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Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Flat whites in the car park, a team social and a kit giveaway... Inside the British & Irish Lions' first get together ahead of summer tour of Australia
The coffee van in the car park of the Richmond Hill Hotel did a roaring trade on Sunday morning. The venue's clientele was certainly different to normal. Flat whites were the order of the day as the British & Irish Lions squad for this summer's tour of Australia met for the first time. The sight of Sale and England's Tom Curry sipping coffee with Glasgow and Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu summed up everything that is great about the Lions concept. Usually on-field rivals, in the months to come Curry and Tuipulotu will be brothers in arms as Andy Farrell's travelling party attempt to take down Joe Schmidt 's Wallabies in their own backyard. 'It's like a first day of school,' Leicester and England lock Ollie Chessum said of the 2025 Lions' initial get together in London. 'I've chatted to a few of the boys over a coffee but not spoken to everyone. 'It's a little bit awkward. I'm sure everyone will settle in soon. We've got a team get together tonight, so that'll be nice to get to know everyone better.' This was the first time many of Farrell's squad had met and it did, inevitably, have a slightly uncomfortable feeling. But if there is one way to bring modern rugby players together, it is through coffee. Soon enough, national allegiances began to dissipate. Scottish and Irish players, many of whom had been involved in the Leinster-Glasgow United Rugby Championship clash on Saturday, arrived in the same minibus. Unsurprisingly, it was superstar fly-half Finn Russell who was stopped first for a picture. The slightly off-white nature of the Lions official socks was discussed. Maverick England prop Will Stuart had gambled on receiving new trainers. When he realised a set wasn't part of the arrival pack, he was left to partner his training gear with an unusual pair of brogues. 'This is the pinnacle of rugby for a UK and Irish-based player,' said Chessum, one of 13 Englishmen in the 38-man squad. 'But when you're here, you want to be involved in those Test matches and perform on the biggest stage. 'When you make your international debut, you want to keep building to the next step. 'But making my international debut, I thought 'I am so out of my depth here. How do lads go from international rugby to being the best of that bunch?' That's what this is. 'Four years ago, I would probably have laughed in your face if you told me I would be here.' Head coach Farrell confirmed his Lions party on May 8. The next step was a two-day camp which began on Sunday at which all 38 players were present at one point or another. The squad took part in head shots for commercial and television purposes, got to know each other, and received some of their Lions kit for the first time. A team social was planned for Sunday night. 'I haven't got one yet, but apparently there are a few goodies in there,' Ireland wing James Lowe said of the hotly-anticipated stash of Lions clothing. 'Someone said we get an iPad, so if we can make sure there is one of those in every bag that would be great!' With Farrell's players involved in domestic games all over Europe and even further afield this weekend, the squad arrived in dribs and drabs. Marcus Smith hotfooted it across West London on Sunday evening, making the short trip from Twickenham to Richmond after Harlequins sealed a thrilling win over Exeter at The Stoop in the Gallagher Premiership. Jac Morgan, one of only two Welsh players in the squad alongside Tomos Williams, was a late arrival on Sunday after flying in from club duty with the Ospreys in South Africa. Farrell, his assistant coaches and the whole Lions backroom team were all present too. There might be minimal Welsh playing representation on the tour. But there are Wales members in Farrell's staff. Analyst Rhodri Bown, doctor Geoff Davies and physiotherapist John Miles all have previous experience of past Lions tours. 'It's awesome to come together with the guys from different clubs and unions,' Lowe said. 'We've come from similar backgrounds and understandings of the game. There's no one you're avoiding. We're definitely going to do our best to socialise with other people. 'Tommy Freeman is an exceptional winger. We've played against each other a few times now and it'll be interesting to chat to him and get to know him on a personal level. 'It's the same with Duhan van der Merwe and Elliot Daly. It's his (Daly's) third Lions tour and he's been around the block and understands how these things work. He has a wealth of knowledge and is a left-footer, so I'll be picking his brains.' Lowe also welcomed the presence of his former Leinster and Ireland team-mate Johnny Sexton who will be an assistant coach to Farrell on this Lions tour. The Lions' first game before flying to Australia is against Argentina in Dublin on June 20. 'He's so intense. He's scary as anything, still,' Lowe said of ex-fly-half Sexton who was a Lions Test regular as a player in 2013 and 2017. 'I've never met a man who's constantly so intense. It's funny because Manchester United aren't so flash at the moment and he's United till he dies. 'You can sledge him about that. He's a great lad with a wealth of knowledge and a few tours under his belt. He's so harsh in how he tries to prepare you for a game. 'He's got an aura about him and it's not nice when he's screaming at you. 'You try to get on his good side!'
