Lions v Western Force: What time is kick-off today and where can I watch it in Ireland?
What's happening?
The British & Irish
Lions
play Australian club side Western Force in their second game of the 2025 tour.
Coming after the 28-24 defeat to Argentina in Dublin,
Andy Farrell's
Lions will be looking for a marked improvement in their first game in preparation for their upcoming three Tests against the Wallabies.
Where and when?
The game will be played at Optus Stadium in Perth, on Saturday with kick-off at 11am Irish time (6pm local time).
How can I follow the action?
Viewers in Ireland can watch the game live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action, with coverage getting under way at 10am.
READ MORE
Tom Court - Ireland's accidental Lion
Listen |
40:32
The Irish Times will also be running a live blog of the game, which will be followed by a match report, reaction and analysis from our team of writers.
Is there team news?
Yes, both teams were announced on Thursday morning.
LIONS:
Elliot Daly (Saracens/England); Mack Hansen (Connacht/Ireland), Garry Ringrose (Leinster/Ireland), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland), James Lowe (Leinster/Ireland); Finn Russell (Bath/Scotland), Tomos Williams (Gloucester/Wales); Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh/Scotland), Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Ireland, capt), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Ireland); Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/ Scotland), Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Ireland); Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Ireland), Josh van der Flier (Leinster/Ireland), Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England).
Replacements:
Rónan Kelleher (Leinster/Ireland), Andrew Porter (Leinster/Ireland), Will Stuart (Bath/England), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England), Jack Conan (Leinster/Ireland), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland), Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England).
Mack Hansen during a Lions training session in Perth on Wednesday. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho
WESTERN FORCE:
Ben Donaldson; Mac Grealy, Matt Proctor, Hamish Stewart, Dylan Pietsch; Alex Harford, Nic White (capt); Tom Robertson, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Ollie Hoskins; Sam Carter, Darcy Swain; Will Harris, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Vaiolini Ekuasi.
Replacements:
Nic Dolly, Marley Pearce, Tiaan Tauakipulu, Lopeti Faifua, Reed Prinsep, Henry Robertson, Max Burey, Bayley Kuenzle.
Anything else I need to watch out for?
Debutant Dan
Leinster and Ireland hooker
Dan Sheehan
is set for a special Lions debut, captaining the side for Saturday's game while Maro Itoje sits this one out.
It's a reiteration of Farrell's belief in the 27-year-old, having previously picked him to captain Ireland against Wales in the Six Nations earlier this year when Caelan Doris was ruled out due to injury.
Joe McCarthy during a Lions training session on Wednesday. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho
Ireland watch
Eleven Ireland players are included in the matchday 23, eight of whom start.
There will be starting debuts for Sheehan, Garry Ringrose, James Lowe and Joe McCarthy, as well as Mack Hansen, who featured off the bench against the Pumas.
The two Tadhgs – Furlong and Beirne – also start, while Rónan Kelleher, Jack Conan and Andrew Porter are among the replacements.
Injured or otherwise
Leinster trio James Ryan, Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan miss out due to injury.
Scotland fullback Blair Kinghorn was also unavailable for selection as he remains with his club Toulouse ahead of their Top 14 final against Bordeaux Bègles on Saturday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
10 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Western Force 7 British & Irish Lions 54: Tourists run riot in Perth but Tomos Williams hands worrying injury scare
Henry Pollock announced himself to the Aussie public as the Lions romped to an eight-try win to get the tour up and running. But there was an injury scare when scrum-half Tomos Williams limped off with hamstring trouble after pulling up after scoring his second try after 47 minutes. 2 The British and Irish Lions roared to a 54-7 thrashing of Western Force Credit: Getty 2 But Tomos Williams handed the Lions a major injury scare Credit: Getty And that could spell bad news for the Lions with Jamison Gibson-Park currently sidelined and Alex Mitchell the only other nine here. Northampton back row Pollock made a try, got involved in a scrap with Western Force lock Darcy Swain, got yellow carded and threw a horror pass to James Lowe behind his own line. And that was just in the first half. If the Australians did not know who Pollock is they do now and it looks like he is going to be making plenty of noise down under for the next few weeks. READ MORE IN RUGBY The 20-year-old was one of the Lions to stand up - despite his card – and was always involved in the thick of the action and must have a fighting chance of making the Test 23. It took just 16 minutes for Pollock to let the Australians know he had arrived when he set up Tomos Williams' score and he never went away. Farrell was fuming after last Friday's 28-24 defeat to Argentina in Dublin which got the tour off on the wrong foot and nothing but a thumping win would do here. The boss had seven familiar Irish faces in his starting line-up including captain for the day and hooker Dan Sheehan as the countdown to the first Test in Brisbane in three weeks started properly. Most read in Rugby Union BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Western Force finished ninth of 11 in Super Rugby this season and were missing some players who had been kept in Wallaby camp by Aussie head coach Joe Schmidt. But if the travelling fans were expecting an easy ride they had an early alarm call after skipper Dan Sheehan had finished off from Finn Russell's cross kick and a one-two with James Lowe after 95 seconds. 'Cried like a baby didn't ya-' - Watch Andy Farrell embarrass Ireland star over reaction to Lions call-up Force have not played for a month but it didn't show as they put the tourists under the pump and former Exeter scrum-half Nic White dived it over to level it on four minutes. But then came Pollock with a storming run after playing a one-two with Josh van der Flier. Pollock was caught short of the line but popped the ball up for Williams to score. Then Elliot Daly scored after Finn Russell's crafty quick tap and run and Pollock and Swain had some afters following the Englishman's celebration. Then Pollock was carded for playing the ball on the floor but he took one for the team there as the Lions were on a warning. It was over as a game when Williams went over for his second and with Garry Ringrose's score, it was 33-7 before Joe McCarthy helped the tourists get to 40 after Pollock's kick had pinned Force back. Daly added a second as tourists cruised past 40 and Force were done with Mitchell bringing up the 50. Scorers : Western Force : Try: White; Con: Donaldson British & Irish Lions : Tries: Sheehan, Williams (2), Daly (2), Ringrose, McCarthy, Mitchell; Cons: Russell (5), Smith (2)
