Tomos Williams ruled out of Lions tour as replacement called up
Tomos Williams ruled out of Lions tour as replacement called up
The Welsh scrum-half suffered the cruel blow after scoring the second of his two tries against Western Force in Perth on Saturday
Tomos Williams after suffering the hamstring injury which ultimately ended his Lions tour
(Image: Getty Images )
Tomos Williams has cruelly been ruled out of the rest of the British and Irish Lions' tour of Australia with the hamstring problem he suffered against Western Force on Saturday.
Williams' unfortunate injury - all the more cruel given it came after an impressive start to the tour, with the injury coming as he crossed for his second try against the Force - means there is only one Welshman left on the 2025 tour Down Under. Wales captain Jac Morgan, who will start against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Wednesday, is now the sole Welsh representative.
Andy Farrell has called in Scotland scrum-half Ben White, who was already in New Zealand with his country, to fill the void left by Williams.
With Ireland scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park having not featured on the first two games of the tour due to injury, Williams had put down an impressive marker to feature in the Tests against Australia.
Having impressed off the bench against Argentina in Dublin, the two-try performance against the Force in Perth showed how well the former Cardiff man could work with likely Test fly-half Finn Russell.
However, the hamstring injury after his second score of the day has cruelly robbed Williams of his Lions Test dreams and Wales of one of its two tourists. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia.
Article continues below
'Unfortunately, Tomos has been ruled out of the rest of the tour with a hamstring injury. Ben White will join us from the Scotland squad and will fly over from New Zealand,' Farrell said after the news was confirmed on Monday morning.
Lions tour manager and former Wales wing Ieuan Evans added: 'This is desperately sad news for Tomos and we wish him all the very best in his recovery.
'Tomos is an exemplary Lion who has had a brilliant season, having joined the tour after being named Premiership Rugby's player-of-the-season. He lit up this Lions tour with his personality and his talent.'
Farrell has received a boost at scrum-half, with Gibson-Park fit to start against the Reds.
He'll make his first appearance of the tour on Wednesday in Brisbane, with Alex Mitchell once again on the bench - putting him in line to be the only player to feature in all three matches so far.
Lions captain Maro Itoje returns to the second row after not being involved in the 54-7 victory on the weekend, partnering England team-mate Ollie Chessum in the second-row.
Full-back Hugo Keenan makes his first appearance of the tour after recovering from a calf injury, while Finn Russell continues at fly-half having impressed at Optus Stadium.
Having seen Josh van der Flier impress on the weekend, Wales skipper Morgan will have another chance to force his way into the Test team as he packs down alongside Tom Curry and Jack Conan.
Lions team to face Reds on Wednesday: Hugo Keenan; Tommy Freeman, Huw Jones, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Will Stuart, Maro Itoje (captain), Ollie Chessum, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Jack Conan.