The Guardian
17-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Will Steve Borthwick give untested England youth a chance in Argentina?
When Warren Gatland named his British & Irish Lions squad to tour New Zealand in 2017 he included 16 England players. Stalwarts such as Dylan Hartley, Chris Robshaw, Joe Launchbury and George Ford were still notable absentees but England had won the previous two Six Nations titles, 17 of Eddie Jones's first 18 matches and, accordingly, their contingent was substantial. The very next day Jones named his England squad for a tour of Argentina. He refused to engage in the merits of the selected Lions touring party but at the time you sensed Jones did not particularly like Gatland hogging the spotlight. England might have lost their most recent match, against Ireland in Dublin, denying them another grand slam, but the Australian was still basking in an extended honeymoon period and all eyes were on his old adversary. Jones proceeded to make a statement with his squad selection and it did not feel like coincidence that he was doing so 24 hours after Gatland. He cast aside a raft of fringe players, those who might have presumed to step up in the absence of so many Lions, and picked from the next tier down. Joe Cokanasiga was plucked from the Championship, Piers Francis from the Blues in Auckland and a pair of teenage flankers from Sale. 'We have focused particularly on youth because we want to find players who are going to be better than the 16 players going on the Lions tour,' said Jones and, to give him his dues, one of those young Sharks, Tom Curry, was starring in a World Cup semi-final two years later. In hindsight this was the first evidence of Jones's scattergun selection. Of casting his net far and wide, picking youngsters when they were palpably not ready for the international stage and dispensing with them just as quickly. For the success story of Curry, read the plight of Jack Maunder, the Exeter scrum-half who made a three-minute debut against Argentina, aged 20, but was never capped again. Four years later, with 12 players away with the Lions, Jones handed debuts to Marcus Smith and Freddie Steward in the summer series against the USA and Canada and proclaimed the birth of a 'new England'. He also condemned Lewis Ludlow to quiz-question obscurity by naming him captain for his two and only England caps. And when news of Smith's secondment to the Lions tour filtered through while he was still on the pitch against Canada, it was easy to imagine Gatland having a chuckle to himself at expense of his old sparring partner. Thunder stolen again. All of which brings us to Steve Borthwick's England and their first return to Argentina since 2017. He knows all about that tour because, while he too was away with the Lions as an assistant, he was still having to review England matches while in New Zealand as Jones's forwards coach. He will know, then, that Jones's side won two thrilling contests against the Pumas, he will know that four years ago they also beat the USA – not particularly convincingly – and thumped a dreadful Canada side and he will know the opportunities and the pitfalls that come with selecting an inexperienced squad. The mistakes that Jones made, the shrewd moves too, show how challenging the season after a Lions tour can be. For while England had 100% records in the 2017 and 2021 autumn campaigns, they nose-dived in the 2018 and 2022 Six Nations tournaments, winning only two matches in each and on both the subsequent summer tours Jones barely survived the sack. Early next week Borthwick names his first squad of the summer. He will host a mini-training camp but will be without the 13 Lions and players from Bath and Northampton given their involvement in European finals while Ollie Lawrence and George Martin are notable injury absentees. Chief among his priorities is to select a captain for the two Tests against Argentina and the one against the USA because Maro Itoje is fulfilling that role with the Lions. The obvious candidate is Jamie George, though returning to a player stripped of the honour four months previously requires a certain amount of diplomacy, closely followed by Ford. Borthwick will also have to factor in the likelihood of players being whistled up to the Lions. They are already looking thin in certain positions for their warm-up match against Argentina in Dublin, which is the day before England kick off their summer against a France XV. Borthwick is, however, selecting from a position of strength. The upward trajectory is pronounced after the record victory in Cardiff to round off a positive Six Nations campaign. He was no doubt planning on giving Henry Pollock his first Test start – that honour may now fall to Andy Farrell – but Borthwick has already cautioned against picking youth for the sake of it. 'It has to be someone right in contention to be starting and get lots of game time,' he said. 'Coming into the senior squad just to be on the fringe is not what we want to do.' Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion He is also smart enough to know the positions in which he lacks depth and to take full advantage of the opportunity presented this summer. As such, while the back-three contingent is likely to have a familiar feel with George Furbank, Tom Roebuck, Manny Feyi-Waboso and Steward all expected to be available, he would be wise to reintegrate Henry Arundell at the first possible opportunity. He has had a torrid season at Racing 92 but is joining Bath next season and possesses raw attributes that cannot be overlooked. Borthwick would also do well to deploy Oscar Beard, Max Ojomoh or Seb Atkinson alongside Fraser Dingwall in the centres where the talent pool is shallow. In the front row it is time to give Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Afo Fasogbon their first Test starts, perhaps either side of the experienced George. Lock – particularly those with heft – is an area of chief concern for Borthwick so while he may persist with Chandler Cunningham-South's conversion to the second row, Bath's Ewan Richards may find himself involved in Argentina. Junior Kpoku has been linked with a move back to the Premiership but until the ink is dry he remains unavailable. The back-row options are stacked but Ben Curry, if fit, should be the mainstay of any Test trio with Bath's Guy Pepper – this season compared to Richie McCaw by his head coach, Johan van Graan – precisely the sort of player Borthwick should be blooding. Jones's tenure demonstrated that using these tours to give youngsters their shot is a double-edged sword but England have a challenging autumn ahead and Borthwick must be prepared for a post-Lions hangover next season.
