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BBC News
05-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Combinations take time on Lions tour
Scrum-half Alex Mitchell says building combinations "takes time" on British and Irish Lions tours and believes he is starting to find his feet with the players around Mitchell scored a well-taken try and was a standout performer in the Lions' 21-10 win over New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday in Tomos Williams' tour ending through injury, Mitchell is now in a strong position to likely back up Jamison Gibson-Park in the first Test against Australia on the 19 July in Brisbane."Different people see the game differently," Mitchell, who is known for his running game, told BBC Sport."It has been a fantastic couple of weeks now we're really starting to gel."There is times you need to stick with the shape and go through moves, but they [the coaching staff] give me a full licence to bring my running game alive."I thought times today the lads were fantastic at getting off me."It takes time with these combinations. The players we have got on the tour are going to be exciting."
The Herald Scotland
05-07-2025
- Climate
- The Herald Scotland
Andy Farrell felt NSW Waratahs deliberately watered pitch to hinder Lions
Sydney was hit by a 'bomb cyclone' earlier in the week, leading to heavy rain and gale force winds, but Farrell suspected skulduggery from the Waratahs in an attempt to even up the game. 'We're not there yet…but we're getting there.' 🦁📈 Today's MOTM, Alex Mitchell 🏅 Watch every game live on @SkySports. #Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 5, 2025 And a conversation with Mike Catt, one of Farrell's coaching lieutenants with Ireland who is now in charge of the Waratahs' attack, appeared to confirm his suspicions. 'The pitch was very wet and I was asking Mike Catt after the game and he was laughing,' head coach Farrell said. 'I mean, that's good tactics from them isn't it? The ball's slippy, the breakdown's ferocious enough and the line speed is high octane stuff as well from them. 'I mean, he just laughed. Catty just laughed. We've seen that done plenty of times. I don't know whether the pitch needed watering.' Huw Jones scored two of the Lions' tries (Robbie Stephenson/PA) When it was put to Farrell that Sydney had been hit by storms until Wednesday, he replied: 'We know all that, but we have been here for two days now and it has been glorious. The pitch was OK and we are not complaining. 'It is good, isn't it? That is what you would do if you are waiting for this type of game to come – it's huge for all the clubs. 'We know what is coming and we have got to be ready for anything and able to adapt.' The Waratahs laughed off Farrell's concerns about the pitch, with captain Hugh Sinclair declaring: 'See the weather on Tuesday? That sucked.' Waratahs coach Dan McKellar added: 'No, no, no. I'd too much to think about to be worried about watering the pitch. Andy was probably sunning himself in Brisbane on Tuesday.' For all his gripes about the pitch, Farrell was quick to admit the Lions' error-ridden performance against a side that fought hard in the air and on the floor was a bad day at the office. 'There's a bit of frustration there. It's nice to get a win but at this stage we're trying to judge the performance a little bit more,' said Farrell, who had seen his tourists compile big wins against Western Force and Queensland Reds. 'We are disappointed enough with the amount of possession and territory that we had and how we dealt with certain situations. Alex Mitchell scored the third try (Robbie Stephenson/PA) 'A different type of game but are we glad that's happened to us? Yes we are because there are some good learnings that we need to learn quickly in regards to that type of game.' The Lions head to Canberra on Monday where they will play the ACT Brumbies – Australia's strongest Super Rugby franchise – two days later. Farrell revealed that his son Owen Farrell is unlikely to be considered for selection until Saturday's match against an AUNZ Invitational XV because of jet lag having only arrived into camp on Friday. The 33-year-old can start training right away having passed all return to play protocols for the concussion he sustained on Racing 92 duty on May 4.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lions toil in unimpressive win against Waratahs
