‘They're great humans' – Lansdowne leaders swap shirts as Dublin club celebrates connection with both captains in Lions win over Waratahs
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Irish Examiner
21 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Scratchy Lions win has simplified the Test selection equation for Farrell
FOR some reason Dame Edna Everage sprung to mind in the wake of the British & Irish Lions less-than-marvellous weekend display against the NSW Waratahs. As Edna once waspishly told a fellow grand dame: 'I'm trying to find a word to describe your outfit … affordable.' It was not dissimilar to the lacklustre Lions in Sydney: all dressed up and nowhere to hide. It has been an awkward few days all round, with increasing amounts of potential comedic ammunition available to Aussie hecklers. 'Mr Farrell, welcome to our hotel, we've held the family suite for you.' 'Mate, was the pitch really damp on Saturday or were you blokes just wallowing in your own mediocrity?' It is reaching the point where the Lions need to start delivering a few short sharp punchlines of their own. 'Maybe we should play Fiji instead?' was briefly a possibility as the Wallabies hovered on the brink of losing their warmup Test in Newcastle. But it is a dangerous game to play when, self-evidently, there continues to be a risk of the Lions rocking up underdone to Brisbane for the first Test on Saturday week. Australia may not be the best team in the world – they went into the weekend ranked eighth – but where does that leave the Lions if the series heads south? Among other things, it makes the first Test absolutely pivotal. This is not a hard and fast law – as recently as their last tour in 2021 the Lions won the opening Test in South Africa only to go on and lose the series – but we should expect Joe Schmidt's Australia to grow stronger over the course of a three-Test series. Hence the importance of picking the smartest-possible starting XV – and a complementary bench – for that challenge. In some ways Saturday's scratchy 21-10 win over the Waratahs has simplified the equation. Let's just say it was not the worst game to miss. There are occasions when players' reputations are enhanced simply by sitting in the stands and the Waratahs game was one of them. Read More Andy Farrell felt NSW Waratahs deliberately watered pitch to hinder Lions So the moment has come for Andy Farrell to cease his ruminative beard-stroking, replace the light pencil with proper ink and get down to it, dah-ling. There is still the Brumbies game this Wednesday to assist deliberations further but the time for experimentation has all but expired. The front row, in theory, should be straightforward. The Lions may have waxed and waned to date but their scrums have gone pretty well. Dan Sheehan is first among equals at hooker and Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter, probably in that order, are both tough hombres at loose-head. But the picture at tighthead is murkier: do the Lions go with the proven farmer strength of Tadhg Furlong, the maturing Will Stuart or the previously little considered Finlay Bealham? If Furlong is back anywhere close to his best, Farrell will be tempted. But at this point a wider Irish question presents itself. The Lions could possibly select as many as 10 or even 11 players from the Ireland side who finished the Six Nations with a laboured 22-17 win over Italy. No disrespect to the Azzurri but there is rather less snap and crackle about some of Ireland's leading lights than a year ago. That could mean the usual assumptions about the benefits of cohesion do not hold as much water. And if Maro Itoje and Joe McCarthy are bolted on to start in the second-row it also raises other related back-row questions. On tour form alone Ollie Chessum might just be edging in front of Tadhg Beirne, and Jac Morgan a gnat's nostril ahead of Josh van der Flier. Read More Wallabies score late to snatch win against surging Fiji as Lions await Of course it matters not, in theory, where a qualified Lion hails from. But assuming Jack Conan starts at number eight is there realistically enough time left to develop the kind of ingrained understanding the all-Irish trio possess? Possibly not, a scenario which will be niggling away in the back of Farrell's mind. At least nobody disputes Jamison Gibson-Park will start at 9 and Finn Russell at 10; all things being equal, the back three should comprise of James Lowe, Blair Kinghorn and Tommy Freeman. Which leaves the midfield and the bench. Do the Lions go for a they-shall-not-pass central defensive brick wall of Bundee Aki and Gary Ringrose or reunite Russell with Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones? It would seem even Farrell remains undecided. At the weekend he acknowledged that Test matches tend to be tighter tactical affairs than the lead-up games. 