Farrell calls up fourth Scottish reinforcement to Lions squad
BRISBANE - British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell called another Scottish reinforcement into his squad in the shape of lock Gregor Brown on Sunday after Joe McCarthy had to be replaced during the first test victory over Australia.
Irish lock McCarthy was taken off with a foot problem early in the second half at Lang Park on Saturday after continuing his fine form with a barnstorming performance as the Lions dominated the Wallabies before the break.
"Plantar fascia," Farrell told reporters after the Lions beat the Wallabies 27-19 to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
"It was niggling away at him and hopefully we got him off in time."
Brown is the fourth player called up from the Scotland squad which has just completed its tour of the Pacific, joining winger Darcy Graham and props Rory Sutherland and Ewan Ashman.
Sutherland, Ashman and Brown played in the win over Samoa in Auckland on Friday and will join the Lions squad on Sunday ahead of the Lions' final midweek match against a First Nations-Pasifika XV in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Farrell said after Saturday's victory that two of his other injury concerns, Scottish fullback Blair Kinghorn (knee) and Irish centre Garry Ringrose (concussion) could be ready to play at Docklands Stadium on Tuesday.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung
Singapore HSA extends hotline hours, launches new platform to report vaping offences
Singapore Tampines regional centre set to get more homes, offices and public amenities
Multimedia How to make the most out of small homes in Singapore
World Diplomats dismissed: Inside the overhaul reshaping Trump's foreign policy
Life US tech CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video
Opinion I thought I was a 'chill' parent. Then came P1 registration
Singapore 'God and government are the only things beyond our control,' says Trip.com Group CEO
"Blair's doing well doing pretty well, so we'll see. And Garry's going well. So hopefully they carry on on that trajectory and could be available for Tuesday," he said.
Previous Lions squads have been riven by divisions and discontent when it became clear who was in the test team and who would be limited to the "dirt trackers" side to play the midweek games.
Farrell said that Tuesday's match, and not next weekend's second test, was now the sole focus for the whole touring party.
"We care about the squad and nothing but the squad and that's how it's been the whole time," he said.
"We've never separated once. We've all been in everything together. So we'll enjoy this victory tonight together and we travel to Melbourne tomorrow.
"Then everyone will roll into making sure that the team (for Tuesday) has as good a preparation as we've had all tour, because it matters to us."
Farrell also insisted that Saturday's victory did not mean that players who missed out on the matchday 23 for the first test would not be in contention to face the Wallabies at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.
"Not necessarily, no, not necessarily," he said. "People competing, being open-minded enough in regards to that, that's what everyone deserves." REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Epic comeback win is what dreams are made of, says Lions coach Farrell
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Rugby Union - British & Irish Lions v Argentina - Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland - June 20, 2025 British & Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo MELBOURNE - British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell said his players had fulfilled the ultimate dream by pulling off a brilliant comeback win from 18 points down to claim a series-sealing victory over Australia on Saturday. By storming back from 23-5 down late in the first half at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Lions delivered the biggest comeback in their test history and gave the tourists a first series win since beating Robbie Deans's Australia in 2013. "When you see what it means to everyone in there, you can hear them, these lads have dreamed of being a British & Irish Lion all their lives," Farrell told reporters. "And to get to the point where we come to the MCG, 90,000 people, with a dramatic finish like that to win the series is what dreams are made of. "The drama and how it unfolded, that's what makes it special. "I suppose you wouldn't have backed us at 23-5 but to find a way it adds to the story, doesn't it? It adds to the fairytale. "To be part of that is an honour." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore NDP 2025: How Benjamin Kheng is whisked from Marina Bay to Padang in 10 minutes by boat, buggy Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar While the Wallabies were incensed that a clean-out by Jac Morgan in the build up to Hugo Keenan's last-minute try was not penalised, Farrell said the Lions were deserving winners for hanging on in the match. He did have some words of sympathy Joe Schmidt's team, though, praising them for their fight in a classic test that came a week after the hosts lost the Brisbane opener 27-19. "It's cruel in so many ways for Australia, but we stayed in the fight and got what we deserved," said Farrell. "Fair play to them. They turned up and they were going to turn up physically. But it wasn't just that. "They played a great brand of rugby." Farrell was defence coach when Warren Gatland's Lions won the 2013 series 2-1 by hammering the Wallabies 41-16 in the Sydney decider. He will now look to guide the Lions to an unprecedented 3-0 sweep of the Wallabies in Sydney in a week's time. "He wants us to win everything," said captain Maro Itoje, who was named man of the match in Melbourne. "Don't get me wrong, absolutely delighted with the result tonight, but we want to go again next week." REUTERS
