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The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Australia team to face Lions contains son of icon who broke Irish hearts in infamous World Cup clash at Lansdowne Road
THE Wallabies aren't the same force they once were - but their team still contains some very familiar names. In one case there's even a name that will hark back to an infamously painful defeat at the 1991 World Cup! Advertisement 3 Michael Lynagh broke Irish hearts in Dublin on October 20 1991 Credit: Getty 3 His son Tom will be making his first start for Australia in tomorrow's 11am Irish time clash Credit: Sportsfile 3 Andy Farrell hasn't included his fly-half son Owen in the matchday 23 Credit: PA That's because one Tom Lynagh is starting The 22-year-old is indeed the son of the legendary Michael. Like his 72-times capped old man, he plays fly-half. The youngster only has three caps to his name and he's been fast-tracked into this spotlight match-up due to the unfortunate neck injury to first-choice 10 Noah Lolesio. Michael is a legend of the game the world over on the back of his World Cup-winning heroics in 1991. Advertisement Read More On Irish Sport But from a strictly Irish perspective, the first memory that jumps out when you mention his name and that tournament unfolded at the old Lansdowne Road. Ireland was one of SIX host nations as the competition came to the northern hemisphere for the first time. The others were the remainder of what we know as the Six Nations line-up in England, Wales, Scotland and France. Ireland's customary quarter-final exit on that occasion was arguably the most painful of the lot. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union With home advantage against Australia they led 18-15 going into the dying moments only for Lynagh senior to finish off a slick move out wide where David Campese set him up to crash over the try line. In the here and now, Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt has spoken glowingly of Queensland Reds star Tom Lynagh's 'quiet confidence' and pointed hopefully to the fact that he would at least be playing on his home ground at the Suncorp Stadium. Andy Farrell wants end to social media 'nonsense' after son Owen's Lions call The former Ireland head coach said: 'Probably not ideal to be starting your first Test match for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions. 'But you've got to start somewhere, and if not now, when? I am confident that he'll cope and I'm very confident that he'll learn from the occasion. Advertisement 'I'd like to think that we can still go out probably sharing Tom Lynagh's quiet confidence that we can put a game together that at least can keep the Lions pretty honest on the day.' FAZZ START Andy Farrell has urged his Irish-heavy Lions side to rise to the occasion, knowing they enter tomorrow's encounter as overwhelming favourites. Farrell has picked eight of the players he knew from his day job and starts three more on the bench for the Brisbane clash. As expected, Advertisement Rónan Kelleher, A powerful starting team also includes England's Tom Curry on the flank, with With bulldozing Australia forwards Rob Valetini and Will Skelton ruled out by calf injuries yesterday, the odds are even more in the tourists' favour but Farrell insisted: 'There's no overconfidence at all. 'There's a realisation of what it is and what it means and how privileged we are. Advertisement "But that doesn't get in the way of how we prepare to make sure that we allow ourselves to be the best version of ourselves.' WEAK WALES Farrell saw no room for a Welshman in the best version of his team, with Curry preferred to the only remaining player from Wales in his squad, Jac Morgan. It is the first time in nearly 130 years that there will be no Welsh representative on the pitch in a Lions Test. Australia: Tom Wright; Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Harry Potter; Tom Lynagh, Jake Gordon; James Slipper, Matt Faessler, Alan Ala'alatoa; Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams; Nick Champion de Crespigny, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (capt). Advertisement Replacements: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, Tom Robertson, Tom Hooper, Carlo Tizzano, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Andrew Kellaway. British and Irish Lions: Hugo Keenan; Tommy Freeman, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, James Lowe; Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park; Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong; Maro Itoje, Joe McCarthy; Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Jack Conan. Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Bundee Aki.
