Latest news with #Captain'sRun
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Blair Kinghorn arrives to complete Lions set as Queensland Reds await
To say the last couple of days have been a blur for Blair Kinghorn is putting it mildly. As recently as the early hours of Sunday he was celebrating Toulouse's Top 14 title success in Paris and doing interviews clad only in a pair of budgie smugglers. Now here he is wearing a British & Irish Lions tracksuit, squinting into the Australian sunshine and trying his hardest to focus on the next onrushing target. The Scotland full-back, the last originally chosen squad member to arrive, will not be involved in the Lions' game against the Reds on Wednesday but is earmarked to feature against the Waratahs in Sydney on Saturday. All being well a potential slot in the Test XV could follow but even for a class act like Kinghorn it is going to take a lot of frantic paddling below the surface to get up to speed. To some extent the 28-year-old's ability to adapt swiftly has already been tested. Arriving at the team hotel shortly before midnight, he was allocated a room which he assumed would be empty given the lateness of the hour. 'I was thinking: 'Surely there won't be anyone in the room,' so I go in and chuck the bags down.' It was a shock for all concerned, then, when the Lions captain Maro Itoje suddenly sat bolt upright in the bed next to him. 'I was like: 'Uh, sorry.' He'd been sleeping and I woke him up. It was funny. He woke up, shook my hand and went straight back to sleep.' As Lions welcomes go, it definitely belonged at the surreal end of the scale. Once the jetlag eases and he finally works out what day it is, though, Kinghorn's recent experiences could prove invaluable for the Lions. Switching to Toulouse from Edinburgh has helped to improve him as a player and, as a consequence, he is now in a position to add a touch of that winning mentality to the mix before the Test series against the Wallabies. For a start, as a teammate of the world's best player, Antoine Dupont, he is comfortable mixing in high-level company. 'At Toulouse the squad is so deep and so talented that you've got to be on top of your game. It's high pressure, but it makes you thrive.' He is hoping for something similar with the Lions. 'Everyone's here to win the Test series and have a successful tour. Every training session is going to be competitive. Everyone's motivated and that's what you want. That brings the best out of people.' Forwards coach John Dalziel speaking during the Captain's Run. Picture: Dan Sheridan/Inpho The long-striding Scot can operate at full-back and on the wing, having also played Test rugby at 10. It could give Farrell the useful option of picking a 6-2 bench but, either way, Kinghorn knows he has scant time to waste in which to stake a claim. 'The next couple of days will be the big days for me to learn everything but hopefully I'll catch up pretty quickly. All I can do is learn as fast as I can and show what I can do if I get the chance to play.' Kinghorn, who reckons a Lions tour of France would be 'awesome' and potentially a big hit with Gallic audiences, is in a not dissimilar boat to Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan and James Ryan, all of whom will be making their Lions debuts against the Reds. The previously untested half-back pairing of Gibson-Park and Finn Russell will be the subject of particular attention but the forwards coach, John Dalziel, also expects his pack to learn the lessons of the Western Force game, when restarts, in particular, were problematic. 'It was a bit of communication, a bit of skill error when a couple weren't caught and a bit of people trying to fix it on their own. We had a chat at half-time and it is something we will have a heightened interest in.' Dalziel has already been in contact with the legendary Jim Telfer, the godfather of Lions forward coaching, who also hails from the Borders and has shared one or two nuggets of advice with him. If this Lions squad scales the same Everest-sized peaks as some of their predecessors reached under Telfer's tutelage it will be some effort but, at this stage, Farrell is urging his players not to get overly carried away against a Reds team guided by Les Kiss, the Wallabies' next head coach-in-waiting, saying: 'Desperation is not a good thing because it makes people do things out of character and we need to be more composed than that.' Itoje, meanwhile, has reiterated that modern players remain hugely motivated by a Lions jersey even at a time when mooted breakaway leagues and world club championships are threatening the game's status quo. 'Players want to play for the Lions and that's not going to change for generations to come,' Itoje said flatly. 'It was the same in the 1950s and it will be the same in 2050.' - The Guardian
West Australian
2 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Fremantle Dockers waiting for decision on location for match against Sydney Swans as work continues on SCG
Confidence is growing that Sunday's game between Fremantle and Sydney will remain at the SCG after an AFL expert examined changes made to the playing surface on Tuesday. Ground staff have been working since Friday to fix the issues that left Swans and Western Bulldogs players constantly falling over on Friday night. Work will continue throughout the week with a decision expected to be made on Friday as to whether the game will remain at the SCG or be moved. Dockers coach Justin Longmuir addressed the issue with his players during a team meeting on Tuesday, telling them to focus on their preparation instead of concerning themselves with where the game will be played. But vice-captain Andrew Brayshaw won't be taking any risks with his ability to stand up. Brayshaw will be packing multiple sets of boots and making a decision on which gives him the most traction during the warm up. 'Obviously we're not allowed to wear metals but you can get some moulded screw ins to try to give yourself an advantage there. I just wear normal Nike boots but I do have a pair of screw ins that aren't metal. I'll definitely be bringing them,' Brayshaw explained. 'They're studs but a little bit longer than what they would usually be. 'I always travel with a couple of pairs. I'll definitely bring a pair of screw ins as well this weekend so I have a few options.' 'You've got to try to keep your feet as much as you can. There's a lot of footwork we do as midfielders particularly to try and stay on your toes because if you fall over you are no good to anyone.' Greater Western Sydney took to social media on Tuesday to cheekily invite the Swans to move the game to their home ground at ENGIE Stadium. They also suggested ENGIE Stadium as a venue for Fremantle's Captain's Run on Saturday given it is unlikely they'll get early access to the SCG even if the game is played there. The Dockers have won their past two games at the SCG and also won at ENGIE Stadium during their clash against the Giants there in round 10. Fremantle are in form having won six games in a row and have only produced seven-match winning streaks three times in club history. Brayshaw said they were excited about playing anywhere. 'JL did touch on no matter where we play, we are going to try and bring our brand of footy,' he said. 'We've played well on the SCG in the last couple of times we've been there. So I don't mind where we play. JL said in the meeting that we'll play on the moon if we have to. We'll go out there and try to get a win.'