Jones' footwork and power helped him get over the line for his second try [Getty Images] New South Wales Waratahs (5) 10 Tries: Lancaster, Dobbins British and Irish Lions (14) 21 Tries: Jones 2, Mitchell Cons: F Smith 3 Huw Jones scored two tries as the error-ridden British and Irish Lions stumbled to an unconvincing victory against an understrength Waratahs side in Sydney. Both of the Scotland centre's tries came in the opening half and Fin Smith converted each time to put the Lions into a 14-0 lead. Advertisement Waratahs wing Darby Lancaster responded just before half-time and hooker Ethan Dobbins barged over just after the break to make it a four-point game. The Lions were playing frantically and without accuracy, but did find their range through the impressive Alex Mitchell, who dummied his way over for the tourists' third try midway through the second half. Smith made it three from three with the boot but the disjointed Lions could not build on the cushion. The driven Waratahs, missing a clutch of their best players at the end of a disappointing season, made it a frustrating night for Andy Farrell's team, despite the Lions winning a third successive game on Australian soil. Advertisement Darby Lancaster breaks free from Hugo Keenan's attempted tackle to score for the Waratahs [Getty Images] As was the case in Perth on Wednesday, there was a late change for the Lions, Henry Pollock withdrawing with a tight calf as a precaution. That resulted in captain Tadhg Beirne moving from lock to blindside flanker, with Scott Cummings promoted from the bench. Duhan van der Merwe was brought into the 23 for an unexpected chance. In many ways it was a repeat of what had gone before with the 2025 Lions, with lots of possession, lots of promising field position but not nearly enough to show for it. The mistake count was off the scale. The amount of dropped balls and turnovers lost was concerning for a team that is now four games into the tour and with the Test series looming large in just two weeks' time. Advertisement They had the Waratahs scrum in trouble for much of the evening - a rare positive - but their handling errors checked their progress and their discipline weakened badly. At times it felt as if they were firing it around indiscriminately with little thought about building pressure and momentum. Against a notably weakened Waratahs side, it was pretty underwhelming. The Lions had made a promising start when Sione Tuipulotu came up as first receiver and found his Scotland and Glasgow midfield partner Jones on his shoulder. Jones glided over with ease and when Smith converted, it looked promising. Mitchell tried to spark the Lions into life in the second half [Getty Images] Despite that good start, there was a desperation to the Lions' play that led to errors. They were lateral and error-prone - and with each bout of angst, the Waratahs' belief started to rise. Advertisement Midway through the first half they set up camp in the Lions 22, one penalty giving way to another then another. In that passage the tourists were penalised four times, but escaped a yellow card. The majority of the crowd inside Allianz Stadium did not approve, to say the least. The Waratahs thought they had punished the Lions when Charlie Gamble blasted over in the corner, but the home side were penalised for obstruction. It was another lucky escape for the Lions following the avoidance of yellow card. Jones got his second try when the siege was lifted - his lovely footwork from close range taking him outside his defender. Smith's conversion put a gloss on the scoreboard, which read 14-0 to the Lions. That did not last. The next time the Waratahs had a chance, they took it. Taniela Tupou and Rob Leota did brilliantly in the lead-up as they put Lancaster in down the left. Advertisement Keenan, in an awful moment on a rough night for the Ireland full-back, missed his tackle and Lancaster scored. The try was a touch fortunate. It looked as if Mack Hansen had been taken out illegally earlier in the move. They struck again early in the second half when hooker Dobbins got on the end of a rumble and reached out to score. Again, the Waratahs failed with the extras, which was just as well for the Lions. They were leading 14-10 but toiling badly. Mitchell, who was excellent, dummied his way over for the Lions' third after the Waratahs made a mess of a tap penalty. Mitchell was clinical in taking his chance and Smith added the conversion. Advertisement Things were beginning to look a little more like it but then the error mountain came again. Turnover upon turnover, scattergun stuff after scattergun stuff. The victory was secured, but the Wallabies watching on will have enjoyed every second of it with the first Test in a fortnight's time. Owen Farrell joined the Lions for the first time after arriving in Australia as a replacement for Elliot Daly [Getty Images] Line-ups NSW Waratahs: Creighton; Kellaway, Foketi, Walton, Lancaster; Bowen, Wilson; Lambert, Dobbins, Tupou, Lee-Warner, Amatosero, Leota, Gamble, Sinclair. Replacements: Vailanu, Barrett, Botha, Philip, Adamson, Grant, Edmed, O'Donnell. British and Irish Lions: Keenan; Hansen, Jones, Tuipulotu, Kinghorn; Smith, Mitchell; Schoeman, Cowan-Dickie, Bealham, Cummings, Ryan, Beirne, Van der Flier, Earl. Advertisement Replacements: Sheehan, Genge, Furlong, McCarthy, Morgan, White, M Smith, Van der Merwe. Match officials Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand) Assistant Referee 1: James Doleman (New Zealand) Assistant Referee 2: Angus Mabey (New Zealand) TMO: Richard Kelly (New Zealand) Foul Play Review Officer (FPRO): Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Irish Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Lions attack does not quite click in unconvincing victory over Waratahs
