Lions Tour 2025: Lions tame gutsy Brumbies for fourth straight win on Australia tour
On a frigid Canberra night, the visitors started slowly but found their groove as they count down to the
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NZ Herald
12 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Gregor Paul: Beef with Wellington - the case for NZR to abandon the capital city
Wellington is fast-becoming a ghost-city, and certainly it's a place where the All Blacks feel they have been haunted in recent years. New Zealand Rugby House in Wellington is one of two offices run by the sport's governing body. Photo / Mark Mitchell Their record in the capital has been dire since 2017: catastrophically out of alignment with their legacy of prolonged success. They have won just two of their last eight tests at the Cake Tin, and the loss to Argentina last year is one that head coach Scott Robertson still lies awake at night replaying in his head, endlessly pondering how on earth it happened. Everyone insists it's not rational to be talking about the capital being cursed, but so much has happened in Wellington in the past eight years that it's maybe not rational to not consider it. Ever since Sonny Bill Williams lost the run of himself in the second test against the British and Irish Lions and was red carded midway through the first half for a reckless shoulder charge, the All Blacks have endured multiple unexplainable phenomena when playing in the capital. In 2018, they lost to the Springboks when they couldn't stop conceding soft tries or work out how to drop a goal at the death. In 2020, they drew with the Wallabies after Rieko Ioane inexplicably dropped the ball over the line in the act of scoring when no one was near him. In 2022, somehow Irish prop Andrew Porter was only yellow carded midway through the second half for breaking Brodie Retallick's cheekbone. Last year, the All Blacks contrived to blow the game by throwing two consecutive wild passes that saw them retreat 50 metres and hand Argentina an attacking scrum from which they scored. Maybe, then, the capital is cursed – but certainly there is a growing sense that it's not just an unhappy place for civil servants, but that rugby is also re-evaluating and considering its relationship with the capital. The All Blacks have already effectively detached from Wellington itself as last year they committed to a partnership with the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport in Upper Hutt. That state-of the-art facility is now their dedicated training base whenever they play in Wellington, and the team only decamped into town on Thursday night. An aerial view of the NZCIS Sports Hub in Trentham, Upper Hutt. Photo / NZCIS And then there is the question of how often the All Blacks will play in the capital in the coming years. There will only be four home tests in 2026 and three in 2027, and with the new, roofed stadium in Christchurch set to open next year, the unloved Cake Tin won't be kicked off the rotation, but it will inevitably struggle to be allocated as many tests as it currently is. But there is an even bigger question under consideration, which relates to whether New Zealand Rugby should continue to be headquartered in Wellington, or even have any office presence at all in the capital. The national body is in the midst of a major cost-saving review and the feedback from the consultancy running the rule over the organisation has asked whether NZR needs to have significant offices in both Auckland and Wellington as it currently does. NZR has historically been based in Wellington, but in the past 15 years or so has built a growing presence in Auckland – basing most of its commercial staff there as well as (departing in December) chief executive Mark Robinson. Auckland is the country's economic powerhouse, a magnet for new migrants, and arguably the most likely destination in which the yet-to-be-found new chief executive is going to want to be based. It would be hard for NZR to sell the merits of Wellington to applicants for the CEO role while the city is suffering a slow and painful economic death caused by civil servant job cuts and the consequential collapse of the service and hospitality sectors so dependent on the government's administrative workforce. In a work-from-home digital world, it seems archaic to be talking about office locations, but the lease on NZR's Wellington and Auckland properties both expire at the end of 2027, and a decision has to be made on whether to renew both, rationalise to just one city or relocate the headquarters entirely. A decision has all-but been made already to relocate NZR's high-performance staff to the NZCIS facility in Upper Hutt. The Hurricanes are based there, the All Blacks are likely to start training there more regularly even when they are not playing in the capital, and it's a natural fit for NZR's high-performance team to operate out of there rather than be in Wellington. But this will inevitably weaken the rationale for NZR to retain a base in Wellington post 2027. New Zealand Rugby House, on Molesworth Street, Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell No decision will be made until NZR's board has seen a detailed cost-benefit analysis that will tell them the financial impacts of operating out of just one city and the potential impact – financial and staff retention – of being based in either just Auckland or just Wellington. Given Auckland is the country's commercial epicentre, it's difficult to see how any review would produce an evidential base for NZR to shut up shop there, and really the question being asked is whether the national body can justify keeping a base in Wellington. Maybe it will ultimately make financial sense for NZR to stay in the capital, but the occupied doorways, prevalence of sleeping bags on public benches and closed darkened units where flat whites no longer flow, suggest the city is not New Zealand's – nor rugby's – future. Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand's most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and written several books about sport.
