Live Lions v Western Force: Build-up and latest updates from first tour match in Australia
Good morning everyone and welcome! The 2025 British and Irish Lions are in Perth to face Western Force in what is their first of nine games on Australian soil, culminating of course with a three-Test series against the Wallabies.
There are a couple of hours until kick-off at Optus Stadium, so the plan is to pace ourselves and offer up a comprehensive preview of what should be an intriguing fixture.
Force finished ninth on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder, winning four of 14 matches. Only Fijian Drua and Highlanders were below them, but they are a tight-knit team with plenty of incentive to ruffle the Lions.
Put it this way, I would be impressed if the tourists record a result close to the 69-17 victory they landed back in 2013.
Please, wherever you are in the world, get involved in the comments section if you have any questions or discussion points.
John Fogarty, the Lions scrum coach, was up for media duties at the captain's run yesterday. He will have been happy, surely, with how dominant the Lions were in his area of expertise against Argentina eight days ago. Ellis Genge and Finlay Bealham were exceptional.
However, a 28-24 loss to the Pumas in Dublin requires a reaction.
'The lads need to create moments for people to get behind,' said Fogarty.
'Whether it's in a scrum or off a line-out or attacking play or defensive play, we need to make sure we're creating moments that capture the minds of the people that matter most. That's the plan.
'It's an amazing thing, the Lions. You get behind it instantly. It was disappointing against Argentina because you feel like you're letting people down a little bit due to the performance and the result.'
Only an assured display and a comfortable win, one senses, will do for the Lions here.
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Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Lions tours need needle, not niceties: Bring on the Aussie baiting
The stadium announcer at the Optus Stadium did such a good job of pointing out some of the Lions' players alternate nationalities that one can only hope he receives the same gig for the Test series. 'And now introducing your 100 per cent pure-bred Wallabies. On the wing, there is Wimbledon-born but now magically Australian, Harry Potter. Introducing our centre, its Samoan-born, New Zealand-raised, capped by the Samoan Under-20s, Hunter Paisami. At fly-half there is another Kiwi in Noah Lolesio. Starting in the second row, it's another one born in New Zealand, of Samoan descent, who has spent most of his life in Europe, it's our big fella Will Skelton … and at prop, it's the Tongan Thor now an Aussie by residency, Taniela Tupou.' You see, that dual nationality thing cuts both ways and David Campese's description of the tourists as the 'British and Irish and Pacific Island Lions' applies far more to the Wallabies than it does to Andy Farrell's squad. Indeed, Australia's resident rent-a-quote might want to look at who instituted the project player system in Ireland which brought in players such as Bundee Aki, James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park, a certain J Schmidt. Really, the only countries who can legitimately mount a high horse about foreign-born players are from South America. Nearly everywhere else, the lines of what can be considered 'native', as Willie John McBride crudely termed it, have been blurred by the modern trends of global migration. People of multicultural backgrounds do not always fit into neat pigeonholes. Does Marcus Smith not have the right to represent the Lions because he was born in Manila to an English father and Filipina mother? Or if he does then surely Mack Hansen, who has an Australian father and Irish mother, must also qualify? If not, then where do you draw the line? Passport? Schooling? Accent? These are decisions that go far beyond Farrell's remit as Lions head coach and if you speak to the wonderfully entertaining Pierre Schoeman, or the engaging Sione Tuipulotu, you will be absolutely convinced of their legitimate passion to represent the Lions. Nor is this a particularly new development. Go back a century and you will find Tom Richards and Blair Swannell having represented both the Lions and Australia. Both war heroes are now honoured with man-of-the-match medals during this tour. Still, the subject of the Lions' mixed nationalities was low-hanging fruit that the stadium announcer in Perth was absolutely entitled to go for, likely a juicy full toss pitched up across the bridge at the Waca. Tuipulotu took no grave offence and almost seemed hurt that the Aussie sledging was not of a higher standard. This is standard fare for a Lions tour. Four years ago, Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus injected a poison into the series with his character assassination of referee Nic Berry that turned the tour toxic. Understandably, Farrell and Schmidt want to avoid a similar scenario and have resolved to be the picture of politeness towards one an other's sides, with Schmidt already rowing back on his own 'southern hemisphere centre partnership' comment about Tuipulotu and Aki. 