Clarkson and Osborne 'deserve' Lions call-ups
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
28 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
‘Selfless' Garry Ringrose praised after concussion withdrawal
Ringrose pulled out of a Lions team that shows three changes from the opening 27-19 victory over Australia, with Andrew Porter, Ollie Chessum and Bundee Aki given starts. On the bench Owen Farrell is poised to make his first international appearance since helping England finish third at the 2023 World Cup and he is joined by Jac Morgan, the only Welshman in the touring party. The starting XV is made up of nine players from Ireland – seven of whom represent Leinster – four Englishmen and two from Scotland. The Ireland and Leinster contingent would have increased by one had Ringrose not told head coach Andy Farrell shortly before he was due to officially announce the team that his concussion symptoms had returned. An injury that initially surfaced after July 9's win over the ACT Brumbies forced him to sit out the first Test but having made a successful comeback against the First Nations and Pasifika XV on Tuesday, he was poised to replace Huw Jones at outside centre. Instead, he will be watching from the stands with Jones continuing in midfield for the Lions' shot at completing a series victory at Melbourne Cricket Ground. 'Garry was actually selected and unfortunately after training he's had to pull out,' Andy Farrell said. 'It's head-related again. It was literally as I was walking off the field. He came to me and once that's mentioned, that's that. 'With these type of things players are getting very good at telling the truth of how they feel, so it was a no-brainer to make the change straight away. 'It's very easy to keep it to yourself and lie and not be honest and open. It was very big of him and the right thing to do, 100 per cent. For the team as well, not just for Garry.' Ready for Saturday night at the G! 🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 24, 2025 Lions captain Maro Itoje echoed the view of his head coach. 'I'm gutted for him that he's in this position but it also shows the measure of the man to be so selfless,' Itoje said. 'All we ask of all of us is to be selfless and put the team first. When push comes to shove, you see who really does it. Garry is a man who really did it.' Had Ringrose been fit, he would have formed an all-Ireland partnership with Aki at the expense of Sione Tuipulotu and Jones, the Scotland combination who impressed in the series opener at Suncorp Stadium. Maro Itoje (left) and Andy Farrell hailed Garry Ringrose's selflessness (David Davies/PA) Tuipulotu is struggling with a tight hamstring but the indications are that he would have been dropped even without the injury. Joe McCarthy has failed to recover from his foot problem so Chessum slots into the second row, while loosehead prop Porter is preferred ahead of Ellis Genge in the front row. James Lowe is lucky to retain his place on the left wing after a poor display in the first Test, but with Blair Kinghorn present on the bench after overcoming a knee problem Andy Farrell has a high-quality alternative ready.
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
'Sometimes it's bigger than basketball': Calls grow for Govt support over Ireland-Israel fixture
Politicians and former players are calling for the Government to support Basketball Ireland while it considers its next steps after being drawn in the same group as Israel for a women's European campaign. James Weldon's side will be in qualifying Group A in the Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers, along with Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Luxembourg. Advertisement Ireland are due to travel to Israel for an away game on November 18th. In a statement, Basketball Ireland highlighted that on commencement of the competition, it would be subject to a fine of up to €80,000 should Ireland fail to fulfil their first fixture with Israel. Meanwhile, failure to play the return game would lead to a fine of up to €100,000 and removal from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, as well as the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers. Former player, Rebecca O'Keeffe, said the sporting body will need the backing of the government. Advertisement "If there are sanctions, absolutely the Government should be stepping in to help. Basketball is a very underfunded sport in this country, even though it's one of the fastest-growing," she said. The two sides met in a controversial qualifier in the Latvian capital, Riga, in February of 2024, despite public pressure to boycott the game over Israel's bombardment of Gaza. "I appreicate the transparency with Basketball Ireland this time round where they said [they] have been talking to the relevant delegations and sporting bodies and the government can absolutely step in and help," O'Keeffe said. "There is public support for this. They have options. Sometimes it's bigger than basketball, sometimes it's bigger than money." Advertisement Social Democrats sports spokesperson, Sinead Gibney, said other sports need to examine whether they compete in competitions involving Israel. She said Athletics Ireland should consider its participation in the World Athletics Championships in September. "I certainly think Athletics Irleand should be looking at it, absolutely. And I realise what that means, I realise what we're asking of our athletes and I don't want to apply pressure to any individual athelete. "That's why the governing bodies need to be the ones to look at it and take that action." Sinn Féin foreign affairs spokesperson, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, said the responsibility of the situation in Gaza should not be on the players' shoulders. "I think the Irish people, they're not looking towards the likes of the basketball team to make decisions, albeit boycotts are imminently justifiable and I think right," he said. "They're looking at the Irish Government. They want to see the Occupied Territories Bill advanced. They want to see the issue in relation to the war bonds being resolved and they want to see further action and a more vocal approach at a European level."
