Kinghorn injury a huge chance for Hugo Keenan to snatch a Lions test start
Keenan hasn't lit up the world so far on this tour. Only featuring in the first half against the Waratahs after coming into the tour with an injury and missing out on the Queensland Reds game with illness.
The battle for the 15 jersey hasn't been the most pulsating of battles with all three initial contenders of Hugo Keenan, Blair Kinghorn and Daly have all dealt with injury issues, with Daly probably performing the best out of all three but his arm fracture ended his tour early. Hugo Keenan. Pic:Kinghorn was many people's favourite to get the start in the first test and it's easy to see why. The Scot joined the tour late after starring in Toulouse's Top 14 triumph over Bordeaux-Bègles and being one of the best athletes the Lions have to offer.
More than capable of playing off the wing and at 10 as well as fullback, Kinghorn offered a versatility that's always needed on a Lions tour. However just as it looked like everything was going the Scot's way, Wednesday's game against the Brumbies left himself and Lions fans in despair. Blair Kinghorn forced off with injury against the Brumbies. Pic:It was just over 20 minutes into the clash at Canberra when Kinghorn was forced off with a knee injury. Kinghorn, who sported heavy taping on both knees looked distraught as he went off the field and not filling fans with too much hope that he will return on the tour.
However if this injury at least rules Kinghorn out for the first test it gives Hugo Keenan a huge opportunity to be the starting 15. He'll likely play on Saturday against a combined Australia/New Zealand XV as he still needs to wipe off the cobwebs that were evident in his first Lions outing last Saturday.
The Lions tour is as equally a test of attrition as it is a testing of the best Britain and Ireland have to offer. Staying fit while playing matches every three or four days is no mean feat. Keenan has been phenomenal over the years and earning the honour of wearing a Lions jersey will only confirm what a player he's been.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The 42
34 minutes ago
- The 42
'My body has changed. I have to keep on top of stuff'
FOUR APPEARANCES IN the space of two-and-a-half weeks is a run that Tadhg Furlong could only imagine earlier this season. With calf and hamstring issues affecting him, the Wexford native managed just eight games for Leinster all season, as well as only one for Ireland. 'A fractured enough season,' as Furlong himself puts it. There were fears in some quarters that he wouldn't make this tour at all, but Furlong is now in pole position to start at tighthead in the first Test against the Wallabies in two weekends. He was the Tadhg Furlong that Irish fans know and love last night in Canberra, carrying strongly, hitting hard in the tackle, clearing out rucks aggressively, and providing world-class solidity at the scrum and lineout. As he stands in a cramped tunnel under the Gio Stadium after the Lions' 36-24 win, Furlong says he has reached a place of understanding with his body. 'My body has changed,' says the 32-year-old. 'I have to keep on top of stuff to stay on the pitch. So what do I actually need to do in a week to get out there on a Saturday and play? What's really important for me? I have to really boil that down further again.' Taking care of your body is pushed to extremes on a Lions tour. 'Your week gets ripped apart,' says Furlong. 'You're thrown out there. Your body might be a little bit sore. You're playing two games a week. You're travelling. You've no downtime. And you're just thrown out there and you have to perform. Advertisement Furlong in the Lions changing room in Canberra. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO 'You learn a lot about yourself. I'm saying that to the young lads. I think they learn a lot about themselves coming off the back of the first Lions tour.' Furlong went through that learning process on the 2017 tour of New Zealand. He was 24 at the time and had only 16 caps for Ireland when Warren Gatland named him in the squad. But Furlong went on to be the starting tighthead in all three Tests, then did the same on the 2021 tour of South Africa. 'Once you get to two years out, this thing goes into your head,' says Furlong of being on a third tour. 'I suppose I was very young in the first one. I didn't take a whole lot in. I had a quick rise to it. I didn't know a whole lot about myself or rugby and how to perform. 'It's not that I didn't enjoy it, I found it stressful the whole time because you're coming up against New Zealand scrums but you're trying to get into the Test team, and I always thought if I go on another one it would be great. 'To go on a third one is an absolute bonus. I suppose it's something you look on now and you realise how privileged you are. You take everything in. It's an unbelievable thing and I'm delighted to be part of it.' That experience means Furlong feels an understandable sense of responsibility to have a good influence on the younger players in this squad. Furlong is also an astute reader of the game and he doesn't feel the Lions are where they want to be with their performance levels just yet. Most of the Test side will rest up on Saturday for the final warm-up game against the AUNZ Invitational team and it's clear that all of them and Andy Farrell are looking forward to having a full week of training preparation for the opening Wallabies Test. Furlong clears out a ruck against the Brumbies. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO 'We're still a little bit clunky because of the breakdown,' says Furlong. 'We're maybe forcing passes, maybe we're not decisive at times. I think there's good growth there.' The Lions played more directly against the Brumbies, a good indicator of their planned approach for the Tests, while their set-piece was strong again in Canberra. The lineout ran smoothly, allowing the Lions to strike for some cracking scores, while Furlong combined with Ellis Genge and Dan Sheehan in a strong scrum showing. 'I need to feel good in the scrums,' says Furlong of his approach. 'I need to have it in the legs, just feel right. I don't go chasing it, don't waste too much emotional energy on stuff. Stay nice and loose and play ball. 'I would have played against Ellis a lot. I would have had good days, I would have had bad days against him. I just know him, he's a proper competitor.' So is Furlong.
