Lions Tour LIVE updates: Queensland Reds go head-to-head with British & Irish Lions in Brisbane
7.36pm
Some history lessons for the Reds and Lions
The last time these two sides met in 2013, the Lions edged out the Reds 22-12, with current coach Andy Farrell's son Owen kicking 17 points and recently retired English halfback Ben Youngs scoring the only try in the game.
You have to go way back to 1971 for a Reds win, when the Queenslanders got a famous 15-11 win over the Lions.
It didn't seem to affect the Lions too much, going on to beat New Zealand in a Test series for the first and only time.
Let's see if Les Kiss' men can write another chapter at Suncorp Stadium tonight.
7.28pm
Who have you got?
7.28pm
Payto's pre-game view from Brisbane
By Iain Payten
Stormagedon skipped south-east Queensland so happy to report it's a beautiful night in Brisbane, with clear skies and a dry deck. It's a fraction chilly, if we really try to find fault, but it's no cyclone bomb.
This should be a cracker. The Reds and Lions have plenty of history, with the Queensland Rugby Union offices at Ballymore still having a stuffed Lion they claimed in a win over the famous tourists in 1971.
There's been a late change for the Lions, with fullback Hugo Keenan ruled out with illness, meaning Elliot Daly will start at no.15.
The Reds have a monstrous forward pack, and they'll turn to them to put pressure on the Lions. But the Queensland halves, Kalani Thomas and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, are young, and their game management will have to spot on.
Keep an eye out for Hunter Paisami at no.12. There was once a time not long ago that Paisami was among the first picked for the Wallabies, but injury has hampered his last few seasons. He will be primed for a big one.
7.27pm
Good evening
Good evening rugby fans, it's Jonathan Drennan here guiding you through tonight's action at Suncorp Stadium, where the Reds will take on the Lions, who are fresh from a 47-point victory over the Force in Perth.
We have a solid 10/12 combination for you on display tonight, with Payto in the playmaker's jumper once again in Brisbane and he'll be popping up with his expert commentary while I am on the blog.
I cannot remember a week with so much rugby, not that I am complaining. Reds tonight, Waratahs Saturday evening and then up to Newcastle for the Wallabies on Sunday. It's all go.
Tonight, we have the Reds who will try to beat not only the Lions, but also the bookmakers who are paying out $17 on a home victory.
The Lions have named a very different side to the one we saw in Perth and more of that later, but Finn Russell is back and will be looking to create havoc on the Suncorp field.
He is also paired with Ireland's halfback Jamison Gibson-Park, on his day, a world-class operator and this will be a likely halves pairing for the Tests if all goes to plan tonight.
Let's get into it.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
15 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Thompson's ticker on full display in five-set victory
Jordan Thompson came into Wimbledon with a large box of painkillers, a thick black brace for his back, and a crazy dream that somehow he would defy his body long enough to make an impact at the tournament he loves so much. Two titanic five-set matches later, the hirsute Sydneysider is still standing on the green lawns of SW19, just. With Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, the last Australian man to win at Wimbledon, watching on, Thompson beat Benjamin Bonzi 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 6-2 6-4 in nine minutes shy of four hours. After Bonzi hit a return into the net on the second match point, Thompson let out a primal scream into the cool evening sky, smiled a grin as wide as Sydney Harbour, and pointed to his heart. "Everyone the whole week has just told me to show some ticker, so I just pointed to it and said, that's some f***ing ticker," said Thompson, adding the gesture was aimed at Hewitt, who often used the phrase himself and had been demanding it from Thompson. After his first-round defeat of Vit Kopriva, when he came from two sets down, Thompson looked shattered, said he was not enjoying himself, and wondered aloud if he would even be able to start Wednesday's match. He's now proud of himself, but still not enjoying it. "The only thing that brought me a smile is the win and the fact that I didn't have to be out there anymore because it was so tough," Thompson said. "It's frustrating. There's movements I can't do, but the competitive juices are keeping me going. It's not just the back, it's everything. I'm super stiff. I'm not practising, but I keep moving and I'm having lots of treatment, yoga, core." Having hauled himself on to Court 15, Thompson found 31-year-old Bonzi facing him, the 64th-ranked Frenchman who had shocked last year's semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev in the first round. Thompson, ranked No.44 after an injury-hit season that has led to him sliding out of the top 30, is a better player than the 29-year-old from Nimes, especially on grass, and to start with it showed. At 5-5 he set up two break points with a pair of superb volleys. Having broken, he then came back from 0-30 on his own serve before taking the set with a sweet passing shot. But Bonzi changed his game, driving Thompson back to limit the doubles ace's chance to show his volleying prowess. The second set went with serve, then Bonzi won five successive points to seize control of the tiebreak. He followed up with a break at 3-3 in the third, from which he served out. At that stage Thompson looked done. But