RTÉ News
11-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Eddie O'Sullivan: Andy Farrell cannot afford to lose if he picks "10 or 11 Irish guys"
Former Ireland head coach Eddie O'Sullivan has warned Lions boss Andy Farrell of the pitfalls of selecting "10 or 11 Irish guys" in the Test series, especially if it ends in defeat. The Lions have won all four games played down under so far, following a Dublin defeat to Argentina, but pressure has started to come on the former rugby league star after patchy and uninspiring performances in their recent victories over the NSW Waratahs and the ACT Brumbies. Speaking on this week's RTÉ Rugby Podcast, O'Sullivan feels it's hard to split the fact it is a squad, both in coaching and playing, that is dominated by Farrell's successful Irish side, and could lead to pressure at every turn. "Threading across all these selections is that if Andy Farrell ends up with 10 or 11 Irish guys on the team, they cannot lose," O'Sullivan said. "If they lose with 10 or 11 Irish guys, he will get eviscerated," said the former Ireland head coach. "This is a very heavy Irish Lions tour. I'm not just talking about the number of players, but practically the whole staff is Irish. "So it becomes a green tour if he does that, and then, if they lose the first test with 10 or 11 Irish guys, it will be chaos." It is a risk Andy Farrell may take, and as O'Sullivan recognises, it will largely come from a place in trust, which Farrell's Irish contingent have earned over the past five and a half years of his reign. "He [Andy Farrell] might think his best team against Australia is 10 or 11 Irish guys who he knows really well, who he can trust, and who he knows will go to the well for him. "He knows what he is going to get out of them exactly. They're familiar with is thinking, they're familiar with his rugby philosophy. "But if he pulls the trigger on that, he is going to have to deliver. That is what's going to be in the back of his mind, you can't get away from that", added O'Sullivan. The former Ireland head coach was part of Clive Woodward's backroom staff for the 2005 tour of New Zealand, one that went down in infamy in the years following, and knows the pitfalls and pressures of a Lions tour. "If they lost this test series, it would be worse than 2005", said O'Sullivan who was one of seven assistant coaches on that tour of New Zealand. "I was there, and at least we were playing in New Zealand, and that New Zealand team were, at that point, the best team in the world, without question. "That's the context of it, and now the Lions are nervy and edgy against a team that they should beat. "There's a lot pressure building on this tour now." "If they lose with 10 or 11 Irish guys, he will get eviscerated..." @TheRealEddieOS on the pressure facing Andy Farrell's Irish-heavy Lions ahead of next week's first Test🦁🇦🇺 📺🎧 Full RTÉ Rugby pod: — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 10, 2025 On Thursday, after an injury doubt was cast over Scottish full-back Blair Kinghorn, Farrell called up Naas clubman Jamie Osborne to the travelling party. With that inclusion, the Leinster utility-back becomes the 17th Irish international in the squad, and 13th from Leinster alone. This follows last week's call-up for England centurion fly-half Owen Farrell, who replaced Saracens teammate Elliot Daly, despite a lukewarm season at Racing 92. For O'Sullivan, this call is more about the depth chart at 10 than anything else. "I think bringing Owen Farrell in is basically an admission that he [Andy Farrell] has lost confidence in Fin Smith and Marcus Smith. He knows that Finn Russell is his starting 10, but I think he went out with the idea that his pecking order would have been Finn Russell, then Fin Smith, then Marcus Smith. "I think he's found that Fin Smith probably isn't up to that level yet. "Then what happened is Elliot Daly gets hurt, and he sees an opportunity. "Owen Farrell won't bat an eyelid coming into a Lions test, and he can cover the midfield in terms of both 10 and 12." As is often the case with Lions tours, the selection game is what draws attention more than the tactical nuance, with Farrell junior and Osborne the latest calls to bring attention, and potential scrutiny, onto the Lions coaching staff. Akin to Rassie Erasmus calling up out-half Handre Pollard for hooker Malcolm Marx back at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, as O'Sullivan cites, sometimes you have to take the opportunity to make squad changes where you see fit. The Lions face an AUNZ Invitational XV side on Saturday morning in the final run out before the eagerly anticipated first test with the Wallabies on Saturday, 19 July.
Irish Examiner
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Stephen Larkham: 'Knowing how he operates, I think Clayton will be a great fit for Munster'
Stephen Larkham is backing rival Super Rugby head coach Clayton McMillan to be a great fit when he takes the reins at Munster this summer. Australia's 1999 World Cup-winning fly-half knows all about dealing with high expectations at Munster having served as Johann van Graan's senior coach at the province between 2019 and 2022. He has fond memories of life in Limerick and there is the sense that the foundations he and van Graan laid at Munster's High Performance Centre during their tenures led to the URC title success under his fellow assistant Graham Rowntree in the season following their departures. Larkham returned home to Canberra to return to the Brumbies as head coach and will on Wednesday plot the downfall of an Irish-heavy British & Irish Lions side in their latest tour match on this 2025 tour Down Under. That the Brumbies' home, GIO Stadium has a Gregan-Larkham grandstand named in honour of the franchise's legendary half-back partnership, a pairing with scrum-half George Gregan which helped secure the Wallabies' World Cup success 26 years ago, tells you all you need to know about the current head coach's standing in his hometown. His tenure at the top of the organisation he also served as both a player and an assistant to Jake White when the Brumbies beat the Lions here in 2013 has also been enhanced by guiding the Canberra side to the Super Rugby Pacifica semi-finals this season, Australia's only representatives in the last four. That they lost to McMillan's Chiefs in that semi last month was not lost on Larkham as he applauded Munster's decision to appoint the New Zealander as Rowntree's permanent successor having negotiated the final seven months of last season under an interim head coach, Ian Costello. 