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Epic comeback win is what dreams are made of, says Lions coach Farrell
MELBOURNE :British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell said his players had fulfilled the ultimate dream by pulling off a brilliant comeback win from 18 points down to claim a series-sealing victory over Australia on Saturday. By storming back from 23-5 down late in the first half at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Lions delivered the biggest comeback in their test history and gave the tourists a first series win since beating Robbie Deans's Australia in 2013. "When you see what it means to everyone in there, you can hear them, these lads have dreamed of being a British & Irish Lion all their lives," Farrell told reporters. "And to get to the point where we come to the MCG, 90,000 people, with a dramatic finish like that to win the series is what dreams are made of. "The drama and how it unfolded, that's what makes it special. "I suppose you wouldn't have backed us at 23-5 but to find a way it adds to the story, doesn't it? It adds to the fairytale. "To be part of that is an honour." While the Wallabies were incensed that a clean-out by Jac Morgan in the build up to Hugo Keenan's last-minute try was not penalised, Farrell said the Lions were deserving winners for hanging on in the match. He did have some words of sympathy Joe Schmidt's team, though, praising them for their fight in a classic test that came a week after the hosts lost the Brisbane opener 27-19. "It's cruel in so many ways for Australia, but we stayed in the fight and got what we deserved," said Farrell. "Fair play to them. They turned up and they were going to turn up physically. But it wasn't just that. "They played a great brand of rugby." Farrell was defence coach when Warren Gatland's Lions won the 2013 series 2-1 by hammering the Wallabies 41-16 in the Sydney decider. He will now look to guide the Lions to an unprecedented 3-0 sweep of the Wallabies in Sydney in a week's time. "He wants us to win everything," said captain Maro Itoje, who was named man of the match in Melbourne.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Wallabies coach Schmidt slams match officials over late call in loss to Lions
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Rugby Union - Australia v British and Irish Lions - Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia - July 26, 2025 British and Irish Lions' Owen Farrell celebrates with teammates after the match James Ross/AAP Image via REUTERS MELBOURNE - Australia coach Joe Schmidt said match officials had failed to uphold player safety and hit out at a late clear-out decision that ensured the British & Irish Lions clinched a series-sealing victory on Saturday. Fullback Hugo Keenan's last-minute try put the Lions 29-26 up at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but the Wallabies players cried foul after Jac Morgan cleared out Carlo Tizzano in the buildup. After a lengthy pause as the TV match official assessed multiple angles of the incident, the try was allowed to stand, giving the Lions victory and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. Citing rugby's Law 9.20, which says head contact and clear-outs around the neck should be penalised, an incensed Schmidt said the officials had got the decision wrong. "Because they're human, match officials make errors," he said at the post-match press conference. "We felt it was a decision that doesn't really live up to the big player safety push that they're (World Rugby) talking about. "You cannot hit someone above ... the shoulders. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore NDP 2025: How Benjamin Kheng is whisked from Marina Bay to Padang in 10 minutes by boat, buggy Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar "But that's what we've seen and we've watched a number of replays from different angles so it is what it is and we just have to accept it." Wallabies captain Harry Wilson was also convinced his team were hard done by. "Obviously I saw shoulder to the neck. Carlo was pretty sore about it," he said. Lions coach Andy Farrell had a different view. "I thought it was a brilliant clear-out," he said. "Honestly, it depends which side of the fence you come from, I would have thought. "I can understand people's opinions, but I thought Jac was brilliant when he came on -- and so were the rest of the bench." Schmidt said he was proud of his players but gutted by the final result after the Wallabies had taken a 23-5 lead near the half-hour mark. While the Wallabies were bitterly disappointed that the clear-out decision had gone against them, they did not need to use it as motivation for the dead rubber in Sydney next Saturday. "You can't get more motivated than what the players showed tonight," he added. "You've got to keep resolve and keep going forward. "We're not going to wallow in self-pity." REUTERS
