'The Wallabies are on everyone's minds'
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The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Matt Sherratt wants Wales' win against Japan ‘to be the start of something'
Matt Sherratt hopes Wales' 31-22 victory over Japan can 'be the start of something' after they snapped an 18-match losing Test run. A hard-fought performance saw Kieran Hardy score two tries along with efforts from Josh Adams and Dan Edwards as Wales held off a second-half Japan comeback to clinch the win at the Noevir Stadium. It earned Wales their first Test win since beating Georgia at the 2023 World Cup. Sherratt took over as interim head coach following the departure of Warren Gatland during the Six Nations Championship in February and he hopes Saturday's win can help his successor start with a clean slate. 'A very passionate group of players and staff. There's some real talent as well,' Sherratt told a post-match press conference. 'Today is the end of a long season, but for Welsh rugby it's got to be the start of something. 'The next guy coming in – the big motivation for the group was to let whoever that is start on a level playing field without the burden of the 18 in a row around his neck. 'That was a big motivation for me coming in. The work's got to be done now with the national coaches in the regions, lets get into the regions and help develop a good young group of players.' Sherratt had overseen four of those 18 defeats coming into Saturday's contest and expressed his delight for Wales' players and staff to finally earn a win as emotions ran high at full-time. He added: 'For me, it's about the people. As I said before, I've genuinely never wanted to win a game of rugby so much. 'I'm not around it being win or loss. I'm more around I know what the group has put in – I've been around for four games, but I see what it means to them, what it means to the staff. 'I was so pleased for this group, there's not been a more deserving group that I've worked with, so it was pretty emotional. 'I had to get Gethin Jenkins to give me a slap around the face to get in check because as you'd seen, I could have easily embarrassed myself on TV.' Wales took a 21-10 lead into half-time thanks to efforts from Adams and Hardy, before Shuhei Takeuchi scored before the break. Edwards' penalty extended the visitors' advantage, but they suddenly found themselves in trouble when converted tries from Warner Dearns and Dylan Riley closed the gap to two points. However, Wales were able to see the game out after a brilliant piece of individual skill from Taine Plumtree saw him fire a reverse pass into Edwards and the fly-half dived over the line to wrap up the win. Reflecting on the game, skipper Dewi Lake added: 'I'm over the moon, it's been a long time coming. 'I look back at tough results we've had over the last 18 months, couple of one-pointers, couple of two-pointers. We were probably in the driving seat last week and let it slip. 'To dig in and get the job done today is an amazing feeling.'
BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
Scotland must be 'much better' after humbling Fiji defeat
Scotland captain Rory Darge says the side will have to put in a "much better" performance than what they showed in Fiji for next weekend's Test match against scoring early in the first half, the Scots suffered a humbling 29-14 defeat in Suva. The loss will cost the Scots world rankings points and likely push them out of the top six for December's World Cup draw, putting a dent in their hopes of getting a favourable draw. "We were all really looking forward to playing Fiji," Darge said. "It's a unique experience. It's the first time for a lot of us playing here. We knew the challenge we were going into and what a quality side Fiji are. "But I'm sure there'll be a lot of things in the review that we can control and do much better."
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
AUNZ Invitational XV v British & Irish Lions: rugby union
Update: Date: 2025-07-12T09:06:37.000Z Title: Team news Content: Owen Farrell is a Lion once more. If you're asking me he should have been included in the initial squad. I get the arguments that he's not playing for England, that he's not been in red hot form in France, that some might rankle that his dad is the coach. But he's a Test animal and just gets what it means to be a Lion. Will he produce the goods tonight to earn a spot in the Test team? Keep an eye on the Scottish duo in midfield. Huw Jones at 13 and Sione Tuipulotu at 12 get to showcase why so many regard them as the best centre pair in the world. Jac Morgan starts at 7 – as he should for the Test team – alongside Ben Earl and Henry Pollock in the back row. Expect fireworks. Thanks to a couple of injuries Hugo Keenan has a run at the 15 jersey with Marcus Smith seemingly inked on as an impact player off the bench. Will the Irishman grab his opportunity? Plenty to ponder. British and Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan; 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Ben White, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Henry Pollock, 5 Tadhg Beirne (c), 4 James Ryan, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Pierre Schoeman. Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Owen Farrell Les Kiss will take charge of the Wallabies in 2026, but now he's leading the AUNZ side with 17 internationals. Many believe that Marika Koroibete should be playing for Australia. He'll no doubt be a menace on the wing here. Shannon Frizell will test the Lions at the breakdown while Reds players Jeffery Toomaga-Allen and Jock Campbell will also get another crack at the tourists. AUNZ Invitational XV: 15 Shaun Stevenson; 14 AJ Lam, 13 Ngani Laumape, 12 David Havili (cc), 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Tane Edmed, 9 Folau Fakatava, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Pete Samu, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (cc), 4 Angus Blyth, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Aidan Ross Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Joshua Fusitu'a, 18 George Dyer, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Joe Brial, 21 Kalani Thomas, 22 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 23 Jock Campbell Update: Date: 2025-07-12T09:00:08.000Z Title: Preamble Content: One last dress rehearsal. One last chance for some players to impress. One last chance for Andy Farrell to fine tune some combinations, to get a sense of who is in and who is out, to settle on 23 men worthy of taking part in the first Test next week. The Lions have yet to fully impress. Last week, in 36-24 win over the Brumbies, a team billed as a Test side blew hot and cold, just as the men in red have done all tour. There were glimpses of some cohesion but the breakdown remained a mess while multiple attacks fizzled to nothing. Can they sort things out tonight? This time they take on a combined Australia and New Zealand side with Owen Farrell on the bench. There's an all-Scottish midfield and a dynamic back row to keep an eye on (more on the team in a bit). Forget the result. Tonight is not about that. Tonight is about doing enough across the park to bag a place against the Wallabies. Kick off at 11 am BST/7:30 pm in Adelaide. Teams and further updates to come. I'd love to hear from you. Send any thoughts. questions or anecdotes my way via email.
