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Telegraph
5 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Five reasons Australia could still beat Lions and win series
Although ifs and buts are futile in the unforgiving world of Test rugby union, Australia must cling to the hope of rebounding next weekend at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to force a decider. Harry Wilson, the Wallabies captain, seemed disconsolate after his team's 27-19 loss at Suncorp Stadium in the series opener. Joe Schmidt has to frame a disappointing defeat with optimism. Yes, the British and Irish Lions have a great deal of room to improve themselves and were undeniably superior. Yet Australia were still within eight points at the end. Had they landed one of two conversions they missed, there might have been much more tension in the final moments. Games with so much at stake invariably feature contentious turning points. While Joseph Suaalii 's try was correctly chalked off, for instance, Wallabies supporters may feel Ben Earl was lucky to escape a yellow card during that same attack on the hour-mark. With the Lions on a final warning, the back-rower appeared to fold underneath Suaalii in the shadow of his own posts. Australia were trailing 24-5 at the time and would still have needed an extraordinary turnaround. As they regroup for the second Test, they have to believe an upset is possible. Emulating 2001 with a 2-1 triumph may seem a long way off, so it is essential for them to dwell upon reasons for positivity. Reinforcements on the way Power was a major issue for Australia in the first half and their side will be more imposing if Rob Valetini and Will Skelton are able to feature in the second Test. Being without those two as well as Langi Gleeson proved to be predictably debilitating for the Wallabies. A pack containing Skelton would simply not have been man-handled at a driving maul as Australia were when they went for a pushover in the second period: Australia had used a front peel move minutes previously, but Nick Champion de Crespigny was wrapped up by Tadhg Beirne and Dan Sheehan and conceded a turnover. While the selection of James Slipper to start paid off in the scrummaging exchanges, it is difficult to envisage Angus Bell being upended as spectacularly as the veteran loosehead was in the opening seconds. Tom Curry and Sheehan whack Slipper in a tone-setting tackle… …and Beirne swoops in on the following phase to earn the penalty that put the Lions 3-0 ahead. For all of Slipper's nous, Schmidt may be better served with Bell playing 50 minutes rather than 30. There is scope for the Wallabies boss to change up other positions. Tate McDermott, the scampering scrum-half, scored a try from the bench and is a highly effective sniper around heavier runners. There is another stick-or-twist toss-up at fly-half regarding Tom Lynagh. The 22-year-old endured a tough outing and Ben Donaldson could come in to wear 10. As ever, the physical battle between the forwards will be paramount and it would represent a significant swing if the Lions lose Joe McCarthy as the Wallabies reintegrate Valentini and Skelton. Scrummaging promise In the end, the scrum was an annoying inconvenience rather than anything more damaging for the Lions. But they did concede two penalties and a free-kick in all. Australia had the ascendancy, which may have been surprising for many onlookers. The officials were evidently happy with the work of Wallabies tighthead Allan Alaalatoa, who worked infringements out of Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter. Porter is pinged here on the Lions put-in, with Ben O'Keeffe believing him to have collapsed under pressure: Mike Cron, Australia's vastly experienced scrum coach, will be pleased with proceedings overall. Nick Frost's steal on the final play was emblematic of a disruptive final quarter at the line-out as well. More to come from Suaalii One of the disheartening aspects of Australia's performance was their inability to hurt the Lions with any strike moves. Indeed, one backfired horribly as Curry picked off a throw from Matt Faessler that had sailed over the top of the line-out towards midfield. Sheehan scored from the ensuing attack. The peripheral nature of Joseph Suaalii's display was another curious and frustrating factor for the Wallabies. Led by Curry and Beirne, the Lions stifled their opponents and caused Australia's attack to look confused and rudderless at times. Even so, Suaalii could have been more prominent. Dinking shallow restarts for him to chase felt like an easy win for the Wallabies, yet they did not turn