From zero to hero – four players who became unexpected heroes for the Lions
The return of Owen Farrell, Elliot Daly's departure, and the call up of Jamie Osborne and Thomas Clarkson as well as a Scottish trio of Darcy Graham, Rory Sutherland and Ewan Ashman means there are plenty of chances for an unexpected hero, should any of the late arrivals manage to force their way into the test squad later in the series.
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RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Joe McCarthy to be given final chance to prove fitness as Andy Farrell contemplates changes
On paper, it should be an easy selection week for Andy Farrell. The British and Irish Lions bullied the Wallabies for large parts of Saturday's first Test win in Brisbane, and even though Australia never looked like mounting a miracle comeback, Farrell will have had plenty to think about when he and his coaches sat down for their final selection meeting for the second Test this morning. "I let everyone have their say," Farrell said, when asked how their selection meetings play out. "I play devil's advocate, and we thrash it out and we all agree. And that's it. That's exactly what we'll do again." Injuries will play a part in his selection, with second row Joe McCarthy's foot injury making him a major doubt, and the coach gave little away when asked if he's likely to be fit. "He hasn't trained so far [this week] but with the nature of the week, which is a bit different, we will see how he is for Thursday." It looks like the Ireland and Leinster lock will be given the opportunity to test out his injury when the squad train at Xavier College in the city-suburb of Kew, with Farrell (below) set to name his side shortly after. If he doesn't make the cut, then England's Ollie Chessum looks most likely to step into the second row to partner Maro Itoje, with Farrell unlikely to move Tadhg Beirne up from flanker, having dominated the Wallabies in Brisbane. Were Chessum to start, Farrell could look at getting another back row on the bench, rather than promoting James Ryan or Scott Cummings. It would be tough on Cummings, with the Scottish lock one of the better performers in last night's stodgy win against the First Nations and Pasifika XV, but the fact that he was left on the pitch for 80 minutes doesn't bode well for his chances. Likewise, Josh van der Flier and Henry Pollock both played wire to wire at Marvel Stadium, and Jac Morgan's departure early in the second half now makes him the frontrunner if a place becomes available on the bench. Given how the Lions destroyed the Wallabies pack in that first half at Suncorp, it's unlikely Farrell will tinker with the rest of his starting pack, but the way his side's performance fizzled out in Brisbane potentially puts a couple of bench places up for grabs, particularly with the Australian pack set to be far stronger this week, with Will Skelton, Rob Valetini (below) and David Porecki all expected to be named in the matchday 23 by Joe Schmidt at 4.30am Irish time. Luke Cowan-Dickie is fit again following concussion and could put Rónan Kelleher under pressure for the 16 shirt, while Ben Earl may face stiff competition from Morgan, even if McCarthy is cleared to play. It's in the backline where Farrell faces some big calls. Garry Ringrose returned in Tuesday's win against the First Nations and Pasifika XV and was one of the few standouts in an otherwise sloppy team performance. Prior to his concussion after the win against the Brumbies, the Leinster centre appeared to be leading Huw Jones for the 13 shirt, and although he looked back up to top speed at Marvel Stadium, the 63 minutes he played were more than Farrell would have bargained for. If Ringrose does get the decision, it will be fascinating to see whether Farrell is willing to retain Sione Tuipulotu at 12, or swap his midfield entirely and keep the all-Irish and all-Sottish partnerships. It would be a harsh call to drop Tuipulotu based on Saturday's win, and it's possible the Scots are retained in the starting team, with Ringrose a versatile bench option. Blair Kinghorn had some sloppy moments against the FNP side yesterday, but like Ringrose, he was tracking to be in the first choice squad at full-back before injuring his knee two games out from the first Test, and with Hugo Keenan (below) getting caught in the air for the opening Wallabies try at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, that position could become a coin-toss. Kinghorn's versatility could also come to his benefit. The Scotland international made his first tour appearance on the wing, and if Mack Hansen fails to recover from the foot injury which has troubled him in recent weeks, he could be an option on the right wing after Tommy Freeman failed to fire. It would be a bold call for Farrell to make so many changes to a winning formula, but not an unprecedented one. Four years ago Warren Gatland changed three of his starting team after the first Test victory against the Springboks, while Farrell was an assistant to the New Zealander in Australia 12 years ago when there were five changes made ahead of the second Test in Melbourne. The Lions lost on both occasions, a cautionary tale against tinkering with a victorious Test team.
