Andy Farrell still tinkering with player combinations ahead of first Test
Lions
play the Brumbies on Wednesday, in
Andy Farrell
's eyes the best way of doing that is to put the collective first.
All the signs are that Farrell and his assistants have picked the nearest thing yet to a shadow side for this encounter with the pick of the Aussie Super Rugby franchises 10 days out from the first Test. To that end Farrell wants his players to put the team first.
'You want to see them stay in every single moment of the game and I know that sounds harsh and almost impossible to do. But they understand 100 per cent now, and have done for a week or so, what is expected of them to be the best team-mate that they can possibly be.
'So that's what we're judging them on, the expectation of that and what it takes to be the best version of themselves, but also what it takes to be part of this team. And they understand that, because ultimately that's what is going to make us successful or not.'
READ MORE
Intriguing combinations abound, both familiar and unfamiliar, with the backrow still looking the most variable.
Tadhg Beirne
and Tom Curry have each played twice at blindside, the former after Henry Pollock was picked for the position against the Waratahs only to be withdrawn.
Ollie Chessum in action for the Lions against Western Force. Photograph: Billy Sitckland/Inpho
Now, as Farrell & co look for the right mix of mobility, breakdown threat, carrying and lineout ability – all the more so as Joe McCarthy is not a renowned ball-winner in the air – Ollie Chessum starts at blindside with Tom Curry at openside.
Yet Chessum is not a proven lock/blindside hybrid in the manner of say Ryan Baird. Of his 19 Test starts for England, just two have been at blindside, with the remainder at lock.
'I think with Tadhg (Beirne) at six you've got a breakdown presence in the backrow. Ollie might be a little bit different as far as that's concerned, but the energy that he gives the likes of Tom Curry by the hits that he will make to make it open on the floor, I don't just think we've got backrowers who can pinch a ball.
'We've also got others in the pack and in the backs – I mean Bundee (Aki) is pretty renowned for that type of stuff – so it will be interesting to see the balance this week because we've played quite a fee different scenarios now so I'll be glad to see how this fits.'
Maro Itoje's status as captain having been rubber-stamped by his energetic try-scoring display against the Queensland Reds, and Joe McCarthy, having done likewise against Western Force, look the likely secondrow pairing for the opening Test, although this will be the first time they pack down together.
'I think they will complement each other really well, both showing good form in their last game,' ventured Farrell.
'Continuity is pretty important to be able to add to that, I suppose there's no doubt that they would have listened to what everyone's been saying about their performances. It's up to them to make sure that they take a step forward.'
Bundee Aki ahead of the game against the Waratahs on Saturday. Photograph:In constructing a team effectively from scratch, established and intuitive combinations are invaluable. The Lions' Test midfield always seemed likely to come down to a choice between the Sione Tuipulotu/Huw Jones Scottish pairing or the Bundee Aki/Garry Ringrose Irish duo.
After 'Huwipulotu' were the choice against the Waratahs, Aki and Ringrose partner up for the Brumbies, the Lions' fifth midfield combination in five games. It still feels like one of these two familiar combinations will face the Wallabies in Brisbane rather than a mixture.
'Yeah, but we started with Bundee and Sione,' said Farrell. 'They've been carrying that partnership on in training also. We're one squad, people swapping in and out the whole time, so we're seeing different combinations the whole time.
'You'd say that this is a settled one, but there's still a different team to what they're used to playing with. So no, I wouldn't say it's just about a settled partnership. It's giving them an opportunity to play together that's going to be interesting. Others will get a chance on Saturday as well.'
