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The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Garry Ringrose out of third Test with concussion as Lions target series rout
Garry Ringrose will miss the third British & Irish Lions Test against Australia on Saturday because of concussion, but the coaching staff have vowed to pick 'the best team available' as they seek a first unbeaten series since 1974. Ringrose reported concussion symptoms just before Andy Farrell, the head coach, was due to name his side for the second Test and that triggered a 12‑day stand-down period for the Ireland centre, ruling him out of the final game in Sydney. In better news for Farrell, Joe McCarthy, Mack Hansen and Sione Tuipulotu all took a full part in training on Tuesday and are in contention. Farrell sought to blow off any lingering cobwebs from the second-Test celebrations with a Squid Game challenge at the start of training. It was a version of 'green light, red light', a survival game based on stealth and the Ireland tighthead prop Thomas Clarkson was the first to be eliminated, but the Lions were soon down to business. The head coach and his staff will meet on Wednesday night to finalise selection, but Farrell is not expected to make wholesale changes given the Lions' pursuit of history. Maro Itoje is likely to captain the side again even though he has surpassed the mandated 30-game limit dictated by the Rugby Football Union. 'For this time of tour it's amazing how many people we've got available,' the assistant coach Andrew Goodman said. 'Unfortunately Garry has been ruled out of this Test match, but we have Mack, Joe, Sione all out there running today. 'We had a Squid Game challenge, green light, red light, the whole field was covered in different things they could hide behind, and they had people in the top tier keeping an eye. It was a good craic. '[The motivation to win 3-0] is huge. It's everything for us as a group to get excited about. It was 1974 the last time a Lions team went through the Test series unbeaten, so there's huge motivation for the group. '[It will be] the best team available to win the series. That might look like some changes, that might look like consistency. We will see how the boys go through their recovery process over the next couple of days and whatever 23's picked will go out there and do the best for the team. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion 'You've got to reward form when guys have been playing well and are match-hardened in those Test matches. It is a balance and I'm sure we'll have some good discussions as we always have.' Ringrose has been widely praised for speaking up about his symptoms last week. 'He's disappointed as you can imagine,' Goodman said. 'Garry was playing some amazing rugby through this tour and someone who it's been a dream of his for so long to represent the Lions and he's managed to do that. But he wanted to be a Test-match Lion so it's been devastating for him. 'He's disappointed for himself, but he's getting around everyone and making sure he helps prepare everyone as much as he can.'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Garry Ringrose out of third Test with concussion as Lions set sights on whitewash
Garry Ringrose will miss the third British & Irish Lions Test against Australia on Saturday due to concussion, but the coaching staff have vowed to pick 'the best team available' as they attempt to complete a first unbeaten series since 1974. Ringrose reported concussion symptoms just before Andy Farrell was due to name his side for the second Test and that triggered a 12-day stand-down period, ruling the Ireland centre out of the game in Sydney. In better news for Farrell, Joe McCarthy, Mack Hansen and Sione Tuipulotu all took a full part in training on Tuesday and are in contention. Farrell sought to blow off any lingering cobwebs from the second-Test celebrations with a Squid Game challenge at the start of training. It was a version of 'green light, red light', a survival game based on stealth and the Ireland tighthead prop Thomas Clarkson was the first to be eliminated, but the Lions were soon down to businessh. Farrell and his coaching staff will meet on Wednesday night to finalise selection, but he is not expected to make wholesale changes given the Lions' pursuit of history. Maro Itoje is likely to captain the side again even though he has surpassed the mandated 30-game limit, dictated by the Rugby Football Union. 'For this time of tour it's amazing how many people we've got available,' said assistant coach Andrew Goodman. 'Unfortunately, Garry has been ruled out of this Test match, but we have Mack, Joe, Sione all out there running today. 'We had a Squid Game challenge, green light, red light, the whole field was covered in different things they could hide behind, and they had people in the top tier keeping an eye. It was a good craic. '[The motivation to win 3-0] is huge. It's everything for us as a group to get excited about. It was 1974 the last time a Lions team went through the Test series unbeaten, so there's huge motivation for the group. '[It will be] the best team available to win the series. That might look like some changes, that might look like consistency. We will see how the boys go through their recovery process over the next couple of days and whatever 23's picked will go out there and do the best for the team. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion 'You've got to reward form when guys have been playing well and are match-hardened in those Test matches. It is a balance and I'm sure we'll have some good discussions as we always have.' Ringrose has been widely praised for speaking up about his symptoms last week. 'He's disappointed as you can imagine,' said Goodman. 'Garry was playing some amazing rugby through this tour and someone who it's been a dream of his for so long to represent the Lions and he's managed to do that. But he wanted to be a Test-match Lion so it's been devastating for him. 'He's disappointed for himself, but he's getting around everyone and making sure he helps prepare everyone as much as he can.'