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
James O'Connor returns to Wallabies for British and Irish Lions series
'We need to improve our accuracy and cohesion with a very short runway leading up to the first test in eight days.' O'Connor was a revelation for the Crusaders in their charge to the Super Rugby title this season after a move from the Queensland Reds. But he was overlooked by Schmidt for the warm-up test against Fiji this month, where a ragged team narrowly avoided a morale-sapping loss. While they struggled to assert themselves in the 21-18 win, the Lions have been hitting their stride, winning all four of their tour games so far. First-choice flyhalf Noah Lolesio was injured in the Fiji match and needed neck surgery that has ruled him out of the three-test series. That opened the door to O'Connor, with Schmidt mirroring Lions coach Andy Farrell, who also opted for experience when Elliot Daly broke his arm against the Reds. He called up his son, Owen Farrell who – like O'Connor a seasoned flyhalf – has not featured for England since the 2023 World Cup. Farrell was on the bench for the Lions in all three tests of the 2013 Australia series. 'I had a few conversations with James during the year,' Schmidt said of O'Connor. 'He had a good Super season for the Crusaders. He stayed close, he stayed connected the whole way through (with the Wallabies). He can potentially help the players, particularly our young 10s.' Longevity Slipper will inch closer to becoming the first Australian player to be capped for 150 tests after coming off the bench in all three games against the Lions 12 years ago. 'His longevity is something that is quite incredible in the game. And, you know, part of what makes Slips a little bit special is he's always challenging himself to get better,' said Schmidt. 'He doesn't believe that he's quite got to the best version of himself yet, despite his many, many tests. So he's going to keep working really hard.' In the only other change to Australia's Fiji squad, lock Josh Canham is recalled after impressing for the Reds during their loss to the Lions. ACT Brumbies winger Corey Toole and Western Force backrower Nick Champion de Crespigny are the only two uncapped players. Forwards Rob Valetini and Will Skelton, along with flyhalf Tom Lynagh and scrumhalf Jake Gordon, were all included despite missing the Fiji test due to injury. Wallabies squad: The Wallabies players, head coach, and staff pose for a photo after the squad announcement for the British and Irish Lions series at Suncorp Stadium on July 11, 2025, in Brisbane. Photo / Getty Images Forwards: Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, Josh Canham, Nick Champion De Crespigny, Matt Faessler, Nick Frost, Langi Gleeson, Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight, Zane Nonggorr, Billy Pollard, David Porecki, Tom Robertson, Will Skelton, James Slipper, Carlo Tizzano, Taniela Tupou, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Harry Wilson Backs: Filipo Daugunu, Ben Donaldson, Jake Gordon, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Tom Lynagh, Tate McDermott, James O'Connor, Hunter Paisami, Dylan Pietsch, Harry Potter, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Corey Toole, Nic White, Tom Wright -Agence France-Presse
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
O'Connor swaps black and red for green and gold
Fourteen years after being a no-show for a World Cup team photo-shoot, James O'Connor was never going to miss one for the Wallabies' squad to face the British & Irish Lions. Wedged between loose forward Rob Valetini and scrumhalf Jake Gordon, the much-travelled 35-year-old beamed from the front row of the team photo at Lang Park on Friday, back in a gold jersey again. It has been three years since O'Connor played the last of his 64 tests, having been overlooked by Eddie Jones for the 2023 World Cup and by current Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt through his first season. But with injury befalling the unfortunate Noah Lolesio, circumstances have gifted O'Connor an improbable shot at redemption 12 years on from his ill-fated series against Warren Gatland's Lions. "Noah's injury opened up a doorway for me. And even then, again, I still didn't think I'd made it," he told reporters. "So, to be here right now and to be given the opportunity to be with this group of men, I'm bloody excited." Back in the 2013 Lions series, O'Connor was both the pin-up and the bad boy of Australian rugby, boasting a fantastic highlights reel and a record of off-field indiscretions. One of the so-called "Three Amigos" with Kurtley Beale and Quade Cooper, O'Connor's transgressions included a food fight, a late-night scuffle with teammates in Paris, and sleeping through the Wallabies team photo for the 2011 World Cup. He was nonetheless the surprise pick for starting first five-eighth to face the Lions, beating out Cooper, Berrick Barnes and Christian Leali'ifano. He took plenty of flak for the Wallabies' 2-1 defeat and caused a media storm midway through the series by being photographed with Beale at a fast food outlet near 4am. That image came to symbolise a general breakdown in discipline under coach Robbie Deans, who resigned days after the Wallabies were thrashed 41-16 in the Sydney decider. Now, with a self-awareness built over a long career of ups and downs, O'Connor looks back at the series with some regret. "I don't tend to eat Hungry Jacks anymore," O'Connor told reporters with a wry smile. "It left a bad taste in my mouth. My after-match meals have changed a lot. "I know how big of an occasion (the Lions) is. It's bigger than a World Cup. And I thought I took it for granted." DEFY CRITICS Plenty of water has gone under the bridge since. He has brushed off disappointments, survived poor errors of judgement and continued to work hard to defy critics who have repeatedly written him off. Struggling with injuries, he looked a spent force last year in his final Super Rugby Pacific season at the Queensland Reds, largely relegated to mentoring young first-fives Tom Lynagh and Lawson Creighton. But a surprise move to New Zealand's South Island paid off as he helped Rob Penney's Canterbury Crusaders reclaim the championship three weeks ago. Penney used him as a replacement first-five off the bench, and Schmidt may elect to do the same against the Lions, even if O'Connor fancies himself in the golden number 10. "Of course I want the spot, yeah. Look, genuinely, we'll see what happens," he said. "But obviously I think maybe the other guys have the first bite of the cherry." Those 'guys' are Lynagh, son of Wallabies great Michael, and Ben Donaldson, who have 20 caps between them. Schmidt said O'Connor would be playing catch-up with the Wallabies playbook but had enough experience to be ready in time for the first test in Brisbane on July 19. "Having been there and done that, he can pass on that experience, as I said, in a pretty calm manner," said Schmidt.