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The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
'Mack would do things that were way above an 18-year-old's level'
THERE'S AN AWARD that goes to the best back in Daramalan College each season. They call it the Mack Hansen Medal. There's also a bigger, older award given to the 'best and fairest' player on the Canberra school's first team every year. The 2016 recipient was Mackenzie Hansen. That was the year Hansen's heart was broken. Daramalan got to the grand final of the Canberra competition against rivals St Edmund's College, the school Finlay Bealham came through. Daramalan had scored a late try and were leading with just 45 seconds left. Hansen dropped off a 22m restart and 'Eddies' scored with the clock in the red. 'Mack came back to school and he was sitting in the quad, just crying,' says Daramalan College rugby coordinator Ben McGee, who coached Hansen in school and at the Gungahlin Eagles club. 'He couldn't believe what had happened. 'Cause footy means everything to him.' At that stage, Hansen was beginning to think he was cursed. He'd already lost a few junior finals. He never won anything with the Brumbies either. 'Mate, he hadn't won a chook raffle here,' says McGee. The 42 The 42 It took moving to Ireland and winning the Grand Slam in 2023 for Hansen to break his streak. And now, the good times keep rolling for the Canberra man. He's back home this week and will play against his former side, the Brumbies, for the Lions tomorrow. Rugby has always been it for Hansen. He's not remembered as the greatest student in the world. While other kids in 'Dara' were worrying about end-of-year scores, Hansen was studying rugby games. Hansen comes from good rugby stock. His grandfather, Kevin Hansen, played league for Australia. His father, Craig Hansen, played union for the Manly Marlins in Sydney. His younger brother, Jake Hansen, plays in the second row and back row for Gungahlin. His mother, Diana Hansen née O'Shea, is the reason he qualified for Ireland. Mack developed a reputation as a promising player when he was young and that only grew as he came through Daramalan, as well as representing the ACT region alongside fellow future pros like the Lonergan brothers, Ryan and Lachlan, who play for the Brumbies tomorrow. Hansen was mainly an out-half in school. His plan was always to be a number 10. He had strong passing and kicking skills, as well as being a real student of the game. 'Everything else in his life was probably, you know, boring, but rugby was always his main thing,' says McGee. 'He loved it. He would say and do things that were way above an 18-year-old's level. He read the game so well and was a good leader.' His love of the game also meant Hansen had an unflappable approach on the pitch. 'I think he loves it so much that he doesn't see it as a job,' says McGee. 'It's just something that he loves to do. If you love doing it and it's fun, it doesn't become stressful.' Daramalan College Daramalan College Everyone knew he was going to be a professional rugby player, but no one knew where the game would take him. Hansen came out of school and into the Gungahlin Eagles, which has a strong connection to Daramalan. He also started working as an apprentice electrician. Hansen has previously admitted that he was probably the worst electrician in Canberra. 'I would extend that further than Canberra,' says McGee with a smile. But Hansen was continuing to impress on the rugby pitch with the Eagles. By now playing on the wing and at fullback, Hansen was viewed as a future Brumbies player and a key stepping stone was his involvement in the now-defunct National Rugby Championship, a level below Super Rugby. Hansen was called into the Canberra Vikings squad and that's where the highly-experienced Nick Scrivener, a former Wallabies assistant and Edinburgh coach, got his hands on him. 'The thing that struck me about him was how competitive he was,' says Scrivener. 'He reminded me a lot of a young Stephen Larkham in terms of being a really good footballer, but really determined. He had a lot of personal pride. Advertisement 'If someone pushed him, he'd push them back. If someone got the better of him, he'd really get annoyed. He almost had a little bit of shit in him, you know, he wouldn't take a backward step.' Hansen had all the skills too and he was an excellent athlete. He might not have the complete out-and-out pace of some other elite wings, but he has always been highly elusive. Daramalan College Daramalan College 'He's long, you know, 6ft 2ins. He's quite long and lean, so he's one of those guys that sort of lopes along, but he's a very balanced runner, so he can change direction and swerve and move laterally really well at high speed' says Scrivener. 'He might not be in the top 5% of sprinters, but his elusiveness was a real weapon.' The other thing was that Hansen had a streak of creativity. Scrivener felt that his impulsiveness was a big strength. Players around him got excited. They knew Hansen would make something happen or take a risk. Scrivener believes this is one reason Hansen has become so valued by Andy Farrell. 