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘We're not playing a pub team': Itoje warns Lions of wounded Wallabies at MCG
Maro Itoje has urged the British & Irish Lions to beware the wounded Wallabies, insisting they are 'not a pub team' before calling on his side to create special memories as they seek to wrap up the series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. The tourists are red-hot favourites to clinch the second Test and thereby earn the Lions' first back-to-back series win against the same opponents, after Sam Warburton guided them to victory over the Wallabies in 2013. The head coach, Andy Farrell, has already described the fixture, in front of an expected crowd of about 95,000, as 'the biggest game of our lives', with the Lions seeking only a second series win since 1997. On Thursday night the squad were given a call to arms by the two-times Lions captain and 2003 World Cup winner Martin Johnson, who presented the selected 23 with their jerseys. The Lions are 4-1 on favourites to clinch the series after blowing the Wallabies away in the first half of last weekend's 27-19 win in Brisbane, but a second-half rally and the return from injury of Will Skelton and Rob Valetini has given the home side a degree of hope. Citing how England were beaten 42-37 by the Wallabies last November in a thrilling contest at Twickenham, Itoje is adamant that the Lions must not underestimate Joe Schmidt's Australia. 'We know we are not playing a pub team,' the Lions captain said. 'The Wallabies are a proper team, I played them last year in the autumn and we lost to them when we were supposed to win. They are a team that can punish you if you don't approach the game properly.' Itoje is poised to win his eighth Lions Test cap and is one of only three players in Farrell's squad to have been on three or more tours for the combined side. He was voted the Lions' player of the series in 2021 and enjoyed a stunning performance in the second Test win against the All Blacks in 2017, while for England he has appeared in the 2019 World Cup final and fell agonisingly short of repeating the trick four years later. 'These are the sorts of games, these are almost the reason why you want to play rugby,' he added. 'You want to be a part of these huge occasions, huge games with maybe a little bit of jeopardy on the line, but more so the opportunity to do something special, the opportunity to be a part of something special, the opportunity to do something that lives long in the memory, and create special memories with your friends and colleagues and family. So I try to focus on the opportunity. Then I also just try to focus on the process of what I need to do to get myself in the right space. 'Given the magnitude of the game and the weeks, there's a higher level of focus. As a professional athlete, there's always focus on what you do, but not all games are equal. Not all games mean the same thing. And this game, last week, these games aren't equal to normal games of rugby. They're special. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion 'So naturally, there's a higher level of focus. It requires a higher level of intensity and a higher level of diligence to what you want to do. It goes without saying we need to play the game with a huge amount of intensity and that should be reflected in our buildup and how we approach the game.'
Wales Online
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
All Black launches live TV rant at 'disrespectful' France
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info All Blacks legend Justin Marshall has heavily criticised France for sending a vastly underpowered squad to New Zealand this summer. The average age of the French squad is just over 25, with head coach Fabien Galthie deciding to leave out 20 'premium' internationals for the Test series against the All Blacks. That means the likes of Romain Ntamack, Damien Penaud and Gregory Alldritt will be staying at home this summer. Speaking on Sky Sports New Zealand's 'Breakdown' show, Marshall labelled their decision to leave out key players as "complete BS". The French Rugby Federation (FFR) and National Rugby League (LNR), who are in charge of the clubs, agreed in October last year that players who feature in the Top 14 final cannot take part in the mid-year internationals. This was an amendment to Galthie's premium player policy that rested players key to the national set-up, regardless of where they finished. With Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles taking part in the Top 14 final last weekend, that means a large chunk of elite French players could not be selected for the summer's tour. "To be honest, I'm really disappointed, the way the side that the French have brought is clearly underpowered, the average age of 25 ,the average number of caps is 9.3," Marshall told The Breakdown on Sky Sports. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia. "This is a side that has a very little amount of experience and then at the end of the day, 49% of the players have got no caps at all. So it's a development team with a few senior players involved. "In my mind, it's complete BS the way that they're treating this tour, the way that the French always seem to have come up with excuses to not bring their top players, I feel they disrespect the international window. "I'm not going to say that it's not going to be a contest out there, but our fans deserve to see their best players playing in our country against our All Blacks because we do that in November to them, we send our very best players for filling their stadiums and giving the fans the best experience they can get by seeing the best players in the world. "They are not doing that and if they keep doing this, which is quite regular for them, just don't invite them. We'll play someone else, it's still going to be a good series, and they'll be competitive, and they've got depth. "But the reality is, they've left 70% of their best players in France, and I just don't feel that that is within the decency and the respect of the game." Watch the clip below. Speaking to L'Equipe, Galthie clarified why France do this. "We follow a hundred players. But above all we have identified a 'premium' group of 20 players," he said. "We want them to have consistent development. We want to work hand-in-hand with the league and the clubs. Our goal is for players to be able to give the best of themselves in the French team, but also in club. We want to go further while taking into account the challenges of the clubs. "Players will benefit from four mandatory weeks off and four weeks without matches." Galthie also argues that northern hemisphere players take part in seven or more games than their southern hemisphere counter-parts, which means Les Bleus feel they must manage the workload to avoid injury. (Image: (Photo by)) Conversely, French players reportedly do not agree with this policy, and view a tour New Zealand as a unique opportunity. "He's run into some real opposition over that from his own players," commentator Tony Johnson told Sport Nation's Afternoons with Staffy. "They want to come on this tour. They still see a series in New Zealand against the All Blacks as one of the ultimate challenges in rugby - perhaps the ultimate challenge outside of the World Cup." When this system was implemented by France in October, New Zealand Rugby even asked World Rugby for clarity around the rules, with regulation nine stating that players must be made available for international windows.
