Latest news with #DavidDavies
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Mack Hansen is major Lions doubt ahead of first Test due to foot injury
Hansen sustained a foot injury in Saturday's 48-0 thumping of an AUNZ Invitational XV and was unable to take part in the squad's first full bore training session of the week on Tuesday. The Ireland wing is in contention to face Australia at Suncorp Stadium, most likely as a bench option covering the back three, but opportunities to prove his fitness are now very limited. Mack Hansen (centre) in action against the AUNZ Invitational XV (David Davies/PA) Kinghorn, viewed as first-choice full-back, also appears to be losing his battle with the knee injury sustained against ACT Brumbies on July 9 after it was confirmed he will not be able to train until Wednesday at the earliest. Neither player has been ruled out at this stage, but attack coach Richard Wigglesworth has revealed the Lions have already picked their team for the series opener – subject to any late changes – with the players due to be told on Wednesday. 'Mack hurt his foot in the game. I don't think it's anything serious but he was managed today (Tuesday),' Wigglesworth said. 'Hopefully he will be fully integrated pretty quickly. It's nothing that we are overly concerned about. We'll know a bit more tomorrow. 'We'll have to see tomorrow what Blair looks like. He hasn't trained fully with the squad but he's been on his feet so we'll know a bit more in the next 24 hours whether we can get him on the field.' Blair Kinghorn is struggling to recover from a knee injury in time for the British and Irish Lions' first Test clash with Australia in Brisbane (David Davies/PA) Andy Farrell will announce his team to the public on Thursday with the identity of the flankers and inside centre the key talking points in the starting XV. Tadhg Beirne and Ollie Chessum appear to be locked in a shootout for the number six jersey with the England back row's better form on tour potentially giving him the edge over a rival who has captained the midweek team twice. Tom Curry, Josh van der Flier and Jac Morgan could all be chosen at openside – the most competitive position in the team – with compelling arguments provided for each of them to start against the Wallabies. Another option would be to field Curry on the blindside and deploy either van der Flier or Morgan at seven, resulting in Beirne or Chessum joining Maro Itoje in the second row rather than current favourite Joe McCarthy. Huw Jones (left) looks certain to take the inside centre spot for the Lions in the first Test against Australia following Garry Ringrose's concussion (David Davies/PA) Garry Ringrose's 12-day stand down for concussion has made the in-form Huw Jones a certainty at outside centre, but the repercussions are felt at inside centre where Farrell must choose between Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu. Aki has provided the greatest punch in midfield so far on tour, but Tuipulotu has developed a deep understanding with Scotland team-mates Jones and Finn Russell, who is a certainty to feature at fly-half. Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith have been pushing hard for inclusion on the bench. 'We have got such quality across all positions so we would be lying if we said selection was easy,' Wigglesworth said. 'The selection meeting was conversational as it has been the whole way through the tour. Everyone is able to voice an opinion and is willing to be challenged. Then we come to a decision.'
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Mack Hansen is major Lions doubt ahead of first Test due to foot injury
Hansen sustained a foot injury in Saturday's 48-0 thumping of an AUNZ Invitational XV and was unable to take part in the squad's first full bore training session of the week on Tuesday. The Ireland wing is in contention to face Australia at Suncorp Stadium, most likely as a bench option covering the back three, but opportunities to prove his fitness are now very limited. Mack Hansen (centre) in action against the AUNZ Invitational XV (David Davies/PA) Kinghorn, viewed as first-choice full-back, also appears to be losing his battle with the knee injury sustained against ACT Brumbies on July 9 after it was confirmed he will not be able to train until Wednesday at the earliest. Neither player has been ruled out at this stage, but attack coach Richard Wigglesworth has revealed the Lions have already picked their team for the series opener – subject to any late changes – with the players due to be told on Wednesday. 'Mack hurt his foot in the game. I don't think it's anything serious but he was managed today (Tuesday),' Wigglesworth said. 'Hopefully he will be fully integrated pretty quickly. It's nothing that we are overly concerned about. We'll know a bit more tomorrow. 'We'll have to see tomorrow what Blair looks like. He hasn't trained fully with the squad but he's been on his feet so we'll know a bit more in the next 24 hours whether we can get him on the field.' Blair Kinghorn is struggling to recover from a knee injury in time for the British and Irish Lions' first Test clash with Australia in Brisbane (David Davies/PA) Andy Farrell will announce his team to the public on Thursday with the identity of the flankers and inside centre the key talking points in the starting XV. Tadhg Beirne and Ollie Chessum appear to be locked in a shootout for the number six jersey with the England back row's better form on tour potentially giving him the edge over a rival who has captained the midweek team twice. Tom Curry, Josh van der Flier and Jac Morgan could all be chosen at openside – the most competitive position in the team – with compelling arguments provided for each of them to start against the Wallabies. Another option would be to field Curry on the blindside and deploy either van der Flier or Morgan at seven, resulting in Beirne or Chessum joining Maro Itoje in the second row rather than current favourite Joe McCarthy. Huw Jones (left) looks certain to take the inside centre spot for the Lions in the first Test against Australia following Garry Ringrose's concussion (David Davies/PA) Garry Ringrose's 12-day stand down for concussion has made the in-form Huw Jones a certainty at outside centre, but the repercussions are felt at inside centre where Farrell must choose between Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu. Aki has provided the greatest punch in midfield so far on tour, but Tuipulotu has developed a deep understanding with Scotland team-mates Jones and Finn Russell, who is a certainty to feature at fly-half. Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith have been pushing hard for inclusion on the bench. 'We have got such quality across all positions so we would be lying if we said selection was easy,' Wigglesworth said. 'The selection meeting was conversational as it has been the whole way through the tour. Everyone is able to voice an opinion and is willing to be challenged. Then we come to a decision.'