Irish Times
43 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Jamie Osborne withdrawn from Ireland team after Lions call-up
Less than an hour after Ireland announced a team containing Jamie Osborne to play Portugal in Lisbon (7pm Irish time, live on Virgin Media), head coach Andy Farrell contacted the Irish management to inform them that the Leinster back was required to join the Lions in Australia. Scotland's Blair Kinghorn sustained a knee injury against the Brumbies and while the news was positive, Osborne has been summoned to Australia as cover. The player had been due to win a ninth cap in partnering Stuart McCloskey in the centre for Ireland against Portugal. The 21-year-old uncapped centre Hugh Gavin is promoted from the bench to the starting team with Munster's Calvin Nash coming into the replacements. Ireland's interim coach Paul O'Connell has made six changes to the run-on team – there are eight in total – that beat Georgia 34-5 for Saturday's Test match. Two more uncapped players - Connacht wing Shayne Bolton and Munster flanker Alex Kendellen - join Gavin in the starting team. There are three changes in the backline, the 25-year-old Bolton replacing the luckless Jacob Stockdale who has returned home with a shoulder injury, while Jack Crowley will make his 26th appearance in an Ireland jersey alongside Craig Casey, who once again captains the team. Munster's Tom Ahern will win his second cap against Portugal. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho There are three changes to the pack. Tom Ahern, who won a first cap as a replacement in Tbilisi starts alongside Darragh Murray in the secondrow while Kendellen and Cian Prendergast replace Nick Timoney and Gavin Coombes respectively in the backrow. Kendellen led Emerging Ireland on last year's winning tour to Bloemfontein. Prendergast was a late withdrawal from the match 23 last weekend with a gastro bug. Tom O'Toole is promoted to the bench having shaken off an injury niggle while Ciarán Frawley will cover outhalf. The 21-year-old Galway native Gavin is a former Ireland Under-20 Grand Slam winner, and like his provincial teammate Bolton scored on his Ireland 'A' debut in February. Portugal will become the 21st country that Ireland has awarded caps against and the first 'new' nation since facing Russia in 2002. Speaking to the media before the Osborne news broke, O'Connell said: 'I have been really pleased with the attitude of the players over the last number of weeks. The dedication and diligence of the squad in testing conditions over in Tbilisi demonstrated the players' willingness to embrace challenges and hopefully that bodes well again this weekend. 'This Saturday presents another opportunity to go out and try to play our game. Portugal are another impressive emerging side who look to play an exciting brand of rugby, and we know that we're in for another battle hopefully in front of another big crowd of travelling supporters. 'To our three new debutants - Shayne, Alex and Hugh – congratulations on their selection. The team will try to deliver a positive performance for them and their families.' Following confirmation of Osborne's Lions call up, O'Connell said: 'On behalf of the Ireland team I would like to congratulate Jamie on his selection to the British & Irish Lions. 'It's fantastic news for Jamie and we wish him well in Australia. Jamie has been a consistent performer for Leinster and Ireland and I'm sure he'll be a great addition to the Lions squad.' Ireland: J O'Brien (Leinster/Naas); T O'Brien (Leinster/UCD), H Gavin (Connacht/Galwegians), S McCloskey (Bangor/Ulster), S Bolton (Connacht); J Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution), C Casey (Munster/Shannon, capt); J Boyle (Leinster/UCD), G McCarthy (Leinster/UCD), T Clarkson (Leinster/Dublin University); T Ahern (Munster/Shannon), D Murray (Connacht/Buccaneers); R Baird (Leinster/Dublin University), A Kendellen (Munster/UCC), C Prendergast (Connacht/UCD). Replacements: T Stewart (Ulster/Ballynahinch), Michael Milne (Munster/UCD), T O'Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch), C Izuchukwu (Ulster/Ballynahinch), M Deegan (Leinster/Lansdowne), B Murphy (Connacht/Clontarf), C Frawley (Leinster/UCD), C Nash (Munster/Young Munster).