Irish Examiner
6 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Ben Te'o: 'Union, it's really fading over here. Most kids aspire to be rugby league players'
Ben Te'o emerges from Brisbane Broncos' headquarters, umbrella in one hand and walking a little gingerly. As we head for the cafe at the Broncos' lavish training base, where Te'o is now an assistant coach, he explains he has just spent two nights in hospital due to a burst appendix. To his great credit, he still felt obliged to meet, and he is good company. It is entirely complimentary to remark that Te'o has never struck as an overly complicated person. He says it how he sees it. And there is plenty to say. It is 8am, the day before the first British & Irish Lions Test in Brisbane. Te'o has been in demand of late, for the local press wants to know how the Lions measures up against NRL's State of Origin and the former England centre is the only man to both represent the former and play in the latter. This is the second time we have sat down for an interview. The first was six years ago but it never saw the light of day because it was conducted in the buildup to the 2019 World Cup and Te'o was not picked in the final squad. He and Mike Brown were jettisoned by Eddie Jones after clashing during a night out in a pre-tournament training camp in Treviso. Te'o scoffs at the idea a 'brawl' broke out, before confessing that he jabbed Brown, the culmination of simmering tension brought about by competition for places in squad. Jones unceremoniously ditched both players, sending the rest of his squad – who went on to reach the final in Japan – a clear message. 'There were a whole lot of guys who were fighting for spots and when you're doing that, things get a little sticky,' says Te'o. 'After too many drinks sometimes that spills over. My regret would be that after a few drinks the confrontation happened whereas it should have just happened before. You should have approached it before you had the drinks, because that blurs the line. 'I thought it galvanised the group and if I was Eddie I would have done the same thing. I don't think Browny was going anyway, I was teetering on not going because I had torn my calf earlier in the camp. Maybe Eddie saw an opportunity, get these two out of here right now, set a standard, make a statement to the rest of the team and put everyone on notice. It worked.' Te'o's eyes light up when recalling his three years in England. Once he had set his heart on union he initially held talks with Michael Cheika about playing for the Wallabies, but Te'o wanted to broaden his horizons and so the recently departed Leicester head coach arranged a two-year stint with Leinster. 'I was in a team with a lot of good people,' says Te'o. 'From going from league to union I had never spent so much time with my teammates. I roomed with Kyle Sinckler and I feel like I lived with Kyle for three years. And I learned so much from Eddie. I'm sitting here as the assistant coach of the Brisbane Broncos. I think I'm only here because of the time I spent with Eddie. In the middle of his England career came the 2017 Lions tour of New Zealand. Te'o finished with 20 England caps but his form in New Zealand – where he grew up – saw him add two more for the Lions in the drawn series. 'I never thought I was going to be a British & Irish Lion,' he adds. 'I was probably at the back of the line and I do feel like I played my way into the team. I was proud of that. My mother is English, I had gone over [to England] purely to play rugby, I then had the opportunity to represent her and ended up in the Lions squad.' I wonder if the 2013 Lions tour might have sowed the union seed in Te'o's mind. He does not think so – interestingly, he believes it did for Sam Burgess – but Te'o recalls avidly watching his close friend Israel Folau announce himself on the global union stage and is struck by the similarities between him and Joseph Suaalii. 'Izzy and Joseph are very similar,' adds. 'From a rules point of view, probably raw but from an athletic point of view, exceptional. Big, long, fast, unbelievable in the air. They're the same thing. I reckon [Joseph's] best position will eventually be full-back. You want him touching the ball in more space.' Te'o's time in Toulon was ill-fated. He was released early on Christmas Eve, spent the night packing and flew back to Australia on Christmas Day. It goes down as one of the many lessons that Te'o is now putting to use as a coach, a transition that came about after Covid curtailed his stint with the Sunwolves in Japan and precipitated a move back to the Broncos, first as a player, now as an assistant coach. 'I just started to think about all the things I had learned on my travels,' says Te'o. 'Being at Worcester, there were some real lessons I learned about always being in a relegation battle. Then being with Eddie and understanding how he would see things tactically and from a psychological point of view, thinking about how Warren brought together a team. So I started thinking to myself: 'I know a fair bit, it would be a waste if I didn't teach it to someone else.'' For now Te'o is settled in Brisbane with a young family but at some point in the future he would like to travel again and coach in union. The 15-man code is ailing in Australia at present but having grown up in New Zealand, where union remains a religion, it is clear Te'o still has a deep connection with the sport. 'Union, it's really fading over here,' he adds. 'Most kids aspire to be rugby league players. People have to understand that rugby league is in your face, it's everywhere. If you pick up the paper, it's rugby league. Turn on the TV, league, social media, league. All the podcasts, league. It's everywhere and rugby union is just not. 'I love both games. I love union more, to be honest, as a game, when it's played the right way. I don't want to be one of those people that says 'back in my day' but Super 12 rugby was phenomenal. As a kid growing up in New Zealand it was phenomenal. 'Rugby league is a great foundation as a coach so I'll stay here but my long-term goal is to travel and coach rugby union. When I first retired from footy, I also coached a second XV side at a local college up the road. Honestly, coaching the second XV was more fun than you could imagine. If union is played in an entertaining way, you can't beat it.' Guardian