to this strategy until they were 10-0 behind. Here is the map of Australia's restarts: Despite the Lions' wobbles during the tour matches, Australia's first two restarts were hit long and caught under no pressure. It took until their third for Suaalii to be able to jump against a lifting pod: When it did happen, even if Australia did not regather one all evening, the tactic caused problems. This chip from Lynagh, mopped up well by the Lions, was another attempt to bring in Suaalii. The idea is right, yet let down by poor execution and a kick that travels slightly too long: Schmidt will hope that Australia will be slicker, and more able to unleash an exceptional athlete, after 80 more minutes together. Max Jorgensen, a slippery runner, threatened the Lions despite limited opportunities. Should the Wallabies generate more momentum and quick rucks at the MCG, Suaalii and full-back Tom Wright should be able to trouble the Lions defence. Wilson as a focal point To their credit, Australia were admirably defiant and asserted themselves in the physical exchanges during a second half in which they scored 14 points to the Lions' tally of 10. Carlo Tizzano shunted over for a close-range try and Wilson, who had been well contained earlier, began to eke out metres. Here, the latter forces himself past Maro Itoje and Beirne before lifting an offload to Nick Frost: A couple of minutes later, Wilson picks from the base of a ruck and slips through the fringe defence. Only some quick thinking from James Lowe prevents a try: Wilson, a skilful kicker, almost created a try for Harry Potter with this cute grubber… …and will be more influential if others can help him share the carrying load. Breakdown disruption Uncertainty from the Lions' back three gave Australia some bright moments in the kicking exchanges, such as Jorgensen's leap to beat Hugo Keenan and score. On the floor, even if Australia's attacking breakdown work could have been tidier amid the jackalling of Beirne, Fraser McReight underlined his reputation as an outstanding scavenger. Here, he follows Len Ikitau into a ruck and emerges with the ball: The position on the field of the turnover above is important to highlight. Ben O'Keeffe allowed a contest at the ruck and, on the whole, the Wallabies targeted wide breakdowns, where the Lions have looked vulnerable all tour. On a few occasions, they timed a barge for when Jamison Gibson-Park was reaching into messy breakdowns. Schmidt is a stickler for such details. Andrea Piardi is the man in the middle for Melbourne. If McReight can stay on the right side of the Italian referee, he can drag the Lions into another dogfight. A comeback victory would be an extraordinary feat for the Wallabies after defeat in Brisbane, but there are crumbs of comfort to clutch. Next weekend is do-or-die territory. They must deliver.
ABC News
7 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
British and Irish Lions ready for first Test against Wallabies, with the time for talking now over
The time for talking is over for the British and Irish Lions, with the first Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane little more than 24 hours away. There's been quite a bit of talking, too. Ben Earl told the Guardian last week the squad had been open about "being one of the best Lions teams." Henry Pollock, with all the enthusiasm and confidence of youth, sang from the same team sheet. "We want to come here and be the best Lions team ever," the 20-year-old said this week. "We have been talking about that loads and 3-0 is definitely on the table, hopefully. "We are all trying to strive to be the best team we can be and get that 3-0 win." Given the Lions have not, in a standalone tour, won a Test series 3-0 since 1891 — also against Australia — that's quite some confidence. It's riled some people up too, former Wallaby Chris Latham included. "For me, and I'm sure for every Aussie, it's like, 'OK, righto. We'll shut you up'", Latham told the UK's Telegraph. "I'm a Queenslander and it's ingrained in us to be underdogs and be able to pull a win out from nothing. "This is perfect for us. I've been feeling this now for the last probably three, four weeks while the Lions have been thrashing everyone else and getting cockier and cockier. "Everything you read, it's about 'how good are we' and 'we're building' and 'this is so great'. It's like, 'Yeah, you keep talking that, you keep believing that.'" The question would be, should the Lions believe it? This is a hugely experienced Lions team, with 933 caps worth of experience to call upon in their starting line-up and another 370 on the bench. The