Irish Examiner
17 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Lions roar past Western Force to get tour up and running in style
Western Force 7 British and Irish Lions 54 The British and Irish Lions got their Australian tour up and running in impressive style with an eight-try defeat of their first Super Rugby opposition on Saturday. Eight days on from a disappointing pre-tour international defeat to Argentina, head coach Andy Farrell will be more satisfied with this run-out from a much-changed team backboned by eight starting Ireland players and anchored by impressive half-backs Tomos Williams and Finn Russell. The lineout was more efficient, passes stuck and there were some cracking scores as Williams and Daly scored two apiece, with a trio of Irish debutants also grabbing tries through captain Dan Sheehan, Garry Ringrose and man of the match Joe McCarthy. The Lions had got off to a dream start, scoring inside the first two minutes as Finn Russell sent a inch-perfect crossfield kick to captain Dan Sheehan, whose instant pass set up a one-two with James Lowe for the hooker to receive and score. Western Force hit back immediately as the tourists misjudged the restart, Wallabies scrum-half and Force skipper Nic White scoring at the other end but the Lions took control with two more quality tries before half-time, from Tomos Williams as he tracked a brilliant charge and offload from Henry Pollock and then full-back Elliot Daly after a clever quick tap penalty from Russell caught the hosts napping. A yellow card just before half-time for Pollock after a penalty concession on a lengthy referee's warning but the Lions' attacking flow wasn't stifled with a man down, Tomos Williams finishing a superb turnover counter attack. Lions' Garry Ringrose celebrates scoring a try with Mack Hansen. Pic: Billy Stickland/Inpho The only blot was the Wales scrum-half injuring his hamstring in the act of scoring his second of the game but when returned to their full complement, the Lions put the game beyond the Super Rugby side. Tries from Irish debutants Garry Ringrose and Joe McCarthy in the 51st and 53rd minutes were both converted by Russell to take his tally to five conversions from six attempts. Nor did Russell's departure on 61 minutes halt the Lions' momentum, Daly popping up to finish their seventh try, converted by replacement fly-half Marcus Smith 10 minutes from time, before Alex Mitchell crowned the night with an eighth to bring up the half century of points. GAME IN 60 SECONDS Talking point: A strong start quickly undone through a high penalty count will give Farrell plenty of ammunition on the training field as the tour transfers to Brisbane but there were positives in the way the Lions grew stronger throughout the rest of the game, keeping the Force scoreless after four minutes and some impressive individual performances. Test-worthy performances: Joe McCarthy's man-of-the-match performance set the standard for the squad's second rows and the Lions forwards in general with his tenacity at the breakdown and in the loose. There were plus points aplenty but the number 10 Test jersey is now Finn Russell's to lose while Mack Hansen was the pick of the outside backs and baby of the squad Henry Pollock held his own with some punchy contributions. Dan Sheehan of British & Irish Lions celebrates as he runs through to score his side's first try. Pic: Steve Christo/Sportsfile Ref watch: The Lions got an early taste of New Zealander Ben O'Keeffe's officiating ahead of the Kiwi taking charge of the first Test with the Wallabies on July 19 and his handling of the breakdown in which the ball carrier was consistently favoured over potential jackalers. They will also have learned he is a patient man, yellow-carding Henry Pollock just before half-time having issued a sin-bin warning to his captain 30 minutes earlier after an early flurry of penalties from the tourists. Injuries: The departure of scrum-half Tomos Williams to a hamstring issue after scoring his second try of the night will be a serious concern for Andy Farrell, especially given Jamison Gibson-Park's lack of game time due to a calf issue. His rapid removal could mean a precautionary move from the Lions but the medical report will reveal all at a later date. Next Up: The Lions' Australian tour goes from coast to coast as they swap the Indian Ocean for the Pacific ahead of Wednesday morning's second tour match against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane and a challenge laid down by former Ireland assistant and future Wallabies head coach Les Kiss. WESTERN FORCE: B Donaldson; M Grealy, M Proctor, H Stewart, D Pietsch (B Kuenzle, 61); A Harford (M Burey, 52), N White – captain (H Robertson, 55); T Robertson (M Pearce, 55), B Paenga-Amosa (T Horton, 55), O Hoskins (T Tauakipulu, 64); S Carter (L Faifua, 49), D Swain; W Harris (R Prinsep, 10-23 - HIA), N Champion de Crespigny, V Ekuasi (R Prinsep, 52). LIONS: E Daly; M Hansen, G Ringrose (H Jones, 55), S Tuipulotu, J Lowe; F Russell (M Smith, 61), T Williams (A Mitchell, 48); P Schoeman (A Porter, 49), D Sheehan – captain (R Kelleher, 65), T Furlong (W Stuart, 49); S Cummings (O Chessum, 49), J McCarthy; T Beirne (J Conan, 49), J van der Flier, H Pollock. Yellow card: H Pollock 40-50. Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Western Force v The Lions: Try-fest for the Irish as tourists hit cruise control in Perth
Live | It's time for the first game of what promises to be a pulsating tour as Western Force welcome Andy Farrell's Lions to Perth. Kick-off at the Optus Stadium is 11am Irish time and you can follow all the action as it happens below.
