Kurtley Beale among first 5 selected for Indigenous squad to play the British and Irish Lions
The 95-test backline utility had been set to play for the Perth-based Western Force against the Lions in the tour-opening match Saturday but was ruled out with hamstring injury and replaced by current Wallaby squad member Ben Donaldson.
Advertisement
Instead, Beale was named Thursday as one of the first five players for the First Nations and Pasifika XV team set to play against the Lions in Melbourne on July 22. The Lions are in Australia for nine games including tests on July 19, 26 and Aug. 2.
Beale, who hit form for the Force this year after returning from a long-term Achilles injury, played in Australia's 2-1 series loss to the Lions in 2013.
Rob Leota, who has played 21 tests for the Wallabies, most recently at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, was also named to the Indigenous team along with Fiji-born back rower Seru Uru. Also named were Charlie Gamble, a flanker for the New South Wales Waratahs, and Andy Muirhead, who has scored 180 points in 108 games for the ACT Brumbies since 2017.
Former Australia backrower Toutai Kefu, who helped the Wallabies win the 1999 World Cup and the 2001 series against the British and Irish Lions and has been head coach of Tonga's national team, will coach the First Nations and Pasifika team. The remainder of the squad is yet to be confirmed.
Advertisement
Lions utility back Elliot Daly knows Beale better than most of his teammates. Beale played with Daly at English club Wasps in 2016-17 and they formed a strong friendship.
'If he didn't get injured in that semifinal against Leicester in 2017 I think we would have won the title,' Daly said. 'He came at a time when we were playing attacking rugby and he slotted in really well."
The Lions, made up of players from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, lost 28-24 to Argentina last week in a warmup for the tour. They will play the Wallabies in tests on July 19 in Brisbane, July 26 in Melbourne and Aug. 2 in Sydney.
The Australian section of the tour kicks off this weekend on the west coast, where Donaldson will join five other current Wallabies in the Force lineup.
'Any chance you get to play against the Lions, you probably take it with both hands," Donaldson said.
___
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hibs kick out offers for Miller
Hibernian have rejected seven-figure bids for Australia defender Lewis Miller from unnamed clubs in the English Championship. (Scottish Sun)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Farrell keeps it in the family with Lions captaincy
Coach Andy Farrell has named his son Owen to captain the British and Irish Lions against the First Nations and Pasifika XV in Melbourne on Tuesday. Playing his 20th match for the Lions on his fourth tour, Farrell will lead the Lions for the first time as the tourists turn out at Marvel Stadium in the last of their six tour matches. It's his first start since being drafted into the 2025 squad late as injury cover, with the 33-year-old coming off the bench in the Lions' one-sided win over the AUNZ invitational XV in Adelaide. The Lions are 6-0 on their Australian tour, including a 27-19 victory over the Wallabies in the first Test at Brisbane last Saturday. Backrower Ben Earl and inside backs Alex Mitchell and Marcus Smith have been included in the reserves three days after being involved in the 23-man squad for the first Test. Former England captain Farrell will partner Irishman Jamie Osborne in the centres while Scotland No.9 Ben White will combine with England's Fin Smith in the halves. Blair Kinghorn will return from a knee injury to play fullback in an all-Scotland back three with wingers Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe. Welsh blindside flanker Jac Morgan will start, as will exciting young England No.8 Henry Pollock. Ireland centre Garry Ringrose has overcome concussion symptoms to take a spot on the bench. Jamie George will start at hooker after joining the tour group from Argentina after playing with England. Three other Scottish reinforcements -- lock Gregor Brown, hooker Ewan Ashman and prop Rory Sutherland - were named on the bench. Wallabies veteran Kurtley Beale will captain the inaugural First Nations and Pasifika team. Andy Farrell said the match would give all players a chance to push their case for selection for the final two Tests, the second of which comes on Saturday night at the MCG. "The coaches' minds are open when it comes to selection, they have to be with so many players performing and pushing for places," Farrell said in a statement "This fixture gives players another opportunity to put their hand up for selection for the final two Tests. "This group know the level of performance that we will require against a First Nations and Pasifika team that is packed with talent and power." Lions: Blair Kinghorn (Scotland), Darcy Graham (Scotland), Jamie Osborne (Ireland), Owen Farrell (England, captain), Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), Fin Smith (England), Ben White (Scotland); Henry Pollock (England), Josh van der Flier (Ireland), Jac Morgan (Wales), Scott Cummings (Scotland), James Ryan (Ireland), Finlay Bealham (Ireland), Jamie George (England), Pierre Schoeman (Scotland). Reserves: Ewan Ashman (Scotland), Rory Sutherland (Scotland), Tom Clarkson (Ireland), Gregor Brown (Scotland), Ben Earl (England), Alex Mitchell (England), Marcus Smith (England), Garry Ringrose (Ireland).
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
British and Irish Lions: Owen Farrell captain for First Nations & Pasifika XV clash as Blair Kinghorn returns
Owen Farrell will lead the British and Irish Lions for the first time in Tuesday's match against the First Nations & Pasifika XV at Marvel Stadium. Farrell is given his maiden start of the tour 17 days after he joined the Lions squad as a call-up for Elliot Daly and forges a midfield partnership with fellow late arrival Jamie Osborne. The former England captain came on as a second-half replacement against AUNZ on July 12 and produced some eye-catching moments in attack as he blew away the cobwebs in his first appearance since May 4. 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. Blair Kinghorn has the chance to prove his fitness for the Melbourne Cricket Ground showdown after missing the series opener in Brisbane with a knee injury, lining up at full-back. 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 Darcy Graham, Ben White, Jamie George, Ewan Ashman, Rory 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." Lions XV: B Kinghorn; D Graham, J Osborne, O Farrell, D van der Merwe; F Smith, B White; P Schoeman, J George, F Bealham, J Ryan, S Cummings, J Morgan, J van der Flier, H Pollock Replacements: E Ashman, R Sutherland, T Clarkson, G Brown, B Earl, A Mitchell, M Smith, G Ringrose
