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Irish Examiner
7 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Ringrose and McCarthy miss out but Farrell names nine Irish in Lions starting 15 for second Test
Andy Farrell selected a record nine Irishmen in his British & Irish Lions starting line-up for Saturday's second Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It is a record contingent from one nation in a Lions Test side for the professional era, Farrell having started eight from the Ireland team he has coached since succeeding Joe Schmidt as head coach in 2019. Now Australia head coach, Schmidt also named his second test team on Thursday, recalling fit-again power forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini as well as hooker David Porecki but keeping faith with the backline which opened the series, anchored by half-backs Jake Gordon and Tom Lynagh. There are three changes in total from the Lions starting side which laid the platform for last Saturday's first Test victory over the Wallabies, a 27-19 win in Brisbane, with Bundee Aki's selection ahead of Sione Tuipulotu at inside centre the biggest surprise, creating a mix and match duo with Scotland's Huw Jones. Tuipulotu, a Melbourne native, was denied a Test homecoming with the Lions due to a tight hamstring. It breaks up the all-Scottish midfield partnership with Jones which started last Saturday, although Farrell explained he had wanted to select an all-Irish pairing of Aki and Garry Ringrose as his starting combination but the outside centre reported a recurrence of concussion symptoms that had forced him out of the first Test. 'Sione has a little bit of a tight hamstring there, so that influences that,' Farrell said. 'Huw comes in. Garry was actually selected and unfortunately, in training today, he's had to pull out. That's unfortunate for Garry. 'But, we've always said it's about the squad, and nothing but about the squad. And we're delighted for Huw to come in and be ready to go for Saturday.' Farrell backed his centres to thrive as a partnership. 'They'll be good. At this stage of the tour and well before this stage of the tour, actually, the combinations have been absolutely fine together. So Bundee and Huw will hit it off exactly like any other type of partnership.' Asked to compare Tuipulotu and Aki, Farrell added: 'Very similar in many ways. Both direct and abrasive and combative type characters and exactly what you want as far as you go forward and gain line success and not just that. On the other side of the ball, they're pretty good there as well, so very similar in that regard.' Ireland's Andrew Porter is preferred to Ellis Genge at loosehead prop to form an all-Irish front row with hooker Dan Sheehan and tighthead Tadhg Furlong while there is an enforced change to the second row where Joe McCarthy failed to recover from the foot issue that saw him depart the first Test after 42 minutes. Captain Maro Itoje now partners England team-mate Ollie Chessum in the second row while the back row is unchanged following standout performances from Tadhg Beirne, fellow flanker Tom Curry and No.8 Jack Conan. There will be joy in Wales with the selection of Jac Morgan as the back-row replacement, the Lions having last Saturday fielded a Test squad without a Welshman for the first time since 1896. Morgan replaces Ben Earl on the bench while James Ryan fills the vacuum as the lock replacement following the promotion of Chessum to the starting side. The other changes to the bench are backs, with Owen Farrell replacing Marcus Smith and providing cover at 10 and 12, following an impressive 80-minute performance last Tuesday captaining the Lions to a narrow win over the First Nations & Pasifika XV. The former England captain's selection means the 32-year-old, son of the head coach, is in line to appear in his fourth Lions Test series having debuted in 2013 against the Australians. Scrum-half Alex Mitchell retain his place among the replacements but Aki's move into the number 12 jersey sees wing/full-back Blair Kinghorn named as the outside backs replacement. Reacting to the Wallabies team changes, Farrell said: 'Well, I mean, it is what it says on the tin. It's obvious what they're going to bring and why they're selected, so I suppose they're delighted with that, and the 6-2 bench just backs that up a little bit, doesn't it? So it's not unexpected.' Having taken control of the series with that opening victory over the Wallabies, the Lions boss did not shy away from the potential to wrap up the series in front of an expected 90,0000-plus crowd at the MCG on Saturday. 'That's been spoken about from day one when we met as a group. We're the privileged ones that get the opportunity to do something special and hopefully create a bit of history. 