Tonight's rugby news as Warburton names five standout Lions so far and Wales get welcome party
The latest rugby news and headlines from Wales and beyond
Sam Warburton has picked out five Lions who impressed against Argentina
(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd )
Here are your rugby evening headlines for Thursday, 26 June.
Warburton names five standout Lions
Former Wales and British & Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton has named the five players who stood out in the Lions' tour opener defeat to Argentina last Friday - including one Welshman. Andy Farrell's side went down 28-24 to Los Pumas in Dublin ahead of flying Down Under, with the tourists currently in Perth preparing for their first match on Australian soil.
They take on the Western Force on Saturday, with Farrell having named an Irish-heavy side as the preparations for the first Test against the Wallabies really starts in earnest.
Warburton, who skippered the Lions in 2013 and 2017, admitted he wasn't too disheartened by the defeat to Argentina in his column for the Times, but did add that Farrell's side did force things at the Aviva Stadium.
"As a player early on in a Lions tour you have to be careful about chasing those massive moments to further your case for selection," wrote Warburton. "As a seven I am not thinking about trying to win a turnover 5m from my own line, which would obviously be picked up as a special moment.
"What I would be thinking is of trying to compete effectively at 10-15 rucks in defence, to win two or three lineouts and get all my lineout drills right, hit 25 rucks and make them all positive, not miss a single tackle, with maybe five of them being dominant, and carry the ball five or six times dynamically.
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"If I do that I will be a Test player. You have to focus on what makes your cog turn in your position. If you do all those nuts and bolts exceptionally well, then an opportunity might arise for you to do something spectacular as an added bonus."
In terms of the players who impressed him, Warburton only picked out five - but that list did include one of the two Welsh players on tour.
"So, some will have been disappointed with the Argentina match," added Warburton. "I might have expected, say, seven players to stand out in that as being nailed-on Test starters but I'm not sure that was the case.
"I thought Ellis Genge was good, Ben Earl impressed me, as did Tom Curry, and Tommy Freeman was excellent, while I enjoyed Tomos Williams off the bench, but that was it. It was a night on which it was obvious how wide-open selection is going to be."
Wales get welcome party
Wales have arrived in Kitakyushu ahead of their two-Test tour of Japan.
Matt Sherratt's side left the UK on Wednesday, flying direct from Heathrow to Tokyo before a short internal flight to Kitakyushu.
The northernmost city on Kyushu Island is where Wales will play Eddie Jones' Brave Blossoms on July 5, before travelling to Kobe for the second Test on July 12. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
Kitakyushu is also where Wales were based in the 2019 World Cup, with the Welsh Rugby Union having spent a couple of years before the tournament building a relationship with the city through workshops and regular visits.
At the end of the tournament, the Welsh team even took out a two-page advert in the local newspaper to thank the locals for their hospitality.
The links between Kitakyushu and Welsh rugby clearly remain, with Wales being welcomed with a banner that read: "In 2019, we became a family. Welcome back, Wales."
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Dan Sheehan warns Lions will match Western Force's hunger
By Duncan Bech, PA Rugby Union Correspondent, Perth
Dan Sheehan insists his British and Irish Lions will use their pride in the jersey to match the determination of a Western Force side who are targeting a famous victory in Perth.
Lions captain Maro Itoje has been stood down for the opening fixture on Australian soil so Ireland hooker Sheehan takes charge of Andy Farrell's men at Optus Stadium on Saturday.
Henry Pollock makes his first start for the elite of British and Irish rugby after being picked at number eight while Finn Russell, the early favourite to take the playmaking duties against the Wallabies, is given his maiden outing of the tour at fly-half.
The Lions know they are being targeted by Super Rugby teams eager to make history but Sheehan, who skippered Ireland against Wales in the Six Nations, declares they will not have a monopoly on passion.
'It's important to know where the opposition's mindset is and how they approach a game that only comes around every 12 years, like it does for the Western Force,' said the 26-year-old, who is one of nine players in the matchday 23 set to make their Lions debuts.
'I'm sure the Force will be 150 per cent of what they usually are. They will be flying into it and that bit of extra hunger can produce some powerful things.
'They would have been eyeing this game up since they probably first stepped into that Western Force change room. It'll mean an awful lot to them.
'But I don't want them to think that they're going to be hungrier than us. We have to demonstrate back our own mindset because this will be the first time I will be putting on the jersey, along with a few other lads.'
The Force is the second game of a tour that began with a 28-24 defeat by Argentina in Dublin and while matches will soon come thick and fast, chances to impress Lions boss Andy Farrell will be limited.
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Farrell, however, has cautioned over the danger of players wanting a Test place too much.
'That's desperation and that's what we don't want because desperation leads to people being distorted in the way they go about the game,' he said.
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