Has Scotland's summer tour been a success?
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The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Steve Tandy backed to get Wales competing with top nations again
Steve Tandy has been championed to restore Welsh pride on the international stage after signing a three-year deal as Wales head coach. Tandy has left his role as Scotland defence coach – a position he has held since 2019 – to fill a vacancy created by Warren Gatland's departure in February. Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt has been in interim charge since and oversaw the end of Wales' 18-game losing streak – a record for a Tier One nation – in Japan earlier this month with a second Test victory over the Brave Blossoms. But Wales have turned to 45-year-old Tandy, who previously coached at Ospreys and Australian Super Rugby side Waratahs, to arrest a slide that has seen them finish bottom of the last two Six Nations Championships and plummet down the world rankings to 12th. 'Steve is an outstanding coach,' said Welsh Rugby Union director of rugby Dave Reddin, who revealed the interview process had initially mapped out around 130 coaches worldwide before being filtered down. 'I think his coaching journey shows someone that has been unafraid to really push himself into some uncomfortable experiences and really challenge the way that he was operating as a coach and develop as a result. 'As a proud Welshman it's the job he's wanted to move for. I know he'll be very missed by Scotland, he was a valued member of staff there and I'm delighted we've managed to secure his services. 'Are Wales going to be consistently ranked as the number one team in the world for the next 10 years? No, I don't think so. 'But can we be a real, genuine, top five nation who are constantly competing for Six Nations titles, who are capable of mixing it with the best in the world? 100 per cent. 'Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. I don't think anybody gets inspired by a team that says, 'well, we're going to rock up and do our best'. 'Especially a passionate rugby nation like Wales, I think we've got to be more ambitious than that.' Tandy, from Tonmawr between Neath and Port Talbot, becomes the first Welsh head coach of the men's national team since Gareth Jenkins nearly two decades ago. New Zealanders Gatland and Wayne Pivac have held the reins on a permanent basis since 2007 – and Reddin believes Tandy's background is a 'bonus'. He said: 'It will make a difference in how he's perceived – positive and negative. I'm conscious as a proud Welshman he's going to feel the responsibility of that. 'That wasn't part of the decision making process. It's a bonus that he's Welsh and I hope everyone will be kind to him because of that. 'On the surface it's great to have someone who has a natural affinity with their country. Ultimately that only goes so far, as it's about performances and the philosophy matching the expectations of the national public and what they want to see from their rugby team. 'They are the things that matter most and the Welsh side of things come after that. 'But if you looked at something that was ideal, to find the best coach and that they are Welsh, that's a perfect answer.' Tandy begins his tenure on September 1 and is set to lead Wales into the 2027 World Cup in Australia. Reddin said Tandy's backroom team would be finalised over the coming weeks and has not ruled retaining some current staff members.
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Coalition outlines plans to disrupt JD Vance's Cotswolds holiday
US Vice President JD Vance is expected to visit the Cotswolds next month with his family, shortly after Donald Trump completes a five-day tour of his golf courses in Scotland. The Stop Trump Coalition has announced plans to protest Vance's visit, stating he is 'every bit as unwelcome' in the UK as President Donald Trump. The coalition, which includes trade unions and anti-Trump demonstrators, is already organising protests against Mr Trump's visit in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, London, and Windsor. A spokesperson for the Stop Trump Coalition indicated that Mr Vance will encounter 'resistance waiting', even in the Cotswolds. Mr Vance's previous holiday in Vermont was disrupted by pro-Ukraine protesters in March, reportedly forcing his family to move to an undisclosed location.
The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Jamie George full of pride in Lions return despite ‘midweek massive' role
There are plenty of reasons to question the British & Irish Lions' clash with a First Nations & Pasifika XV on Tuesday. To wonder what the point of it is, sandwiched between the first two Tests. That the Lions have shipped in five players specifically to keep their frontline stars wrapped in cotton wool suggests it is little more than an inconvenience to the tourists. Then you listen to Jamie George explain what it means to him to represent the Lions again and it immediately changes your perception. Bin juice has never tasted so good. It took George 47 hours to make the journey from San Juan, not far from the Andes in Argentina, where he was preparing to represent England against the Pumas, to Brisbane to join up with the Lions before the first Test. Devastated at missing out on the initial squad, George jumped at the chance to come in as cover for Luke Cowan-Dickie, who is still recovering from concussion. A flight to Buenos Aires was followed by another to Rio de Janeiro, another to Dubai and then on to Brisbane. 'I gave the world a good lap,' he says, explaining that the gangster series Mobland and 'some pretty horrific moves' including the Kevin Costner golf classic Tin Cup kept him busy while sticking to a strict sleep regime prescribed by the Lions. George Jamie Osborne – cover for Garry Ringrose – as well as Thomas Clarkson, Darcy Graham, Ewan Ashman, Gregor Brown and Rory Sutherland all make the squad for Tuesday's fixture, along with Blair Kinghorn who returns after a knee injury. Andy Farrell insists he is keeping an open mind when it comes to selection for the second Test but in reality only Kinghorn and Ringrose, who is on the bench, have a realistic shot at making the XV. Owen Farrell is captain and he could conceivably make the 23, as could George. On the whole, however, those selected are the dirt-trackers, the bin juice or the midweek massive. For his part, George is determined to make the most of his second chance on his third Lions tour. A cancelled flight delayed the arrival of his father, Ian, whose presence in Melbourne gives the fixture extra meaning to George. He lost his mother, Jane, to cancer last year and George cites having his parents on the 2017 tour of New Zealand as one of his happiest memories. 'My old man is on the way,' said George. 'Obviously it's sad that my mum is not going to be able to be here but being able to do stuff like this for people like my old man, giving him the opportunity to travel around Australia, to watch his son play for the Lions. That's the special bit about what I do and it's my biggest motivation about why I do what I do. 'It's emotional to be back out there because I never thought this opportunity was going to come, however many weeks ago the squad was announced and I was heartbroken and now I've got the opportunity to pull the jersey on again and it might be the last time, it might not be. But I'll try to put my best foot forward and play like it's the last time and when I do it like that I want to make people proud, I want to do the jersey proud and do everything I possibly can to win in a Lions jersey because I think international selection is one thing but winning as a Lions is different so that's what I'm here to do. 'It's absolutely about gathering momentum for the boys in the Test team and giving them confidence in terms of what they see from us. Of course it's an amazing opportunity to put your name forward for Test selection. That's the way that people have got to see it.' Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion George is a huge cricket fan and so the significance of the Lions playing the second Test at the MCG is not lost on him. The 34-year-old hooker admits that attending a Boxing Day Test is 'bucket list' and did not rule out leading a 'sprinkler' celebration, as Graeme Swann did when England retained the Ashes in the 2010-11 contest in Melbourne. 'What a great shout that is,' he added. 'I see myself as a sort of Graeme Swann figure. Similar characters, both talented blokes. It could happen, yeah, who knows. Bucket list stuff for me is watching the Boxing Day Test there. I'd be getting stuck in once I've retired. In the Barmy Army, 100%, I'd be in the mix, shirt off, I'd have anywhere between 15 and 20 pints. A tattoo of Joe Root on one arm, Ben Stokes on the other. 'How good is it going to be? 100,000 people at the MCG. I thought the atmosphere was good at the weekend but from experience it just goes like that [upwards] in the second and third Tests.'
