Fit or not? Unpicking Lions' mixed messages over Hansen
Asked if the injury to Hansen is why Scotland's Darcy Graham was rushed out here, Wigglesworth said: "Potentially. We need to make sure we're covered numbers-wise for the games coming up. "So that was probably expedited a bit quicker because of Blair and Mack not being on feet today [Tuesday] and potentially tomorrow [Wednesday]."Later, Wigglesworth said that Kinghorn had actually been on his feet.The Lions are so secretive about giving any clues about their inner workings that they can tie themselves up in knots. The team, you'd hope, would be a whole lot more convincing than some of the chat from Lions coaches these past few days, all done in the name of stealth.They're here in Australia but they're something of a ghost squad in terms of the locals. Winning friends has pretty much always been a part of what a Lions tour is supposed to be, the very fabric of what makes this thing epic and unique.This one is all about a cold-blooded winning of Test matches. That's the way they're doing it - nothing else matters - so they had better win.The biggest test of their mettle is looming large in Brisbane on Saturday against a Wallabies side who seem to be relishing some of the stuff emanating from the Lions camp - Henry Pollock's words about wanting to win the series 3-0 and Ben Earl's dream of this squad being remembered as the greatest Lions party of them all.Big Will Skelton was asked about all of this on Monday, meeting the Lions words with a smile that seemed to say: "We shall see..."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Son of NRL club's biggest legend organises fan march to force club to sack team's CEO - but precisely ZERO people show up
The son of one of the greatest NRL players to ever lace up a boot has tried to oust South Sydney chairman Blake Solly - and failed in spectacular fashion. There has been bad blood between Rod Churchill, the son of Clive Churchill, and South Sydney for years. Previously, Rod Churchill took aim at Souths chairman Nick Pappas and heavily criticised star player Latrell Mitchell in leaked text messages. On that occasion, he called Mitchell a ' cancer ' on the club, which went down like a lead balloon. 'Where was the human headline Mitchell tonight Nicholas?' that text read. 'Missing again, this was his big game apparently? Your club will not win another comp for another 40 years if this imposter remains at Souths. 'He is a complete myth who has the aboriginal cause paramount and south sydney second, if at all. 'I hope you and family are well. Nothing was done and now this cancer that is Mitchell has ruined the club.' That spray led to the NRL intervening, banning him from presenting the Clive Churchill Medal on grand final day to the best player on ground. It appears that has done little to reduce the friction between Churchill and the club, with News Corp revealing that Rod recently tried to organise a rally to have Solly and long-time official Mark Ellison removed from their posts. However, nobody turned up - not even Rod Churchill himself. There was plenty of hope at Redfern before the 2025 season after the club managed to woo supercoach Wayne Bennett back from The Dolphins. Instead, the club has endured a wretched injury toll that has claimed big scalps including skipper Cameron Murray, half Cody Walker and blue-chip recruit Brandon Smith. That has seen the Bunnies crash to second last on the NRL ladder and not looking likely to make the finals again. Rabbitohs boss Blake Solly has hit back at Rod Churchill for his latest comments against him and the club Churchill has laid the blame on Solly and Ellison for their role in recruitment in abusive messages he sent to Solly. 'U are an uneducated dope,' one reads. 'I thank (sic) you realise that Look in the mirror.' He added: 'Find something Else blakev (sic). Other messages included: 'No response from you 3.6! Years you maggott (sic).' 'Not done pope (sic).' 'Thats the last if texts (sic). If suggest you call u me (sic).' Then, at the end of last month, Churchill tried to organise a march last Saturday to have the Rabbitohs boss removed from his role. A social media post called for members to march from the club's headquarters at Heffron Park to Souths Juniors in protest, However not a single soul showed up, except for Souths staff members who were there to monitor proceedings that never happened. Solly responded to Rod Churchill's most recent attacks, saying there was no need for them. 'Our club has always had the utmost respect for the Churchill family and Clive's enormous contribution to the Rabbitohs,' Solly said.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Liam Dawson's recall proves county stalwarts can dare to dream of an England call-up, writes NASSER HUSSAIN
Liam Dawson is an excellent choice to come into the England squad, and probably the team, for next week's fourth Test against India at Old Trafford. And he has a chance now to show what he can do before the Ashes. I've always thought Dawson is a tough cricketer, as well as a talented one. He's got 18 first-class hundreds, 15 five-fors and knows his game inside out — as everyone at Hampshire has been telling us ever since he last played a Test in 2017. I understand why he drifted out of England contention. Not everyone is happy to spend a long tour carrying the drinks, especially when there are so many lucrative franchise offers out there. But relations seem to have thawed and Dawson clearly impressed Brendon McCullum when he returned to international cricket during the recent T20 series against West Indies. You feel for Shoaib Bashir, but that's the nature of the game: an injury opens the door for someone else. And Dawson has the chance to show what a competitor he is, not just with the ball, but with his all-round game. If he goes in at No 8, that could be the start of a seriously strong lower order, possibly with Gus Atkinson, who has scored a Test century, at No 9, and Brydon Carse, who batted so well at Lord's, at No 10. It's clear, too, that England have moved on from Jack Leach, who has a good relationship with Ben Stokes but lacks Dawson's all-round qualities. And that could be important when England decide which spin bowlers to take to Australia this winter. You need steel to succeed out there, and Dawson has it in abundance. It's also interesting that the selectors have gone from one extreme to the other — from picking Bashir based on watching social-media footage to selecting a bloke who already has international experience and has done the hard yards in county cricket. England seem to be moving away from the really left-field selections, such as Josh Hull for last year's Oval Test against Sri Lanka, and saying to the county game: if you score runs and take wickets, you've got a chance. Sam Cook got the nod for the Zimbabwe Test, now Dawson is in the mix again. It's a good pick, and a fillip for domestic cricketers around the country.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
