Ireland to face England in three-match ODI series
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Australia vs Lions referee: Who is third Test official Nika Amashukeli?
Nika Amashukeli takes charge of the third Test between Australia and the British and Irish Lions in Sydney as the tour comes to an end. The trailblazing Georgian has been given another marquee apppointment after making history at the World Cup in the autumn of 2023. The 31-year-old became the first referee from Georgia to officiate at the event, and the youngest whistler since Wayne Barnes in 2007 to be appointed to a men's World Cup panel. Amashukeli represented Georgia at junior level as a centre, but was forced to retire at the age of 20 after a series of concussions and other injuries. He was recruited as a referee as part of a new programme to improve officiating standards in the country, developed in partnership with the Irish Rugby Football Union. As part of that relationship, Amashukeli has been mentored by Irish official David McHugh, who refereed games at the 1995, 1999 and 2003 World Cups. In July 2021, Amashukeli officiated Wales' win over Canada, his first international appointment involving a Tier One nation. A Six Nations debut followed seven months later, and Amashukeli has since forged a reputation as a referee of high potential. He operated as an assistant in the opening two games of the series. Australia vs Lions match officials Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo) Assistant Referees: Ben O'Keeffe (NZ) & Andrea Piardi (Ita) TMO: Marius Jonker (SA)
Spectator
2 hours ago
- Spectator
The rise of rugby's Nepo Babies
Julie Burchill may not have coined the phrase 'Nepo Baby', but my Coffee House colleague certainly has established a reputation as a deliciously mordant chronicler of the phenomenon. The babies are everywhere, although as Burchill points out, 'there are some professions in which the far reach of the dead hand of nepotism strikes me as worse than others'. Modelling and the media appear to be jobs where nepotism is more important than talent. (Incidentally, before you ask, I am not related to John, Bob or even Dennis Mortimer, the former Aston Villa midfielder.) But there is another profession where having the right surname seems to be increasingly handy, and that's top-level rugby. These days the sport isn't just about power and pace, but apparently who you are related to. The British and Irish Lions play their third and final Test against Australia today and among the 23 players selected by coach Andy Farrell is Owen, his son. In his heyday Owen Farrell was a very fine player. He made his England debut in 2012 and won the last of 112 caps at the 2023 World Cup. The following year he signed a lucrative deal with a French club, Racing 92 of Paris, but it wasn't a success. Farrell quit the club halfway through his two-year deal and returned to England in June with the jeers of the French ringing his ears. 'Un flop', as one rugby website remarked. In fairness to the 33-year-old Farrell, his season was disrupted by injury – no surprise given his age – and since January he managed to start only six matches. This didn't bother his dad when he needed a replacement for the injured Elliot Daly, who broke his arm in the Lions' second match of their Australian tour. He drafted Owen into the squad despite his lack of form this season, and the fact he hadn't played international rugby for nearly two years. There were plenty of alternatives – Scots, Irish and Englishmen at the top of their game – but Andy selected his son. He justified it on the grounds of his 'experience', but Lions should be selected on form and fitness. Dan Biggar, the former Wales and Lions fly-half turned pundit, said he was 'struggling to get to grips' with the sense of it. Owen Farrell isn't the first player to seem to benefit from having his old man as head coach. There's Dan Lancaster, who, like Farrell, signed for Racing 92 last summer. Racing 92 are one of rugby's heavyweights – European Cup runners-up in 2018 and 2020 – yet Dan Lancaster arrived from Ealing Trailfinders, who play in the second division of English rugby. The French press were surprised. Did Dan's arrival at Racing have anything to do with the fact his dad, Stuart, is head coach? When the question was put to Jacky Lorenzetti, Racing's owner, he replied: 'Nepotism, why not, but let's not get too carried away' Stuart Lancaster (who coached England a decade ago) was sacked midway through the season and in June Dan left Racing. One of rugby's first apparent nepo babies was the Welshman Thomas Young, handed a professional contract in 2014 by his dad, Dai, when he coached London Wasps in England's Premiership. 