'I had a chat to him (McMillan) after our first-round game, actually,' Larkham said. 'I didn't talk to him after they beat us in the semi. I did, but not about that. Clayton McMillan is Munster's 11th head coach since 2014. File picture: Michael Bradley/Getty 'He's done an amazing job. When you look at that Chiefs team, not necessarily the best players, but it fits well. We've kind of had it here with the Brumbies and the Waratahs and the big brother up the road. 'They've got the Chiefs and the Blues, who are the big brother up the road. He's done an amazing job with the Chiefs over the last couple of years. He's a great coach and got huge respect within the Super Rugby community. 'And I think he's a great appointment. 'No disrespect to the coaches that are over there (at Munster) at the moment. I just think, obviously, they've made a decision that they want to find someone external. 'Just talking to Clayton, knowing how he operates, and speaking to some of the players and the staff that have worked with him, I think he's going to be a great fit." Larkham is two years removed from his stint with Munster but he looks back on that period of his coaching career with fondness. 'We loved it. We had the opportunity to stay over there. We came back because Brumbies is my home. It's my hometown. 'I always had the plan to go overseas somewhere to bring the experience back to the Brumbies. And I certainly got a lot of experience out of Munster. 'It was hard to leave. Great environment, good group of players, good staff, great set-up. 'Loved the town of Limerick, where we lived. Everyone's passionate about rugby over here. 'You get really good crowds at the British and Irish Lions games, but you see through Super we don't get the crowds that we get over there. From a development point of view as a coach, I couldn't talk higher of the environment that was created over there for the coaches. An amazing experience.' Working within the Irish system has also given Larkham a better appreciation of the Lions, which was already at a high level given he faced them as a player in the 2001 Test Series. 'Knowing some of the players, like Tadhg Beirne is here with the team, but then we had Mack Hansen and Finlay Bealham, and we've been following those guys, obviously, because they're from Canberra. 'And just to see the Irish system, and be in the Irish system, and see how it sort of flows through. 'All the talent from Munster, how that flows through into the Irish team. And then kind of seeing how the Irish team do it, and where they've come from. What Joe (Schmidt) did, sort of bring them through, and Andy (Farrell) sort of continued that on. 'And now the bulk of the Irish, the British and Irish Lions team is Irish. Yeah, it gives me more appreciation of the talent that was over there. 'I think being over there has certainly given me more appreciation of the talent that is in those competitions up there." Read More Ireland make four changes for World U20 Rugby Championship clash against New Zealand
Wales Online
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Tonight's rugby news as Warburton names five standout Lions so far and Wales get welcome party
Tonight's rugby news as Warburton names five standout Lions so far and Wales get welcome party The latest rugby news and headlines from Wales and beyond Sam Warburton has picked out five Lions who impressed against Argentina (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd ) Here are your rugby evening headlines for Thursday, 26 June. Warburton names five standout Lions Former Wales and British & Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton has named the five players who stood out in the Lions' tour opener defeat to Argentina last Friday - including one Welshman. Andy Farrell's side went down 28-24 to Los Pumas in Dublin ahead of flying Down Under, with the tourists currently in Perth preparing for their first match on Australian soil. They take on the Western Force on Saturday, with Farrell having named an Irish-heavy side as the preparations for the first Test against the Wallabies really starts in earnest. Warburton, who skippered the Lions in 2013 and 2017, admitted he wasn't too disheartened by the defeat to Argentina in his column for the Times, but did add that Farrell's side did force things at the Aviva Stadium. "As a player early on in a Lions tour you have to be careful about chasing those massive moments to further your case for selection," wrote Warburton. "As a seven I am not thinking about trying to win a turnover 5m from my own line, which would obviously be picked up as a special moment. "What I would be thinking is of trying to compete effectively at 10-15 rucks in defence, to win two or three lineouts and get all my lineout drills right, hit 25 rucks and make them all positive, not miss a single tackle, with maybe five of them being dominant, and carry the ball five or six times dynamically. Article continues below "If I do that I will be a Test player. You have to focus on what makes your cog turn in your position. If you do all those nuts and bolts exceptionally well, then an opportunity might arise for you to do something spectacular as an added bonus." In terms of the players who impressed him, Warburton only picked out five - but that list did include one of the two Welsh players on tour. "So, some will have been disappointed with the Argentina match," added Warburton. "I might have expected, say, seven players to stand out in that as being nailed-on Test starters but I'm not sure that was the case. "I thought Ellis Genge was good, Ben Earl impressed me, as did Tom Curry, and Tommy Freeman was excellent, while I enjoyed Tomos Williams off the bench, but that was it. It was a night on which it was obvious how wide-open selection is going to be." Wales get welcome party Wales have arrived in Kitakyushu ahead of their two-Test tour of Japan. Matt Sherratt's side left the UK on Wednesday, flying direct from Heathrow to Tokyo before a short internal flight to Kitakyushu. The northernmost city on Kyushu Island is where Wales will play Eddie Jones' Brave Blossoms on July 5, before travelling to Kobe for the second Test on July 12. