
Six Scots to start for Lions against First Nations & Pasifika XV
Andy Farrell has named his team for the match being played in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe, Ben White, Pierre Schoeman, and Scott Cummings are all in the starting side while Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, and Gregor Brown are named among the replacements.
Kinghorn, lining up at full-back, has the chance to prove his fitness for the Melbourne Cricket Ground showdown after missing the series opener in Brisbane with a knee injury.
Owen Farrell, making his maiden start of the tour 17 days after being called to replace Elliot Daly, will lead the side at the Marvel Stadium.
The former England captain forges a midfield partnership with fellow late arrival Jamie Osborne.
It will be the first time in four tours that he has skippered the Lions, and his selection presents the opportunity to play his way into contention for Saturday's second Test against the Wallabies.
Alex Mitchell is set to continue his remarkable run of having played in every match on tour after being picked on the bench, where he is joined by Ben Earl and Marcus Smith, who are also backing up, having been involved in Saturday's 27-19 win against Australia.
Garry Ringrose has recovered from the concussion that forced him to miss out at Suncorp Stadium to secure a replacement's role for the final midweek game of the tour.
The Ireland star was favourite to start the Test series at outside centre until he suffered his head injury, resulting in Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu being paired together in their tried and tested all-Scotland combination.
There are three specialist opensides in the back row in Jac Morgan, Josh van der Flier and Henry Pollock, each of whom has an outside chance of winning a place on the bench for the second Test.
Apart from Farrell and Osborne, there are seven further late additions to the squad involved in Graham, White, Jamie George, Ashman, Sutherland, Tom Clarkson, and Gregor Brown.
'This fixture gives players another opportunity to put their hand up for selection for the final two Tests,' Lions head coach Andy Farrell said.
'The coaches' minds are open when it comes to selection, they have to be with so many players performing and pushing for places and we want that to continue for the remaining two Tests.
'This group know the level of performance that we will require against a First Nations Pasifika team that is packed with talent and power.'
B Kinghorn (Toulouse/Scotland); D Graham (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland), J Osborne (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), O Farrell (Saracens/England, capt), D van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland); F Smith (Northampton Saints/England), B White (Toulon/Scotland); P Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland), J George (Saracens/England), F Bealham (Connacht Rugby/Ireland), J Ryan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), S Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland), J Morgan (Ospreys/Wales), J van der Flier (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), H Pollock (Northampton Saints/England).
Replacements: E Ashman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland), R Sutherland (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland), T Clarkson (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), G Brown (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland), B Earl (Saracens/England), A Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England), M Smith (Harlequins/England), G Ringrose (Leinster 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

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Auto Express
24 minutes ago
- Auto Express
Hyundai to go football crazy with FIFA-themed in-car screens
Enabled by over-the-air updates, the downloads are part of a growing number of digital services rolling out in Hyundai's Bluelink store. Details are still being worked out, but the Korean giant wants to expand its existing marketing partnership with global football governing body FIFA inside its cars. No word yet on whether it'll be one-size-fits-all 2026 World Cup branding or whether England fans could have a red-and-white St George's Cross tinge to their in-car screens – assuming the team qualifies. These digital tweaks will certainly be more fuel-efficient than football fans plastering their cars in drag-creating flags that hammer the fuel economy but we worry about the residual value if an England-themed Hyundai found its way to a dealer in Scotland, for example. Advertisement - Article continues below Football isn't the only theme Hyundai is considering – a tie-up with licence-holders for cartoon strip Peanuts is also on the cards, meaning Charlie Brown and Snoopy could be hitching a ride in Hyundais soon. See how much you can save on a connected Hyundai in the Auto Express Find a Car digital marketplace, where you can buy or lease new cars, browse thousands of used models and even sell your current car . It's all part of a new battleground in the automotive value chain: in-car purchases. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Hyundai's new flagship EV, the Ioniq 9 SUV, has three digital upgrades coming to the UK in August 2025: a version of the Ioniq 5 N's virtual gearshift operated by the 9's brake paddles and six new lighting patterns as you approach the car. Both are set to cost around £100. Two alternative infotainment displays, one inspired by nature and the other a retro take referencing the 1975 Hyundai Pony, will be free downloads. More broadly appealing will be the roll-out of an entertainment package around the turn of 2026: owners will be able to upgrade and watch streaming services such as Disney+ or Netflix while they charge their cars. In-car payments – already enabled in the USA and Germany – will also come to the UK, around the turn of 2025. The first scheduled service is paying for location-based parking with a couple of infotainment clicks, with the session terminating as the car leaves the parking garage. Expect to see this extended to fuelling your car and paying for road tolls too – once UK service partners have been secured. Advertisement - Article continues below Hyundai aims to roll out 2-3 big updates a year, the firm's director of connected car services Guido Gehlen told Auto Express. The car maker starts with a small sample of cars, then when it's satisfied the update is trouble-free scales it up over a few months. Google Places – which adds information such as user ratings, images and opening hours to shops and attractions – has been updated into the navigation system on connected versions of the Kona, Ioniq 5, Santa Fe and Tucson. Gehlen's team has added emergency vehicle alert to connected Hyundais and Kias in the Netherlands. Every ambulance, police car and fire engine is tracked on a government database, which has been plumbed into the navigation system. As a result, drivers should be better able to avoid that confusion of trying to work out which direction an emergency siren is coming from, to quicker clear a path when necessary. And the alert system could work the other way, enabling Hyundais to feed back information to the authorities about shocking potholes. 'The Netherlands would like camera and suspension data about the quality of streets,' says Gehlen. 'It's more complicated because we have to anonymise the data but we are working on it. You could take the information from one car and share it with the whole fleet.' Come and join our WhatsApp channel for the latest car news and reviews... Find a car with the experts MG4 and MGS5 EV prices slashed in reply to Government Electric Car Grant MG4 and MGS5 EV prices slashed in reply to Government Electric Car Grant In order to boost sales, MG is announcing its own a £1,500 grant for some of its EVs Chinese cars will take over as Britain's best sellers Chinese cars will take over as Britain's best sellers With a dramatic rise in sales, Mike Rutherford thinks it's only a matter of time before Chinese cars outsell all other countries in the UK Roll over diesel: EVs are now doing the big mileage in the UK Roll over diesel: EVs are now doing the big mileage in the UK The average UK electric car now covers more than 10,000 miles per year, a similar amount to the average diesel.


