Watch: Third Test reaction
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The Lions awards: NIK SIMON picks his top players, tries and laughs from a memorable tour Down Under - and shares his wishes for 2029
The 2025 British & Irish Lions' tour of Australia ended in resounding success, with the tourists clinching a 2-1 series victory. It marked the Lions' first series win over Australia since 2013 and their first tour triumph under Andy Farrell's leadership. The opening Test in Brisbane saw the Lions explode out of the blocks with a commanding display, while the second Test delivered even more drama, as the Lions clawed back from an 18-point deficit to snatch a last-gasp win. While Farrell's side were unable to clinch the first 3-0 clean sweep for a Lions side since 1927, this tour was not short of memories. The Lions next tour is a highly anticipated 2029 visit to New Zealand, where they will contest a series against the All Blacks. Here, Mail Sport's Nik Simon looks at some of the milestones from the Lions' recent trip down under. Best player There is a compelling case for Finn Russell to be recognised as the best No 10 in the world right now. He lit up games with his nonchalant swagger, now underpinned by assured game management. The series win rounds off the best season of his career. Best try Tom Wright's score in the second Test ripped up the entire tour narrative. Attacking from their own 22, the Wallabies turned into the galloping golds of a different era. Joseph Suaalii cut open the midfield and Wright finished a flowing move that left 90,000 fans in a state of shocked delirium. Best atmosphere The MCG was the loudest stadium but it was the walk down Caxton Street to the first Test in Brisbane where the sea of red burst into life. With timber-frame buildings and music pumping out of every bar, it felt like we were on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans. Best accessories After the defining victory in Melbourne, Sione Tuipulotu's family decked out the players in celebratory garlands. Rooted in Pacific Island culture, each player's garland had around 25 chocolate bars stitched on to it, ranging from KitKats to Caramel Wallabies. Funniest moment The stadium announcer in Perth kicked off the tour with a bang when he introduced the Lions before kick-off. 'The Aussie at No 14, Mack Hansen. Another Aussie at No 12, Sione Tuipulotu. At No 11, the Kiwi now Irishman, James Lowe. At prop, the former SA schoolboy now Scotsman, Pierre Schoeman.' A rare sprinkling of salt on an otherwise mild-mannered tour. Best opposition player Man-mountain Will Skelton was a colossus for the Wallabies. He changed the narrative with his physicality, with the Wallabies leading the aggregate score when he was on the pitch. If he had been fit to play in the first Test and lasted longer in the second, the series could well have had a different outcome. Best journey As part of the Roar and Uncut video series, we hitched a lift from Newcastle to Canberra with three fans from Long Eaton RFC; Brooky, Daz and Aidy. We broke down and had to crawl down the hard shoulder at a snail's pace but it was full of fun, friendship and laughter. A reminder of the true essence of touring. Most popular tourist Bundee Aki was the man at the heart of the raucous celebrations when the Lions wrapped up the series in Melbourne. He led the team on a two-day party, with some moral support from Mack Hansen. He has been chairman of the fines committee, leading the team's infamous kangaroo courts. In the 2029 series against New Zealand, I want to see less second-half blowouts in the warm-up matches Least like to be stuck in a lift with I was staying in the same hotel as the Pasifika XV when they played the Lions in Melbourne. Taniela Tupou stepped into the same lift as me, heading up to the 18th floor, and it's safe to say there wasn't much breathing space after a few of his team-mates joined. Wish for the 2029 series Let's make sure the provincial teams come out fully loaded so we have jeopardy from start to finish. There were too many second-half blowouts in the warm-up matches. It would also be superb to see a match played in the Pacific Islands, just a short flight from New Zealand.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Graham Potter insists Lucas Paqueta is ‘happy and committed' to West Ham
Graham Potter has insisted Lucas Paqueta is 'happy and committed' to West Ham after the Brazil midfielder was cleared of alleged breaches of the Football Association's betting regulations. Paqueta was facing a potential life ban before having his name cleared this week of the spot-fixing sting that had hung over him for two years. The situation ended Paqueta's hopes of a big money move to Manchester City. But despite rumours the Brazilian could leave West Ham before the close of the transfer window, Potter is firmly hoping he stays. 'These things you never know for sure, obviously, because anything can happen in the window with anybody,' the West Ham manager said. 'But at the same time, the news that we've had is just incredibly positive, because if it had gone the other way, there's a whole other line of questions. 