'Going into a system with Ireland that is highly structured, it's been interesting to see how we fit into that systemic way of sort of playing footy, but still being able to add some stuff outside of that. 'In a system like that, it's perfect because some of that flair and off-the-cuff stuff complements the way they play.' Another thing Farrell likes about Hansen is his personality. Scrivener says the young Canberra native always had a bit of mischief in him, while McGee remembers Hansen's jokes getting him into trouble with some of the Daramalan teachers. Hansen used to slag McGee about a tattoo on his left arm. 'He carved me up about having a crap tattoo,' says McGee. 'I eventually got it covered with my family crest. I always tell the boys now, 'Think before you ink.' 'But yeah, a 17-year-old slags you off about your tattoo and then ironically comes out years later and is covered in random tattoos. I don't want to say I inspired him to get all of his ink…' Ben McGee at Daramalan College The 42 The 42 Hansen's performances for the Vikings earned him a deal with the Brumbies but he struggled to nail down a starting spot in Super Rugby over the next three seasons. That meant he was often back playing for the Gungahlin Eagles. The great Matt Giteau returned to Canberra during Covid and the pair of them combined in a lethal backline. 'When Mack wasn't playing for the Brumbies, he played as many games as he could with the club,' says McGee, who is a Gungahlin stalwart. 'He was elite. He was playing fullback because Gits came and played 10.' Even with that star power, the Eagles came up short in a grand final. It was a familiar feeling for Hansen. Things weren't quite happening for Hansen at the Brumbies, but he was being tracked by another Canberra man, Andy Friend. Friend was the head coach of Connacht and having watched him for two seasons, he noticed that Hansen was becoming more effective when he got a chance with the Brumbies. 'The biggest thing for me was that every time he touched the footy, he beat a defender,' says Friend. 'You could see that he was growing into a lovely player.' Friend got onto Hansen through his agent and they had an initial chat. Hansen and Matt Giteau playing for the Gungahlin Eagles. Gungahlin Eagles. Gungahlin Eagles. And this is where Hansen's local bar, the RUC, comes into the story. The RUC is close to Hansen's family home. He was known to frequent the place. 'I can neither confirm nor deny if I ever saw Mack Hansen at the RUC,' says McGee with a laugh. However, Friend didn't know that when he first called Hansen. Three days later, Friend got a call from his son, Jackson. At that time, Jackson was working behind the bar in the RUC and he wanted to know why his dad had been speaking to Hansen. 'I asked Jacko if Mack was a regular,' says Friend. 'Jacko said, 'Yeah, he comes here all the time.'' Friend is good mates with the owner of The RUC, Jeremy Wilcox, and called him up to ask what Hansen was like. 'Jeremy says, 'Mate, he's a good footballer,' and I said I could see that but wanted to know about the bloke,' says Friend. 'And he said, 'Oh mate, he's loose.' So I said, 'Is he loose like you?' because Jeremy is loose as well, but a good loose.' Jeremy told Friend that Hansen was the kind of fella who'd have a few drinks, dance on a table, and take his shirt off, but never get into a fight or cause any trouble. 'And I went, 'I can handle that,'' says Friend. A few months later, Hansen joined Connacht and the rest is history. There is huge pride in Canberra at what Hansen has achieved since leaving his hometown. Hansen regularly sends back videos to Daramalan and Gungahlin teams wishing them luck ahead of big games, as well as special messages to the winners of the award named after him. He hasn't forgotten his roots. The 42 The 42 The Ireland wing actually lives with another Daramalan old boy, Mitch Ward, who is a physio with Connacht. Back in Canberra, McGee is part of a group who get up at 2am to watch Ireland play. Their group chat buzzes away in the wee hours. He explains that Hansen is an inspiration to the young rugby players in Daramalan not only because he made it, but also because of the different route he has taken. 'I would argue that he's more of a trendsetter than a lot of the people that came before him,' says McGee. 'I think there was this stigma for a long time that if you didn't make it in Australia, you were just never going to make it. For us in our little community, he was the first to really roll the dice and make such a big move.' Rumour has it that Hansen will bring the Lions squad to the RUC after their game against the Brumbies, so it only seemed right to check the place out. It's a spacious bar that serves food, has more big screens than you'd ever need, and the 'pokies' that seem to be in many pubs and sports clubs around Australia. In the name of research and in Hansen's spirit, it was necessary to test out their newly installed Guinness tap. The bar staff were delighted with the positive review. By Australian standards, the RUC are working wonders with their new Guinness set-up. Over in the far corner above the pool tables, there's a marker of how far Hansen has come. Alongside the Brumbies, Wallabies, and Canberra Raiders shirts, Mack Hansen's green Ireland jersey is impossible to miss. The 42 The 42
