Wallabies vs Lions LIVE: Australia in must-win Test to keep series alive at a packed MCG
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6.58pm
A roar across Melbourne
By Tom Decent
I can officially report Melbourne has Lions fever.
I have been at a watering hole around the corner from the MCG and the atmosphere is unbelievable.
I have covered rugby in about 10 countries and am struggling to recall such a great vibe before a Test.
The walk to the ground is a sea of red with a bit of gold.
No rain at the moment, which was contrary to the forecast.
'Lions, Lions, Lions' chants popping off everywhere. 90,000 plus at the MCG expected.
Imagine a Wallabies win. It would be massive.
6.57pm
How the Lions are lining up
This Lions team has got a major Irish feel to it with nine Irish players in the starting lineup, which would have been ten if centre Garry Ringrose hadn't selflessly reported concussion symptoms.
Another Irishman misses out, with second-rower Joe McCarthy injured, with Ollie Chessum coming in to partner captain Maro Itoje.
Like Schmidt, coach Andy Farrell has gone for a 6/2 split, trusting his son Owen to provide cover at 10 and 12, with Scotland's Blair Kinghorn able to play at fullback and wing with ease.
In the first Test, the halves Finn Russell and Jamison Gibson-Park dictated the game with ease. Let's see if they can replicate it at the MCG.
6.49pm
Who have you got tonight?
6.49pm
How the Wallabies are lining up
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has resisted the urge to tinker with his backline which remains unchanged from the first Test in Brisbane.
The pack is a different story. David Porecki comes in at hooker and Billy Pollard stays on the bench, with the Reds' Matt Faessler out of the squad.
The Wallabies faithful will be delighted to see the combined muscle of Rob Valetini and Will Skelton to help them break the Lions' stubborn and organised defence.
The Wallabies have gone for a 6/2 bench, to prepare for the wetter conditions in Melbourne, with Langi Gleeson and Angus Bell both providing ball carrying strength off the bench.
6.48pm
Good evening rugby fans
Good evening everyone to the second Test and quite possibly the biggest game of rugby the Wallabies have played in a decade.
It's Jonathan Drennan taking you through tonight's action, helped by a talented backline outside me ready to fire.
We have Roy Ward, who did an excellent piece on the state of rugby union in Victoria this week, alongside Tom 'diamonds' Decent and Iain 'the North Shore express' Payten. All three gents are in the MCG with the 90,000 fans expected in the iconic venue.
Last week, the Wallabies were brutally outmuscled by the Lions, but staggered back into the game late, before losing by eight points.
Many of the overseas press was deeply impressed with Australia and as ever, the Wallabies need to find a big performance to silence the detractors.
It's a huge ask to level the series, but not impossible it happened right here in Melbourne for the Wallabies in 2001 and 2013.
Kickoff is set for 8pm AEST and you can watch all the action on Nine and Stan Sport who also own this masthead.
But please also follow along as we bring you the main moments and reactions pre and post game.
We're in the hometown of Pete Samu and Rob Valetini, the stage is perfectly set, let's get into this.