The 42
9 hours ago
- The 42
Clarkson's 3am text, Italian ancestry, and his Lions debut
AS HE STOOD in Marvel Stadium and chatted about his Lions debut, Thomas Clarkson was clutching the cap he had just been awarded as if he never wanted to let it go. Having come off the bench in the second half of the Lions' win over the First Nations & Pasifika XV, Clarkson became Lions player number 886, with chairman Ieuan Evans presenting caps to him and the other debutants in the dressing room afterwards. 'I didn't even know they did caps if you don't play in the Test,' said Clarkson. He hadn't thought about the Lions much until he got a text from Andy Farrell at 3am when he was on a night out with his Ireland team-mates following their win over Portugal two weekends ago. Clarkson immediately made his exit from the bar. 'Some text to get,' he said. 'It was like, 'Ring me when you're awake', so I said 'Oh yeah, grand.' 'Then Paulie [O'Connell] rang me and was like, 'Ring him right now!' So yeah, I had to just compose myself and go outside. 'I told Jack Boyle and then just legged it.' The Lions hadn't had an injury at tighthead prop, so Clarkson wasn't expecting a shout from Farrell. He jokes that he 'might have got the finger out' if there had been an obvious injury to one of the Lions players. Clarkson with his father, Finbarr, in Melbourne. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO The reality was that Farrell wanted additional cover at tighthead for training and for the First Nations & Pasifika game. Clarkson was the next best available prop in the Lions boss's eyes. 'Tom Clarkson was 100% the next cab on the rank,' said Farrell last night. Advertisement 'If anyone's seen how he's performed over the last six months, they'll see why.' Six months ago, Clarkson certainly wasn't aiming for a Lions call-up. 'Not a hope,' said the Leinster man. 'I only went in as a training panellist [with Ireland] in November, so I wasn't even really expecting to play in that. So to get a cap, I was delighted. 'The Six Nations, I was happy enough with how it went, I wouldn't have said I set the world alight or anything. So to then play well for Leinster at the end of the season and come in here, it's pretty mad.' Despite his excellent form, there was a backlash to Clarkson's call from the Lions. It was a little unfair to him that he was announced as a call-up on his own, whereas a group of three Scots were confirmed the following day. There probably wouldn't have been as much fuss if they'd all been announced together. The Dublin native steered clear of the bile online. 'I tried to stay away from it, to be honest,' said Clarkson. 'I feel like the last few weeks in Leinster, before the semi-final, was fairly negative. So I think just kind of trying to use that as a bit of motivation. I knew, just because Jamie [Osborne] got called in right before me, there was a bit of backlash to that. 'So, I knew it was going to be even more when I got the nod.' Sadly, this is something Clarkson has had to learn to do in recent years. Clarkson with fellow Lions debutant Jamie Osborne. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO Social media is not a nice place for players. 'It was a bit of a shock at the start, to be honest,' said Clarkson. 'Obviously, like, you grow up using social media. So it was hard to step away from it. But I just had to get rid of a lot of that. I just use Instagram now.' Whatever about the naysayers, Clarkson has loved being with the Lions since last week. His father, Finbarr, just about made it to Melbourne in time for the game, having 'legged it down' to Australia knowing that it was likely his son would feature in last night's game. Clarkson was rooming by himself for the first week in Brisbane but has been sharing with the unfortunate Darcy Graham, another late call-up, in recent days. Most of his time has been spent catching up on everything the Lions have been doing, a process smoothed by his familiarity with how Farrell likes the game played. He hasn't seen much of Australia outside of training venues and coffee shops, but he is loving every minute of the experience. It has been a whirlwind last year for the Leinster tighthead, who is happy now that he didn't take up an offer from Italian rugby to follow up on his ancestry. His mother's maiden name is Nina Cafolla. Her parents emigrated from the village of Casalattico, in between Naples and Rome, so Thomas could have switched allegiance. In fact, Thomas's real name is Tomasso. 'They came looking for me, but I'd just signed a new contract with Leinster,' said Clarkson. 'That was at the start of last season. It had gone quite well, so I kind of pushed it off. I didn't end it. I thought it could be open at some point down the line. 'Obviously, this year has gone very well.'