The Guardian
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
In-form George Ford guides Sale to emphatic win over playoff rivals Bristol
This match was billed as a shootout for a playoff place, which was only a slight exaggeration, and Sale won emphatically to leapfrog Bristol and take a huge stride towards confirming a top-four finish. Alex Sanderson's men are formidable on home soil and a bonus-point success, orchestrated by another masterly display from George Ford, gave them a 26th win from 29 Premiership games in Salford dating back to the start of the 2022-23 campaign. It was no less than Sale deserved, such was the energy and effervescence of their display in running in five tries past one of their closest rivals, who claimed a potentially priceless losing bonus point late on. Sale travel to Exeter in their final game knowing a win will put them in the playoffs for the third consecutive season, while Bristol host Harlequins in a fortnight with their top-four hopes in the balance. Sale were missing their two British & Irish Lions inclusions, Tom Curry and Luke Cowan-Dickie, through injury, while Bristol named their sole member of Andy Farrell's squad, Ellis Genge, on the bench. Sale led when Ford kicked a penalty, while his artful handling and intelligent kicking kept Bristol on the back foot. Ford's deft offload invited his England team-mate, Tom Roebuck, to drive at the heart of the Bears' defence but the winger attempted to go himself when he had players in support and the opportunity was spurned. Sale continued to probe and a well-worked move culminated in Dan du Preez touching down inside the right channel after fine work from Rob du Preez and Ben Curry. Bristol, who barely ventured beyond Sale's 22-metre line during the first half, replied almost out of nowhere when the in-form Harry Randall impishly dummied his way past two Sale defenders to score. Yet the momentum remained with Sale and, as chances continued to come close to Bristol's line, Tadgh McElroy showed impressive strength to force his way over from close range for their second try. Ford added his second conversion to help Sale into a 20-5 interval lead. Bristol fashioned an impressive response and scored twice through Viliame Mata and Siva Naulago after the break. Sale, though, claimed three second-half tries to run out handsome victors. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Scores from Jonny Hill, Rekeiti Ma'asi-White and Raffi Quirke confirmed an important win. It was a victory for Sale's spirit as Hill and Ma'asi-White typified the collective desire within their ranks. Quirke, the England scrum-half, reminded everyone of his quality by scything clear for their fifth, while Bristol scored late on through Harry Bryne and Kalaveti Ravouvou for a losing bonus point.
Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
George Ford interview: Past Lions snubs made this one less painful
It was on the journey to Leicester last Thursday that the Sale Sharks players found themselves watching the British and Irish Lions squad announcement on the television screen inside their coach. For one of the Lions hopefuls, George Ford, only one word is required to describe the experience: 'Weird.' 'For the lads who weren't in contention, it was actually unbelievable entertainment for them,' Ford tells Telegraph Sport. 'Everyone was picking their own Lions squads and having their own opinions. It's different when you're in contention. A lot of that is what makes the Lions so special. It's the unpredictability of it and it being so big, the pinnacle, that it becomes a massive thing. That is never going to change, which is great.' The England fly-half, with 99 caps to his name, had made the cut on many of the pundits' Lions squads, given his wealth of international experience, his game management and leadership skills. He might not have started for England during the Six Nations but finished the championship with an impeccable cameo in the thrilling victory over Wales in Cardiff. Significantly, his run of form since then has been one of the key factors that have driven Sale to contention for the Premiership title as we reach the business end of the season, earning him the latest Gallagher player-of-the-month award. After what felt like an interminable wait for the names to be read out, there was at least some call for celebration with Tom Curry and Luke Cowan-Dickie both making Andy Farrell's squad. But for the 32-year-old Ford there was only an all-too-familiar sense of disappointment. THE MOMENT 🦁 Couldn't be prouder 💙 #WeGoBeyond — Sale Sharks 🦈 (@SaleSharksRugby) May 8, 2025 'It was amazing for Tom and Luke, who are two unbelievable team-mates of ours. For them to get the nod was great. Obviously, there's a couple of us disappointed there as well, but that's just the way it is,' says Ford. 'We're only human and naturally I was very disappointed, but I have to quickly accept it, get over it, crack on, try and stay in good form, try to win games for Sale. That's just the way I've tried to deal with it. 'Your ambitions as a player are to achieve everything you possibly can so when you don't get selected for something you are disappointed. But selection is very subjective at the same time. Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes it doesn't. 'And I think the main thing I try to pride myself on is being as consistent as possible, and not let those things affect the way you are and what you do, week in, week out.' He says the ability to move on from the pain of missing out with a clear head and renewed focus comes from the fact that he has twice been here before, as he was previously overlooked for the tours to New Zealand in 2017 and South Africa four years later. 'This was my third time going through it,' he adds. 'The first couple of times have probably set me up for this time. The more you go through something, the more experienced you are at dealing with it. After the initial disappointment, I was genuinely more than fine. 'It happened the day before we played Leicester away so there was no time to mope around really. You have to get your mindset right to play the game. The difficult thing to deal with is everyone coming up and saying, 'Oh, look I am sorry', and that is just because people are trying to be nice. That lingers on for a couple of hours but after that it was all good. 'As players we all understand that it is a Lions year. It is the same when it is World Cup year. But I wouldn't have sat down at the start of the year and wrote in a book that one of my goals is to be on a Lions tour. My goal would have been to just try to be the best player that I can be, to try to improve and to be successful for Sale and England. You always end up where you end up anyway. It all works itself out. 'But like I said, as a player I want to achieve as much as I possibly can and going on the Lions tour is part of that, isn't it? If you ask me if I would love to be a Lion, I would say, 'Of course I would'. Who wouldn't? But sometimes it goes for you, sometimes it doesn't.' Sale face Bristol Bears on Friday night, a crunch game in their bid to secure a home semi-final, and Ford intends to roll up his sleeves. There will be no sulking, only a determination to keep playing so that he is ready should a Lions call yet come. 'You know this is a brutal game, I would never wish anyone to get injured, and I genuinely mean that,' he adds. 'You want to wish all the boys who are selected a massive congratulations and you want them to go and do well because they deserve it. But things do change quickly in rugby, whatever that may be. All you can ever do, I suppose, is try to be ready, try to be in good form, enjoy your rugby and what will be, will be. 'There is an England tour to Argentina which would be an unbelievable honour and privilege to be involved in if selected. You want to be playing your best rugby regardless.' If Ford does not travel to Australia, he would be among the strong contenders to captain the England tour to Argentina, with the prospect of winning his 100 th cap for his country during the two-Test series in July adding extra motivation. 'I just try to be myself regardless,' he adds. 'I am the same at the club, whether you have a 'c' next to your name or not, I just try to lead in the best possible way and try to put the team in the best position to go to try to win games. 'If I do get the opportunity to win my 100 th cap, the period of time since making my debut in 2014, I will be pretty proud of the consistency shown to try to get to that point. It is a difficult place, Test rugby. It is a difficult place to stay at the top of your game. Anyone who has done it knows it takes some bloody doing. So, look if it does happen I will be proud of that. 'There have been ups and downs along the way. It is a privilege and honour to play Test rugby for England, but it is challenging. If you think about the story of it, in 2015 we didn't get out of our pool in the World Cup, and then we lost a World Cup final (in 2019), having done a Grand Slam. You get to the 2023 World Cup not in great form and you end up making a semi-final and losing it in the last five minutes. It challenges you, but it has this addictive feel to it, playing for your country and playing in these big games, you always want to be part of it. 'Physically I feel in good shape, which as you get older has a big impact on the way you feel about things. My hunger and desire are still there. The day I feel I can't perform at that level, I won't go past my sell-by date, but as it stands, I still feel I am more than capable of doing that.'
Times
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Tom Curry fit for the Lions — but will need wrist surgery after tour
Tom Curry's hamstring injury is not as serious as first feared and will only cause him to miss a week of action — but he will have surgery on a wrist injury after the British & Irish Lions tour. That operation has been delayed so the England back-row forward can play on his second Lions tour in Australia this summer. Curry could have chosen to have surgery earlier, but it would have threatened his chances of selection for Andy Farrell's side. The day after he was picked by Farrell, in Thursday's announcement at the O2 arena in London, Curry, 26, lasted only 23 minutes of Sale Sharks' 44-34 Gallagher Premiership defeat by Leicester Tigers. He had tweaked his hamstring earlier in the game and was