The 42
30-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'It's complete BS' - All Blacks legend Justin Marshall slams France's approach to NZ tour
ALL BLACKS LEGEND Justin Marshall has branded France's decision to send an inexperienced squad to New Zealand this summer as 'complete BS'. Six Nations champions France will be without a host of their frontline players for their three-Test series against the All Blacks, with star names such as Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Damian Penaud, Thomas Ramos and Gregory Alldritt given the summer off by Fabien Galthié after a physically demanding season. Galthié has named 17 uncapped players in his initial 37-man squad, with only three — tour skipper Gael Fickou, Leinster tighthead Rabah Slimani, and Racing lock Romain Taofifenua — boasting over 50 Test appearances. France's squad will be strengthened for the second and third Tests by five members of the two Top 14 finalists, Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles. Those players will be named when the results of fitness tests performed after Saturday's final are known. But speaking on The Breakdown show on Sky Sport in his native New Zealand, former All Black scrum-half Justin Marshall said Galthié's developmental approach to the series bore the hallmarks of 'disrespect' towards international rugby. 'To be honest, I'm really disappointed,' Marshall said. 'Look, the side that the French have bought is clearly underpowered. At the end of the day, the average age [is] 25 and the average number of caps [is] 9.3. 'This is a side that has a very little amount of experience. At the end of the day, there's 49% of the players have got no caps at all. So, it's a development team with a few senior players involved. Advertisement 'In my mind, it's complete BS the way that they're treating this tour, the way that the French always seem to have come up with excuses to not bring their top players. I feel they disrespect the international window.' Marshall expressed his belief that the tour could still be competitive, but cited the commercial importance of the series to New Zealand Rugby as cause for dissatisfaction with Galthié's selection. 'Our fans deserve to see their best players playing in our country against our All Blacks because we do that in November to them: we send our very best players for filling their stadiums and giving the fans the best experience they can get by seeing the best players in the world. 'They are not doing that,' said Marshall, who had a short stint in France with Montpellier during his playing career. 'And if they keep doing this, which is quite regular for them, just don't invite them. We'll play someone else. 'Look, it's still going to be a good series, and they'll be competitive, and they've got depth. 'But the reality is, they've left 70% of their best players in France, and I just don't feel that that is within the decency and the respect of the game.' Marshall's fellow former All Black, Jeff Wilson, meanwhile, questioned the merits of France's approach as far as it pertains to developing their squad for the future. Wilson, who also represented his country in cricket, argued that selecting a full squad to face New Zealand away from home would have been better preparation for Les Bleus ahead of the 2027 World Cup, which takes place in Australia. 'They are absolutely going to go out there and compete and prepare the best they can', Wilson said, 'but when push comes to shove, experience goes a long, long way and you're playing the All Blacks in New Zealand. 'The part I'm disappointed about is that if they genuinely want to win a World Cup at some point, you want to give yourself the best opportunity to do that. You have to take on the top teams away from home, because in two years' time a World Cup is being played in Australia, and that's familiar territory to us.' The first Test between New Zealand and France will take place in Dunedin this Saturday, 5 July, with the second Test set for Wellington a week later. Hamilton will host the final Test on Saturday, 19 July. Fullback Cheikh Tiberghien and wing Gabin Villière are injury worries for France just five days out from the series opener. Gabin Villière in action against New Zealand at the 2023 World Cup. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO Both back-three players had been expected to start in Dunedin, with Les Bleus currently looking short of options in each of their positions. Villière, one of the more seasoned players in Galthié's squad with 18 caps, sat out training after feeling pain in the warm-up, while Tiberghien limped off during the training session before having strapping applied to his right thigh. Tiberghien's Bayonne clubmate, Tom Spring, who can cover wing or fullback, also sat out the training session, while potential fullback option Léo Barré has yet to join the squad as he continues to recover from the unspecified injury that ruled him out of the tour warm-up victory over an England side missing their Lions. 'There were some problems during training but we have yet to hear back from the medical staff,' said France assistant coach Laurent Sempere. In the absences of Villière, Tiberghien and Spring during training, Galthié slotted in Theo Attissogbe at fullback and deployed Emilien Gailleton and Alivereti Duguivalu on the wings.
