Lions 2025: Send in your questions for Gerry Thornley
Lions tour
is in full swing and rugby correspondent Gerry Thornley is in Australia following all the action.
We'd like to hear from readers if you've any questions about the Lions, this tour, the matches or anything else that comes to mind.
Gerry will answer a selection of them in the coming weeks.
Submit your questions using the form below. Please limit your submissions to 400 words or less. Please include a phone number for verification purposes only. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please indicate this in your submission – we will keep your name and contact details confidential.
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Irish Times
36 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Gerry Thornley: Time running out for Lions players to elbow their way in for Test selection
Tour games against provincial sides are, ultimately, footnotes in history, and history has duly proven this. Traditionally, the Lions have always been exposed to more competitive matches when touring South Africa and New Zealand, and Warren Gatland was always of the view that it was preferable for the tourists to be more battle-hardened. True, Rassie Erasmus held back his Springboks from the two Lions games against the Sharks and one against the Stormers, but the tourists were still beaten by the South African A side. Four years previously, New Zealand sides did not hold back and the Lions were severely tested in every game. A bleary-eyed, jet-lagged Lions even struggled against a less than mighty New Zealand Barbarians side before losing to both the Blues and the Highlanders ahead of the Test series, which they ultimately drew. On their last trek to Australia 12 years ago, the Lions had five relatively comfortable wins ahead of the week of the first Test, albeit the Reds died with their boots on in a rip-roaring 22-12 defeat. Whereupon the Lions lost to the Brumbies four days before beating the Wallabies in the series opener in Brisbane and ultimately won the series 2-1. But who remembers that Brumbies loss now? READ MORE In 2001 the Lions ran up scores of 116-10 and 83-6 against Western Australia and Queensland President's XV and also had commanding 42-8 and 41-24 wins over the Reds and the Waratahs. Yet they did have their noses bloodied by an Australian A side which beat them 28-25 a week and a half out from the first Test, which they also won in Brisbane. The Lions' last two games against the Brumbies have been two-point affairs and the feeling lurks that next Wednesday's meeting in Canberra will be the toughest of the tourists' games against the Super Rugby provinces. Hence, perhaps, it will be the most meaningful Lions selection in terms of offering hints for the first Test. The body of evidence towards the Test selection will not be that weighty and time is suddenly running short, with Saturday's game against the Waratahs the first of three over the ensuing eight days before they meet the Wallabies in Brisbane in a fortnight. In some respects many of those chosen for the Waratahs game appear to be playing catch-up given next Wednesday's game in chilly Canberra against the Brumbies – the pick of the Australian sides in Super Rugby Pacific – has the look of a dry run for the bulk of the first Test side. Tadhg Beirne at Friday's captain's run at the North Sydney Oval. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho The honour of captaining the Lions on Saturday could therefore be interpreted as a mixed blessing for Tadhg Beirne , in what will be his third start of the four matches to date. By contrast, his secondrow partner James Ryan has thus far been restricted to just the last quarter against the Reds in what must have been a slightly frustrating first Lions Tour for him to date. As both Maro Itoje , the captain and real man-of-the-match against the Reds, and Joe McCarthy have laid down their markers, Beirne and Ryan especially have ground to make up among the six locks in the squad. Albeit Beirne could well be accommodated at blindside, or at least that could enhance his claims for a place in the 23. Josh van der Flier and Jac Morgan have stood out in the last two games, but the former needs another strong outing. If Andrew Porter , Dan Sheehan , Tadhg Furlong , McCarthy, Jack Conan , Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe are all being held back to start against the Brumbies, that would seem to augur well for them. Ditto Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose , who have yet to start together, as Andy Farrell has tried four different midfield combinations including a first sighting of the Sione Tuipulotu-Huw Davies, Glasgow/Scotland centre partnership also known as 'Huwipulotu'. But you get the feeling Saturday is the first of two Scottish and Irish auditions. Farrell has certainly kept everyone guessing, having made 13 changes in personnel, and two positional, for the Force match, then another 13 changes against the Reds and 14 to face the Waratahs in his starting selections to date. Then again, we could all be reading too much into all of this. The best laid plans and all that. 'I keep saying it but we have teams laid out and think we could go that way, but it changes,' said Farrell on Thursday. 'Honestly, it changes daily because it isn't just what happens in the games. Injuries, form, what you would like to see; it changes daily in regards to such a body can't train, he's been ill. 'You've got an outline and tend to stick to that. But, as I've been saying all along, I 100 per cent stay open-minded to let people find their way as well.'