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The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Check out who has touched down for the Newcastle Jets after a marathon trip
JOE Shaughnessy, a key piece to the Jets jigsaw puzzle, has touched down in Newcastle. The Irish defender and former Dundee captain was an interested spectator at training on Monday after a marathon trip from Scotland. The 32-year-old departed Glasgow on Saturday at 5.20pm and had stopovers in London and Singapore, before arriving in Sydney at 6am on Monday. After a trip up the MI, Shaughnessy met his new teammates at Maitland Sportsground and had a first look at them in action. However, the experienced centreback won't be involved in the Jets' Australia Cup clash against Adelaide United at the same venue on Wednesday night. His priority will be catching up on sleep and acclimatising. Jets coach Mark Milligan plans to take a cautious approach with Shaugnessy, who returned from a knee reconstruction in March. The hard-nosed centreback went on to play a key role for Dundee, making 11 appearances, to help The Dark Blues avoid relegation from the Scottish Premier League. Either Mark Natta or youth team defender Max Cooper is likely to partner Aleks Susnjar in the heart of defence against Adelaide. Natta, 22, welcomed Shaughnessy's arrival and is looking forward to learning from the Irishman. "A senior player, especiallly someone in your position, is someone to look up to for sure," Natta said. "He will have tips of the trade that I haven't quite developed yet." The Australia Cup round-of-32 battle is the first competitive match under new coach Mark Milligan. Adelaide also have a new boss in Airton Andrioli and boast a star-studded attack led by Socceroo Craig Goodwin and young guns Archie Goodwin and Luka Jovanovic. However, the former two are under injury clouds. "We don't know exactly how they are going to play," Natta said. "It's hard because they have a new coach, new players. Players have tendencies. You can look at individuals and see what strengths and weaknesses they have. "The preseason so far has been about us and how we can play our best brand of football." Shaughnessy is one of four major signings, alongside midfielders Max Burgess and Alex Badolato and keeper James Delianov. Burgess joined the Jets after four seasons at Sydney FC. "I have been blown away by how hard everyone works here and how together the group is," Burgess said. "It is really exciting to be a part of. "It has been a really productive couple of weeks with a couple of good hit outs [against St George and Edgeworth]. "The intensity has been really high. It has been really positive. "We want to be a ball-playing side. We want to play on the front foot. We want to control games. We want to set the tone on Wednesday and set a mark for what we want to be." The Jets, who beat St George (4-1) and Edgeworth (3-0), have an ordinary record in the Australia Cup. They went down 4-3 to Macarthur in the round of 16 last year and have only made the quarter-finals once, going down to Adelaide in 2019. "Everyone is excited to go out there on Wednesday night," Burgess said. "It is a competitive tournament. It can get you into Asia, it's silverware. "We want to be really competitive. We want to fight for things. It is game-by-game but we are looking at it as a massive opportunity for us as a club. We want to make a mark and set the tone on Wednesday for what we want to be moving forward." JOE Shaughnessy, a key piece to the Jets jigsaw puzzle, has touched down in Newcastle. The Irish defender and former Dundee captain was an interested spectator at training on Monday after a marathon trip from Scotland. The 32-year-old departed Glasgow on Saturday at 5.20pm and had stopovers in London and Singapore, before arriving in Sydney at 6am on Monday. After a trip up the MI, Shaughnessy met his new teammates at Maitland Sportsground and had a first look at them in action. However, the experienced centreback won't be involved in the Jets' Australia Cup clash against Adelaide United at the same venue on Wednesday night. His priority will be catching up on sleep and acclimatising. Jets coach Mark Milligan plans to take a cautious approach with Shaugnessy, who returned from a knee reconstruction in March. The hard-nosed centreback went on to play a key role for Dundee, making 11 appearances, to help The Dark Blues avoid relegation from the Scottish Premier League. Either Mark Natta or youth team defender Max Cooper is likely to partner Aleks Susnjar in the heart of defence against Adelaide. Natta, 22, welcomed Shaughnessy's arrival and is looking forward to learning from the Irishman. "A senior player, especiallly someone in your position, is someone to look up to for sure," Natta said. "He will have tips of the trade that I haven't quite developed yet." The Australia Cup round-of-32 battle is the first competitive match under new coach Mark Milligan. Adelaide also have a new boss in Airton Andrioli and boast a star-studded attack led by Socceroo Craig Goodwin and young guns Archie Goodwin and Luka Jovanovic. However, the former two are under injury clouds. "We don't know exactly how they are going to play," Natta said. "It's hard because they have a new coach, new players. Players have tendencies. You can look at individuals and see what strengths and weaknesses they have. "The