Latest news with #Wallabies
South Wales Guardian
24 minutes ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
British and Irish Lions lock Joe McCarthy in race to be fit for second Test
McCarthy limped off in the 27-19 triumph over the Wallabies in the first Test with the foot condition plantar fasciitis and has been unable to train since, making him a major doubt to be involved in the rematch at Melbourne Cricket Ground. With Thursday's training session before Andy Farrell names his team being the final opportunity to prove his fitness, the Ireland enforcer looks likely to miss out. Potentially signposting an adjustment to the pack to face Australia in the second Test, James Ryan and Jac Morgan were replaced early in the second half of Tuesday's 24-19 victory over the First Nations and Pasifika XV. If McCarthy is ruled out, Ollie Chessum could be drafted into the second row alongside captain Maro Itoje, creating a vacancy on the bench, while another option is to move Tadhg Beirne from flanker to lock. Should repositioning Beirne be Farrell's preferred choice, Morgan becomes a contender to make the matchday 23. Given the Lions bullied the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium, unenforced changes to the pack are unlikely. Of the four possible options to step in, two are injured and one has been repeatedly exposed in defence, with only the fourth offering Farrell room for manoeuvre. Mack Hansen missed the first Test because of a foot problem and has yet to train this week, placing his involvement on Saturday in grave doubt, while Darcy Graham is waiting for scan results after sustaining ankle ligament damage early in his Lions debut against FNP. Duhan van der Merwe, who was fortunate to be selected ahead of Graham in the original touring party, has been targeted by kickers all tour and his defensively frailties would be exploited by the Wallabies. The ace up Farrell's sleeve is Scotland's Blair Kinghorn, who made his comeback from a knee injury at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday and apart from throwing two intercept passes, proved himself ready for Test duty. Nominally a full-back, he is also a high quality option on the wing, the position he has filled most recently for his club Toulouse this season. Owen Farrell showed he is ready for a call-up to the bench in Melbourne if needed with a solid 80 minutes against FNP, Marcus Smith passed a head injury assessment and Garry Ringrose made a successful first appearance since being concussed against ACT Brumbies. In the midst of a schedule of three games in eight days, players have been given Wednesday off, but Farrell and his coaching assistants are to meet to finalise selection. A post shared by The British & Irish Lions (@britishandirishlions) 'I let everyone have their say, I play devil's advocate, we thrash it out and then we all agree,' Farrell said. 'There is all sorts that goes into it – performances, there's no doubt about that – but there is also what's right for this second game? Are a few changes going to freshen it up or do we go with the same guys? 'All that comes into the pot. It's whatever is best for the team and what do we need for a game at the MCG with over 90,000 people. It should be challenging.'
Rhyl Journal
24 minutes ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
British and Irish Lions lock Joe McCarthy in race to be fit for second Test
McCarthy limped off in the 27-19 triumph over the Wallabies in the first Test with the foot condition plantar fasciitis and has been unable to train since, making him a major doubt to be involved in the rematch at Melbourne Cricket Ground. With Thursday's training session before Andy Farrell names his team being the final opportunity to prove his fitness, the Ireland enforcer looks likely to miss out. Potentially signposting an adjustment to the pack to face Australia in the second Test, James Ryan and Jac Morgan were replaced early in the second half of Tuesday's 24-19 victory over the First Nations and Pasifika XV. If McCarthy is ruled out, Ollie Chessum could be drafted into the second row alongside captain Maro Itoje, creating a vacancy on the bench, while another option is to move Tadhg Beirne from flanker to lock. Should repositioning Beirne be Farrell's preferred choice, Morgan becomes a contender to make the matchday 23. Given the Lions bullied the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium, unenforced changes to the pack are unlikely. Of the four possible options to step in, two are injured and one has been repeatedly exposed in defence, with only the fourth offering Farrell room for manoeuvre. Mack Hansen missed the first Test because of a foot problem and has yet to train this week, placing his involvement on Saturday in grave doubt, while Darcy Graham is waiting for scan results after sustaining ankle ligament damage early in his Lions debut against FNP. Duhan van der Merwe, who was fortunate to be selected ahead of Graham in the original touring party, has been targeted by kickers all tour and his defensively frailties would be exploited by the Wallabies. The ace up Farrell's sleeve is Scotland's Blair Kinghorn, who made his comeback from a knee injury at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday and apart from throwing two intercept passes, proved himself ready for Test duty. Nominally a full-back, he is also a high quality option on the wing, the position he has filled most recently for his club Toulouse this season. Owen Farrell showed he is ready for a call-up to the bench in Melbourne if needed with a solid 80 minutes against FNP, Marcus Smith passed a head injury assessment and Garry Ringrose made a successful first appearance since being concussed against ACT Brumbies. In the midst of a schedule of three games in eight days, players have been given Wednesday off, but Farrell and his coaching assistants are to meet to finalise selection. A post shared by The British & Irish Lions (@britishandirishlions) 'I let everyone have their say, I play devil's advocate, we thrash it out and then we all agree,' Farrell said. 'There is all sorts that goes into it – performances, there's no doubt about that – but there is also what's right for this second game? Are a few changes going to freshen it up or do we go with the same guys? 'All that comes into the pot. It's whatever is best for the team and what do we need for a game at the MCG with over 90,000 people. It should be challenging.'