'We are good when we are direct,' he murmured. But the Lions could do with some extra pace – hence the likelihood of Henry Pollock being among the replacements – and Jones offers that. Farrell will further have noted the way in which Fiji ran at the Wallabies and kept their potentially influential centres quiet as a result. Scott Cummings (right) and his Lions teammates show their frustration during the match Lions 'must do better' is Andy Farrell's verdict as Waratahs deny watering pitch Read more The Lions should also keep in mind their captain Itoje's pledge at the initial squad announcement back in May. 'I want us to play with passion and energy and the zeal you would expect of a Lions squad,' said Itoje back then. The cameras in the visiting dressing room at the weekend did not catch a tremendous amount of that and one or two individuals look to have plenty on their youthful minds. So stick or twist? Strip back the gameplan or keep the faith? Put Farrell Jr on the Test bench ahead of Fin Smith for pure psychological effect? It says everything about the concertina-ed nature of this Lions trip that such debates still remain live at this late stage. But ultimately the answer is simple: go all out or go home. As the great Dame Edna might have put it: 'Don't chicken out now, possums!' Guardian
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Today's top TV and streaming choices: Nationwide, The Story of Gaelic Football and Inglourious Basterds
Nationwide RTÉ One, 7pm The first edition of the show's Summer Holiday series explores Co Waterford's stunning Copper Coast, named after the mines that operated in the area during the 19th century. Presenter Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh meets some intriguing locals while travelling along the 25km coastal route, including an environmental artist and a seaweed forager. An Ghig Mhór RTÉ One, 8pm Hip hop duo Tebi Rex help rising band Na hEasógaí — who perform a fusion of rock, traditional Irish and world music — organise a gig in Conamara. Hell for Leather: The Story of Gaelic Football RTÉ One, 9.35pm Cora Staunton, Jim McGuinness and Jack McCaffrey reveal how important the support of their local communities was in helping to drive forward their sporting careers. There's also a trip to Northern Ireland, where players past and present discuss how the game managed to survive during a century of strife. Inglourious Basterds TG4, 9.30pm Quentin Tarantino's wartime adventure stars Brad Pitt as the leader of a group of Jewish soldiers on a mission to kill as many Nazis as possible. Christoph Waltz co-stars in an Oscar-winning role. All The Sharks Netflix, streaming now If you're wondering, 'Why all the shark-related viewing of late?' Well, the simple answer is that we're currently in the run-up to July 14, which is Shark Awareness Day. This summer also happens to be the 50th anniversary of Jaws, so one should expect an inordinate level of shark-themed programming over the coming weeks. A lot of it, however, does seem somewhat at odds with itself. For instance, last week saw the release of Shark Whisperer, which featured a herd of conservationists expressing concern about people, like Instagrammer Ocean Ramsey, interfering with endangered sharks. Now, Netflix is proffering an almost oxymoronic competition show, where conservationists infiltrate the oceans to tick all the sharks off their assigned apex predator bingo cards. If you favour more traditional shark viewing — ie. without a nigh-dystopic gameshow element — Sharks Up Close With Bertie Gregory has landed on Disney+. Heads of State Prime Video, streaming now Have you ever considered a parallel universe where Idris Elba is the UK prime minister and John Cena is the US president? Well, now's your chance! For context, their 'special relationship' is under threat on account of their huge egos, but — once confronted with a common adversary — the pair must learn to rely on each other.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
‘Fergus realises he still loves her; he loves the person, not the sex or the gender' – Neil Jordan on The Crying Game
Some people have described Neil Jordan's The Crying Game as a parable about human desire. Others (Jim Sheridan, Bob Geldof, Micheál Martin) have said it is the greatest Irish film ever made.