preseason so far has been about us and how we can play our best brand of football." Shaughnessy is one of four major signings, alongside midfielders Max Burgess and Alex Badolato and keeper James Delianov. Burgess joined the Jets after four seasons at Sydney FC. "I have been blown away by how hard everyone works here and how together the group is," Burgess said. "It is really exciting to be a part of. "It has been a really productive couple of weeks with a couple of good hit outs [against St George and Edgeworth]. "The intensity has been really high. It has been really positive. "We want to be a ball-playing side. We want to play on the front foot. We want to control games. We want to set the tone on Wednesday and set a mark for what we want to be." The Jets, who beat St George (4-1) and Edgeworth (3-0), have an ordinary record in the Australia Cup. They went down 4-3 to Macarthur in the round of 16 last year and have only made the quarter-finals once, going down to Adelaide in 2019. "Everyone is excited to go out there on Wednesday night," Burgess said. "It is a competitive tournament. It can get you into Asia, it's silverware. "We want to be really competitive. We want to fight for things. It is game-by-game but we are looking at it as a massive opportunity for us as a club. We want to make a mark and set the tone on Wednesday for what we want to be moving forward." JOE Shaughnessy, a key piece to the Jets jigsaw puzzle, has touched down in Newcastle. The Irish defender and former Dundee captain was an interested spectator at training on Monday after a marathon trip from Scotland. The 32-year-old departed Glasgow on Saturday at 5.20pm and had stopovers in London and Singapore, before arriving in Sydney at 6am on Monday. After a trip up the MI, Shaughnessy met his new teammates at Maitland Sportsground and had a first look at them in action. However, the experienced centreback won't be involved in the Jets' Australia Cup clash against Adelaide United at the same venue on Wednesday night. His priority will be catching up on sleep and acclimatising. Jets coach Mark Milligan plans to take a cautious approach with Shaugnessy, who returned from a knee reconstruction in March. The hard-nosed centreback went on to play a key role for Dundee, making 11 appearances, to help The Dark Blues avoid relegation from the Scottish Premier League. Either Mark Natta or youth team defender Max Cooper is likely to partner Aleks Susnjar in the heart of defence against Adelaide. Natta, 22, welcomed Shaughnessy's arrival and is looking forward to learning from the Irishman. "A senior player, especiallly someone in your position, is someone to look up to for sure," Natta said. "He will have tips of the trade that I haven't quite developed yet." The Australia Cup round-of-32 battle is the first competitive match under new coach Mark Milligan. Adelaide also have a new boss in Airton Andrioli and boast a star-studded attack led by Socceroo Craig Goodwin and young guns Archie Goodwin and Luka Jovanovic. However, the former two are under injury clouds. "We don't know exactly how they are going to play," Natta said. "It's hard because they have a new coach, new players. Players have tendencies. You can look at individuals and see what strengths and weaknesses they have. "The preseason so far has been about us and how we can play our best brand of football." Shaughnessy is one of four major signings, alongside midfielders Max Burgess and Alex Badolato and keeper James Delianov. Burgess joined the Jets after four seasons at Sydney FC. "I have been blown away by how hard everyone works here and how together the group is," Burgess said. "It is really exciting to be a part of. "It has been a really productive couple of weeks with a couple of good hit outs [against St George and Edgeworth]. "The intensity has been really high. It has been really positive. "We want to be a ball-playing side. We want to play on the front foot. We want to control games. We want to set the tone on Wednesday and set a mark for what we want to be." The Jets, who beat St George (4-1) and Edgeworth (3-0), have an ordinary record in the Australia Cup. They went down 4-3 to Macarthur in the round of 16 last year and have only made the quarter-finals once, going down to Adelaide in 2019. "Everyone is excited to go out there on Wednesday night," Burgess said. "It is a competitive tournament. It can get you into Asia, it's silverware. "We want to be really competitive. We want to fight for things. It is game-by-game but we are looking at it as a massive opportunity for us as a club. We want to make a mark and set the tone on Wednesday for what we want to be moving forward." JOE Shaughnessy, a key piece to the Jets jigsaw puzzle, has touched down in Newcastle. The Irish defender and former Dundee captain was an interested spectator at training on Monday after a marathon trip from Scotland. The 32-year-old departed Glasgow on Saturday at 5.20pm and had stopovers in London and Singapore, before arriving in Sydney at 6am on Monday. After a trip up the MI, Shaughnessy met his new teammates at Maitland Sportsground and had a first look at them in action. However, the experienced centreback won't be involved in the Jets' Australia Cup clash against Adelaide United at the same venue on Wednesday night. His priority will be catching up on sleep and acclimatising. Jets