Wallabies have less than half that in their line-up, just 408 caps in their starting XV. Of those, 143 caps belong to James Slipper alone, with 80 on the other side of the front row with Alan Alaalatoa. And yet, the Lions have not won a Test series since beating Australia 2-1 in 2013 — although they did draw, memorably, against New Zealand in 2017. Before that, the 2-1 victory over South Africa in 1997 was their only other series triumph in the last 30 years. A hit rate of just two series victories in their last eight shows just how hard it is for the Lions to win Test matches on tour after a month of crisscrossing the continent or, perhaps more pertinently, being beaten up by local sides. Historically, victories over Australia have been much easier to come by than South Africa and New Zealand. Overall, the Wallabies have won just two of the nine series they have played against the Lions: the one-off Test in 1930 and in 2001. In that time, the Wallabies have only won six of 23 Test matches against the vaunted tourists. New Zealand, by contrast, have won 30 of 21, and South Africa, 26 of 50 — which all suggests that the strength of the local sides plays more of a role than cross-country travel. Back to the present day though and, even accounting for the obvious issues around bringing together a group of disparate players from different countries and melding them into a cohesive unit, has this Lions team been ripping up trees on tour so far? Against the Force and Reds, the points eventually flowed but against the Waratahs and Brumbies, the Lions looked rather limp, disjointed and anaemic in attack, penalty-prone at the breakdown, laborious at the lineout and, frankly, disappointing in defence. The Lions also lost to Argentina in Dublin before leaving for Australia. To put that shock into perspective, an under-strength England have have since won back-to-back Tests against that same side in South America. Yes, the 48-0 battering of the AUNZ invitational team was much, much better from the Lions: there was a directness in their running and slickness in their handling that had been almost entirely absent in the opening few tour matches. But how much of that was down to the aforementioned issues of bringing different players together — however talented — on short notice? "There's no overconfidence at all," Lions coach Andy Farrell said this week. "It's having an inner confidence within our group that we are going to go execute the plan when it matters. "There's a realisation of what it is and what it means and how privileged we are, but that does not get in the way of how we prepare to make sure that we allow ourselves to be the best version of ourselves." Farrell has picked a side for this first Test in Brisbane that is relatively safe when it comes to it — much in the same way he picked his squad as a whole. An all-Scottish 10-12-13 axis makes sense — Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones play together well and contain the necessary heft to match the Wallabies' own dynamic midfield duo of Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. This will be the key battle in the back line, with potential flashpoints simmering as four physically imposing centres all look to get the early shot that lays down a marker for the rest of the series — patience will be necessary, from Suaalii in particular, as his suspect tackling technique is laid bare for examination. There are no surprises in the tight five and the outside backs, given the injury to Blair Kinghorn, with Hugo Keenan stepping in. The back row was always going to be debatable and there Farrell has gone for power and experience — all three of Jack Conan, Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne have previous Lions Test match experience. However, Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight and new man Nick Champion de Crespigny should not and will not be overawed and should have the upper edge when it comes to the breakdown due to their immense jackling abilities. Which makes Jac Morgan's omission all the more glaring. Not only does it mean that Wales is without a representative in a Lions Test squad against one of the Southern Hemisphere's big three for the first time since 1896 — although historical appeasement should never be the deciding factor in Test selection — his performances on tour have been very impressive. The last time the Lions played in Brisbane, eight of the tourists' starting XV were Welsh, with two more on the bench. How the mighty have fallen. Perhaps his non-selection over Curry comes down to how the Englishman bullied the Welshman at the