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Schmidt, Farrell mull options with Lions series on the line
MELBOURNE - Joe Schmidt will unveil his team for the second test against the British & Irish Lions in Melbourne on Thursday, a lineup that could go a long way to defining his time as coach of Australia. Australia must find a response to the physical dominance the tourists exerted in the opening hour of the first test defeat in Brisbane or risk becoming the first Wallabies team to fail to take a Lions series to a decider. Rob Valetini, Australia's best test player of the last two years, has recovered from a calf injury and will take his place in the back row at the expense of rookie Nick Champion de Crespigny. Lock Will Skelton has also recovered from a similar injury and while his inclusion would certainly beef up the pack, his limitations at the lineout might require a tweak of the back row to add another jumper. Schmidt has had no shortage of helpful suggestions from media pundits this week with most concurring that the hard-running Angus Bell should be promoted to start at loosehead prop instead of 36-year-old James Slipper. Dave Porecki should be available after sustaining a concussion against Fiji two weeks ago and his lineout throwing would help shore up an area of the game where the Wallabies struggled in the first test. Behind the scrum, Tom Lynagh showed enough in his first test start to get another shot, although many would like him to do so in tandem with his Queensland Reds teammate Tate McDermott, who had a fine game off the bench in Brisbane. There have also been calls to shift Joseph Suaalii from centre into the back three after he struggled to make an impact in Brisbane until it was too late. That would also allow Len Ikitau to move to his more favoured outside centre spot with Hunter Paisami, another Queenland Red, slotting into the midfield outside Lynagh. Lions coach Andy Farrell's job is a little easier after the early dominance the tourists showed in Brisbane, although he looks likely to be forced to make a change to his second row. Irish lock Joe McCarthy limped off with a foot injury early in the second half at Lang Park and has not trained this week, leaving the door open for Ollie Chessum to move up from the bench. The head knock suffered by Marcus Smith against the First Nations & Pasikifa XV on Tuesday could open up a spot on the bench for Farrell's playmaker son Owen, who was called up as an injury replacement for his fourth Lions tour. REUTERS
CNA
an hour ago
- Sport
- CNA
Schmidt, Farrell mull options with Lions series on the line
MELBOURNE :Joe Schmidt will unveil his team for the second test against the British & Irish Lions in Melbourne on Thursday, a lineup that could go a long way to defining his time as coach of Australia. Australia must find a response to the physical dominance the tourists exerted in the opening hour of the first test defeat in Brisbane or risk becoming the first Wallabies team to fail to take a Lions series to a decider. Rob Valetini, Australia's best test player of the last two years, has recovered from a calf injury and will take his place in the back row at the expense of rookie Nick Champion de Crespigny. Lock Will Skelton has also recovered from a similar injury and while his inclusion would certainly beef up the pack, his limitations at the lineout might require a tweak of the back row to add another jumper. Schmidt has had no shortage of helpful suggestions from media pundits this week with most concurring that the hard-running Angus Bell should be promoted to start at loosehead prop instead of 36-year-old James Slipper. Dave Porecki should be available after sustaining a concussion against Fiji two weeks ago and his lineout throwing would help shore up an area of the game where the Wallabies struggled in the first test. Behind the scrum, Tom Lynagh showed enough in his first test start to get another shot, although many would like him to do so in tandem with his Queensland Reds teammate Tate McDermott, who had a fine game off the bench in Brisbane. There have also been calls to shift Joseph Suaalii from centre into the back three after he struggled to make an impact in Brisbane until it was too late. That would also allow Len Ikitau to move to his more favoured outside centre spot with Hunter Paisami, another Queenland Red, slotting into the midfield outside Lynagh. Lions coach Andy Farrell's job is a little easier after the early dominance the tourists showed in Brisbane, although he looks likely to be forced to make a change to his second row. Irish lock Joe McCarthy limped off with a foot injury early in the second half at Lang Park and has not trained this week, leaving the door open for Ollie Chessum to move up from the bench. The head knock suffered by Marcus Smith against the First Nations & Pasikifa XV on Tuesday could open up a spot on the bench for Farrell's playmaker son Owen, who was called up as an injury replacement for his fourth Lions tour.