coach Mark Milligan plans to take a cautious approach with Shaugnessy, who returned from a knee reconstruction in March. The hard-nosed centreback went on to play a key role for Dundee, making 11 appearances, to help The Dark Blues avoid relegation from the Scottish Premier League. Either Mark Natta or youth team defender Max Cooper is likely to partner Aleks Susnjar in the heart of defence against Adelaide. Natta, 22, welcomed Shaughnessy's arrival and is looking forward to learning from the Irishman. "A senior player, especiallly someone in your position, is someone to look up to for sure," Natta said. "He will have tips of the trade that I haven't quite developed yet." The Australia Cup round-of-32 battle is the first competitive match under new coach Mark Milligan. Adelaide also have a new boss in Airton Andrioli and boast a star-studded attack led by Socceroo Craig Goodwin and young guns Archie Goodwin and Luka Jovanovic. However, the former two are under injury clouds. "We don't know exactly how they are going to play," Natta said. "It's hard because they have a new coach, new players. Players have tendencies. You can look at individuals and see what strengths and weaknesses they have. "The preseason so far has been about us and how we can play our best brand of football." Shaughnessy is one of four major signings, alongside midfielders Max Burgess and Alex Badolato and keeper James Delianov. Burgess joined the Jets after four seasons at Sydney FC. "I have been blown away by how hard everyone works here and how together the group is," Burgess said. "It is really exciting to be a part of. "It has been a really productive couple of weeks with a couple of good hit outs [against St George and Edgeworth]. "The intensity has been really high. It has been really positive. "We want to be a ball-playing side. We want to play on the front foot. We want to control games. We want to set the tone on Wednesday and set a mark for what we want to be." The Jets, who beat St George (4-1) and Edgeworth (3-0), have an ordinary record in the Australia Cup. They went down 4-3 to Macarthur in the round of 16 last year and have only made the quarter-finals once, going down to Adelaide in 2019. "Everyone is excited to go out there on Wednesday night," Burgess said. "It is a competitive tournament. It can get you into Asia, it's silverware. "We want to be really competitive. We want to fight for things. It is game-by-game but we are looking at it as a massive opportunity for us as a club. We want to make a mark and set the tone on Wednesday for what we want to be moving forward."
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Wallabies intent on avoiding losing series 3-0 to the British and Irish Lions
Barbs that the Wallabies were unworthy opponents for the British and Irish Lions have the Australians desperate to avoid losing a series 3-0 to the tourists for the first time since 1904. Pride will well and truly be on the line in Sydney on Saturday night when the Wallabies attempt to prevent the Lions going home with wins in all three Tests after victories in Brisbane and Melbourne. That hasn't happened since it occurred 121 years go when the Lions, then called British Isles, won two Tests in Sydney and one in Brisbane, and restricted Australia to just three points for the entire series. If that's not enough motivation for the Wallabies to win at Accor Stadium, there is also the hurt of the second Test loss at the MCG, where Australia led for almost the entire match only be beaten 29-26 via a last-minute try that came after a controversial decision not to award the hosts a penalty for an alleged infringement by Lions forward Jac Morgan, who seemed to illegally strike Wallabies replacement Carlo Tizzano in the back of the net. It hurts but your support means everything ðŸ'›ðŸ'š We can’t wait to play for you again in Sydney. #Wallabies #ACheerAndAHalf #LionsTour2025 — Wallabies (@wallabies) July 27, 2025 Also driving the Wallabies to win in Sydney will be the pre-series talk that Lions should have toured South Africa to face the world champions rather than meet a weak Australia. 'It's another thing to add into the pot for things to get up for the game,' Wallabies lock Nick Frost said. 'We're definitely keen to rip in. Going out there, playing in front of your friends, for your family and for your nation, and on top of that, playing against the Lions – it's a massive game. 'We know there are so many things that we've got to improve on, but there are some really good parts to our game, and we're really looking forward to it. 'We're starting to play a better brand of rugby and a more attacking brand of rugby that suits some of our skilled players. 'The more games we can put together for longer periods of time, we're going to start to see some improvements on the scoreboard, and some more wins. It is a process.' Winger Max Jorgensen said while the Wallabies were 'gutted' to loss at the MCG, attention had switched to winning the final Test of the series. 'We put in such a big effort – it's a tough pill to swallow,' Jorgensen said. 'Everyone knows that, but there's a big focus on this weekend now and winning this game on Saturday.' The Wallabies have added prop Aidan Ross to their extended squad ahead of Saturday's clash, while winger Harry Potter has remained in Melbourne after injuring his hamstring in the weekend loss.