Millenium Stadium back in March's Six Nations flogging. "You're actually gutted for players like Jac, Josh [van der Flier] and Henry because, playing good rugby, they could easily have been in this side," Farrell said. "I suppose it just shows the good place we're at as a group." Pollock, for all his chat and exuberant performances, will not have a chance to put the Lions on the first step towards a whitewash, having been left off the bench as Farrell weighed up his back-row options. Earl will play, though, Ollie Chessum the other option to provide back-row cover in a strong bench, albeit one split 5:3 to match the Wallabies and negate the Springboks' blitz-boks impact style. That's it now, then. No more experimenting. No more chopping and changing. These are the 23 who will look to write their names down in Lions history. Lang Park will be packed to the rafters, the sea of red singing their hearts out. The talking is done. Game on. Wallabies match-day squad: Tom Wright, Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Harry Potter, Tom Lynagh, Jake Gordon, Harry Wilson (c), Fraser McReight, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Jeremy Williams, Nick Frost, Allan Alaalatoa, Matt Faessler, James Slipper Reserves: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, Tom Robertson, Tom Hooper, Carlo Tizzano, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Andrew Kellaway Lions match-day squad: Hugo Keenan, Tommy Freeman, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, James Lowe, Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park, Jack Conan, Tom Curry, Tadhg Beirne, Joe McCarthy, Maro Itoje (c), Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan, Ellis Genge Reserves: Rónan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Bundee Aki
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Andy Farrell is plumping for pedigree over form for the first Lions Test - but there is an uneasy, fingers-crossed feeling about it, writes CHRIS FOY
Andy Farrell is banking on players with outstanding pedigree really stepping up for the Lions in their series opener against Australia - because his likely line-up is not awash with form picks. The visitors are set to rely on a side full of stellar reputations, but in several positions the players who have performed best are expected to miss out. That is certainly the case at No 8, where Ben Earl has made more of an impact than Jack Conan, but the Irish specialist is preferred. There are various other examples, as the head coach is following the example of so many predecessors by trusting in players he knows best. James Lowe has been operating far below his usual, exalted standards on the left wing, but he is due to make the cut in the starting XV, partly due to the injury setbacks which have hampered back-three contenders Blair Kinghorn and Mack Hansen. At scrum-half, Jamison Gibson-Park is another member of the dominant Leinster and Ireland contingent who will be deployed en masse, in the belief that he will soar to a performance peak when needed. Somehow, he was named Man of the Match in the win against the Brumbies in Canberra, but he had blown hot and cold in an unconvincing win in the Australian capital. Frankly, he has been eclipsed by stellar displays from Alex Mitchell and Ben White, but he is a Farrell favourite. The pattern continues up front. Tom Curry has not reached his own familiar heights, but he will start at openside ahead of Jac Morgan, who has played the house down and been the Lions' pre-eminent jackal threat on the tour to date. To complete the back-row doubts, Tadhg Beirne is seemingly set to start at blindside rather than Ollie Chessum, despite playing his best lately in the second row. Even the great Tadhg Furlong has just about located second gear - he is certainly not at full tilt. But there are pockets of form. Ellis Genge and Dan Sheehan are on a thunderous roll in the front row. At lock, Maro Itoje and Joe McCarthy have both stood out with towering exploits. Finn Russell is in supreme form, as are Tommy Freeman and Huw Jones. It is good to see common-sense should prevail as Jones is set to be unleashed alongside Scotland midfield partner Sione Tuipulotu. It makes perfect sense to tap into the established chemistry between those two and Russell. So, all in all, this is not a form XV of Lions all going into the Test series with unstoppable momentum, far from it. There is an uneasy, fingers-crossed feeling about some of the marginal selections, but even allowing for the misgivings, this potential line-up should have far too much firepower for the vulnerable Australians.