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wallabies player fires back after Aussie greats address captain's contentious act
Wallabies winger Harry Potter says it's 'ridiculous' for Sir Clive Woodward to suggest Australia has a losing mentality because of a contentious incident at the end of the first Test defeat to the British and Irish Lions. Harry Wilson's decision to kick the ball out and bring an end to the 27-19 defeat in Brisbane sparked debate around the rugby world, but a couple of Wallabies greats have defended the actions of the under-fire Aussie skipper. The Wallabies trailed by an assailable eight points and were camped near their own tryline with no time left on the clock, when Wilson put the ball into touch to end the opening Test. Woodward - England's former World Cup-winning coach - tore into the Australian captain afterwards and argued that the Wallabies should have pushed for a consolation try and used the situation as practice for the rest of the series. "What summed up the game for me was with the clock in the red and with the Lions winning 27-19, the Australian captain Harry Wilson kicked the ball out to end the game," Woodward wrote. "Talk about a losing mentality. For me, it is the last play of the game so why not have a mentality to try and score as this could be the situation in seven days' time, only closer?" But Wallabies greats Matt Burke and former captain Michael Hooper both jumped to Wilson's defence and said they were shocked by the backlash. "Don't let them get a driving maul or whatever and try and just rub salt into the wound. 34-19 at the end sounds incredibly bad," Burke said on Stan Sports' Between Two Posts. "Get the ball, kick it out, start again, walk off and say 'you didn't breach our line at the end there.' We won that second half in tough circumstances after coming back... as a captain, that's what I'd have done every day of the week. Turn it up." Hooper added: "I'm surprised by the comments (from Woodward). Clive is a great coach, what more could be done? I think that's a good, mature decision from Harry. We'll turn up next week and try and win the next two. I think Clive should be thinking, 'why didn't the Lions put the foot on the throat for the second half'?" RELATED: Wallabies teammate floats major change as fans make Suaalii complaint Roosters fans get definitive answer as Joey Manu signs next contract Wallabies star calls out glaring truth after British and Irish Lions shafted Wallabies winger hits back in defence of under-fire captain And Wallabies winger Potter also defended his skipper after hitting back at Woodward's explosive swipe. "It's pretty ridiculous to suggest that the 23 people who played on the weekend have a mentality of losing," Potter said at the MCG, ahead of Saturday night's second Test. "We went out there to win the game, and we didn't win the game. But it was our intention very much and you could tell from every player in the team we wanted to win that game." The Wallabies were dominated by the Lions in the first Test and trailed 24-5 after 42 minutes. A pair of late tries for Australia ultimately added some respectability to the scoreboard but Potter says the Wallabies are desperate to put up an improved showing in Melbourne. "It felt like we didn't put our best foot forward, particularly in the first 50 or 60 minutes," he said. "There were a lot of lessons to take out of that one. They're an incredibly strong team and we know that we've got to come out better and start the game stronger. "But I suppose there were some positive signs towards the end of the game. If we can string enough things together then we'll go a lot better than what we did." The Wallabies will be hoping to emulate the feat of the legendary 2001 squad led by John Eales, that recovered from 1-0 down to claim a famous 2-1 series win against the Lions. with AAP
