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The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tadhg Beirne starts in back row as Owen Farrell misses out on first Lions Test against Australia
Tadhg Beirne has been handed a start on the blindside in the British and Irish Lions team for the first Test against Australia, with Owen Farrell missing out on the matchday squad. Irishman Beirne, more regularly a lock, joins Tom Curry and Jack Conan in the starting trio after a competitive fight for back row places, with Josh van der Flier, Jac Morgan and Henry Pollock missing out on the 23 entirely. The absence of Morgan means that there is no Welshman in a Lions Test side for the first time since the 1890s. Back three contenders Mack Hansen and Blair Kinghorn both miss out due to injury, while Garry Ringrose was ruled out last week through concussion, leaving Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones alongside Finn Russell in an all-Scottish midfield. Marcus Smith provides fly half cover on the bench ahead of compatriots Fin Smith and Farrell, with his capacity to play full-back perhaps key after Hansen and Kinghorn's injuries. Captain Maro Itoje is partnered by Joe McCarthy in the second row, while Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong form an anticipated front row selection. Scrum half Jamison Gibson-Park, wing James Lowe and full-back Hugo Keenan complete an eight-strong Irish contingent in the starting side. 'We are entering the business end of the Tour and it is time to put in our best performance to date,' head coach Farrell said. 'We know how motivated the Wallabies will be and we know they are a well organised and dangerous side. 'It is a great occasion and a proud moment for Maro Itoje, who will captain the Test side, but also for those players who get the opportunity to represent the group on Saturday night. 'We have seen a flood of Lions supporters on the streets of Brisbane this week and we are looking forward to seeing a Sea of Red in the stands of the Suncorp Stadium cheering on the team.' The Lions take on the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium in the first of three Tests, with encounters to come in Melbourne and Sydney. Lions XV to face Australia in Brisbane (Saturday 19 July, 11am BST): 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Tadhg Furlong; 4 Maro Itoje (capt.), 5 Joe McCarthy; 6 Tadhg Beirne, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Jack Conan; 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 10 Finn Russell; 11 James Lowe, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 13 Huw Jones, 14 Tommy Freeman; 15 Hugo Keenan.
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
The awkward truth behind the biggest moment of Daniel Dubois' career
In many ways, Oleksandr Usyk 's rematch with Daniel Dubois this weekend is the natural next step through a heavyweight landscape that has been as scenic over the last two years as it has in decades. The simplest sell for this bout is that Usyk is the unified champion and Dubois is the IBF title holder; all of the belts, as ever, 'must' be unified (even though they never stay that way), with the winner at Wembley Stadium set to be crowned undisputed champion. Undisputed status eluded all heavyweights for 24 years until Usyk outpointed Tyson Fury 14 months ago, yet the unbeaten Ukrainian only held that status for a matter of weeks before he gave up the IBF belt; in honouring a rematch with Fury, Usyk allowed interim IBF champion Dubois to be elevated, and the young Briton retained the official version of the belt with a demolition of Anthony Joshua in September. These are the basic facts, which position Usyk, 38, and Dubois, 27, as opponents in London this weekend. There is also their history: a unified-title fight two years ago, when Usyk climbed off the canvas to stop Dubois in Poland, with the latter's camp swearing that the low blow against the southpaw had in fact been a legal body shot. But to dive deeper is to realise that Usyk vs Dubois 2 is actually a somewhat awkward match-up. Dubois is an evolved version of the competitor who arguably threatened Usyk in one major moment in their first fight – but otherwise struggled to put a dent in the former cruiserweight king – and a victory for the home fighter would perhaps be the 'better' outcome for the division. Usyk may well retire regardless of the result, but a win for Dubois would feel more like a changing of the guard and allow fresh match-ups, after four years in which Usyk's bouts have solely come against Fury, Joshua and Dubois, all of whom he will have boxed twice by the end of this week. Yet that recent history is also why a victory for Dubois might lack some weight. Joshua got two stabs at defeating Usyk, one in 2021 and one in 2022, and was beaten across the 12-round distance both times. Fury also had two goes and got closer than 'AJ' to accomplishing the goal, yet the 'Gypsy King' was still outpointed last May and in December. The decisions to make those rematches were understandable, and although the same applies this weekend, there is a feeling that is difficult to shake: that the British battalion will seemingly get chance after chance until one can finally beat Usyk. And if Dubois does at Wembley, what will it mean at this point? Of course a win against a man who doesn't know how to lose would be impressive, especially if Dubois can secure a stoppage, but Usyk's legacy as a two-weight undisputed champion and the greatest fighter of his generation is secure itself. And at 38, if the Olympic champion gets old overnight as fighters often do, won't that asterisk forever be pinned above a hypothetical Dubois win? There is also the matter that Dubois had the chance at a