together. Max Jorgensen, a slippery runner, threatened the Lions despite limited opportunities. Should the Wallabies generate more momentum and quick rucks at the MCG, Suaalii and full-back Tom Wright should be able to trouble the Lions defence. Wilson as a focal point To their credit, Australia were admirably defiant and asserted themselves in the physical exchanges during a second half in which they scored 14 points to the Lions' tally of 10. Carlo Tizzano shunted over for a close-range try and Wilson, who had been well contained earlier, began to eke out metres. Here, the latter forces himself past Maro Itoje and Beirne before lifting an offload to Nick Frost: A couple of minutes later, Wilson picks from the base of a ruck and slips through the fringe defence. Only some quick thinking from James Lowe prevents a try: Wilson, a skilful kicker, almost created a try for Harry Potter with this cute grubber… …and will be more influential if others can help him share the carrying load. Breakdown disruption Uncertainty from the Lions' back three gave Australia some bright moments in the kicking exchanges, such as Jorgensen's leap to beat Hugo Keenan and score. On the floor, even if Australia's attacking breakdown work could have been tidier amid the jackalling of Beirne, Fraser McReight underlined his reputation as an outstanding scavenger. Here, he follows Len Ikitau into a ruck and emerges with the ball: The position on the field of the turnover above is important to highlight. Ben O'Keeffe allowed a contest at the ruck and, on the whole, the Wallabies targeted wide breakdowns, where the Lions have looked vulnerable all tour. On a few occasions, they timed a barge for when Jamison Gibson-Park was reaching into messy breakdowns. Schmidt is a stickler for such details. Andrea Piardi is the man in the middle for Melbourne. If McReight can stay on the right side of the Italian referee, he can drag the Lions into another dogfight. A comeback victory would be an extraordinary feat for the Wallabies after defeat in Brisbane, but there are crumbs of comfort to clutch. Next weekend is do-or-die territory. They must deliver.
Bloomberg
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Bloomberg
Wales Extends Record Losing Rugby Streak With Loss to Japan
By Updated on Save KITAKYUSHU, Japan (AP) — Wales lost again. The longest losing streak by a major test rugby team in the professional era was extended to 18 matches when Wales lost to Japan 24-19 on Saturday.
BBC News
29-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Tuipulotu finds feet again and hails world-class Ringrose and Russell'
Having missed the Six Nations through injury, Sione Tuipulotu feels he's now finding his best stuff again, the kind of power and influence that shot him to favourite for the Lions Test 12 jersey in the first place."I'm starting to get my feet back underneath me," said the centre after playing the full 80 minutes in the convincing win over Western Force on Saturday."Obviously, I haven't played Test rugby since the autumn. I still feel like I've got massive growth to do and I know I can start playing my best rugby in the bigger games at the end of this tour."There's no doubt he is getting better with every game. There's also no doubt that the battle for the Test midfield partnership is Perth the partnership was Tuipulotu and Garry Ringrose, who the Scotland captain was impressed by, to put it mildly. "Jeez, mate, he's a missile out there," Tuipulotu said of the Irishman's enjoyed being alongside Ringrose in the red of the Lions as opposed to in front of him in the blue of last time Tuipulotu faced Ringrose in the international arena was at the World Cup in Paris in 2023. Ireland sprinted into a 36-0 lead before Scotland managed a couple of late consolation tries. Ringrose was exceptional on one of the darker days of Tuipulotu's Test career."He backed himself to make those [defensive] reads," said Tuipulotu of the howitzers Ringrose put in on a succession of Western Force attackers. "He left a few sore bodies out there, including himself. What a player."I really enjoyed playing with him. And then I also enjoyed when Shuggie [Huw Jones] came off the bench and got some valuable minutes after being out for a while."In all probability Jones, after his Lions debut against the Force, will get his chance to shine from the start on Wednesday when Andy Farrell's side face the more difficult challenge of the Reds in Brisbane. The Reds, coached by incoming Wallabies boss Les Kiss, finished fifth in this season's Super Rugby compared to the Force who struggled in in Perth, when the stadium announcer was calling the teams, Tuipulotu was introduced as "another former Aussie Sione Tuipulotu", a crack at the Melbourne-born centre's expense. Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Pierre Schoeman, the other southern hemisphere-born Lions, got similar treatment from the wiseguy with the had a chuckle at the wind-up. "I knew there would be some good humour coming back home to Australia," he said. "Look, these are all things we've got to take in our stride. To not announce the elephant in the room, I am from Australia. You know, I was born here. I don't know how funny that gag is to everyone."But I'm loving my rugby playing for the Lions and I'm really passionate about it. Andy [Farrell] has brought the group together so well. To play under a coach like him, I can see why Ireland has been so successful in the past." Tuipulotu also spoke about fly-half Finn Russell's influence on the game and the stamp he's putting on the 2025 Lions."We're taking ideas from all the nations. Obviously, the coaching style is very Ireland dominant and there's a lot of ideas that we're getting from the Irish coaches, but then they're sprinkled on. When Finn comes in, he plays his style. He plays to the structure of the team, but he's a very instinctive player and he wants to play what's directly in front of his face."There's a mixture there and I think that's what's going to make it hard to defend for teams. They're not necessarily defending a structure of play, they're kind of defending a structure of play with really supreme individuals conducting it, like Finn."Finn coming into the line-up helped a lot. I've played a lot of rugby with Finn so that combination doesn't really need to be worked on."He's a world-class number 10. He's been here, done that. He's come off a really good season after winning the Premiership with Bath and I thought him and Tomos [Williams] controlled the game and were able to move the ball like we talked about during the week. You could see how we're trying to play the game."In a lighter moment during the press conference after the game, Farrell mentioned that the squad had created their own song, a first blast coming in Perth."I think Fin Smith and Huw Jones wrote up the song. We got the first crack of it in the changing room. I'd like to perfect it before I share it to the world. Yeah it was pretty rough, to be honest. We were off beat, so we're going to need a few more practice runs before we nail it and put it out to the media."Out of tune off the pitch, perhaps, but they hit enough right notes against the Force. Onwards to Brisbane now and the Reds on Wednesday.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Steve Borthwick backs Henry Pollock to make Lions Test team
Steve Borthwick believes Henry Pollock can continue his meteoric rise by breaking into the Test line-up on the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia. After handing Pollock his England debut in the 68-14 thrashing of Wales at the end of the Six Nations, Borthwick may have anticipated fielding the 20-year-old in Argentina and USA this summer. Andy Farrell, however, has disrupted those plans. Pollock has burst into the Lions squad on the back of electric form for Northampton Saints, helping his club into the Investec Champions Cup final against Union Bordeaux-Bègles on Saturday in Cardiff. A spot against the Wallabies would represent another leap, yet Borthwick is confident that Pollock will relish the distinctive environment. 'What has struck us is that each and every level [Pollock] steps up to, he really embraces that challenge,' Borthwick said. 'I sense he's somebody who just jumps all-in and doesn't contemplate it too much. He simply jumps into it and embraces the contest. And I expect him to do the same again this summer. 'When you look at how quickly he's grown from starting at the Six Nations in our training camp, then playing a couple of games with the Under-20s, to then joining our training camp again and then playing at the end of the Six Nations. 'The form he's played in Northampton since the end of that and in some of the biggest games, he's performed brilliantly. He's clearly an incredibly talented player who just loves the challenge.' The Test series begins on July 19 in Brisbane and Borthwick suggested that inexperience would not be a barrier to Pollock's involvement. 'I think nobody would bet against that,' he said of the youngster's Test prospects. 'There's fierce competition there. Ben Earl's another player who's played really well for England for two or three years now, played almost every minute of England's games for two or three years. He's been exceptional. 'I think the depth of the player talent there is what makes it such an exciting squad and an exciting series. But I think nobody would bet against [Pollock playing].' Lions tour 'phenomenal' World Cup primer Having travelled to New Zealand in 2017 as one of Warren Gatland's assistant coaches, Borthwick is fond of the 'traditional' and 'immersive' nature of Lions tours. This summer, he hopes the trip will enhance his England set-up in several ways. Firstly, there are the benefits of sending a strong contingent to Australia, which will be spearheaded by assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth and captain Maro Itoje. At the same time, England's own summer schedule will demand that they build depth and lean upon greener players. 'I look at the benefits of the players and the management team we have represented on this Lions tour,' Borthwick said. 