Leader Live
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Borthwick enjoying back row selection headache for England Tests
England travelled to Argentina this summer deprived of three back-rowers on British & Irish Lions duty – Tom Curry, Ben Earl and Henry Pollock. But their absence was barely felt with the performances of those given chances in their stead, as Ben Curry and Sam Underhill shone in starting roles in the 2-0 series victory over Los Pumas, while Guy Pepper enjoyed a stunning cameo to help seal the second Test success. In an era where teams are experimenting more and more, with Borthwick having played Earl in the centres at times during the Six Nations, this embarrassment of riches is set to lead to even more innovation with two years to go until the World Cup in Australia. The England coach said: 'You can see depth. Look at the back row in particular, look at the performance of Ben Curry, Tom Willis, Sam Underhill, look at the bench, Guy Pepper, Dommers (Alex Dombrandt), the way he has come onto the field. 'You've got people like Henry Pollock and how he has been performing for the Lions, Tom Curry, Ben Earl, those guys, it's tremendous competition in the back row. 'It's (selection) always on your mind about where we are going and what we need to develop. You can see that we have a number of world-class flankers and we have got to have them in the team because of how much they add in terms of breakdown speed, how much they add in attack, so I think they have to be in the team. So for me, selection is always about how we find the right combination and what does it mean tactically for us.' Given the 13 England players initially called up for the Lions, England headed to Argentina as underdogs. Wrapping up our two-match series against Argentina in style 🏆 Relive the thrilling second Test in San Juan ⬇️ Los Pumas were fresh from a win over the Lions in Dublin and while they were missing a few players of their own, it was still asking a lot for England to pull off a whitewash. What has been evident over their time together is that this squad has become particularly close, led by George Ford and Jamie George – who admitted to finding it hard to say goodbye to his teammates as he headed off to link up with the Lions. And while there will inevitably be turnover when the team gathers in November – with one match on this tour against the USA still to come – Borthwick is keen to maintain the level of camaraderie that has developed in South America. He added: 'Argentina had nearly 400 caps more than us. I couldn't be more proud of these players and the spirit that they have, which is incredible. 'I want to bottle the spirit of La Plata, the spirit of San Juan, and take it with us wherever we go. This group have been brilliant. They have trained with great intensity, they play with great intensity. They run hard for each other and I think an England team runs, everyone can see that. 'They work for each other and with that kind of attitude, we'll keep getting better.' Purchase your tickets to the Autumn Nations Series at Allianz Stadium
South Wales Argus
15-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Borthwick enjoying back row selection headache for England Tests
England travelled to Argentina this summer deprived of three back-rowers on British & Irish Lions duty – Tom Curry, Ben Earl and Henry Pollock. But their absence was barely felt with the performances of those given chances in their stead, as Ben Curry and Sam Underhill shone in starting roles in the 2-0 series victory over Los Pumas, while Guy Pepper enjoyed a stunning cameo to help seal the second Test success. In an era where teams are experimenting more and more, with Borthwick having played Earl in the centres at times during the Six Nations, this embarrassment of riches is set to lead to even more innovation with two years to go until the World Cup in Australia. The England coach said: 'You can see depth. Look at the back row in particular, look at the performance of Ben Curry, Tom Willis, Sam Underhill, look at the bench, Guy Pepper, Dommers (Alex Dombrandt), the way he has come onto the field. 'You've got people like Henry Pollock and how he has been performing for the Lions, Tom Curry, Ben Earl, those guys, it's tremendous competition in the back row. 'It's (selection) always on your mind about where we are going and what we need to develop. You can see that we have a number of world-class flankers and we have got to have them in the team because of how much they add in terms of breakdown speed, how much they add in attack, so I think they have to be in the team. So for me, selection is always about how we find the right combination and what does it mean tactically for us.' Given the 13 England players initially called up for the Lions, England headed to Argentina as underdogs. Wrapping up our two-match series against Argentina in style 🏆 Relive the thrilling second Test in San Juan ⬇️ — England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) July 14, 2025 Los Pumas were fresh from a win over the Lions in Dublin and while they were missing a few players of their own, it was still asking a lot for England to pull off a whitewash. What has been evident over their time together is that this squad has become particularly close, led by George Ford and Jamie George – who admitted to finding it hard to say goodbye to his teammates as he headed off to link up with the Lions. And while there will inevitably be turnover when the team gathers in November – with one match on this tour against the USA still to come – Borthwick is keen to maintain the level of camaraderie that has developed in South America. He added: 'Argentina had nearly 400 caps more than us. I couldn't be more proud of these players and the spirit that they have, which is incredible. 'I want to bottle the spirit of La Plata, the spirit of San Juan, and take it with us wherever we go. This group have been brilliant. They have trained with great intensity, they play with great intensity. They run hard for each other and I think an England team runs, everyone can see that. 'They work for each other and with that kind of attitude, we'll keep getting better.' Purchase your tickets to the Autumn Nations Series at Allianz Stadium