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Jamie Osborne's utility-back brilliance gets him a Lions call-up
Jamie Osborne has been called up as cover for the Lions following Blair Kinghorn picking up a potentially Tour-threatening injury. The 23 year-old Ireland utility back has received his call-up ahead of players such as Scotland's Tom Jordan, England's Freddie Steward and Blair Murray who is from joining the squad brings the number of Ireland players available to Andy Farrell to 17 and the number of Leinster players among their number to 13 - There is almost an entire Leinster side there, add in former Leinster Academy graduate Tadhg Beirne and it's even closer! Naas-born Osborne has had an awkward season at Leinster who have, notionally, Hugo Keenan for full-back, Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw for the centre and who had further signed All Black Jordie Barrett from November to says he is young enough to accept the idea that breaking through has earned him a reputation as a utility back but he sees that as temporary and a good way to gain experience.'Yeah, I think it's definitely a strength and it can probably seem a bit like a bit of a weakness at times if you're, say, not selected and you're thinking 'maybe I should be a bit more specialised in a certain position'."But when you look at him and you look at Elliot Daly's performances (before he was injured), how reliable he was and how classy of an operator he really is, it encourages you."So I think it definitely can be a strength. I suppose over time we'll see and, you know, hopefully I can figure it out and how to best utilise it." News of Osborne's call up came following a terse statement from Lions just two days ahead of the sixth Tour game, against an Australia New Zealand selection in Adelaide. It read: "Blair Kinghorn received positive news following a scan on a knee injury sustained against the Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday night. The Lions medical team will manage his return to training over the coming days."Ireland's Jamie Osborne will join the squad to provide additional training cover. Osborne is currently with the Ireland squad in Portugal and will arrive in Brisbane on Saturday to meet up with the squad." For the most part, Osborne is seen primarily as a centre.'I suppose, defensively, as a no13, you're probably a bit of a defensive leader in the team. You look at Garry, what he does for whatever team he's involved with these days, he's really, I suppose, combative and he leads the line.'It's probably different from, say, being a full-back. You're close to the ball as well. There's that little bit around where you're scanning, you're talking to the ten and stuff like that."So there are differences, but I'm enjoying each position. I'm ready."This season just gone, he started the Blues first five URC games, two at full-back and three at there he moved into Ireland's November international camp and gained three caps, as a sub against New Zealand, Argentina before starting at full-back against arrival there was an extra rival for the Leinster centre and Leo Cullen used him on the left-wing for the two January European games, against La Rochelle and Bath with two further appearances at full-back in the URC on either side.'It was obviously challenging but I really enjoyed it, really enjoyed the challenge," he says of jostling for a possession with one of the world's greatest players in Barrett."The more big games you play, the more you want to play in the big games, if you know what I mean."Once you get a first taste of a really big game, you do anything you can to get back in there and you learn a lot from the preparation in the week and you learn a lot from those games so I really enjoyed them."I suppose it probably builds you as a player as you're going along and getting those experiences. I think you definitely get a bit more confidence in your abilities once you're able to perform in those games."There were two Six Nations appearances, at full-back against Wales and on the right wing - bringing up a full-house of having played all the positions across the back-line this season - against there Robbie Henshaw's injury afforded Osborne more chances and he played Harlequins in the ERc Round of 16 and URC rounds 15-18, quarters, semi-finals and final at variously, no15, no13, no12 and as a Saturday Osborne was at second-centre for Ireland against Georgia in Tbilisi.'It probably feels a bit different just with all the new coaching staff and a lot of new players," he said of being with Ireland at the HPC and playing in Georgia while the Lions tour progressed."But I suppose they were trying to, you know, bring the same standards that would have been when Andy was here. There's a few little tweaks, I suppose, to the game plan, but a lot of it's the same.'The structure of the week is pretty much the same and, you know, it's about living up to the standards that were set before us, I think."Meanwhile Osborne joins the Lions as someone down the pecking order, it is not something new for next season? It won't be getting any easier Leinster have replaced Jordie Barrett with Rieko Iaone'I'd say there's a lot of players in Leinster who are probably feeling similar because obviously Rieko's played a lot and he's obviously presented in the no13 mainly recently."He's also played a lot on the wing, so there's probably a lot of us in Leinster who are eager to see what he's like and look forward to the challenge of trying to maybe compete with him in training and also be his teammate on the pitch.