'There's a determined Australian side that's in our way that's going to try and stop us to do that, so it's a hell of a Test.' AUSTRALIA: Tom Wright; Max Jorgensen, Joseph Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Harry Potter; Tom Lynagh, Jake Gordon; James Slipper, David Porecki, Alan Alaalatoa; Nick Frost, Will Skelton; Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson – captain. Replacements: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, Tom Robertson, Jeremy Williams, Langi Gleeson, Carlo Tizzano, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson. BRITISH & IRISH LIONS: Hugo Keenan (Leinster/Ireland); Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland), Bundee Aki (Connacht/Ireland), James Lowe (Leinster/Ireland); Finn Russell (Bath/Scotland), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster/Ireland); Andrew Porter (Leinster/Ireland), Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Ireland), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Ireland); Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) – captain, Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England); Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Ireland), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England), Jack Conan (Leinster/Ireland). Replacements: Ronan Kelleher (Leinster /Ireland), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England), Will Stuart (Bath/England), James Ryan (Leinster /Ireland), Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England), Owen Farrell (Saracens/England), Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse/Scotland)
Scoop
7 days ago
- Scoop
Mayor Welcomes Fund Raising Adventurers To Ruapehu
Press Release – Ruapehu District Council Dubbed the Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa, the expedition sees the duo skiing, hiking, cycling, and sailing the length of the country through winter, all in support of vulnerable children and climate-affected communities. Mayor Weston Kirton has welcomed adventurers Huw Kingston and Laurence Mote to Ruapehu as part of their inspiring 90-day, 4,000km journey across New Zealand to raise $75,000 for Save the Children and fund new climate-resilient classrooms in Vanuatu. Dubbed the Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa, the expedition sees the duo skiing, hiking, cycling, and sailing the length of the country through winter, all in support of vulnerable children and climate-affected communities. Their time in Ruapehu has been supported by Visit Ruapehu, the Department of Conservation, Whakapapa and Tūroa ski fields, Ngāuruhoe Ski Club, Massey University and Tukino Alpine Clubs, along with local businesses Ongarue Valley Retreat, Forgotten World Motel, and Kings Ohakune. Mayor Kirton said it was a privilege to meet the pair. 'Huw and Laurence deserve huge credit for undertaking such an ambitious and inspirational journey for causes that truly matter,' he said. 'I also want to thank Visit Ruapehu for helping coordinate their visit and acknowledge the support from our local operators, DOC, and our ski areas.' Huw and Laurence expressed their gratitude for the warm hospitality they received during their time in Ruapehu, saying they were blown away by the manaakitanga shown by the local community.
Scoop
24-07-2025
- Scoop
Mayor Welcomes Fund Raising Adventurers To Ruapehu
Mayor Weston Kirton has welcomed adventurers Huw Kingston and Laurence Mote to Ruapehu as part of their inspiring 90-day, 4,000km journey across New Zealand to raise $75,000 for Save the Children and fund new climate-resilient classrooms in Vanuatu. Dubbed the Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa, the expedition sees the duo skiing, hiking, cycling, and sailing the length of the country through winter, all in support of vulnerable children and climate-affected communities. Their time in Ruapehu has been supported by Visit Ruapehu, the Department of Conservation, Whakapapa and Tūroa ski fields, Ngāuruhoe Ski Club, Massey University and Tukino Alpine Clubs, along with local businesses Ongarue Valley Retreat, Forgotten World Motel, and Kings Ohakune. Mayor Kirton said it was a privilege to meet the pair. 'Huw and Laurence deserve huge credit for undertaking such an ambitious and inspirational journey for causes that truly matter,' he said. 'I also want to thank Visit Ruapehu for helping coordinate their visit and acknowledge the support from our local operators, DOC, and our ski areas.' Huw and Laurence expressed their gratitude for the warm hospitality they received during their time in Ruapehu, saying they were blown away by the manaakitanga shown by the local community. To follow their journey, learn more about the causes, or make a donation, visit:
The Sun
13-07-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
Shocking moment ‘mini tornado' spins through field picking up loose grass as young lad watches on in amazement
A FAMILY was blown away when they spotted a mini tornado spinning through the countryside. Matt McMillan, 41, was out for a walk to a stream near Llanfrynach in Powys with his daughter and twin boys when they came across the amazing natural phenomenon. 7 7 7 7 Footage shows the spiral of wind picking up loose cut grass and spinning it around in the air. Matt can be heard saying to his son: 'Are you going to have a look at it Huw.' Huw, 7, replies: 'Is it going to lift me off the ground?' And Matt says: 'I don't think it will lift you off the ground but you can go and try.' The lad then approaches as the whirlwind passes across the field towards some woodland. Matt who lives near Brecon, south Wales, told The Sun: 'We headed out to our local stream today for a little paddle and swim in the warm weather. 'My daughter saw some grass flying around in a nearby field and asked what it was. I grabbed my phone and ran to the field, along with one of my twin boys, Huw. 'I couldn't believe what I was seeing, it looked like something out of a film. 'There was a tornado lifting the dry grass off the ground into a swirling vortex. 'We watched the tornado travel slowly across the field, it is a lot quieter and more serene than the scenes you see in a movie. 'As the tornado approached the edge of the field it dissipated and we left to go swimming in the stream. It was a magical moment that was truly once in a lifetime.' 7 7 7 What is a Tonardo The Met Office says: "A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that reaches between the base of a storm cloud and the Earth's surface. They form in very unsettled weather conditions as part of severe thunderstorms. Many conditions need to be present for a tornado to form but, when these conditions are met, a violently whirling mass of air, known as a vortex, forms beneath the storm cloud. "A funnel cloud usually develops as the vortex forms due to the reduced pressure in the vortex. Strong inflowing winds intensify, and the spin rate increases as the vortex stretches vertically. If it continues stretching and intensifying for long enough the vortex touches the ground, at which point it becomes classified as a tornado. The tornado then moves across the surface causing severe damage or destruction to objects in its path."
Powys County Times
07-07-2025
- General
- Powys County Times
600 sheep sheared as British record broken in Powys
A 27-year-old shearer from Machynlleth broke a British record by shearing over 600 ewes in eight hours, beating the previous record by more than a hundred. Eyes turned to Machynlleth over the weekend as 27-year-old Huw Jones was successful in his attempt to break a record in sheep shearing. His eight-hour solo session saw him shearing 663 ewes, beating the previous record held by Martin Howlett, who sheared 539 sheep, with Huw starting at 7pm and finishing at 5pm. The record attempt took place at Hendreseifion, the location of another record achieved by local shearer Meirion Evans 12 months ago. After months of preparation hundreds of well-wishers had turned out to support and congratulate Huw, who described it as an 'amazing' day. At the end of the record, he said: 'Today has been an amazing day, thank you to everyone who has helped me achieve what I have here today. 'There are too many people to name individually, but you all know who you are. Records are not just about the shearer attempting but are very much a team effort. I could not have achieved this today without so many people. I thank you so much for the support you have given me.' 'My family has always supported me to get me where I am today, no matter what I wanted to do, my family has always been there, and I thank them, it means so much. I'd like to mention my grandad, who is sadly no longer with us, but hopefully looking down on me today, he was the one who started me shearing.' He also thanked everyone who had attended on the day to support him, as well as the charities supported by the record, the Welsh Air Ambulance and Aberdyfi Search and Rescue. Gareth Jones, Head of Member Engagement, British Wool said: 'On behalf of British Wool we offer huge congratulations to Huw on his successful record attempt. This was a display of high-quality shearing, and Huw should be very proud of his achievements.' 'We appreciate the hard work that goes on behind the scenes in holding a record and therefore offer congratulations to everyone who has helped and supported Huw in successfully setting a new British Shearing Record.'
