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RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
'It's a bit surreal' - Lions hero Hugo Keenan reacts to his winning try
As Hugo Keenan took Jamison Gibson-Park's pass, it was two against two, and 20 metres of grass to play with. With Wallabies centre Len Ikitau opposite him, and Jack Conan outside him – winger Max Jorgensen being the second Australian defender – Andy Farrell knew what he wanted to happen. "I was screaming, pass it, pass it, pass it!" Farrell said, as he recalled what was going through his mind when Keenan got the ball. "And knowing Hugo, he was never going to pass it! He was always going to back himself. I spoke to his dad after the game and he was never going to pass it. He backs himself in those types of situations." Keenan did back himself, and it proved to be the right decision. He made the try look easy, but it was anything but as he squared up Ikitau before stepping on the gas to move outside him. With Jorgensen only having eyes for Conan, Ikitau couldn't recover. It's no exaggeration to say it's a life-changing try for Keenan (above). For 28 years we've all seen images of Jeremy Guscott kicking that drop-goal to beat South Africa and clinch the 1997 series, and now the Leinster full-back's dive for the line will be played alongside the greatest moments in the 137-year history of Lions tours. If anything, this was even more dramatic as it sealed an 18-point comeback, not to mention the series. Even well over an hour after the game, the Ireland international was still struggling to process it. "It's a bit surreal. It was a class moment," he said, after the 29-26 win at the MCG. "It was off the back of two minutes of phase attack, the lads digging deep. "It meant the world to myself and everybody that was out there, the 23, the lads who weren't playing, the backroom staff, the 50,000 Lions supporters out there and everyone at home. It's a really special moment. "It's definitely up there. How could it not be? The Lions is the pinnacle for a Britain and Ireland rugby player, and to win a series is incredibly special." And being able to enjoy that success with friends and family among the 90,000 people at the MCG capped it off. "I'm absolutely delighted and it is extra special to do it with such a good bunch and so many familiar faces in the crowd. "I jumped in [to the crowd] a few times! It was unbelievable walking around the stadium. My parents were there, my brother, my uncle and aunt, my girlfriend. I've about 10 friends over from Ireland who have spent a bomb to be here but they are all saying it is absolutely worth it. Really cool moments which make it extra special." There was an anxious wait after Keenan scored as referee Andrea Piardi consulted with his TMO to see if the try could stand, as they checked on Jac Morgan's clearout on Carol Tizzano. But Keenan says he was always confident the score would stand. "To be honest, once I saw the clearout, I was pretty confident. I don't think there was any foul play in it and I was confident that the refs would make the right call. "It was just relief, delighted and ecstatic that we got over the line. A cool moment." It caps off a chaotic journey for Keenan on this tour. He landed in Australia still hampered by an injury which saw him miss Leinster's URC title run, before his Lions debut was delayed further by a bug which saw him lose 6kg in the space of 12 days. Leading into the first Test, it appeared that Blair Kinghorn was leading him for the full-back jersey, before the Scot's knee injury opened the door for Keenan to start these Tests. "It's been a mad whole trip," he reflected. "It's not how I imagined it going, getting sick for two weeks and coming in to camp a bit injured. It's been a rollercoaster, but I suppose these things happen for a reason, and thankfully I was in full health come the last two Tests. "I'm delighted to be involved and delighted that we got the result today. It's special moments having our family and friends out on the pitch with us at the end. It's those moments you play rugby for and you dream of."
Irish Examiner
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Wallabies look to get Suaalii more involved in second Lions test
Joseph Suaalii's Australia centre partner Len Ikitau is hoping to get the rugby league convert involved in the game earlier and more often in the second test against the British & Irish Lions on Saturday. Suaalii made an explosive entry into test rugby against England last November but was a bit part player as the Wallabies were dominated by the Lions for the first hour of the 27-19 loss in Brisbane last week. Inside centre Ikitau took the crash ball option more often than not in the face of a fierce Lions rush defence with the result that Suaalii received very little clean possession to exploit. "We've only played a handful of games together but it's just trying to understand in what places he'd like to get the ball and kind of just feeding off each other," Ikitau said. "I felt like I didn't really get him into the game as early as I wanted, but that's a lot of learnings that I can take moving forward." Suaalii was not the only Australian back who struggled to get his hands on the ball in the first half of the series opener with talented right winger Max Jorgensen restricted to a couple of touches before he scored a try off a box kick. "We knew there were opportunities with their line speed and how they wanted to attack us in defence, but I think just being able to pull the trigger when the opportunity comes and backing our ability to pull the trigger," Ikitau said. "A few times I think we were just conservative and held the ball where there's opportunities out wide." Some in Australia have urged coach Joe Schmidt to rejig his backline and give Suaalii a run in the outside backs on Saturday. "To be honest, if he's on the field that's the best thing for us, just somewhere on the field," said Ikitau. "If he's playing 13, if he's on the wing, fullback, I know that he's just a freak of an athlete and he can step up to the occasion and just play his footy. "He always (says) at the end of the day, it's a footy game and he's a footballer so I don't think it would faze him." Reuters
RTÉ News
22-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Wallabies eager to get electric Joseph Suaalii on the ball sooner in Melbourne Test
Joseph Suaalii's Australia centre partner Len Ikitau is hoping to get the rugby league convert involved in the game earlier and more often in the second Test against the British and Irish Lions on Saturday. Suaalii made an explosive entry into Test rugby against England last November but was a bit part player as the Wallabies were dominated by the Lions for the first hour of the 27-19 loss in Brisbane. Inside centre Ikitau took the crash ball option more often than not in the face of a fierce Lions rush defence, with the result that Suaalii received very little clean possession to exploit. "We've only played a handful of games together but it's just trying to understand in what places he'd like to get the ball and kind of just feeding off each other," Ikitau told reporters on Tuesday. "I felt like I didn't really get him into the game as early as I wanted, but that's a lot of learnings that I can take moving forward." Suaalii was not the only Australian back who struggled to get his hands on the ball in the first half of the series opener with talented right winger Max Jorgensen restricted to a couple of touches before he scored a try off a box kick. "We knew there were opportunities with their line speed and how they wanted to attack us in defence, but I think just being able to pull the trigger when the opportunity comes and backing our ability to pull the trigger," Ikitau said. "A few times I think we were just conservative and held the ball where there's opportunities out wide." Some in Australia have urged coach Joe Schmidt to rejig his backline and give Suaalii a run in the outside backs on Saturday. "To be honest, if he's on the field that's the best thing for us, just somewhere on the field," said Ikitau. "If he's playing 13, if he's on the wing, full-back, I know that he's just a freak of an athlete and he can step up to the occasion and just play his footy. "He always (says) at the end of the day, it's a footy game and he's a footballer so I don't think it would faze him."