'Operating with the best players in four countries, I think that you get the opportunity to learn and observe how other people operate. Going down to Australia where the World Cup will be in two years, from a management team perspective as well as the players, is phenomenal. 'Australia will be the first team we play in the autumn series in 2025 back at Allianz Stadium. I think that's also an important consideration. I see huge opportunity and huge advantages to the representation England have on this tour. 'I think the other aspect to look at is the quality of players we have here who are not on that Lions tour but are experienced players. Fin Baxter has been in every England 23 for pretty much the last year. Bevan Rodd has been in plenty of games, he started at loose-head prop in England's bronze-medal game in the last World Cup. Opoku-Fordjour part of long-term plan 'You see Jamie George, Theo Dan, you've got Joe Heyes, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Afo Fasogbon. Just to look at the front-rowers, these are really good players who are fighting for an opportunity in the England team. So I see that as being an important step for us coming into the autumn.' Opoku-Fordjour will continue to cover loosehead and tighthead prop for England as part of a 'long-term plan' that could be 'terrific' for World Cups. The prodigious front-rower, an England U20 team-mate of Pollock last season, has impressed at tighthead for Sale Sharks yet switched to loosehead for the England A international against Australia last November. Fourteen members of Borthwick's 33-man training squad are uncapped and the head coach pinpointed the selection of Emeka Ilione, even with back-rowers such as Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill likely to return when those from Bath and Northampton Saints are reintegrated, as further indication of how valuable breakdown disruption has become. 'With Emeka, I've been impressed by what he's done coming on to the pitch for Leicester Tigers,' Borthwick added. 'I think he's grown enormously. His carrying has been very good, but in particular, his contest at the breakdown [has been impressive] – his jackalling skills. 'If you look at what emerged for England over the past period of time, in the Six Nations especially, it was the strength of the team from a jackalling perspective. If you look at the back rows I've selected, you can see that in some respects Test rugby is different to Premiership rugby around the contact area and the level of contest and that's what really stood out for me [with Ilione].' Jack Kenningham, outstanding for England A against Ireland in February, is another scavenger who will compete for game-time in a squad loaded with impressive back-rowers. Other positions, though, are not as well resourced. Second-row and fly-half bolters have to step up in Argentina Borthwick acknowledged that the absences of Itoje, Ollie Chessum and George Martin – the first two bound for Lions involvement with the latter injured – will require locks to step up. Joe Batley, Arthur Clark and Richard Capstick are three uncapped second rows to have attended Pennyhill Park this week, while Chandler Cunningham-South and Ted Hill remain auxiliary options in the engine room. Alex Coles is among Northampton's most influential individuals. A shortage of front-line fly-halves has been exposed, too, by Lions call-ups for Fin and Marcus Smith. Beneath George Ford, primed for a pivotal role with England this summer, Charlie Atkinson of Gloucester and Ciaran Donoghue of Bath are in the frame. Donoghue has enjoyed an assured breakthrough season, flitting between full-back and fly-half. 'We've got three brilliant fly-halves in Fin, Marcus and George,' Borthwick said. 'Two of them have been selected for the Lions tour, so we're clearly looking at who will be the next ones. Charlie Atkinson has been in a number of squads and training programmes and Ciaran Donoghue is another of those players. 'I've spoken before about the importance in international rugby of players with that positional flexibility. [Donoghue] has got exceptional pace. He's a player I've spoken to Lee Blackett about a number of times. Lee has coached him at Bath and Lee is going to be part of the England touring party this summer.' The Lions may need to draft in supplementary players for their match against Argentina on June 20 in Dublin, but Borthwick insisted that it was too early for any discussions with Andy Farrell over standby lists given the domestic and European fixtures to come. Borthwick did praise Ford, George and Henry Slade for putting aside any Lions disappointment to act as 'role models' on Tuesday at Pennyhill Park. Argentina are currently fifth in the World Rugby rankings, a shade above England in sixth. This exemplifies the challenge – and the opportunity – of what could be a seminal summer for Borthwick's players, whether representing the Lions in Australia or England in Argentina. 'In the last 12 months, they've beaten South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and now they're playing at home against this English team,' Borthwick said of the Pumas. 'It's going to be a different challenge for them, because they can't use the underdog tag.'