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Carlos Alcaraz swats aside Cameron Norrie to storm into Wimbledon semi-finals
Two days after his bruising five-set win over Nicolás Jarry and the Chilean's subsequent criticisms of his frequent cheering, Cameron Norrie immediately made it clear that he would remain true to himself even in the face of one of the greatest young talents his sport has ever seen. After starting his day against Carlos Alcaraz with a positive hold in the opening game, Norrie punctuated that small win with a loud, booming cheer. Although Norrie was angling for a tight tussle, the stratospheric quality presented by his legendary opponent across the net ensured that he did not stand a chance. Alcaraz completely laid waste to the last British player standing at Wimbledon with the force of his devastating, astonishingly complete game, effortlessly dismantling Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 to return to the Wimbledon semi-finals. With every major tournament he plays, Alcaraz's resume continues to grow. He has now extended his career-best winning streak to 23 victories and he will contest his eighth grand slam semi-final in just 18 career appearances. Among Spanish men, only Rafael Nadal has reached more grand slam semi-finals than the 22-year-old. He stands two wins away from becoming the fifth man in history to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles. For a player enjoying the best run of success in his career, Alcaraz has still been prone to occasional dips in form and concentration, but this was his most focused performance of the tournament so far. He completely overpowered and outplayed Norrie, an admirably consistent and disciplined player who simply does not have the firepower to match him in full flow. READ MORE Norrie has made life difficult for Alcaraz in the past thanks to his durability and consistency, but their last match was two years ago. Today, Alcaraz is a completely different player at the grand slam tournaments, on grass and after years of maturation and growth. Norrie did find some joy on the court. He held his own when he was able to force Alcaraz into lengthy, protracted rallies and he took control whenever his opponent missed a first serve, winning 67 per cent of points behind Alcaraz's second serve. But the world No 2 continues to make massive strides in what was once the most obvious weakness – his serve. He served spectacularly, particularly on the important points, 13 aces, landing 72 per cent of first serves and winning 89 per cent of points behind it. Spain's Carlos Alcaraz plays a forehand during his Wimbledon quarter-final win over Britain's Cameron Norrie. Photograph:After three unforgettable wins on No 1 Court, the significance of this occasion meant that Norrie had had to finally part with his favourite stadium in the world as Centre Court beckoned. He actually started well, immediately forcing a triple breakpoint lead at 1-0 on his rival's serve. But as Alcaraz gradually settled down, finding rhythm on his serve and range on his forehand, he feasted. Almost every single point was dictated by Alcaraz's racket and Norrie quickly suffocated under the relentless pressure imposed by the Spaniard. Shortly after Norrie double-faulted on break point to cheaply hand over the first break; the floodgates opened up. He spent the first set admirably scrambling and chasing down every last ball, but he could only watch as the ball constantly flew by him. Alcaraz backed up his immense serving performance by dominating with his forehand, effortlessly injecting pace into neutral rallies. With so little pressure from his opponent, he had time to do whatever he liked, mixing in drop shots and gliding to the net. Even when Norrie was successfully able to take control with his forehand and force him on to the baseline, it was so difficult for the Briton to put the ball past Alcaraz. He was everywhere, constantly flipping points from defence to attack with his supreme athleticism. After one hour, 39 minutes on-court, barely over half the length of Aryna Sabalenka's nerve-racking triumph over Laura Siegemund just before, Alcaraz closed out an easy, efficient victory without issue. For Norrie, there is no shame in this loss. He ended his tournament after another brilliant grand slam run that has further shown him that he is performing at a high level once again and is capable of re-establishing himself in the latter stages of the biggest tournaments on a regular basis. After falling