more than most he is a player who leaves it all out there. In the fourth he broke at 3-2, and held on to level the tie. The final set could have gone either way as both men battled fatigue and the setting sun. Each had break-point chances. Crucially, at 5-5, with a tiebreak looming, Thompson held, then broke. He next meets Luciano Darderi, ranked No.59, or Arthur Fery, the lowly ranked English wildcard who upset Aussie Alexei Popyrin in the first round. The pair were locked at one set apiece when fading light caused their match to be suspended. Victory would take Thompson into the second week and a last-16 place for the first time in his ninth visit to Wimbledon. "It's hard not to see it as a pretty big opportunity at this stage of a slam," he admitted. "There's no beating around the bush. It could be a lot worse. I just wish my body was in a different circumstance." Jordan Thompson came into Wimbledon with a large box of painkillers, a thick black brace for his back, and a crazy dream that somehow he would defy his body long enough to make an impact at the tournament he loves so much. Two titanic five-set matches later, the hirsute Sydneysider is still standing on the green lawns of SW19, just. With Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, the last Australian man to win at Wimbledon, watching on, Thompson beat Benjamin Bonzi 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 6-2 6-4 in nine minutes shy of four hours. After Bonzi hit a return into the net on the second match point, Thompson let out a primal scream into the cool evening sky, smiled a grin as wide as Sydney Harbour, and pointed to his heart. "Everyone the whole week has just told me to show some ticker, so I just pointed to it and said, that's some f***ing ticker," said Thompson, adding the gesture was aimed at Hewitt, who often used the phrase himself and had been demanding it from Thompson. After his first-round defeat of Vit Kopriva, when he came from two sets down, Thompson looked shattered, said he was not enjoying himself, and wondered aloud if he would even be able to start Wednesday's match. He's now proud of himself, but still not enjoying it. "The only thing that brought me a smile is the win and the fact that I didn't have to be out there anymore because it was so tough," Thompson said. "It's frustrating. There's movements I can't do, but the competitive juices are keeping me going. It's not just the back, it's everything. I'm super stiff. I'm not practising, but I keep moving and I'm having lots of treatment, yoga, core." Having hauled himself on to Court 15, Thompson found 31-year-old Bonzi facing him, the 64th-ranked Frenchman who had shocked last year's semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev in the first round. Thompson, ranked No.44 after an injury-hit season that has led to him sliding out of the top 30, is a better player than the 29-year-old from Nimes, especially on grass, and to start with it showed. At 5-5 he set up two break points with a pair of superb volleys. Having broken, he then came back from 0-30 on his own serve before taking the set with a sweet passing shot. But Bonzi changed his game, driving Thompson back to limit the doubles ace's chance to show his volleying prowess. The second set went with serve, then Bonzi won five successive points to seize control of the tiebreak. He followed up with a break at 3-3 in the third, from which he served out. At that stage Thompson looked done. But more than most he is a player who leaves it all out there. In the fourth he broke at 3-2, and held on to level the tie. The final set could have gone either way as both men battled fatigue and the setting sun. Each had break-point chances. Crucially, at 5-5, with a tiebreak looming, Thompson held, then broke. He next meets Luciano Darderi, ranked No.59, or Arthur Fery, the lowly ranked English wildcard who upset Aussie Alexei Popyrin in the first round. The pair were locked at one set apiece when fading light caused their match to be suspended. Victory would take Thompson into the second week and a last-16 place for the first time in his ninth visit to Wimbledon. "It's hard not to see it as a pretty big opportunity at this stage of a slam," he admitted. "There's no beating around the bush. It could be a lot worse. I just wish my body was in a different circumstance." Jordan Thompson came into Wimbledon with a large box of painkillers, a thick black brace for his back, and a crazy dream that somehow he would defy his body long enough to make an impact at the tournament he loves so much. Two titanic five-set matches later, the hirsute Sydneysider is still standing on the green lawns of SW19, just. With Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, the last Australian man to win at Wimbledon, watching on, Thompson beat Benjamin Bonzi 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 6-2 6-4 in nine minutes shy of four hours. After Bonzi hit a return into the net on the second match point, Thompson let out a primal scream into the cool evening sky, smiled a grin as wide as Sydney Harbour, and pointed to his heart. "Everyone the whole week has just told me to show some ticker, so I just pointed to it and said, that's some f***ing ticker," said Thompson, adding the gesture was aimed at Hewitt, who often used the phrase himself and had been demanding it from Thompson. After his first-round defeat of Vit Kopriva, when he came from two sets down, Thompson looked shattered, said he was not enjoying himself, and wondered aloud if he would even be able to start Wednesday's match. He's now proud of himself, but still not enjoying it. "The only