'Lucas is happy, Lucas is committed, Lucas is an important person in the dressing room, an important person in the club. 'We love him and we just wanted to help him enjoy his football.' Paqueta's lawyer Alastair Campbell, a partner at the law firm Level, said the case had taken a heavy toll on Paqueta and effectively cost him a Premier League title winner's medal. He was on the brink of a £85m move to City when the charges were announced in August 2023. Campbell said: 'Lucas' life has basically been on hold for the last two years. He woke up every morning with the fear that this could be the day when his career was going to be over. Of course, Lucas is delighted with the outcome of the commission - but what shouldn't be forgotten is that there is an alternative universe where he moves to Manchester City and now has a Premier League winner's medal. 'The strain he has been under since the charges were announced in August 2023 has been incredible. That's something that shouldn't be forgotten in all of this. This case has come at a considerable cost to Lucas, both as a person and as a professional footballer.' Potter said there was little doubt about how difficult the process has been for Paqueta. 'You can imagine how hard it was on a personal level for him, having to fight those allegations, which he's done,' he said. 'The club have supported him through that. 'But again, you forget these guys are Premier League footballers competing at the highest level and to have that as well in the background was an incredible challenge for him. 'It's been a really tough period of his life and his career, so it's a credit to him and his family and everybody connected with him and the support he's had, that he's come through. 'Obviously, if that's a benefit to him, then it's going to be a benefit to us, the team and the club.' Potter, who has signed former Newcastle striker Callum Wilson on a free transfer, confirmed Michail Antonio will not be part of his first team squad after recovering from his car crash. The Jamaica striker, 35, faced a potential career-ending leg operation after a car crash in December but played for his adopted nation in this summer's Gold Cup. He is now out of contract.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
‘I'm absolutely useless': Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari should replace him after qualifying 12th
Lewis Hamilton berated his performance in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday as 'useless' and emphasised it with an entirely uncharacteristic act of self-flagellation, saying Ferrari needed to replace him. Hamilton was knocked out in 12th, while his Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, went on to take pole position for Sunday's race, the first the Scuderia has claimed this year. Hamilton did not have an issue with his car on his final run in Q2 in Budapest nor was he impeded, he was simply not quick enough to go through, more than two-tenths down on Leclerc and took himself to task for his shortcoming. 'It's me every time. I'm useless, absolutely useless,' he said. 'The team have no problem. You've seen the car's on pole. So we probably need to change driver.' He had signalled his own frustration immediately after completing the below-par lap, admonishing himself as he told his team: 'Every time, every time.' When he climbed from the car he walked to the Ferrari motorhome holding his gloves in front of his visor. His exasperation was doubtless compounded by what he called an 'unacceptable' error in qualifying at the last round in Belgium, where he could manage only 16th on the grid. Moreover, the Hungaroring is a circuit where the 40-year-old has a record second to none, eight wins and nine poles. However, this is the fourth time Hamilton failed to make the top 10 in qualifying this season and has been beaten over the single lap by Leclerc in 10 of the 14 meetings and is 30 points behind him in the standings. Expectations for the seven-time champion had been huge when he joined Ferrari this season after 12 years at Mercedes, but the transition has been difficult. Adapting to the new car and team is proving a challenge and although he took a win in the sprint race in China he has yet to make the podium this season, the longest period he has gone without making it into the top three. The championship leader, Oscar Piastri, and his title rival Lando Norris had been expected to fight for pole, but the McLaren men had to settle for second and third respectively. Leclerc saw off Piastri by 0.026 seconds, with Norris 0.015secs behind the Australian. George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes. Leclerc said: 'I don't understand anything in Formula One. Honestly, the whole qualifying was extremely difficult. It was difficult for us to get to Q2, it was difficult for us to get to Q3. In Q3, the conditions changed a little bit. Everything became a lot trickier and I knew I just had to do a clean lap to target third. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion 'It's pole position. I definitely did not expect that. It's probably one of the best pole positions I've ever had. It's the most unexpected, for sure.'