Waratahs 10 Lions 21 The bar having been set in the last two outings, perhaps partly as a consequence this Lions' remodelled concoction did not ultimately subdue and put away a Waratahs side that, admittedly, played much better than had been anticipated. Even so, this was some way short of past meetings with New South Wales' finest and the Lions. The match will still have served a useful purpose, in both negative and positive ways. The set-piece was strong, especially the scrum, which was a bountiful supply of penalties to the corner which led to the Lions' three tries, but this comes with the rider that this Waratahs pack, with an inexperienced 21-year-old loosehead off the bench for the last 10 minutes, was some way off what the Wallabies will provide a fortnight hence in the First Test in Brisbane. There was also much to admire in the line speed and tackling execution of the Lions in defence but although there was again a pleasing shape and plenty of ambition to the Lions' attack, despite a strong showing from the Sione Tuipulotu-Huw Jones partnership, with the latter's first-half brace a product of his X-factor. READ MORE Alex Mitchell's running threat, along with one 50-22, also became more pronounced as the match wore on. His club and Test halfback partner Fin Smith also had some nice touches but was perhaps culpable of pulling the trigger too quickly. Huwipulotu combines for the Lions! 🤝💥 — Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) The attack came close to clicking without quite doing so, and needed more go-forward before looking to hit the edges, and three tries from 16 visits to the opposition 22 was an anticlimactic return. The Waratahs defended spiritedly and openside Charlie Gamble typified their repeated threat at the breakdown, which was another issue for the tourists. Josh van der Flier had another productive outing but it was a more frustrating night for Tadhg Beirne and Hugo Keenan, while in the pack Scott Cummings redeemed himself with his workrate and Ben Earl had a good all-round outing. In a familiar refrain from these opening jousts, despite clever manipulation of the home defence and nice attacking shape, the timing was slightly off among relatively new or untried combinations, thus leading to dropped passes instead of clean breaks. The tone was set by Hugo Keenan slightly overrunning and dropping a pass from Sone Tuipulotu when the fullback was in line to break clear. Soon after, Mack Hansen picked a good line and offloaded for Ben Earl, but the number eight was slightly off balance and fell in attempting to gather. The ensuing break in play offered the opportunity for the big screen to pan on to the newly arrived Owen Farrell, promoting boos from the home crowd. Farrell laughed them off, all the more so when squad mates good-naturedly joined in the booing. Hansen did locate Earl on the edge with a long looped pass, but the Waratahs brought huge speed and energy to their defending, as epitomised by Miles Amatosero's monster hit on Pierre Schoeman which drew an approving 'oooh' from the 'Tahs supporters. Hugo Keenan of the British and Irish Lions is tackled during the tour match. Photograph: Darrian Traynor/Getty One area of significant strength was the scrum, and although the catch-and-drive from a penalty to the corner was held up, Sione Tuipulotu took the ball to the gain line and shaped to pull the ball back for Blair Kinghorn only for Huw Jones to time his in-and-out run on to the no-look flat pass from his Glasgow and Scotland midfield team-mate perfectly to scamper clear and score. Still though, a Tuipulotu offload did not find Fin Smith on the wrap, and when Earl played the 'Tahs scrumhalf Teddy Wilson it led to three close-range penalties and an apparent finish by impressive openside Charlie Gamble was ruled out on review for obstruction by Fergus Lee-Warner at the outset of the catch-and-drive. Instead, another Lions scrum penalty led to another catch-and-drive, and although the maul was held up, Jones first took a very good line on to Tuipulotu's pass in the launch play and then two phases later he did Rob Leota with his footwork before taking a double hit to score, Fin Smith's conversion making it 14-0. Whereupon the Lions rather lost their way a tad. There appeared to be no real danger after Jack Bowen ran back a Mitchell clearance inside the Lions half when the home side went