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Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
How Lions can fix scrum, line-out and restart woes
While we may associate tour fixtures with dazzling tries, Test matches involving the British and Irish Lions are often tense and tight affairs governed by the set-piece battle. For that reason, Joe Schmidt might be feeling optimistic. Because, despite some dashing attack and two 50-point hauls on Australian soil, the 2025 Lions have been less than convincing at the scrum, at the line-out and at restarts over their three games so far. Failure to tidy up these critical areas before the series opener against the Wallabies on July 19 will leave Andy Farrell's side in strife. Fixes will be a priority. Scrums After bullying Argentina at the Aviva Stadium with a destructive display led by Ellis Genge and Finlay Bealham, the Lions' scrum has blown hot and cold. As far as selection, Farrell has kept his props in designated pairs up until Saturday's meeting with the Waratahs: Genge and Bealham, Pierre Schoeman and Tadhg Furlong, and Andrew Porter and Will Stuart. Each of these duos has experienced issues. A lack of familiarity is bound to be a factor. Cohesion, that ubiquitous buzzword, is as critical in scrums as it is anywhere on the pitch. Most players that took on the Pumas had a decent spell in training together ahead of that game. Once the Lions arrived in Australia as a larger group, with matches coming thick and fast, there may have been fewer opportunities for reps as a tight-five combination. Against Western Force, a front row of Schoeman, Dan Sheehan and Furlong were backed up by a lock pairing of Scott Cummings and Joe McCarthy. That gave the Lions some established connections, but the Force were probably in the ascendancy until the second period. Tom Robertson, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Ollie Hoskins caused Schoeman, Sheehan and Furlong to pop up under pressure here, and could have earned a penalty from referee Ben O'Keeffe: In Brisbane, the Lions conceded four scrum penalties and two more free-kicks to Queensland Reds over the 80 minutes. In most cases, they were undone by a lack of balance. At the site of the first scrum, note that Ollie Chessum is the tighthead lock. Maro Itoje, in that role for the Argentina match, has switched across to the loosehead: Here, referee James Doleman tells Stuart that he has 'changed his angle and moved across'. This camera angle does seem to show a collective crab from the Lions, with Stuart angling in: Later in the first quarter, assistant referee Paul Williams alerts Doleman to what he believes to be an offence from Porter: Williams suggests Porter is responsible for this collapse: Aidan Ross and Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, the starting props for the Reds, are experienced operators. Porter and Stuart had been handed their first starts of the tour. Perhaps their eagerness to impress manifested itself in an overly aggressive approach. Later on, we can appreciate how the interconnecting cogs of the tight five must gel. James Ryan has replaced Chessum and stays on the tighthead side behind a new front row of Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Bealham: Watch Ryan, who had never previously played with the three English members of the tight five, from here: He appears to jump the gun slightly, shunting forward just before the ball is put in. Doleman clocks this movement and blows for a free-kick: Genge was adjudged to have lost his bind at this scrum with Sef Fa'agase coming forward, which surrendered another penalty: Then, towards the end, the Lions totter to their right between the 'bind' and 'set' phases of the set-up. Doleman upgrades a free-kick to a penalty: As they had done in Perth, the Lions finished strongly. They scored three second-half tries from scrums, eking out a penalty advantage here to lay a platform for Fin Smith to release Garry Ringrose: Garry Ringrose caps off a fine day for the Lions 🦁 — Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) July 2, 2025 Consistency is the key from here, not least because the referees for the Test matches – O'Keeffe, Andrea Piardi and Nika Amashukeli – are all overseeing the Lions in tour matches before those dates. Solution: John Fogarty, the Lions scrum coach, will not panic. Clarity over selection for the first Test will bring more scope for the front-line pack to scrummage together in training and focus on a sturdy set-up. That should lead to greater composure and accuracy in matches. A question mark does, however, hang over the tighthead prop berth. Furlong is the senior figure, but has not yet shown vintage form. Farrell is mixing up his front-row combinations for the Waratahs, with Schoeman, Cowan-Dickie and Bealham starting and Genge, Sheehan and Furlong among the replacements. Keep an eye on how the respective units fare. Line-outs Given the line-out could not have been much worse in the loss to Argentina, when the Lions were crippled by overthrows and other gaffes at vital times, improvements have been palpable. Reds did manage a couple of steals on Wednesday in different ways. Here, early in the first half at a five-man set-up, they beat their opponents' movement over the ground to enable Josh Canham to climb in front of