Article continues below
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith, Garry Ringrose.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
31 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Airdrie defender Sean McGinty feels early glimpses are good after Penybont friendly
The Diamonds' new signing on the club's clash with the Welsh side and settling in at New Broomfield Airdrie defender Sean McGinty feels the Diamonds have already shown glimpses of how good they can be this season after impressing against Welsh Premier League outfit Penybont on Saturday. The Diamonds were narrowly defeated 2-1 at New Broomfield in their first pre-season outing and new signing McGinty, who had the captain's armband on the day following Adam Frizzell's exit last week, was pleased with how they performed against a side preparing to play Europa Conference qualifier this week. McGinty featured alongside fellow new signings Alex King and Jamie Barjonas, who grabbed the only goal for Rhys McCabe's men with a fine finish after 59 minutes to pull a goal back. And the 31-year-old said: 'I felt it was a good game. We started really well and showed a few little glimpses of what we've been working on and I'm sure that will all come to fruition in the next couple of weeks with the more time we spend on the training pitch together. 'They have been back for a few weeks. I think they are four weeks ahead of us in terms of schedule because they are preparing for a European game next week. 'But we showed a few good passages of play and we scored a really good goal through Jamie Barjonas so there are a lot of positives to take from it. 'It's only the first game to blow the cobwebs off so we are ready for the real stuff starting against Dundee in a couple of weeks. 'I'm settling in well. I was captain just for that first game and it was good to be back out there because I've not played a game since May 2. 'We've only been back training for a week so everyone is still building relationships and seeing how everyone plays. There were a few trialists in as well so we had a bit of a split team in the game. 'But we've got a really talented squad and I'm excited for what the season brings. I'm really enjoying it, long may that continue.' Former Hamilton ace McGinty has been joined at the club by fellow ex-Accies stars Barjonas and forward Euan Henderson and it helps to have some familiar faces around. The Englishman added: 'We all know each other well and how we like to play so it is good to have that and play with Hendo and Barjo again. They both settled in well and it is a really good group we've got here. We've been working really hard and this is what you look forward to get, getting out there and playing games again. 'There will be a lot of double sessions this week and we look forward to the game with Albion Rovers this weekend to build on what we've been working on. 'We play St Mirren on the Tuesday [July 8] as well so that will be a really good test for us.' Twins sign first senior contracts Airdrieonians have announced twin brothers Cole and Dylan Williams have been rewarded for their academy endeavours with their first senior contracts. The 17-year-old midfielders gained some valuable first-team experience last season, each making two substitute appearances as they trained with the senior players and featured in a number of matchday squads. However it was in the Under 18s squad that the former St Johnstone youths regularly caught the eye, Dylan ending the season with the player of the year award as he grabbed 23 goals in 32 appearances, while Cole managed five in 33 appearances. Amid interest from elsewhere, the players have chosen to continue their career with Airdrie as they make the well-deserved step up. Manager Rhys McCabe was delighted to add the youngsters to his first-team squad, saying: 'Cole and Dylan are two exciting prospects for the future. 'They're young boys who have already benefitted from their experience in the first-team environment, and they'll continue to learn from the senior players as they try to push their way into contention.' The duo both celebrated their new deals by coming on as 69th minute substitutes during Saturday's 2-1 friendly defeat to Penybont. The Diamonds were scrapping at the bottom end of the table last term and needed a play-off to stay in the Championship, after reaching the Premiership play-offs the previous season. And McGinty said: 'The gaffer hasn't spoken to us about targets yet but we don't want to be down the wrong end of the table.'
South Wales Argus
31 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Henry Searle treating Wimbledon exit as learning experience
Henry Searle has decided to treat his first-round exit at Wimbledon as a valuable learning experience. The 19-year-old was defeated at the first hurdle of the men's singles for a second successive year, losing to Ethan Quinn 4-6, 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 at SW19. It was a far cry from 2023, when he became the first British male to be crowned Wimbledon boys' singles champion since Stanley Matthews in 1962. While the transition from junior to senior level has proved more challenging than he had hoped, Searle is determined to absorb all that Wimbledon has to offer as he seeks to build on his burgeoning potential. 'It's a good experience overall,' Searle said. 'To have another four-set match under my belt. We don't play five sets every week and I'm not at Grand Slam level yet, so it's good experience to be on that court. 'The serve on display was pretty good throughout the match. A lot of serves were on the line or near it, so it was tough. 'The mental and physical demands are far greater than in juniors and it's more taxing, so I'm adapting to that, but we're getting there slowly. 'It was nip and tuck. I thought if I could get away with the third set, the match would've flipped a bit, but it wasn't meant to be. 'I tried to take my mind off it and come out and reset, but ultimately he [Quinn] played the better tennis.' Although his singles campaign ended early, Searle will not have long to wait for another opportunity. Later in the tournament, the 19-year-old will partner Birmingham's Dan Evans in the men's doubles, where they face compatriot Henry Patten and Finland's Harri Heliövaara in the first round. Searle admits the prospect cannot come soon enough as he plots a return to winning ways. 'I'll do a little bit of stretching and get in the physio room to prepare for the doubles," he added. 'It's completely different to singles. It's more fun. You're playing with someone else and I'm looking forward to it. 'I'm always trying to pick Dan's brains and get little bits of advice off him; he's always good at saying things when we're practising or on the doubles court, so he's very supportive. 'It'll be a good atmosphere and we played Henry and Harri at Queen's as well, so it'll be a fun match.' For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website.