Herald Sun
7 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Jockey Martin Harley keen to resume Cool Archie partnership
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. A rejuvenated Martin Harley is hoping that gun colt Cool Archie can put him on the map in the same way that mighty mare Winx defined the career of fellow jockey Hugh Bowman. Irish hoop Harley returned to Brisbane on Saturday night after a much-needed holiday back home where he celebrated his epic Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) victory on Cool Archie at Eagle Farm last month with family and friends. Of course, Harley doesn't expect the Chris and Corey Munce-trained colt to win a world-record 33 consecutive races like the legendary Winx, but he knows that a quality horse like Cool Archie comes along once in a blue moon. Winx had six different riders during her illustrious career that netted more than $26m in prizemoney before her retirement in April 2019, but she will forever be associated with Bowman and champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Harley's JJ Atkins victory – which broke a 10-year drought since his last Group 1 – was just reward for his hard work, dedication and persistence after overcoming a potentially career-threatening broken neck suffered in a sickening mid-week race fall in 2023. 'The real exciting thing about having a serious injury two years ago to even being not sure if I'd ride again and then for him to do what he did and put me back on the Group 1 map, in a way he certainly has changed my life in different avenues,' Harley said. 'A lot of jockeys can win if they get the right animal but when you stumble across a horse like that, it could be real life-changing moving forward. 'Look at the Winx story regarding Hugh Bowman. And I'm not saying it'll be like that but he could be an Everest horse and (owner) Max Whitby obviously has a slot. 'There could be serious potential going forward so I'll keep my fingers crossed and we'll take it from there. To live the dream like that would be unbelievable.' • Beriman's appeal for concussion protocols to be strengthened Whitby has declared that Cool Archie should be a shoo-in for Australian Two Year Old of the Year honours during a gala ceremony in Brisbane on August 31. 'I would definitely agree and not just because I've been riding him,' Harley said. 'For a horse to go from a maiden to a Group 1 winner in the space of two months - over all different distances and kinds of tracks - he has conquered more than any other two-year-old in Australia this year.' The father-and-son Munce partnership has said that Cool Archie would be spelled for the spring and set for next autumn's $4m Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick. It comes after a gruelling winter campaign in which the colt embarked on an incredible five-race winning streak in all conditions. Martin Harley steers Cool Archie home in the Group 1 JJ Atkins at Eagle Farm. Picture: Grant Peters / Trackside Photography • Rutledge's 'omen' win on The Irish written in the stars While Cool Archie is resting, a recharged Harley will be coming down from cloud nine to reset for the 2025-26 racing season in Brisbane which starts on Friday. Looking at the bigger picture, the affable Irishman hopes to travel interstate this spring carnival for a few feature races after proving he can handle the pressure of riding in majors. 'Sydney and Melbourne are tough, there are a lot of good jockeys there, but I'll be putting my hand up for a few rides down south if I can get them,' he said. 'You can get brought back to earth pretty quickly in this game but we showed them we can score at the top level and can get the job done in high-pressure races. 'But I'm definitely not getting too far ahead of myself. I had five Group 1 winners that came pretty quick and then it took another 10 years to crack it for my other one (in the JJ Atkins).' Jockey Martin Harley. Picture: Grant Peters / Trackside Photography • 'This isn't a novelty': Female hoops set up for success In the meantime, Harley can look back at that memorable day on June 14 when his dream of finally winning a Group 1 in Australia became reality. 'I went into the jockeys' room that day and I can honestly tell you, there wasn't one jockey who begrudged me the win,' he said. 'They were that happy for me and that made me even more proud.' Originally published as Rejuvenated Martin Harley hopes gun colt Cool Archie will define his career