Chessum: Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, since called up into the Australia training squad as cover for Will Skelton, is the key. He spins on the second dummy jump, from Tom Curry, to lift Canham: Later in the first half, Salakaia-Loto forces a spill at another five-man set-piece: The throw is only ever a single part of the complex line-out jigsaw, but this one from Ronan Kelleher is underdone. You can tell because Chessum is reaching forwards: Players and coaches speak about 'max drill', when jumpers take a throw at the very top of a lift. That is the case later for another five-man routine, when Luke Cowan-Dickie finds Itoje following a subtle dummy from James Ryan, an excellent line-out forward. Genge almost throws Itoje to take this: As it happens, Ryan Smith (Reds number 19) does well to splinter the subsequent maul after it has eked out metres: Polished line-out operations require immense diligence and energy, because there is so much that can go wrong. For instance, Bundee Aki should have dotted down at the tail of a drive in the first half against the Reds. His side had done all the hard work, only to be thwarted by a pile-up of bodies. Even so, the Lions are undoubtedly progressing. An intricate move in the second period comprised several moving parts. Note that Jac Morgan begins in the receiver slot: He joins the five-man line-out as an 'insert lifter' as Genge and Ryan shape to lift Curry at the front. Meanwhile, Morgan arrives further back to lift Itoje. Curry and Ryan peel around towards the ball and the former lifts a pass to Cowan-Dickie, who in turn feeds Tommy Freeman behind the run of Aki: The Lions line-out is developing before our eyes. Solution: Balancing the back five of the pack is crucial for Andy Farrell and the decision on blindside flanker is a big one. Curry's line-out work, as a jumper but also shuttling over the ground and lifting as part of five-man routines, is perhaps underappreciated. Opting to start Joe McCarthy could require Tadhg Beirne to wear six and Jack Conan's jumping may be called upon more than it was against the Reds. Things will probably get worse before they get better, because the starting back row for the Waratahs game – Henry Pollock, Josh van der Flier and Ben Earl – does not feature a regular jumper. However, the Lions are sure to be keeping back a few surprise set plays. One imagines that most of the front-line pack will be given a run against the Brumbies to iron out creases and find rhythm. Restarts From impeccable to ridiculous, the Lions' restarts – from halfway and the goal-line – have been a roller coaster. They gathered all seven against Argentina before coughing up possession from five against the Force, which did not even tell the whole story of their calamites. Rewinding to Dublin, this was the Lions' formation at the kick-off: This map details the Lions players by their shirt numbers. It seems they are expecting a kick to their left flank, because they are slightly understaffed on the right. It is interesting that Freeman (14) is positioned for a short chip down the middle. His aerial skills are hugely influential in these situations: When the kick does go towards the far side, Aki (12) is pressed into action as an emergency lifter. He does superbly, helping Bealham to support Beirne's jump: There are two tweaks for the next 50-metre restart. Cowan-Dickie (2) switches sides and Sione Tuipulotu (13) swaps places with Earl (8): This is what it looks like: From this second kick, the Lions lifting pod of Cowan-Dickie, Beirne and Bealham slightly misjudge the flight of the ball but Earl comes forward to claim: From there, the Pumas went deeper to Earl each time. Western Force proved trickier. The Lions changed their formation for Perth, perhaps to take pressure off Pollock. Mack Hansen (14) was moved across to the receiving side: Nic White's first kick is excellent. It lobs the lifting pod of Sheehan, Scott Cummings and Furlong (2, 4, 3) and allows Dylan Pietsch to steal in front of Hansen, who cannot back up his team-mates as Earl had done against Argentina: An even flatter strike from White later on brought Pietsch into the game again, and Cummings conceded a penalty for taking out the airborne Force wing: Cummings has copped criticism for these errors, but they continued when Chessum arrived from the bench. Pietsch helps win back possession here as well: Against the Reds, there were more tweaks in formation. They reverted to the shape they had used against Argentina, with Aki (12) dropping into the back-field and Freeman (14) hugging a touchline rather than holding the middle: This is what it looked like at the kick-off: Jamison Gibson-Park (9) and Finn Russell (10) switched ahead of this mix-up, which can be attributed to a communication lapse: Otherwise, Conan was solid. He punched holes in the Reds chase and this cute pass to Duhan van der Merwe sparks an eye-catching break-out: There was one more hiccup at a shorter restart, though. Cowan-Dickie and Genge hoist Itoje here… …but the Reds flood through to win a maul turnover. As with the scrums and line-outs, restarts are multi-faceted. Solution: New laws on escorting mean that short restarts have become more of a lottery and Australia are bound to harness Joseph Aukuso-Sua'ali'i as they did at Twickenham last November. The Lions need to be quick over the ground when opponents go short, while working in groups to cover the 'seams' of their formation – for instance, the space in behind a lifting pod – and staying alert to inevitable ricochets. Freeman, who snaffled one of the Lions' own restarts in Brisbane, could be a trump card. What about a man-marking job on Aukuso-Sua'ali'i? The Lions must devote time and thought to what will be a pivotal aspect of the Test series.