South Wales Argus
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- South Wales Argus
Newport: Audi driver caught speeding at 45mph in 20mph zone
David Davies pleaded guilty to the offence while driving an Audi Q7 SUV on Risca Road in the Rogerstone area of Newport on April 8 last year. He avoided a driving ban after appearing before Cwmbran magistrates. The court heard in mitigation that disqualification would have an impact on 'children and on issues that would arise regarding the care of parents and in-laws'. Davies, aged 41, of Hoelion Grove, Rogerstone, Newport was ordered to pay £258 in a fine, costs and a surcharge. His driving record was endorsed with six penalty points.
The Herald Scotland
27-06-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Mack Hansen urges caution when the Lions take on Western Force
The 27-year-old was born and raised in Canberra and began his career playing for the most successful of Australia's Super Rugby franchises before joining Connacht in 2021. The British and Irish Lions were beaten by the Brumbies in 2013 (David Davies/PA) Selection for Ireland the following year was made possible through his Irish mother and 28 caps later he is on tour with the elite of British and Irish rugby, recalling a cautionary tale from 2013. 'I was at that Brumbies game with my dad and brother and the Brumbies beat the Lions, so these things do happen,' he said. 'We were sitting behind the goalposts watching it. It was mad. You don't expect anyone to actually do it, but I talked to guys after that and they'd been pumped up for the game for weeks, working towards it. 'They saw it as the be-all and end-all. Also, guys are playing to try to get into the Wallabies as well, so there's still a lot on the line for a lot of these teams. 'None of the games are going to be easy. Everyone wants to win – it's not just us that want to win. 'We want to win every game but the Force aren't saying 'all right boys, let's go out and lose by 40'. They'll be coming out thinking 'we can cause an upset'. They've only got one game, then they're on holiday. 'There will be this, then they'll have 10 toes up for the next five weeks, so I'm sure they're going to give it their all. 'When you get that time after time after time after time for however long we're here, it will take its toll on us, but that's a good thing. It makes us better and it makes the game more exciting.' Any doubt the Lions have a target on their backs was immediately dispelled by the 28-24 defeat by Argentina in Dublin that the heavy underdogs from South America celebrated as if they had won the World Cup. Hansen knows that any more setbacks will be poorly received by the Lions' coaching team. Our team for Saturday night's Tour opener in Perth! 🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 26, 2025 'We are four of the best teams and have some of the best players in the world. You should be winning every time, so every time it's a loss that just isn't good enough,' he said. 'That's the best thing that this group has on its shoulders at the moment because we know that and as disappointed as we were, we don't want to feel that again. 'If anything, it's good to feel it early and then we know that we'll get our heads absolutely chewed off if it happens again, so the plan is to win from here on out. 'A lot of the chat has been about us and what we need to improve. The only thing that can beat us is us really.'
Glasgow Times
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Ruling Court to step up in trip after Ascot defeat
Charlie Appleby's 2000 Guineas hero was slated for an immediate leap up to a mile and a half for the Derby before being withdrawn on the day at Epsom and subsequently remained at a mile for an all-star rematch with Newmarket runner-up Field Of Gold in the St James's Palace Stakes. However, after seeing his Rowley Mile rival turn around the Guineas form in style, Appleby is now relishing the next stage of his career up in distance, despite also being eager to see how the cards fall into place before playing his hand. 'We're very much letting the dust settle but the signs are he has very much come out of the race well,' said Appleby. The son of Justify already has a Classic to his name (David Davies for the Jockey Club/PA) 'We'll see where respective winners from the whole meeting go in respects to where we may head. Ombudsman was of course very impressive in the Prince of Wales's Stakes and it will be interesting to see where John and Thady (Gosden) steer him towards. 'We've mooted an Eclipse with our fellow but I'm not afraid of going straight up to a mile and a half which we were going to do in the Derby and we have got the option of the Grand Prix de Paris. 'It's your last option against three-year-olds so that could be a nice race to take a look at, but we'll let a bit more dust settle before we confirm a plan.' While Ruling Court may be heading up in distance, it appears likely Appleby's other Classic scorer Desert Flower will be dropping back in trip after her third at Epsom in the Oaks. Desert Flower was beaten when favourite for the Oaks (David Davies for the Jockey Club/PA) Sent off the 11-10 favourite after a sublime performance on her return in the 1000 Guineas, the challenge of Epsom on rain-softened ground ultimately proved too much, with the Moulton Paddocks handler happy to give her as much time as necessary to recover from her Oaks exertions. 'You know she's had a race at Epsom for sure and as I've said previously the ground and the track were the undoing of us,' added Appleby. 'It might have looked like she stayed but I don't think she did being brutally honest, or didn't stay well enough for that level. 'I'm going to give her a little bit of time and there's plenty of options for her at a mile and a mile and a quarter. She's a filly who owes us nothing and for now we will give her plenty of time.'