fresh match-up in February, only to withdraw from his planned title defence against Joseph Parker on two days' notice, citing illness. There was the opportunity to reschedule that bout after Parker crushed Martin Bakole, but attention conveniently turned to Usyk. Understandably so, of course, especially in a business like boxing. A shot at redemption, undisputed status, and the biggest payday of Dubois's career were always going to trump what was on offer in a title defence against Parker. That's just how this sport works. Enjoy 185+ fights a year on DAZN, the Global Home of Boxing Never miss a fight from top promoters. Watch on your devices anywhere, anytime. See Schedule ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. And an adjacent issue to all this, so to speak, is the knock-on effect that a Dubois win could have on Fury vs Joshua. Dubois could trump Fury and Joshua as the best heavyweight in Britain right now, if he does what the veteran pair could not. Some would argue that Dubois's present superiority over Joshua was confirmed with his performance against the former champion in September, but there would surely be no room for debate if Dubois were to leave Wembley victorious on Saturday. The issue here is that the lustre of Fury vs Joshua, which has already diminished over the last six years, would suffer again. Not that Dubois will care. And so here we are, on the cusp of an undisputed heavyweight title fight and rematch that makes all the sense in the world, yet which also carries an awkward edge. Still, Dubois has the power to smooth out that edge on Saturday. If he does, there will ironically be nothing smooth to the scene at all; it will be more destruction from 'Dynamite' at Wembley, and an image of Usyk that no one has seen before. Therein lies the true intrigue of Usyk vs Dubois 2.
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
Marcus Smith keeps Owen Farrell out of Lions squad for first Test in Australia
Marcus Smith has defied expectations by winning a place on the bench for the British and Irish Lions' first Test against Australia, but Owen Farrell and Henry Pollock miss out on selection. Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne have been given the nod in the ferociously competitive flanker positions and, alongside number eight Jack Conan, form the biggest and most physical back row available to head coach Andy Farrell. The team's main source of creativity will be provided by an all- Scotland midfield trio of Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones with the hard-running Bundee Aki having to settle for a replacement role. Blair Kinghorn's knee injury means Hugo Keenan is picked at full-back, with Smith providing cover at 15 and fly-half. The bench options narrowed when Mack Hansen was ruled out by a foot injury, but Smith's presence still represents a personal triumph given his Test prospects looked bleak at the start of the tour and appeared to recede further when Owen Farrell was called up as an injury replacement for Elliot Daly. Andy Farrell's son was expected to be given a supporting role at Suncorp Stadium but he misses out on the 23 entirely, as does the rising star of English rugby Pollock, who loses out to Ben Earl as back row cover. Ireland dominate the starting XV with an eight-strong contingent, while England provide four players and Scotland three. For the first time since 1899 there is no Welshman in the matchday squad. Jac Morgan is their only representative in the 44-man touring party, but he has lost out to Curry in the race for the number seven jersey. Curry has yet to find his stride Down Under but the Lions coaching team view his physicality, work rate and big game experience as too valuable to leave out. Beirne was locked in a selection duel with Ollie Chessum and he has won on this occasion, with his English rival present as a high-quality reinforcement off the bench. There are no surprises in a front row consisting of Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong, while captain Maro Itoje is joined by Joe McCarthy in the engine room and wings James Lowe and Tommy Freeman are present as expected. 'We are entering the business end of the tour and it is time to put in our best performance to date,' Andy Farrell said. 'We know how motivated the Wallabies will be and we know they are a well organised and dangerous side. 'It s a great occasion and a proud moment for Maro Itoje, who will captain the Test side, but also for those players who get the opportunity to represent the group on Saturday night.' Lions team: H Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland); T Freeman (Northampton Saints/England), H Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland), S Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland), J Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland); F Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland), J Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland); E Genge (Bristol Bears/England), D Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), T Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), M Itoje (Saracens/England) (C), J McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), T Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland), T Curry (Sale Sharks/England), J Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland). Replacements: R Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), A Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), W Stuart (Bath Rugby/England), O Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England), B Earl (Saracens/England), A Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England), M Smith (Harlequins/England), B Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland).
