Fit-again Skelton welcomes Wallabies underdogs tag
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Three Scottish stars named in British & Irish Lions team for first Australia test
British & Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell has named his starting XV and replacements for the first of three test matches against the Wallabies (Pic: Getty) | Getty Images The full 23 man squad to take on the Wallabies in Brisbane contains 11 Irish, nine English three Scottish and no Welsh players. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... British & Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell has named his staring XV and replacements for the first of three test matches against Australia this weekend. The team is largely a combined Ireland and England set-up with three Scottish stars, all named in the starting line-up and forming a familiar partnership in the backs. Finn Russell starts at stand-off while Glasgow Warriors teammates Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones will bring their excellent tandem to the centres at 12 and 13 respectively. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The remainder of the full 23 man squad features 11 Irishmen and nine Englishmen with no Welsh players included for the first time since 1896. Ospreys' back rowers Jac Morgan is the only representative from Wales currently on tour but their is not place form him in the test squad. Despite positive performances in the warm up matches there is also no spot in the test team for Pierre Schoeman or Scott Cummings. Both had not necessarily been expected to be test matches players when the initial squad was named but had seemingly given themselves a shot after setting high standards on tour so far. England's Ellis Genge starts a loose-head prop with Ireland's Andrew Porter on the bench. The lock partnership will be Lions' captain Maro Itoje and Ireland's Joe McCarthy with England's England's Ollie Chessum covering from the replacements. Scrum half Ben White, a late call up to the touring squad, in not a surprise omission with Ireland's Jamieson Gibson-Park starting at nine and England's Alex Mitchell on the bench. Perhaps more surprising is the absence of Duhan van der Merwe who, despite having some lackluster displays on tour so far, scored a hat-trick in the Lions' last match against the AUNZ invitational team. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Blair Kinghorn's chances of featuring in this match were touch and go and he will not feature in this match although will be expected to play some part in the second test. The back three is made up of Ireland's James Lowe and England's Tommy Freeman on the wings plus Irishman Hugo Keean at full back Marcus Smith and Bundee Aki covering the backs from the bench. Here is the full British & Irish Lions starting XV and replacements for the opening test match against Australia in Brisbane this weekend: Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England) Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) (C) Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland) Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England) Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland) James Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England) Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Replacements: 16. Ronan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England), Ben Earl (Saracens/England), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England), Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England), Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) Lions Head Coach Andy Farrell said: 'We are entering the business end of the Tour and it is time to put in our best performance to date. We know how motivated the Wallabies will be and we know they are a well organised and dangerous side. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad '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.' What time doe British & Irish Lions vs Australia first test kick off in the UK? The first test will take place on Saturday (July 19) morning - kicking-off at 8pm local time. Due to the time difference between the hemispheres, it works out at 11am in the UK and Ireland, Sky Sports coverage is set to start at 10am, giving plenty of time for analysis and build-up before kick-off at Lang Park. If you really want to get into the rugby spirit, New Zealand's match against France will be on earlier in the morning from 7.05am. Which channel is British & Irish Lions vs Australia first test on? The full tour is being covered by Sky Sports, but the broadcaster does have a range of different channels - so you will want to make sure you get the right one. It has been confirmed that the first test will be live on both Sky Sports Main Event/ HD and Sky Sports Action/ HD.
STV News
an hour ago
- STV News
Smith keeps 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). Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Lions team named: Scotland trio to supply the creativity in first Test v Australia
Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu will start for the Lions against Australia in the first Test. | Getty Images Ireland players make up majority of team for game in Brisbane Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The British and Irish Lions team for the first Test will have a Scottish fulcrum after Andy Farrell opted for Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones as his midfield blend. Months of speculation ended at 4pm Australian Eastern Standard Time when Farrell unveiled his side for the match against the Wallabies at Brisbane on Saturday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As expected, Ireland provides the majority of the players and there are eight in the starting XV. There are four from England and the aforementioned three from Scotland but none from Wales. You have to go all the way back to the 19th century for the last time there was no Welsh representative in a Lions Test match. Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu will start for the Lions against Australia in Brisbane. | Getty Images The selection of Russell, Tuipulotu and Jones puts the creative onus on the Scots and it is the first time since 1993 one country has provided the 10/12/13 axis in a Lions Test. On that occasion it was English trio Rob Andrew, Will Carling and Jeremy Guscott who played in the series opener against New Zealand. Transferring chemistry to the Lions stage Russell becomes the first Scot to start a Lions Test match at 10 since Gregor Townsend in South Africa in 1997. The Bath fly-half, on his third Lions tour, was always expected to get the nod after a string of impressive performances over the last month. Tuipulotu and Jones' status was less certain but a head injury to Ireland centre Garry Ringrose opened the door and head coach Farrell opted to go for the Glasgow Warriors centre pairing rather than mix it up by playing one of them with Bundee Aki, who wins a place on the bench. The hope now is that the Russell-Tuipulotu-Jones axis can bring their chemistry to the Lions stage. Jamison Gibson-Park will be at scrum-half having linked up well with Russell in the preliminary matches. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Finn Russell, left, has been picked for the first Test but Blair Kinghorn misses out. | Getty Images There is no place in the squad for Blair Kinghorn who injured his knee during the win over the Brumbies in Canberra last Wednesday. Instead, Hugo Keenan starts at full-back, with the wing berths filled, as expected by Tommy Freeman and James Lowe. No place for Owen Farrell 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 Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne have been given the nod in the ferociously competitive flanker positions and, alongside No 8 Jack Conan. The versatile Marcus Smith has been named on the bench but Owen Farrell and Henry Pollock both miss out. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad '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.' British and Irish Lions team Versus Australia, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Saturday 11:00 BST 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). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