BreakingNews.ie
25 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Lions lock Joe McCarthy in race to be fit for second Test
Joe McCarthy is the chief injury concern as the British and Irish Lions finalise plans for their shot at completing a series victory over Australia on Saturday. McCarthy limped off in the 27-19 triumph over the Wallabies in the first Test with the foot condition plantar fasciitis and has been unable to train since, making him a major doubt to be involved in the rematch at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Advertisement With Thursday's training session before Andy Farrell names his team being the final opportunity to prove his fitness, the Ireland enforcer looks likely to miss out. McCarthy came off during the first Test with a foot injury (David Davies/PA) Potentially signposting an adjustment to the pack to face Australia in the second Test, James Ryan and Jac Morgan were replaced early in the second half of Tuesday's 24-19 victory over the First Nations and Pasifika XV. If McCarthy is ruled out, Ollie Chessum could be drafted into the second row alongside captain Maro Itoje, creating a vacancy on the bench, while another option is to move Tadhg Beirne from flanker to lock. Should repositioning Beirne be Farrell's preferred choice, Morgan becomes a contender to make the matchday 23. Advertisement Given the Lions bullied the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium, unenforced changes to the pack are unlikely. First Test: Brisbane, July 19 - Australia 19-27 British and Irish Lions Second Test: Melbourne, July 26 - Australia v British and Irish Lions Third Test: Sydney, August 2 - Australia v British and Irish Lions Farrell could shake up his back-three, however, after wings James Lowe and Tommy Freeman struggled to make an impact in the series opener. Lowe in particular struggled with the poor finishing which has been a feature of his tour apparent again. Of the four possible options to step in, two are injured and one has been repeatedly exposed in defence, with only the fourth offering Farrell room for manoeuvre. Mack Hansen missed the first Test because of a foot problem and has yet to train this week, placing his involvement on Saturday in grave doubt, while Darcy Graham is waiting for scan results after sustaining ankle ligament damage early in his Lions debut against FNP. Advertisement Duhan van der Merwe, who was fortunate to be selected ahead of Graham in the original touring party, has been targeted by kickers all tour and his defensively frailties would be exploited by the Wallabies. Blair Kinghorn, centre, could have played his way into contention (David Davies/PA) The ace up Farrell's sleeve is Scotland's Blair Kinghorn, who made his comeback from a knee injury at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday and apart from throwing two intercept passes, proved himself ready for Test duty. Nominally a full-back, he is also a high quality option on the wing, the position he has filled most recently for his club Toulouse this season. Owen Farrell showed he is ready for a call-up to the bench in Melbourne if needed with a solid 80 minutes against FNP, Marcus Smith passed a head injury assessment and Garry Ringrose made a successful first appearance since being concussed against ACT Brumbies. Advertisement In the midst of a schedule of three games in eight days, players have been given Wednesday off, but Farrell and his coaching assistants are to meet to finalise selection. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The British & Irish Lions (@britishandirishlions) 'I let everyone have their say, I play devil's advocate, we thrash it out and then we all agree,' Farrell said. 'There is all sorts that goes into it – performances, there's no doubt about that – but there is also what's right for this second game? Are a few changes going to freshen it up or do we go with the same guys? 'All that comes into the pot. It's whatever is best for the team and what do we need for a game at the MCG with over 90,000 people. It should be challenging.' Advertisement Graham, a late call up from Scotland's tour of New Zealand, indicated on Instagram that his tour is over. He said: '16 minutes I'll never forget. It's been a rollercoaster of a journey but it was a dream come true to pull on the famous red jersey and make my Lions debut.'


BBC News
26 minutes ago
- BBC News
Canaries considering move for versatile Schlupp
Norwich City are considering a move for former Crystal Palace left-back Jeffrey 32-year-old, who is currently without a club after his contract with the south London side expired, made 12 Premier League appearances for the Eagles last season and a further 13 for Celtic in the Scottish Premiership following a loan move in Ghana international has experience winning trophies, having won the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016 before his transfer to Palace in who also plays in midfield, has been linked with fellow Championship side West Bromwich Albion this summer.