'I'm conscious of (making provocative comments), and I'm conscious that other coaches do it, but I don't anticipate it happening in this Lions tour,' Schmidt told the Sydney Morning Herald last week. 'Faz and I have had a few conversations about how we'd like the narrative of the tour to be a celebration of rugby. I think for Australian rugby, we need that.' Balls to that. Lions tours need needle rather than niceties. The rancour is almost as famous as the rugby, from the '99' call in 1974 to 1989's Battle of Ballymore or the 2005 spear tackle of Brian O'Driscoll. The insults from Austin Healey's fateful description of Justin Harrison as a 'plank' or Warren Gatland getting the clown treatment in 2017 are as iconic as many of the tries from those series. Not everyone will have enjoyed Henry Pollock's in-your-face-celebrations following Elliot Daly's first try which prompted a minor kerfuffle, but Farrell will be delighted by the fact that the first person who rushed to his defence was Joe McCarthy. The distinctly non-glitzy McCarthy could not seem further removed from the Northampton flanker's personality, but this is precisely how bonds are formed on a Lions tour. Undoubtedly when Force flanker Nick Champion de Crespigny reports back to Wallabies camp, the target on Pollock's back will have grown further, one of about a dozen intriguing individual subplots going into this series. A rematch of Ellis Genge v Tupou from the 2022 England tour has pay-per-view potential. So too the super-heavyweight match-up between Skelton and McCarthy, while Carlo Tizzano has definitely kept the receipt of his last meeting with Tom Curry. This is all before we get to the even more fascinating master v apprentice coaching battle between Schmidt and Farrell. So bring on the sledging and the s---housery, the Lions are more than ready to deal with better barbs than what was thrown Tuipulotu's way. Lions laugh off nationalities jibes Lions centre Tuipulotu laughed off Western Force's jibes about being born Down Under, declaring the Australians need to up their sledging game. Before the Lions' first game on Australian soil, the stadium announcer at the Optus Stadium singled out the tourists' foreign-born players, including Tuipulotu, for particular attention when reading out the team sheet. 'Our former Aussie at No 14, Mack Hansen 'Another Aussie at No 12, Sione Tuipulotu 'At No 11, it's the Kiwi now Irishman, James Lowe. 'At prop, the former SA schoolboy now Scotsman, Pierre Schoeman.' The Lions were apparently unaware of these jibes being made in real time, but when the comments were relayed to Tuipulotu, who was born in Melbourne but qualifies for Scotland on account of his grandmother, he seemed genuinely amused rather than hurt. 'I knew there would be some 'good humour' coming back home to Australia,' Tuipulotu said. 'These are all things we've got to take in our stride. To not announce the elephant in the room, I am from Australia. I was born here. I don't know how funny that gag is to everyone! 'I'm loving my rugby playing for the Lions and I'm really passionate about it. Andy's brought the group together so well and to play under a coach like him, I can see why Ireland have been so successful in the past because I feel like the way he's bringing this group together, we're headed in the right direction.' Tuipulotu is the only player to have delivered back-to-back 80-minute games and looked far more comfortable playing alongside Garry Ringrose at his preferred inside-centre slot. 'I love it, I'm starting to get my feet back underneath me,' Tuipulotu said. 'Obviously I haven't played Test rugby since the autumn so I'm getting my feet back underneath me. I still feel like I've got massive growth during this tour, but I'm getting my feet back underneath me and I know I can start playing my best rugby towards the big games at the end of this tour. 'Yeah, I loved (playing with Ringrose). Geez mate, he's a missile out there, isn't he? He backs himself to make those reads and geez, he left a few sore bodies out there including himself. What a player and I really enjoyed playing with him and I also enjoyed when Shaggy came off the bench and got some valuable minutes after being out for a while now. We're linking quite nicely and we've just got to keep building towards the Test.'