News.com.au
18-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Everything you need to know about British and Irish Lions tour
For the first time in 12 years, the British and Irish Lions are coming to Australia. And they'll have a packed schedule when they arrive, with nine games locked in to be played in just over a month — including three against the Wallabies. Here's all you need to know to be ready for when the tour kicks off. When are the British and Irish Lions coming to Australia? The opening game of the British and Irish Lions 2025 tour is against Western Force on Saturday, June 28. The Lions play eight further games on the tour. Why is the tour so significant? The British and Irish Lions have not toured Australia for more than a decade. The Lions have a rich history and there is a prestige behind being chosen as one of the best players from England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland. The team tours every four years and last came to Australia in 2013. Where in Australia will the Lions play in 2025? The Lions play games in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide. Who are they playing? The British and Irish Lions will face Western Force, Queensland Reds, ACT Brumbies, NSW Waratahs, the AUNZ XV, a First Nations & Pasifika XV and the Australian national team, the Wallabies. Where can I watch the games? Stan Sport. Select matches will also be shown on Channel 9. Can I watch the games for free? Select games will be shown on Channel 9 free-to-air. Why are the British and Irish Lions coming to Australia? The tour is the first time in 12 years the British and Irish Lions have come to Australia and is being billed as a month-long festival of rugby. Are other international Rugby Union teams coming to Australia in 2025? The Wallabies will take on Fiji, Argentina and New Zealand in home matches this year. Where can I buy tickets? Tickets are available from Ticketek. What is the schedule? Saturday, June 28 – Western Force vs British and Irish Lions, Optus Stadium Wednesday, July 2 – Queensland Reds vs British and Irish Lions, Suncorp Stadium Saturday, July 5 – NSW Waratahs vs British and Irish Lions, Allianz Stadium Wednesday, July 9 – ACT Brumbies vs British and Irish Lions, GIO Stadium Saturday, July 12 – AUNZ XI vs British and Irish Lions, Adelaide Oval Saturday, July 19 – Wallabies vs British and Irish Lions, Suncorp Stadium Tuesday, July 22 – First Nations and Pasifika XV vs British and Irish Lions, Marvel Stadium Saturday, July 26 – Wallabies vs British and Irish Lions, Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, August 2 – Wallabies vs British and Irish Lions, Accor Stadium Who's playing? The Wallabies squad is expected to be announced on Thursday, June 19. This is the British and Irish Lions squad: Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland) #838 Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England) Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #839 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks/England) #851 Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/ Scotland) Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England) #853 Ben Earl (Saracens/England) Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) #848 Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #818 Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England) Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) #825 (C) Ronan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales) Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England) Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) James Ryan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England) Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Backs: Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) #837 Elliot Daly (Saracens/England) #822 Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England) Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Mack Hansen (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse/Scotland) James Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England) Garry Ringrose (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland) #835 Fin Smith (Northampton Saints/England) Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England) #855 Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) #841 Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby/Wales) Betting and odds The British and Irish Lions are $1.30 favourites to win their series against the Wallabies ($3.40). Why are they called the British and Irish Lions? When the team orginiated, Ireland was part of Britain. The Lions nickname originates from a 1924 tour when players had Lions on their ties. What countries make up the British and Irish Lions? England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales Ireland (3rd), England (6th), Scotland (7th) and Wales (12th). Australia is ranked 8th.