The Star
22-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Wallabies look to get Suaalii more involved in second Lions test
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Autumn Internationals - Scotland v Australia - Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain - November 24, 2024 Australia's Joseph Suaalii arrives before the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Joseph Suaalii's Australia centre partner Len Ikitau is hoping to get the rugby league convert involved in the game earlier and more often in the second test against the British & Irish Lions on Saturday. Suaalii made an explosive entry into test rugby against England last November but was a bit part player as the Wallabies were dominated by the Lions for the first hour of the 27-19 loss in Brisbane last week. Inside centre Ikitau took the crash ball option more often than not in the face of a fierce Lions rush defence with the result that Suaalii received very little clean possession to exploit. "We've only played a handful of games together but it's just trying to understand in what places he'd like to get the ball and kind of just feeding off each other," Ikitau told reporters on Tuesday. "I felt like I didn't really get him into the game as early as I wanted, but that's a lot of learnings that I can take moving forward." Suaalii was not the only Australian back who struggled to get his hands on the ball in the first half of the series opener with talented right winger Max Jorgensen restricted to a couple of touches before he scored a try off a box kick. "We knew there were opportunities with their line speed and how they wanted to attack us in defence, but I think just being able to pull the trigger when the opportunity comes and backing our ability to pull the trigger," Ikitau said. "A few times I think we were just conservative and held the ball where there's opportunities out wide." Some in Australia have urged coach Joe Schmidt to rejig his backline and give Suaalii a run in the outside backs on Saturday. "To be honest, if he's on the field that's the best thing for us, just somewhere on the field," said Ikitau. "If he's playing 13, if he's on the wing, fullback, I know that he's just a freak of an athlete and he can step up to the occasion and just play his footy. "He always (says) at the end of the day, it's a footy game and he's a footballer so I don't think it would faze him." (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
Straits Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Wallabies look to get Suaalii more involved in second Lions test
MELBOURNE - Joseph Suaalii's Australia centre partner Len Ikitau is hoping to get the rugby league convert involved in the game earlier and more often in the second test against the British & Irish Lions on Saturday. Suaalii made an explosive entry into test rugby against England last November but was a bit part player as the Wallabies were dominated by the Lions for the first hour of the 27-19 loss in Brisbane last week. Inside centre Ikitau took the crash ball option more often than not in the face of a fierce Lions rush defence with the result that Suaalii received very little clean possession to exploit. "We've only played a handful of games together but it's just trying to understand in what places he'd like to get the ball and kind of just feeding off each other," Ikitau told reporters on Tuesday. "I felt like I didn't really get him into the game as early as I wanted, but that's a lot of learnings that I can take moving forward." Suaalii was not the only Australian back who struggled to get his hands on the ball in the first half of the series opener with talented right winger Max Jorgensen restricted to a couple of touches before he scored a try off a box kick. "We knew there were opportunities with their line speed and how they wanted to attack us in defence, but I think just being able to pull the trigger when the opportunity comes and backing our ability to pull the trigger," Ikitau said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 can claim $600 SG60 vouchers from July 22 Singapore Miscalculation of MOH subsidies and grants led to $7m in overpayments, $2m in shortfalls Singapore Changi Airport handles 17.5 million passengers in Q2 2025 Singapore 2 charged over alleged involvement in posting of bail for man who subsequently absconded Singapore Teen charged after allegedly selling vaporisers, advertising e-cigarettes on WhatsApp Life Having a workout partner could be the secret to sticking to your fitness goals Singapore 2,500 turtles seized in India and sent back to S'pore, put down humanely after salmonella detected Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving "A few times I think we were just conservative and held the ball where there's opportunities out wide." Some in Australia have urged coach Joe Schmidt to rejig his backline and give Suaalii a run in the outside backs on Saturday. "To be honest, if he's on the field that's the best thing for us, just somewhere on the field," said Ikitau. "If he's playing 13, if he's on the wing, fullback, I know that he's just a freak of an athlete and he can step up to the occasion and just play his footy. "He always (says) at the end of the day, it's a footy game and he's a footballer so I don't think it would faze him." REUTERS