State of the Nation - The Insider: 'We don't have the strength in depth we'd like in golf but there are positives'
In June, Mail Sport published exclusive stories highlighting concerns over the future of two of the most popular sports in Scotland: tennis and rugby. And with the likes of Judy Murray raising the alarm, such warnings are impossible to ignore. In our new series, State of the Nation, our reporters turn the spotlight on some of the biggest sports in this country for a health check. We're not just looking for what's going wrong — it's important to highlight what's going right, as well. Here, we take a look at golf... When two young Scottish amateurs tee it up in the Open Championship at Royal Portrush this week, it will undoubtedly be the proudest moment of their fledgling careers thus far. All the more so given the manner in which Cameron Adam and Connor Graham had to fight and earn their spots. Both have been part of the college circuit in America, with left-hander Adam, 22, graduating from Northwestern in Chicago and Graham, 18, recently completing his first year at Texas Tech. But the pair retain strong links to their roots in Scotland. For a start, Adam is an ambassador for the Stephen Gallacher Foundation, with Graham fulfilling the same role for the Paul Lawrie Foundation. Adam, a member at Royal Burgess, secured his place at Portrush after winning the prestigious Open Amateur Series, the latest triumph on a stunning run of form over the past couple of years. Graham, meanwhile, came through a gruelling day of final qualifying at Dundonald, eventually prevailing over fellow Scot Paul O'Hara in a play-off in Ayrshire. It's going to be a huge week for the pair but both have already shown they have the talent and composure to take it all in their stride. For everyone connected with Scottish Golf, it will be a massive boost to see Adam and Graham flying the Saltire on the leaderboard at Portrush. There is also a very good crop of players coming through in the women's game, with Lorna McClymont and Hannah Darling helping Team GB&I win the Curtis Cup last year. The key is to ensure the pipeline is healthy enough for plenty more to follow in future, as Scotland looks to keep pace with other similar-sized countries around Europe. 'The standard is so high around other European countries,' said Clare Queen, a former player on the Ladies European Tour and now head of performance and pathway at Scottish Golf. 'The bar is being raised all the time, so it's important we continue to improve what we do so our young players understand the level required. 'In terms of numbers, we probably don't have the strength in depth we would like right now, albeit there are still loads of positive things happening. 'We do still have some really strong individuals coming through, especially over the last three or four years. But we want more kids coming through the pathway and pushing for a place in the national teams. 'We all love to see a Saltire up there on the leaderboard. With Cammy and Connor both going to The Open at Portrush, there's going to be loads of attention on them, but what an unbelievable experience it'll be for them. 'I think it's a Scottish thing where we always love to see our own people doing well. I am sure they will have aspirations of doing what Calum Scott did last year at Troon by winning the Silver Medal. 'We are the home of golf, but we are also still a relatively small country in terms of population. It's so important to have these guys coming through as role models. 'We do have some really talented players coming through at the moment, and we've seen a really good group establish themselves on tour over the past 10 years or so. 'Bob MacIntyre, Connor Syme, Ewen Ferguson, Grant Forrest — they all push each other and raise the bar among themselves. 'But, as an organisation, we always want to push on and try and achieve more. Success for us would be really increasing the volume of players — both male and female — who establish themselves on tour.' One of the key challenges facing Scottish Golf is helping players make that initial transition from amateur to professional and making sure they are ready. It's an issue which will face Adam and Graham in due course given the trajectory of their careers, but they have solid backing from the Gallacher and Lawrie foundations respectively. Queen added: 'Giving young boys and girls the opportunity to develop and progress in the game is something I'm passionate about. 'Over the past year or so, we have been doing a big review just to really try and assess where we're at. The pathway system is something we have been really keen to focus on. 'Ultimately, the aim is to strengthen and improve the pipeline of young players coming through. If we can find a more consistent approach, and a way of delivering more consistent opportunities, that will help.' Although they would like to retain their top talent and develop them at home, Scottish Golf would never discourage any young player from playing on the US college circuit if given the opportunity. On the path taken by Adam and Graham, as well as a few others, Queen added: 'We would never necessarily discourage anyone from playing college golf in the States. It's very much an individual thing — it's great for some players, not so great for others. With Cameron Adam and Connor Graham, they have both really thrived in the time they have been over there. 'They have both done exceptionally well in that environment, but it's not necessarily for everyone. We've seen other players in the past struggle to adapt, so it's about doing what's right for you. 'There's a human side to all of this. When you're 16 or 17, and you've got a chance to move to America, it's not the easiest thing to decide in terms of what's the right or wrong thing to do. It's a big call.'