BreakingNews.ie
18-06-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Lions enjoy rare status as heavy favourites as Australia fight for credibility
If the British and Irish Lions were playing for their very existence on their last adventure to Australia, 2025 is about keeping tradition alive for a different reason. Warren Gatland's team headed Down Under 12 years ago in pursuit of a first series triumph since 1997 and, having lost seven out of nine Tests thereafter, the future of the entire concept was at stake. Advertisement 'There's no hiding from the fact that it's important for the Lions to win this time,' Gatland said after the opener in Brisbane had been clinched 23-21. An epic fixture schedule locked in! 🔒🦁 #Lions2025 #WeGoBeyond — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 5, 2025 The Lions went on to topple the Wallabies 2-1 and it remains their only success of the last six tours, although a drawn series in New Zealand four years later and narrow loss to South Africa in 2021 proved they can be competitive against reigning world champions. This time they are in the rare position of leaving these shores as heavy favourites to dispatch adversaries who have sunk to eighth in the global rankings – beneath Ireland, England and Scotland – and who are fighting for their credibility as future Lions opponents. A disastrous second spell under Eddie Jones that culminated in failure to qualify for the knockout phase of a World Cup for the first time in 2023 confirmed their new status as fallen giants. Advertisement Amid growing interest – at least among supporters – in exploring the idea of tours to new destinations such as Argentina or France, the Wallabies must justify their place in the Lions' 12-year cycle. The odds are stacked against them in a series that spans Tests in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, but there are reasons why they might yet avenge 2013. Joe Schmidt is in charge of Australia (David Davies/PA). Chief among them is Joe Schmidt, their master coach whose tactical insight is matched by an intimate knowledge of many of the Lions' players and management – including boss Andy Farrell – having been in charge of Ireland from 2013-19. Australia's teams have performed solidly in Super Rugby Pacific this year and Schmidt will field a dangerous starting XV, including cross-code superstar Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who is expected to recover from a broken jaw in time to play in the Tests. Advertisement Home advantage is less of a factor because of the hordes of travelling fans, but the Wallabies will be more accustomed to the dry conditions, even if the Lions will have played five games Down Under by the time the series arrives. 'If you're an Australian player in top form, surely this is the biggest thing in your career,' said Farrell, the tourists' head coach. 'Knowing Australia's coaching ticket, but also the athletes and ability they have in their squad, they will keep growing to a point that it will be as tough a series as we have ever faced. They'll be ready for a fight.' Farrell's challenge is ensuring the combined might of four nations that should make the series an unfair fight adds up to at least the sum of their parts, a task that has eluded many of his predecessors. Advertisement The Ireland boss has six fixtures, starting with Friday's Dublin curtain raiser against Argentina, to shape his team ahead of the first Test. With history showing successful tours are the exception rather than the rule, nothing is guaranteed even for a Lions side that are expected to come out on top.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Farrell's Lions squad has the flexibility and talent for an epic adventure
At long last, significant smoke has also emerged from the British & Irish Lions' chimney. Maro Itoje will be leading a 38-strong squad to Australia and a couple of the names on the list would raise any cardinal's eyebrows. Henry Pollock and Marcus Smith will be heading down under with their head coach, Andy Farrell, clearly keen to make an immediate impact next month. Farrell has chosen a hefty cohort of 15 Irishmen alongside 13 Englishmen, eight Scots and two Welsh representatives, but the inclusion of the 20-year-old Pollock sends a clear signal to Australia that the 2025 Lions will be neither geriatric pussycats nor obsessive slaves to conservatism. The squad should contain enough flexibility to cope with most eventualities and sufficient talent to be highly competitive. Advertisement Related: British & Irish