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Matt Williams: Lions' insulting attitude is nicely stoking Australian pride
The Lions have departed Bris Vegas and the muddy Brisbane river, affectionately known as the Brown Snake. They are now 1,000km south in the Emerald City. Sydney is a city that is a mere bystander to the majesty of its watery jewel. Sydney Harbour's vast beauty never ceases to astound. The harbour has to be experienced, not simply viewed. With the sharp vertical outline of the flying white sails of the Opera House cutting the skyline beneath the towering single arch of the coat hanger that is the Sydney Harbour Bridge, their combination represents a rare human addition to the aura of mother nature's grandeur. Why am I banging on about the beauty of the city that Australian rhyming slang calls steak and kidney? Because the team the Waratahs have selected to take on the might of the Lions at the Sydney Football Stadium means it is not going to be much of a contest. With the exception of Taniela Tupou – the Tongan Thor – at tighthead, it is a dangerously weak and inexperienced tight five. The tourists supporting the Lions might as well soak up the local beauty, because unlike some of the memorable past contests between these two long-time protagonists, sadly this Waratahs team appears incapable of recreating another chapter in their classic rivalry. READ MORE These two foes first met on June 2nd, 1888, with the Lions winning 18-2. Since that day the relationship has only deteriorated. I am unsure if it's the British part of Lions name that triggers some of Sydney's convict DNA to bitterly dislike the representatives of their former imperial overlords, but the animosity has thrown up some wonderful contests across the past 137 seasons. The rivalry culminated in the most unlikely of legendary brawls in 2001 between Duncan McRae and Ronan O'Gara . Two bantamweight roosters who went toe-to-toe. In the days before the Lions match against the Waratahs in 1989, Sydney was hit by what is called an 'east coast low'. This is a rare cyclonic rain bomb that is generated in the Tasman Sea and dumps an unimaginable amount of rain on to the New South Wales coastline. In 1989 there was so much rain that it forced the game to be relocated to the wonderful surrounds of North Sydney Oval. This small, beautiful stadium is a restored replica of the colonial era, similar to the grounds the 1888 players would have experienced. The ornate grandstands that once stood at the Sydney Cricket Ground have been painstakingly transferred to this gem of a footy field. At North Sydney Oval in 1989, in a dramatic and highly skilled exhibition, the Lions won via a drop goal in the dying seconds of what was a magnificent game of rugby. This week another of the rare giant east coast lows has lashed the New South Wales coast, delivering floods, fallen trees and giant waves. Let's hope the rugby and the rain follow the same pattern. The management of the Lions have cast their own dark and stormy clouds across Australia as they have badly misjudged the reaction to their loud and ignorant complaints about the Wallaby players not being included in the Australian provincial games. Despite the fact the Wallabies are playing Fiji on Sunday, the Lions management strangely appears to have expected Joe Schmidt to not prepare his team for a Test match and send his players back to their provinces for the benefit of the Lions. The Lions management should consider the statistics over the last 33 years of provincial matches before embarking on insulting their hosts. Across the eight Lions tours of the professional era, including the two matches on this tour, the Lions have played 44 matches against provincial teams and won 40. What other outcome should we expect when the best players of four nations combine against a single province? Tony Underwood (left) of the British and Irish Lions tackles Wynand Lourens of Northern Transvaal in Pretoria, South Africa, in June 1997. Photograph: David Rogers/Allsport The last provincial game the Lions lost in South Africa was in 1997 against Northern Transvaal. Despite the perceived might of South African rugby, they have not won a single provincial match against the Lions this century. We did not hear any of the midweek moaning when the Lions dominated their provincial games in South Africa in 2019. In the previous four Lions tours to Australia in 1989, 2001, 2013 and including the current tour, the Lions have won 18 provincial matches and lost just one. That was to the Brumbies, 14-12, in 2013. The uncomfortable fact for the Lions management is that despite these provincial victories and the perceived weakness of Australian rugby, every Lions series played Down Under since 1989 has been determined in the deciding third Test. While all of that is ancient history, the Lions of 2025 should view their history with caution and respect, while keeping in mind that Schmidt was not only Ireland's coach, he is also the former assistant coach of New Zealand. The man knows how to win. Schmidt has either coached or coached against almost all of these Lions players. He has also mentored Andy Farrell , Simon Easterby and Johnny Sexton . That is not nothing when considering the future of this series, because knowledge is power and in every battle the opposition get a say. After the Wallabies take on Fiji on Sunday we will get a glimpse of just how much say the Australians will get. There is more than a healthy amount of resentment building up inside those who wear the wattle green and gold of the Wallabies against what is being interpreted as an attitude of entitlement and rugby imperialism from the so-called home nations. All of which is nicely stoking the fires of Australian pride and competition. While the depleted Waratahs should fall beneath the Lions juggernaut and the Brumbies, as the best performing Australian province, could prove to be a handful next week, like every series of the professional era, the provincial games are an historical rump provided by the host nation to make money and help the Lions select their Test team. Nothing more and nothing less. The only thing that matters are the Test matches and those will once again be close and fascinating.