as low as No 91 in the ATP rankings just in May, he will rise to No 43 next week. Norrie took his first stride forward with his run to the fourth round of the French Open last month and he has maintained his momentum on home soil with his favoured US hard court swing to come. Perhaps even more importantly, Norrie's outlook on his career has added even greater meaning to his career. At one of his lowest points in his career, when he was struggling to simply win matches, Norrie resolved to focus on enjoying every aspect of his time on the court. Rather than fixating on his results, he has come to view them as a bonus to the joy he finds from his daily hard work. Even in defeat, he has given himself plenty of enjoyment over the past few weeks on the grass courts of the All England Club. – Guardian
RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Cullie Tucker: New caps did themselves justice in Georgia
Cullie Tucker believes Ireland's summer tour of Georgia and Portugal will only strengthen the competition for places in the Ireland team next season. The Ireland squad are deep into their preparation for Saturday's Test with Portugal in Lisbon, as they look to build on their 34-5 win against Georgia in Tbilisi last weekend, where six players made their debuts. With 16 regular internationals away on duty with the British and Irish Lions, as well as the majority of the senior coaching staff, Ireland's first ever game in the Georgia capital had the potential to be a real banana-skin, particularly as the rain poured down at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium. While their win was far from perfect, it never looked in any major doubt as they raced into a 14-0 inside seven minutes following a brace of tries from debutant Tommy O'Brien. A Georgia try on the stroke of half time put only a minor level of jeopardy on the result, but Craig Casey's try just after the break saw Ireland keep them comfortably at arm's length. "The big downpour of rain made it even tougher, but a very proud moment for them," said Tucker, who is covering as scrum coach while John Fogarty is away with the Lions. Tucker (below), who has been scrum coach at Connacht in recent seasons, was impressed with the attitude of Ireland's inexperienced players. "I think in fairness, how they prepared, they weren't just accepting of getting the jersey, they wanted to go out and perform with it. "It was evident in how they undertook the task at the weekend. Very proud to see new caps out there, and I thought they did themselves justice." The squad have now moved from Tbilisi to Lisbon, where they will take on Portugal this Saturday at Estadio Nacional, the site of Celtic's 1967 European Cup triumph over Inter Milan. Connacht captain Cian Prendergast is available for selection again after he missed last Saturday's game with illness. Interim head coach Paul O'Connell is to name his starting team on Thursday morning, with one change guaranteed in the backline after Jacob Stockdale (below) suffered a tour-ending shoulder injury, which opens a space on the left wing for Calvin Nash, or potentially a debut for Connacht's Shayne Bolton. Portugal, coached by former Munster assistant Simon Mannix, will be familiar with Ireland having previously trained against them in the lead-up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, a tournament 'Os Lobos' defied expectations in, defeating Fiji and claiming a draw with Georgia. "They're a very good rugby team," Tucker added of Portugal, who are now 18th in the world rankings. "It's a game that needs to be taken very, very seriously. We're here to win two games, they're going to provide a different type of challenge to Georgia, but a significant one. And you have the heat on top of that. "They're coached by Simon Mannix, who is a very good operator. It's going to be a very, very tough game and we're preparing like it's going to be that way. "The boys are very focused, obviously carrying good positivity from the result and performance at the weekend. We reviewed it very well, very hard. There's plenty for us to be better at. "A change of climate now, the heat has increased significantly, but the boys' attitude has been brilliant. It's been a good couple of days so far." With O'Connell the only member of the regular Ireland coaching staff involved this summer due to the Lions, Tucker has been recruited to work with the Irish setpiece, with Mike Prendergast and Denis Leamy drafted in from Munster to work on attack and defence. It caps off an eventful season for the Shannon man, who spent a portion of the campaign as interim head coach of Connacht, following the departure of Pete Wilkins. "t's always good to get in with new coaches, but the calibre of their coaching is outstanding as well. It's great to work with them, nothing is off the table, everybody is across each other, giving opinions. "It's fantastic to have that kind of open environment as coaches, and we're being really accurate with how we're delivering our messages.