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
England women's head coach John Mitchell vows his team will learn lessons of 2015 after taking Ben Youngs tips ahead of home World Cup
England women's head coach John Mitchell said a discussion with men's record caps holder Ben Youngs will help his team avoid the mistakes of the country's horror 2015 campaign. A decade ago, England's men's team – which included Youngs – bombed out of their home World Cup under the guidance of Stuart Lancaster, failing to qualify from their pool. This summer, Mitchell's Red Roses will play on English soil as firm favourites to win the women's competition having won 55 of their last 56 matches. The last time England women lost a match was their heartbreaking defeat by New Zealand in the World Cup final of 2022. 'I spoke to Ben and he was very insightful,' said Mitchell, who worked with Youngs while an assistant coach with England's men's side. 'He said that over his four World Cups, he enjoyed the ones where it didn't feel like a high performance jail. I think that little nugget was key.' In 2015, the pressure on England's men's side to become world champions on English soil was immense. Ultimately, the expectation proved too much, with discussion over the best position in which to play rugby league convert Sam Burgess dominating. Players involved in that campaign have spoken in the years since about how with such a desire to win, there was no enjoyment about the build-up. That tension resulted in poor on-field performances, England's men's side losing to Wales and Australia. Mitchell is determined there won't be a repeat this summer. 'It's exciting. You hear this word pressure all the time but it's just a word. If you frame it negatively it becomes about the risk of failure,' he said. 'I see it as an opportunity to be successful. That's where my head is at.' On Thursday, Mitchell confirmed his 32-player squad for the tournament – one made up of 18 forwards and 14 backs. There were no real surprises. ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD Forwards (18): Zoe Aldcroft (capt), Lark Atkin-Davies, Sarah Bern, Hannah Botterman Abi Burton, May Campbell, Mackenzie Carson, Kelsey Clifford, Amy Cokayne. Maddie Feaunati, Rosie Galligan, Lilli Ives Campion, Sadia Kabeya, Alex Matthews, Maud Muir Marlie Packer, Morwenna Talling , Abbie Ward Backs (14): Holly Aitchison, Jess Breach, Abby Dow, Zoe Harrison,Tatyana Heard, Natasha Hunt, Megan Jones, Ellie Kildunne, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, Lucy Packer, Helena Rowland, Emily Scarratt, Jade Shekells, Emma Sing Experienced centre Emily Scarratt has been selected for her fifth global showpiece – a record for an England player, either man or woman. Natasha Hunt and Lucy Packer are the only two out-and-out scrum-halves. Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, normally a wing, will be the other No 9 cover. Hunt was a shock omission for the 2022 tournament, which was delayed a year by the Covid-19 pandemic, but is now first-choice in her position. England will be captained by forward Zoe Aldcroft. 'It's been a two-and-a-half year process on selection,' said Mitchell. Thursday's squad announcement at Allianz Stadium saw more than 100 members of the media attend – a record for an England rugby press conference. It was a reflection of the incredible growth the female game has enjoyed in the last three years. England's women are taking inspiration from the Lionesses who will play Spain in the final of EURO 2025 on Sunday. A huge summer of women's sport in England awaits.