'When things didn't work out at Cardiff Blues… my dad gave me an opportunity to come here,' said Thomas. Dai made his son club captain in 2019, a few months before he left Wasps by mutual consent. Thomas subsequently flew the Wasps' nest to rejoin his dad who was then coaching Cardiff. There also seem to be rugby Nepos in Australia and South Africa. Robert du Preez was accused of 'nepotism' in 2019 when he coached the Sharks in Durban. Du Preez dismissed his critics as 'cockroaches', although he never came up with a good reason why he kept selecting his son Robert junior at fly-half instead of the clearly superior Curwin Bosch. There are also players whose dads aren't coaches but who seem to still benefit from having a famous father. Among them are Adam Hastings, son of Scotland legend Gavin; Tom de Glanville, whose dad Phil captained England in the 1990s; Jack Bracken, son of Kyran, a World Cup winner with England in 2003, and Reuben Logan, whose dad, Kenny, played for Scotland and whose mum is Gabby, the BBC sports presenter who represented Wales in gymnastics. Premiership club Sale Sharks recently signed the 20-year-old Reuben and the club's director of rugby, Alex Sanderson, said: 'He has got two ex-professional sporting parents. That stands for a lot for me in terms of when you are that young.' Rugby's Nepos are different from their media and modelling peers in that they have given blood, toil, tears and sweat in pursuit of their goal. They are all talented, disciplined and admirable young men. But professional rugby is a cut-throat business with a surfeit of talented youngsters all vying for a contract with a small number of top-flight clubs. A report in 2020 in the Guardian about the competition for contracts in the English Premiership stated: 'One experienced Premiership academy manager has said he believes up to 20 per cent of the country's most talented teenage players each year are being overlooked or blithely ignored'. It apparently helps to get noticed if you have a famous dad or, even better, if he picks the team.
BBC News
15 hours ago
- BBC News
Captain Monaghan 'emotional' over Ireland return
Rugby World Cup warm-up: Ireland v ScotlandVenue: Musgrave Park, Cork Date: Saturday, 2 August Kick-off: 14:00 BSTCoverage: Live on BBC iPlayer and website with live text commentary on the website and app Ireland skipper Sam Monaghan says she will "savour every moment" of her return from injury after 13 months on the sidelines. The lock injured her ACL representing her club Gloucester Hartpury in June 2024 before calf and hamstring injuries further delayed her return to action. Now able to see "light at the end of the tunnel", the 32-year-old has been named to start in the second row for Ireland's World Cup warm-up fixture against Scotland in Cork on Saturday. "It was really emotional seeing my name on the teamsheet again, not only for me but for my family, team-mates, everyone that's been on the journey with me, physios, S&Cs," said Monaghan."You build up a hunger. It's kind of like you've been starving for the last 13 months and you finally get your opportunity."I'm sure I'll really savour every moment and just want to do the best I can for the squad around me. They've really looked after me the last year so I'll be extremely excited to get back out on the pitch with them." Monaghan's second row partner on Saturday, Eimear Corri-Fallon, has also struggled with injuries over the past year."Me and Eimear have played together before in Dubai [at the WXV tournament in 2023] and Six Nations so we have that second row connection. "Unfortunately, both of us had a bit of a rough year so we're kind of on the same journey at the minute. It's nice to come back out on the pitch together."Monaghan and Corri-Fallon are not the only returning players to Ireland's panel for what is the first of two warm-up fixtures before the World Cup which begins in England later this Beibhinn Parsons, who broke her leg in December, will also start at Musgrave Park as Scott Bemand's side build towards the tournament where they will be in a pool alongside Japan, Spain and New Zealand. Ireland, however, have already been dealt a series of injury blows with key forwards Dorothy Wall and Erin King ruled out of the World Cup, while 2025 Six Nations Player of the Championship Aoife Wafer is a doubt. "Injuries are always so tough. We've such a strong connection as a group so when we lose someone we really feel it," Monaghan said."On and off the pitch they are such big characters, but they are both working extremely hard and I know how tough a journey it can be."That's high-level sport. It's given the opportunity for someone else to come in and we've had other girls come in and put their hand up and really perform."