South Wales Argus
32 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Boulter claims top ten scalp as Brit women shine at Wimbledon
Boulter raced to the first set against ninth seed Paula Badosa and then, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, let that advantage slip on Centre Court. But the British number two rediscovered her first set form to close out a 6-2 3-6 6-4 victory to claim the scalp of a top ten player for the fourth time in her career. "I've played too many matches recently where I started out great and then let it slip, it was something my team and I talked about a lot," she said. "I didn't want it to happen again but I kept fighting and kept trying to be positive. I just went after everything I could and just hoped it would happen. "This court is the epitome of what every British child dreams of playing on, it makes you feel like a little girl again." Emma Raducanu knows she's going to need to find the form that made her a star if she has any designs making this campaign more than a fleeting one. As expected, she outclassed fellow Brit Mimi Xu, just 17, to win a straightforward and straight sets opening round encounter 6-3 6-3. But now reality bites for the recently installed British number one, with 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova waiting in the second round and top seed Aryna Sabalenka just beyond that. Raducanu knows a thing or two about teenage upsets and Grand Slam fairytales but was in no mood to allow Xu, a talented player with plenty more Wimbledons ahead, her moment in the spotlight. The pair are forming a close friendship as part of Britain's Billie Jean King Cup team, while the 22-year-old practises her Mandarin by speaking to Xu's mother. But losing this - against a player ranked 278 places below her - was simply not a thought she was prepared to countenance. "I can remember how special and daunting the experience is playing in your first Wimbledon but she should be really proud of how she competed out there," said Raducanu. "She'll learn so much and I hope this is the first of very many Wimbledons for her. "It's always tough playing a British player but the atmosphere was so supportive for both of us. Sometimes these early matches are difficult because of all the nerves and adrenaline. "I'm just very pleased to have won that match, Mimi is a really dangerous player and she's got some amazing weapons in her game. "I had some moments where I lost my focus which is something that I need to work on. She was able to get more into the match and that meant I had to tough it out. I'm happy to be through." Raducanu's Wimbledon win over Vondrousova four years ago was her breakthrough match, within a few weeks she was a Grand Slam champion in New York, while her Czech rival went on to win the title here two years later. "She's just won a big grass court tournament in Berlin and she's obviously excellent on this surface and in good form, I'll need to play very well to get over the line," added Raducanu. "We've played three times and she's won the last couple but I felt it was a much closer match when we played in Abu Dhabi earlier this year." 'I'm in awe of her, to feel that love for the game is really precious' 🥹❤️ When Joanie met, played with and inspired her hero @EmmaRaducanu — LTA (@the_LTA) June 13, 2025 Sonay Kartal is hoping to ink her name into Wimbledon's second week – and then get a tattoo to celebrate. The British No.3 arrived in confident mood, having claimed the biggest win of her career by beating Australian world No.16 Daria Kasatkina at Queen's. She reached the third round here 12 months ago and, following a sluggish start, was good value for her 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 win over Jelena Ostapenko – a former French Open champion and Wimbledon semi-finalist. She already has 14 tattoos and hopes to make it 15-love – but only if she can better last year's showing at SW19. 'This is the top win of my career – it's about proving I can compete with the best players in the world, and this shows I can do that,' said Kartal, who had lost her previous match with the Latvian only last week in Eastbourne. For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website.
