'I want to be here to the end'
The Edinburgh winger travelled from Auckland to Brisbane last week in time for first Test preparations, while his international team-mates Ashman, Sutherland and Brown all flew out after beating Samoa on Friday.Having that extra time with the squad has motivated Graham to perform and stay on tour.The Lions play the second Test against Australia on Saturday at Melbourne Cricket Ground, before the final Test in Sydney."I got the call and had about an hour and a half to two hours to pack my stuff and get to the airport and try to get visas sorted, which were a nightmare," he added."We finally got it sorted at the last minute before boarding and got out straight away."I was glad I did as I got two days training to spend time with the boys and really settle down, it made a huge difference."I feel a huge part of the squad and don't want it to end. I want to be here to the end now I've been in."After that game on Saturday, I was like 'I want a jersey, 'I want a cap, I want to play'. Now I am going to get that opportunity and I want to go out there and stay until the end."This is the last chance for boys to put their hand up for Test two and three, so there is that bit of added pressure."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
The selfless reason why Garry Ringrose will miss the second Lions Test
Andy Farrell has praised the selflessness of Garry Ringrose after the centre withdrew himself from the British and Irish Lions squad for the second Test due to ongoing impacts of a concussion. Ringrose had missed the first Test after failing a head injury assessmen t in the win over the Brumbies in Canberra, but had earned selection in midfield alongside Bundee Aki for the second clash with the Wallabies. However the 30-year-old experienced issues during the Lions training session on Thursday after the matchday 23 was named, and stood himself down, granting Huw Jones a reprieve. Head coach Farrell was full of praise for a decision that put both Ringrose's health and the team first which he believes shows the spirit within his squad. 'Garry was actually selected and unfortunately, in training today, he's had to pull out,' Farrell explained. 'We've always said it's about the squad, and nothing but about the squad. And we're delighted for Huw to come in and be ready to go for Saturday. 'It's head-related again. It was literally as I was walking off the field, he came to me, and once it's mentioned, that's that. There was no incident. He was feeling good, well in advance of Tuesday, and fit and ready to play. No incident through the game at all, nothing yesterday and nothing this morning at all, but with these type of things, players are getting very good at telling the truth of how they feel, so it was a no-brainer to make the change straight away. 'It's tough to do that. It's very easy to keep it to yourself and lie and not be honest and open. It was very big of him and the right thing to do, 100%. For the team as well, not just for Garry.' Sione Tuipulotu is also nursing a tight hamstring, though Aki had been in line to start at inside centre regardless. Neither lock Joe McCarthy nor wing Mack Hansen were considered fit for selection, though the pair will not be sent home with hopes that they may yet be in contention to feature in the the third Test in Sydney next week. Owen Farrell is brought on to a bench that bears a fresh look, with Blair Kinghorn, James Ryan and Jac Morgan set for Lions debuts after starting the 24-19 win over the First Nations & Pasifika XV on Tuesday night. Australia, meanwhile, have brought back a fit-again Rob Valetini and Will Skelton into their starting side, and Joe Schmidt has also loaded up six forwards on the bench with the Lions ready for a stern physical challenge at the MCG. 'It's obvious what they're going to bring and why they're selected, so I suppose they're delighted with that,' Farrell said of Valetini and Skelton's return. 'The 6-2 bench just backs that up a little bit, doesn't it? So it's not unexpected. 'We thoroughly believe that we're way better than what we showed, and we've got another chance to prove that.'
BBC News
26 minutes ago
- BBC News
Aki in for Tuipulotu as Ringrose withdraws through concussion
Australia v British & Irish LionsVenue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Date: Saturday, 26 July Kick-off: 11.00 BSTCoverage: Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app with post-match analysis on the Rugby Union Weekly and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has named nine Irishmen - seven from Leinster - in his starting team to face the Wallabies in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Ringrose had originally been named in the team ahead of Huw Jones but the desperately unlucky Irishman withdrew himself from the side after feeling concussed at the end of training on Thursday. Ringrose also missed out on possible selection for the first Test due to a head Tuipulotu, returning to his home city, has been left out in favour of Bundee Aki. The Scot has a tight hamstring but the signs are that Aki would have started ahead of him in any event. Jones and Aki start in the midfield for the first time since the Queensland Reds game. Hugo Keenan keeps his place at full-back as do the underperforming wings, Tommy Freeman and James Porter takes over from Ellis Genge at loosehead, a move possibly intended to beef up the Lions bench. It's an all-Irish front-row with Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong. With Joe McCarthy ruled out through injury, Ollie Chessum partners Maro Itoje at lock with Farrell opting for the same back-row that did such damage to the Wallabies last Morgan has been included among the replacements. James Ryan, the Leinster lock, is also in as are Owen Farrell who will cover fly-half 12 and Blair Kinghorn who will cover full-back and wing. The Wallabies welcome back heavy-hitters Will Skelton and Rob Valetini along with hooker Dave Porecki. Joe Schmidt has gone with a 6-2 bench. Line-ups Australia: Wright, Jorgensen, Suaalii, Ikitau, Potter, Lynagh, Gordon; Slipper, Porecki, Alaalatoa, Frost, Skelton, Valetini, McReight, WilsonReplacements: Pollard, Bell, Robertson, Williams, Gleeson, Tizzano, McDermott, DonaldsonBritish & Irish LIon: Keenan, Freeman, Jones, Aki, Lowe, Russell, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Itoje, Chessum, Beirne, Curry, ConanReplacements: Kelleher, Genge, Stuart, Ryan, Morgan, Mitchell, Farrell, Kinghorn Match officials Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)Assistant Referee 1: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)Assistant Referee 2: Ben O'Keeffe (NZR)TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)Foul Play Review Officer (FPRO): Marius Jonker (SARU)
Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Inside the brutal outlaw Aussie fight club that's been slammed by a boxing legend
An underground fight club operating in NSW has drawn heavy criticism from authorities, but the event itself claims to be promoting men's mental health. The event series, known as 'Hood Contender', was established by western Sydney rapper Caleb Valeri and has recently racked upmillions of views across Instagram and YouTube. The unsanctioned fights, held in undisclosed locations, see fighters compete in a makeshift ring wearing MMA gloves and a mouthguard. Participants fight two one-minute rounds per fight in a 16-man elimination bracket, competing for $5000 in prize money, with the minimal padding in their gloves increasing the danger. At the most recent event, fighters were picked up in a minibus and told to hand over their mobile phones, before being taken to the secret location. Organisers point out on the event's website that the Hood Contender is a 'controlled sparring organisation' and is 'not an event for thugs'. Furthermore, their aim is to help men with mental health issues 'seeking a positive outlet to release their demons with honour and respect'. 'Our main objective is for men's mental health,' says Valeri. 'We're not providing a platform for thugs or anyone like that with a certain way of life. We want boys to come here and earn respect and honour the right way and be mates at the end.' Australia's greatest boxer, Jeff Fenech, has a very different view of the bouts. 'Sure, your friends will call you tough because you do this underground streetfighting, but see if they're there in 30 years when you need someone to wipe your a**e,' he told News Corp. 'It's sad. These guys have one thing, they [have] got ego and they want to show how tough you are. 'Show people how tough you are by taking care of your family.' The Combat Sports Authority of NSW said that they haven't received any application for a permit to stage the Hood Contender series. 'On information received regarding the proposed conduct of the contest, the authority and NSW Police took the proactive step of giving a direction to the organisers prior to the event under the Combat Sports Act 2013 (NSW) to not proceed with the contest,' a spokesperson said. 'The authority will be taking compliance action against the organisers and all registered combatants that participated in the contest. 'The authority will continue to remain vigilant in its efforts to regulate the NSW combat sports industry to minimise harm to combatants and ensure the integrity of combat sport contests.' A recent video of the fights, which has been viewed five million times, shows a fighter appear to dislocate his shoulder before the referee helps him pop it back in the socket. 'What a soldier,' posted one fan. 'Hard as nails,' replied another. Another video shows a fighter who had been knocked down twice in a bout fight again in a later match-up, in which he was knocked out. The Instagram page seems to be popular with Aussie athletes too, with footy players including Willie Mason and Latrell Mitchell and liking their content on Instagram, as well as surfer Koby Abberton. There's been a recent rise in underground fighting events, with Kiwi UFC star Dan Hooker recently putting up $50,000 prizemoney for a 'one-minute scrap event in his Auckland backyard. One of the fighters, Jon Paul 'Fightdog' Te Rito, was filmed winning fights at the unregulated event, and was referred to police because he was allegedly supposed to be attending a rehabilitation program at the time. Te Rito - who was seen wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet while fighting and is a member of the Mongrel Mob gang - could have broken his bail conditions, a Department of Corrections representative said. The fighter was referred to police over the matter, leading to Hooker stepping in. The 35-year-old wrote a letter supporting Te Rito, claiming the event was a 'platform for self expression, and a healthy outlet to cope with life's pressures'. 'Physical activity is a proven tool to help men overcome mental health issues, such as depression or addiction,' he wrote. 'It can be more productive than an unrelatable counselling session.' Hooker's event came in for harsh criticism after he released a video of all 30 of the tournament fights on YouTube. New Zealand Boxing Coaches Association president Billy Meehan told Checkpoint the event was 'straight-out thuggery'. 'What you've got there is just thugs getting in there and going out and they're just like absolutely smashing each other, and we're going to see somebody get seriously hurt, if not killed,' Meehan said. 'It's just barbaric, the biggest issue is the people getting in the ring half the time aren't conditioned enough to be there, they aren't matched correctly.' Hooker got his fellow Kiwi UFC star Israel Adesanya to help him promote the event by telling fighters and fans, 'Bring the family, bring the whanau [Māori for extended family], come watch, you'll get knocked out or knock someone the f*** out.' Hooker reacted to the criticism by saying only one fighter got hurt and what happened in his backyard didn't break any laws. 'There's a few lefties having a sulk, but once everyone watches the full 45 minutes and sees the respect for the fighters, since when did putting gloves on in the backyard and having a punch-up become illegal?' he told popular MMA program the Ariel Helwani Show. 'It's being run by some of the most experienced combat sports people in the country. 'I knew everyone would think it was crazy, I knew there would be people who would have issues with it. I wanted it at my house so I could control it.