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
AFL inspects SCG as decision day looms over Dockers game
Confidence is growing that Sunday's game between Fremantle and Sydney will remain at the SCG after an AFL expert examined changes made to the playing surface on Tuesday. Ground staff have been working since Friday to fix the issues that left Swans and Western Bulldogs players constantly falling over on Friday night. Work will continue throughout the week with a decision expected to be made on Friday as to whether the game will remain at the SCG or be moved. Dockers coach Justin Longmuir addressed the issue with his players during a team meeting on Tuesday, telling them to focus on their preparation instead of concerning themselves with where the game will be played. But vice-captain Andrew Brayshaw won't be taking any risks with his ability to stand up. Brayshaw will be packing multiple sets of boots and making a decision on which gives him the most traction during the warm up. Footwear will be vital if the Dockers play at the SCG. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper / The West Australian 'Obviously we're not allowed to wear metals but you can get some moulded screw ins to try to give yourself an advantage there. I just wear normal Nike boots but I do have a pair of screw ins that aren't metal. I'll definitely be bringing them,' Brayshaw explained. 'They're studs but a little bit longer than what they would usually be. 'I always travel with a couple of pairs. I'll definitely bring a pair of screw ins as well this weekend so I have a few options.' 'You've got to try to keep your feet as much as you can. There's a lot of footwork we do as midfielders particularly to try and stay on your toes because if you fall over you are no good to anyone.' Fremantle star Andrew Brayshaw. Credit: Daniel Carson / AFL Photos Greater Western Sydney took to social media on Tuesday to cheekily invite the Swans to move the game to their home ground at ENGIE Stadium. They also suggested ENGIE Stadium as a venue for Fremantle's Captain's Run on Saturday given it is unlikely they'll get early access to the SCG even if the game is played there. The Dockers have won their past two games at the SCG and also won at ENGIE Stadium during their clash against the Giants there in round 10. Fremantle are in form having won six games in a row and have only produced seven-match winning streaks three times in club history. Brayshaw said they were excited about playing anywhere. 'JL did touch on no matter where we play, we are going to try and bring our brand of footy,' he said. Justin Longmuir chats at training. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper / The West Australian 'We've played well on the SCG in the last couple of times we've been there. So I don't mind where we play. JL said in the meeting that we'll play on the moon if we have to. We'll go out there and try to get a win.'
Straits Times
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Van Poortvliet to join Lions ahead of warm-up fixture against Argentina
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Six Nations Championship - England Captain's Run - Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, Britain - March 8, 2025 England's Jack van Poortvliet during the captain's run Action Images via Reuters/Cat Goryn/File Photo REUTERS Van Poortvliet to join Lions ahead of warm-up fixture against Argentina Leicester Tigers and England scrumhalf Jack van Poortvliet will join the British and Irish Lions in Dublin as cover for their warm-up fixture against Argentina, the rugby union team said on Tuesday. The Lions currently have three scrumhalves - Jamison Gibson-Park, Alex Mitchell and Tomos Williams - available in their squad, but Gibson-Park is managing a minor glute strain, prompting Van Poortvliet's inclusion. The 24-year-old, who has earned 15 caps for England, was named in Steve Borthwick's 36-player training squad on Monday for their match against France XV on Saturday. The Lions match against Argentina is scheduled for Friday. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
14 pages of Wire content ahead of cup final in this week's Warrington Guardian
DON'T miss out on your bumper Warrington Wolves coverage in today's paper as the excitement builds for Saturday's Challenge Cup Final at Wembley. There are 14 pages of Wire coverage, eight of which are in the souvenir pull-out supplement. Advertisement And the sports section at the back of the edition is rammed with interview content gathered this week from players and coaches. It really is a brilliant read, full of news, views and nostalgia too, whether you're going to be heading to Wembley or watching on TV from home. We would suggest this week's WG is a perfect travel partner for your trip down to London if you've not already completed it by then. And to stay in touch with events over the weekend, and our social media channels will have everything covered for you - including tomorrow's Wire walkabout and Captain's Run at Wembley plus all the activity as cup final day itself unfolds. Come on The Wire, we're behind you, bring that trophy home! 💛💙🏆💛💙