blind a couple of rucks later. But a two-on-two was beaten on the edge when Fin Smith was drawn in for Leota's pass to send Darby Lancaster clear and he bounced up from Hugo Keenan's strong hit but incomplete tackle to finish well. All that said and done, on video review somehow referee Paul Williams deemed that Fergus Lee-Warner made a legitimate attempt at a clean-out on Hansen and thus not guilty of foul play when it looked a dangerous hit to the head with a tucked arm, and from the side at that. In any event, on the resumption Tadhg Beirne was pinged for pursuing a Mitchell box kick from an offside position and from the ensuing penalty to the corner and catch-and-drive, Ethan Dobbins plunged over. Only two conversions now separated the sides on the scoreline. The Lions turned to their bench, with five replacements up front and Duhan van der Merwe, a late call-up after Scott Cummings had replaced the withdrawn Henry Pollock, and this had a swift if short-lived impact. After a good break by Mitchell, van der Flier worked hard to work around Blair Kinghorn but was denied a try by the fine corner flagging tackle of loosehead Tom Lambert. Despite the PA announcer doing his best to encourage the home crowd among the 40,568 crowd – 'Okay Tahs fans, this defence has been resolute ... on your feet' – yet another scrum penalty was also the source of their Lions' tours. Working off the ensuing maul, Mitchell first dummied to the openside, then swivelled to the blindside and with his Northampton and England halfback partner Fin Smith working around outside him, the scrumhalf dummied again to score untouched. But that was as good as it got, the Lions' breakdown issues continuing as Gamble won another turnover penalty from a Beirne carry as Luke Cowan-Dickie and Tadhg Furlong failed to effect the clearout. Whereas Farrell jnr could afford to smile at the cameras early into the evening, not so his father and Lions head coach, who had a face like thunder five minutes from the end before Ellis Genge's finish following a close-range lineout drive was overruled initially for obstruction by Earl. That hardly improved his mood, and nor did Marcus Smith kicking a penalty to touched over the end-goal line. Scoring sequence: 12 mins Jones try, F Smith con 0-7; 33 mins Jones try, F Smith con 0-14; 35 mins Lancaster try 5-14; (half-time 5-14); 42 mins Dobbins try 10-14; 55 mins Mitchell try, F Smith con 10-21. Waratahs: Lawson Creighton; Andrew Kellaway, Lalakai Foketi, Joey Walton, Darby Lancaster; Jack Bowen, Teddy Wilson; Tom Lambert, Ethan Dobbins, Taniela Tupou, Fergus Lee-Warner, Miles Amatosero, Rob Leota, Charlie Gamble, Hugh Sinclair (capt). Replacements: Mahe Vailanu for Dobbins (50 mins), Henry O'Donnell for Foketi (51 mins), Matt Philip for Amatosero (52-63 mins), Daniel Botha for Tupou, Tane Edmed for Bowen (both 56 mins), Jamie Adamson for Sinclair (61 mins), Amatosero for Lee-Warner (63 mins), Jack Grant for Wilson, Jack Barrett for Lambert (both 71 mins). British & Irish Lions: Hugo Keenan (Ireland); Mack Hansen (Ireland), Huw Jones (Scotland), Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland), Blair Kinghorn (Scotland); Fin Smith (England), Alex Mitchell (England); Pierre Schoeman (Scotland), Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), Finlay Bealham (Ireland); Scott Cummings (Scotland), James Ryan (Ireland); Tadhg Beirne (Ireland, capt), Josh van der Flier (Ireland), Ben Earl (England). Replacements: Dan Sheehan (Ireland) for Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge (England) for Schoeman, Tadhg Furlong (Ireland) for Bealham, Joe McCarthy (Ireland) for Ryan, Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland) for Keenan (all 51 mins), Marcus Smith (England) for F Smith (60), Jac Morgan (Wales) for van der Flier (61 mins), Ben White (Scotland) for Mitchell (71 mins). Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand).
Straits Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Error-prone Lions stutter past plucky Waratahs in Sydney
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SYDNEY - The British & Irish Lions stuttered to an unconvincing 21-10 victory over a dogged New South Wales Waratahs side on Saturday, taking a step backwards with an error-prone performance on the third leg of their tour of Australia. Centre Huw Jones crossed twice in the first half and Alex Mitchell added another try early in the second but the Lions were held scoreless for the final 26 minutes of the match. The Waratahs, roared on by the majority of a crowd of 40,568, scored tries through Darby Lancaster and Ethan Dobbins and trailed by only four points early in the second half. The Super Rugby side showed the Wallabies the way for the three-test series in late July and August with an uncompromising physicality all over the park that knocked the Lions off their stride. REUTERS