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
‘Don't know how funny that gag is' – Sione Tuipulotu laughs off ‘Aussie' dig
Sione Tuipulotu of the British & Irish Lions is tackled by Dylan Pietsch tackles during the tour match against Western Force at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia. (Photo by) Scotland centre shrugs off stadium announcer's jibes Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Sione Tuipulotu insists the British and Irish Lions must continue to shrug off any provocation during their tour of Australia after their overseas-born contingent were attacked by the Tannoy announcer at Optus Stadium. Tuipulotu, one of eight players in Andy Farrell's squad who were born, raised and educated in the southern hemisphere, was among those caught in the crosshairs before Saturday's 54-7 rout of Western Force. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Another Aussie at number 12, Sione Tuipulotu,' was how the Scotland centre was introduced when the team was read out for the Lions' opening match on Australian soil. Sione Tuipulotu, wearing a Western Force jersey, takes a selfie with the fans after the Lions' win in Perth. (Photo by) Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Pierre Schoeman were also referenced by the nation of their birth rather than their adopted country, for whom they have qualified either through residency or family heritage. It continued a theme from the hosts that began when Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt described Tuipulotu and New Zealand-born Ireland international Bundee Aki as a 'southern-hemisphere centre partnership' in the build-up to the defeat by Argentina in Dublin. Tuipulotu emphasised the words 'good humour' when brushing aside the jibes that he expected on his return Down Under. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I knew there would be some 'good humour' coming back home to Australia. These are all things we've got to take in our stride,' he said. Sione Tuipulotu has shrugged off jibes by the announcer at Optus Stadium. (Photo by) 'To not announce the elephant in the room, I am from Australia. I was born here. I don't know how funny that gag is to everyone! 'I'm loving my rugby playing for the Lions and I'm really passionate about it. Andy's brought the group together so well.' The victory in Perth exposed several shortcomings such as a high penalty count and creaking set-piece, but there was also much to admire in the attacking exuberance that produced eight classy tries. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tougher tests than the Force await on tour but combined with the evidence gathered from the Aviva Stadium eight days earlier, Farrell's Lions are clearly keen to keep the ball alive – and on this occasion the passes stuck. Finn Russell was at the heart of onslaught in his first outing of the tour and the Scot's instinctive play drew approval from Farrell, who declared: 'He's ready to go. And that's good.' Tuipulotu, who expects to be firing by the Test series as he continues his comeback from a significant ankle injury, said: 'We're taking ideas from all the nations. 'Obviously, the coaching style is very Ireland dominant and there are a lot of ideas that we're getting from the Irish coaches, but then those ideas are being sprinkled on. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'When Finn comes in, he plays his style. He plays to the structure of the team, but he's a very instinctive player and he wants to play what's directly in front of his face. 'There's a mixture there and that's what's going to make it hard to defend for opposition teams. 'They're not necessarily defending a structure of play, they're defending a structure of play with really supreme individuals conducting it like Finn. 'Finn's a world-class number 10 and he's been here, been there, done that. He's come off a really good season after winning the Premiership with Bath and I thought him and Tomos Williams controlled the game really well.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Lowe hits back at stadium announcer's trolling
The Perth stadium announcer tried his best to troll the British and Irish Lions before their 54-7 victory over Western Force, by singling out the tourists who were born in the southern issue has been a big talking point in the tour build-up after Australia head coach Joe Schmidt highlighted the ancestry of some of the Lions squad."Our former Aussie at No 14, Mack Hansen," the announcer declared on Saturday in front of a record Force crowd of more than 46,000.''Another Aussie at No 12, Sione Tuipulotu. At No 11, the Kiwi now Irishman James Lowe, and at prop, the former SA schoolboy now Scotsman, Pierre Schoeman."Not that it had much of an affect on Ireland's New Zealand-born winger Lowe, who started for the Maori All Blacks against the Lions in 2017.''Hopefully a few more Kiwis or Saffas play next week and we can keep the same gag going if we keep on getting the same result," the 32-year-old told BBC Sport. "I've been slagged my whole life, my whole career, it doesn't matter where I go I seem to get slagged so they can say what they want.'' Schmidt apologised and said he was "sloppy" and meant no harm when he called the Lions midfield duo Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu the "southern hemisphere centre partnership".He was then accused of mind games and pot-stirring by Lions head of performance David captain Tuipulotu, who was born in Australia, also brushed aside the trolling, adding: "I knew there would be some 'good humour' coming back home to Australia. These are all things we've got to take in our stride," he said."To not announce the elephant in the room, I am from Australia. I was born here. I don't know how funny that gag is to everyone." 'Hungrier for a Test spot' Having reached and won the URC final, Leinster wing Lowe had to wait a week before his first taste of Lions he has plenty of credit in the bank with Irish coaches having been picked 40 times for his country, Lions tours are all about taking your opportunity, something Lowe felt he grasped with both hands against the Force, finishing the match with two assists and three clean breaks.''I knew I'd get a chance to put in a performance and personally I was very happy with how I went," Lowe adds. "I still remember sitting at home with my wife when your name comes up on the TV. To actually be here, feet on the ground in Australia and given the opportunity is a massive privilege.''The amazing thing about this tour is these games make you hungrier for a Test spot. I'm competing with some world-class wingers in their own right so you've got to put your best forward."Obviously we can get better and we will get better over time but it's already something I'll be very proud of for the rest of my days.''Lowe is one of 12 Leinster players in Australia, the most from any club in a single Lions series. "We're in a lucky situation where we know so many of our own boys," he adds."We understand each other even if we get calls wrong. If you've got Leinster boys beside you, we know what we're doing. Though we did have a Scottish 10, 12, 13 in the second half so it's nice to watch their defensive system and the tendencies they have when they're on the run.''