Lions squad 2025: the chosen 38 players They are not, however, the most experienced pride of Lions selected. Farrell has left behind a bucketload of Test caps, with Jamie George, Courtney Lawes, Taulupe Faletau and, last but not least, his son Owen all missing out. Farrell Sr has played and watched enough rugby in Australia in his time to know that, sporting-wise, it tends to be no country for too many old men, particularly with the modern game growing faster by the week. In many ways it is refreshing although, equally, a Lions tour is no place for diffident ingenues. Even those who went on the last, Covid-affected, tour to South Africa in 2021 did not have to contend with rabid home crowds and endless Lions punters wanting selfies and autographs. But Farrell is clearly confident Pollock and his Northampton teammate Fin Smith, among others, are made of the right stuff. 'If you're good enough, you're old enough,' said Farrell, who has seen enough of Pollock to know he simply had to tour. 'I like what I see.' More youthful players than Pollock have become Lions in the past – Louis Rees-Zammit was a few days younger last time around – but what really counts is the speed at which all the disparate parts start purring in unison. Farrell has been merciful towards one or two Leinster representatives, 12 of whom have been included despite their disappointing defeat in last Saturday's Champions Cup semi‑final against Northampton, but will now expect them all to repay him big time on tour. Advertisement There are other discernible themes, all of them either pragmatic or quietly astute. Aside from one exception – Toulouse's Blair Kinghorn – Farrell has resisted the chance to draw on the expat talent available in the Top 14, which has counted against Jack Willis, Ben White, David Ribbans and others. In one or two instances, too, he has favoured mood enhancers who will keep the squad buoyant. Connacht's Mack Hansen, picked ahead of Edinburgh's unlucky Darcy Graham, is one and Sale's Luke Cowan-Dickie another. That may not be the main takeaway in Wales, with Jac Morgan and Tomos Williams comprising the smallest Welsh contingent since the second world war. But, with the final selection meeting having stretched into an eighth hour, plenty of other contenders from the four home nations have also had their hopes dashed, from Scotland's versatile Tom Jordan to the in-form George Ford. The heart also bleeds for the luckless Caelan Doris, injured at the worst possible moment last Saturday. On the flipside Marcus Smith will be ecstatic, having endured a dispiriting season for the most part. He owes his selection primarily to his ability to play at full-back and, potentially, to add dash off the bench in big games. Ditto, potentially, Elliot Daly. Equally thrilled will be Glasgow's Scott Cummings, who has been picked to add some ballast to the pack. It is also certain that others will be whistled up to fill gaps later in the tour, by which time Manny Feyi-Waboso, for one, should be fit again. And who would not want to be part of this Lions campaign? The team will once again be roared on by their travelling 'sea of red', with hopes of a record attendance of 100,000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the second Test in late July. Advertisement Related: Farrell plays the O2 Arena but Lions squad reveal slips up by charging fans Nagging doubts? A few, particularly with Australia under shrewd management and Doris's injury reducing the options at No 8, where Jack Conan and Ben Earl are theoretically the main men, with Tom Curry and Pollock in support. Much could yet depend on the goal-kicking accuracy of Finn Russell and Fin Smith, another reason why Johnny Sexton's presence on the coaching ticket will be fascinating. Hopefully, the next time they put on a live announcement show it will take less time to cut to the chase. At times the endless preamble made you pine for the days of old-school letters dropping on doormats. Part of the Lions' appeal is their mystique and rich heritage, neither of which is necessarily accentuated in the depths of the O 2 on a Thursday afternoon with Giving Me, by Jazzy, playing over the public address system. You still cannot beat a Lions expedition, though, once it actually commences. The suspense, the rivalry, the passion: and that's just the first training session. 'I want us to play with passion and energy and the zeal you would expect of a Lions squad,' said the newly ordained Itoje. Every Lions tour is an epic adventure and this one should be no exception.