thing that brought me a smile is the win and the fact that I didn't have to be out there anymore because it was so tough," Thompson said. "It's frustrating. There's movements I can't do, but the competitive juices are keeping me going. It's not just the back, it's everything. I'm super stiff. I'm not practising, but I keep moving and I'm having lots of treatment, yoga, core." Having hauled himself on to Court 15, Thompson found 31-year-old Bonzi facing him, the 64th-ranked Frenchman who had shocked last year's semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev in the first round. Thompson, ranked No.44 after an injury-hit season that has led to him sliding out of the top 30, is a better player than the 29-year-old from Nimes, especially on grass, and to start with it showed. At 5-5 he set up two break points with a pair of superb volleys. Having broken, he then came back from 0-30 on his own serve before taking the set with a sweet passing shot. But Bonzi changed his game, driving Thompson back to limit the doubles ace's chance to show his volleying prowess. The second set went with serve, then Bonzi won five successive points to seize control of the tiebreak. He followed up with a break at 3-3 in the third, from which he served out. At that stage Thompson looked done. But more than most he is a player who leaves it all out there. In the fourth he broke at 3-2, and held on to level the tie. The final set could have gone either way as both men battled fatigue and the setting sun. Each had break-point chances. Crucially, at 5-5, with a tiebreak looming, Thompson held, then broke. He next meets Luciano Darderi, ranked No.59, or Arthur Fery, the lowly ranked English wildcard who upset Aussie Alexei Popyrin in the first round. The pair were locked at one set apiece when fading light caused their match to be suspended. Victory would take Thompson into the second week and a last-16 place for the first time in his ninth visit to Wimbledon. "It's hard not to see it as a pretty big opportunity at this stage of a slam," he admitted. "There's no beating around the bush. It could be a lot worse. I just wish my body was in a different circumstance." Jordan Thompson came into Wimbledon with a large box of painkillers, a thick black brace for his back, and a crazy dream that somehow he would defy his body long enough to make an impact at the tournament he loves so much. Two titanic five-set matches later, the hirsute Sydneysider is still standing on the green lawns of SW19, just. With Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, the last Australian man to win at Wimbledon, watching on, Thompson beat Benjamin Bonzi 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 6-2 6-4 in nine minutes shy of four hours. After Bonzi hit a return into the net on the second match point, Thompson let out a primal scream into the cool evening sky, smiled a grin as wide as Sydney Harbour, and pointed to his heart. "Everyone the whole week has just told me to show some ticker, so I just pointed to it and said, that's some f***ing ticker," said Thompson, adding the gesture was aimed at Hewitt, who often used the phrase himself and had been demanding it from Thompson. After his first-round defeat of Vit Kopriva, when he came from two sets down, Thompson looked shattered, said he was not enjoying himself, and wondered aloud if he would even be able to start Wednesday's match. He's now proud of himself, but still not enjoying it. "The only thing that brought me a smile is the win and the fact that I didn't have to be out there anymore because it was so tough," Thompson said. "It's frustrating. There's movements I can't do, but the competitive juices are keeping me going. It's not just the back, it's everything. I'm super stiff. I'm not practising, but I keep moving and I'm having lots of treatment, yoga, core." Having hauled himself on to Court 15, Thompson found 31-year-old Bonzi facing him, the 64th-ranked Frenchman who had shocked last year's semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev in the first round. Thompson, ranked No.44 after an injury-hit season that has led to him sliding out of the top 30, is a better player than the 29-year-old from Nimes, especially on grass, and to start with it showed. At 5-5 he set up two break points with a pair of superb volleys. Having broken, he then came back from 0-30 on his own serve before taking the set with a sweet passing shot. But Bonzi changed his game, driving Thompson back to limit the doubles ace's chance to show his volleying prowess. The second set went with serve, then Bonzi won five successive points to seize control of the tiebreak. He followed up with a break at 3-3 in the third, from which he served out. At that stage Thompson looked done. But more than most he is a player who leaves it all out there. In the fourth he broke at 3-2, and held on to level the tie. The final set could have gone either way as both men battled fatigue and the setting sun. Each had break-point chances. Crucially, at 5-5, with a tiebreak looming, Thompson held, then broke. He next meets Luciano Darderi, ranked No.59, or Arthur Fery, the lowly ranked English wildcard who upset Aussie Alexei Popyrin in the first round. The pair were locked at one set apiece when fading light caused their match to be suspended. Victory would take Thompson into the second week and a last-16 place for the first time in his ninth visit to Wimbledon. "It's hard not to see it as a pretty big opportunity at this stage of a slam," he admitted. "There's no beating around the bush. It could be a lot worse. I just wish my body was in a different circumstance."