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Andy Farrell welcomes his cub back into the Lions fold
It's semi-final time in the hurling championship: Cork v Dublin on Saturday and Kilkenny v Tipperary on Sunday. Despite much of the chat being about Cork's form this year, Joe Canning reckons Kilkenny are slipping under the radar . 'When I look at this team I don't see a weakness,' he writes. On top of that, 'the experience they have of this stage of the championship is greater than any of the other teams still standing,' a factor he believes can give them an edge. Billy Ryan will certainly hope so, the Kilkenny forward sick and tired of going close with his county , but not close enough. Seán Moran hears from him. In rugby, Gerry Thornley is in Sydney ahead of the Lions' game against NSW Waratahs tomorrow, a certain Owen Farrell due to land today after being called up to replace the injured Elliot Daly. His father Andy 'may have raised eyebrows by not including his son in the original squad, but he's arguably raised even more by calling him up now ,' Gerry writes. He heard from Farrell Snr on his decision to bring Jnr in for his fourth Lions Tour. READ MORE Jonathan Drennan brings the 'View from Down Under'. The Waratahs, he fears, won't provide much of a test , 'there is a sad and strong possibility that the Lions will put more than 60 points past them'. John O'Sullivan, meanwhile, is over in Tbilisi where Ireland play Georgia tomorrow. The game, along with Saturday week's meeting with Portugal, 'represents a land of opportunity' for the squad , 'the chance to build, enhance or reinforce reputations', a view shared by interim head coach Paul O'Connell. Thursday brought the tragic news of the death of Portugal and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother André in a car crash in Spain, Barney Ronay reflecting on what is, above all 'the most terrible human tragedy, an event that will alter the lives of family and friends forever'. Gavin Cummiskey has the latest transfer speculation on the Irish front, including Brighton's apparent willingness to let Evan Ferguson go – not cheaply, though, they're looking for a fee around the €33-million mark – and he looks at the FAI's efforts to secure the services of the gifted young Sligo Rovers forward Owen Elding for Ireland. In golf, Philip Reid reports on the first round of the Irish Open at Carton House where just four of the 16 Irish players in the field posted sub-par scores , Emma Fleming the pick of the bunch with an impressive 69 that leaves her tied for ninth. Leona Maguire has work to do, she's tied for 43rd. And in her column, Sonia O'Sullivan looks at the growing popularity of high-altitude training for athletes preparing for major championships. She gave herself a reminder of the 'truly natural performance-enhancing aid' when she visited Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees last week. TV Watch: It's day five at Wimbledon (BBC 1 and BBC 2 from 11am), fourth seed Jack Draper's defeat on Thursday the latest in a string of upsets. Sky Sports Golf has the second round of the women's Irish Open from 5pm and at the same time, Denmark and Sweden kick off at Euro 2025 (RTÉ 2 and UTV). At 8pm, Germany, one of the pre-tournament favourites, play Poland (RTÉ 2 and UTV). World Cup holders Spain opened their campaign in style on Thursday with a 5-0 win over a grieving Portugal side.