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
No Big Bash games on Christmas Day or Australia Day
Taking the plunge and putting a Big Bash game on Christmas Day will have to wait, with another key day without cricket this summer. Big Bash officials have once again baulked at putting a match on Christmas Day and will finish the 42-day tournament on the eve of Australia Day. Only a washout of the final will put cricket on January 26. A December 14 start for the tournament has been locked in with a Boxing Day showdown between the Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars and a 13th consecutive News Year's Eve clash in Adelaide among the fixture highlights. Pakistan star Babar Azam looms as the headline international act this season, with several of his teammates, including speed demon Shaheen Shaf Afridi, joining the playing ranks. An Ashes Test series will rob the Big Bash of the best Australian and English talent until the final two or three weeks of the tournament, which will finish on January 25, with January 26 slotted as a reserve day for the final. — KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) July 2, 2025 Cricket Australia hasn't played on January 26 since 2023 and has refrained from any mention of Australia Day amid concerns from some players, including Indigenous women's star Ash Gardner, about the implications of playing on a day that has different significance among Australians. Christmas Day was also ruled out, meaning the NBL remains the only Australian sport willing to take the plunge on that day. 'With uninterrupted action every night of the regular season and all the marquee games our fans love, this schedule ensures the BBL remains the heartbeat of summer,' Big Bash boss Alastair Dobson said. 'The fan-favourite fixtures, combined with the family-friendly entertainment that makes the Big Bash, has BBL|15 well positioned to build on the success of last summer. 'We were blown away by the quality of overseas talent signed via the BBL draft and can't wait to see these global superstars in action alongside some of Australia's biggest names.' Despite making himself eligible, English pace ace Jofra Archer was overlooked in the BBL draft, with clubs fearful he would be unavailable due to the Ashes. Archer returned to the England squad for the series against India but missed selection in the second Test. Originally published as The 42-day Big Bash season won't include games on Christmas Day or Australia Day
7NEWS
3 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Jordan Thompson beats Benjamin Bonzi in five-set Wimbledon epic despite debilitating back injury
Jordan Thompson came into Wimbledon with a large box of painkillers, a thick black brace for his back, and a crazy dream that somehow he would defy his body long enough to make an impact at the tournament he loves so much. Two titanic five-set matches later, the hirsute Sydneysider is still standing on the green lawns of SW19, just. With Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, the last Australian man to win at Wimbledon, watching on, Thompson beat Benjamin Bonzi 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 6-2 6-4 in nine minutes shy of four hours. After Bonzi hit a return into the net on the second match point, Thompson let out a primal scream into the cool evening sky, smiled a grin as wide as Sydney Harbour, and pointed to his heart. 'Everyone the whole week has just told me to show some ticker, so I just pointed to it and said, that's some f****** ticker,' said Thompson, adding the gesture was aimed at Hewitt, who often used the phrase himself and had been demanding it from Thompson. After his first-round defeat of Vit Kopriva, when he came from two sets down, Thompson looked shattered, said he was not enjoying himself, and wondered aloud if he would even be able to start Wednesday's match. He's now proud of himself, but still not enjoying it. 'The only thing that brought me a smile is the win and the fact that I didn't have to be out there anymore because it was so tough,' Thompson said. 'It's frustrating. There are movements I can't do, but the competitive juices are keeping me going. It's not just the back, it's everything. I'm super stiff. I'm not practising, but I keep moving and I'm having lots of treatment, yoga, core.' Having hauled himself on to Court 15, Thompson found 31-year-old Bonzi facing him, the 64th-ranked Frenchman who had shocked last year's semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev in the first round. Thompson, ranked No.44 after an injury-hit season that has led to him sliding out of the top 30, is a better player than the 29-year-old from Nimes, especially on grass, and to start with it showed. At 5-5 he set up two break points with a pair of superb volleys. Having broken, he then came back from 0-30 on his own serve before taking the set with a sweet passing shot. But Bonzi changed his game, driving Thompson back to limit the doubles ace's chance to show his volleying prowess. The second set went with serve, then Bonzi won five successive points to seize control of the tiebreak. He followed up with a break at 3-3 in the third, from which he served out. At that stage Thompson looked done. But more than most he is a player who leaves it all out there. In the fourth he broke at 3-2, and held on to level the tie. The final set could have gone either way as both men battled fatigue and the setting sun. Each had break-point chances. Crucially, at 5-5, with a tiebreak looming, Thompson held, then broke. He next meets Luciano Darderi, ranked No.59, or Arthur Fery, the lowly ranked English wildcard who upset Aussie Alexei Popyrin in the first round. The pair were locked at one set apiece when fading light caused their match to be suspended. Victory would take Thompson into the second week and a last-16 place for the first time in his ninth visit to Wimbledon. 'It's hard not to see it as a pretty big opportunity at this stage of a slam,' he admitted. 'There's no beating around the bush. It could be a lot worse. I just wish my body was in a different circumstance.'