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Kitakyushu is also where Wales were based in the 2019 World Cup, with the Welsh Rugby Union having spent a couple of years before the tournament building a relationship with the city through workshops and regular visits. At the end of the tournament, the Welsh team even took out a two-page advert in the local newspaper to thank the locals for their hospitality. The links between Kitakyushu and Welsh rugby clearly remain, with Wales being welcomed with a banner that read: "In 2019, we became a family. Welcome back, Wales." Content cannot be displayed without consent Dan Sheehan warns Lions will match Western Force's hunger By Duncan Bech, PA Rugby Union Correspondent, Perth Dan Sheehan insists his British and Irish Lions will use their pride in the jersey to match the determination of a Western Force side who are targeting a famous victory in Perth. Lions captain Maro Itoje has been stood down for the opening fixture on Australian soil so Ireland hooker Sheehan takes charge of Andy Farrell's men at Optus Stadium on Saturday. Henry Pollock makes his first start for the elite of British and Irish rugby after being picked at number eight while Finn Russell, the early favourite to take the playmaking duties against the Wallabies, is given his maiden outing of the tour at fly-half. The Lions know they are being targeted by Super Rugby teams eager to make history but Sheehan, who skippered Ireland against Wales in the Six Nations, declares they will not have a monopoly on passion. 'It's important to know where the opposition's mindset is and how they approach a game that only comes around every 12 years, like it does for the Western Force,' said the 26-year-old, who is one of nine players in the matchday 23 set to make their Lions debuts. 'I'm sure the Force will be 150 per cent of what they usually are. They will be flying into it and that bit of extra hunger can produce some powerful things. 'They would have been eyeing this game up since they probably first stepped into that Western Force change room. It'll mean an awful lot to them. 'But I don't want them to think that they're going to be hungrier than us. We have to demonstrate back our own mindset because this will be the first time I will be putting on the jersey, along with a few other lads.' The Force is the second game of a tour that began with a 28-24 defeat by Argentina in Dublin and while matches will soon come thick and fast, chances to impress Lions boss Andy Farrell will be limited. Article continues below Farrell, however, has cautioned over the danger of players wanting a Test place too much. 'That's desperation and that's what we don't want because desperation leads to people being distorted in the way they go about the game,' he said.
Wales Online
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Andy Farrell opts for box office as Tomos Williams' timely opportunity emerges
Andy Farrell opts for box office as Tomos Williams' timely opportunity emerges Tomos Williams will have the chance to lay down a massive marker in the absence of Jamison Gibson-Park Tomos Williams in action for the British and Irish Lions (Image: Getty Images ) With the British and Irish Lions now in Australia, the speculation over who will make up Andy Farrell's first Test side to face the Wallabies is only set to ramp up. Having named the first team Down Under to face Australia's lowest-ranked Super Rugby side, Western Force, there's a sense that many involved in Saturday could well be front-runners to feature against Australia in Brisbane on July 19. It's an Irish-heavy squad named by Farrell, providing familiarity with the style of rugby he wants to play. There's also the factor with every Lions tour - with team selections on the Saturday rotation, rather than midweek sides, tending to be geared towards Test candidates. It's not an exact science of course, but it's why tour captain Maro Itoje's absence from the side to face Western Force is still noteworthy. "I suppose, for us all now, we've only been together for a few weeks," said Farrell after naming his second team of the tour. "But that's almost not even relevant to us. "It's not what we see or how we see it. It just happens to be that way as far as the numbers are concerned. If you look at it, there are key positions that have not played together before. "All of that makes it interesting for us to see how cohesive we can be as a whole." One of the key positions that have not played together before are the half-backs. In fact, it's the only part of this team to not feature any Irish stars. Finn Russell, the mercurial Scottish fly-half, is - like the vast number of Irish players in this team - seen as the likeliest Test candidate ahead of the English Smiths, Fin and Marcus. The 10, fresh from leading Bath to their first Premiership title since 1996, is quite honestly box office. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Four years ago, the excitement from the small travelling press pack was clear to see in the empty Cape Town Stadium when Russell was introduced in the third Test against the Springboks and proceeded to pick holes in the world champions' aggressive blitz defence - a rare moment of positivity on the pitch in a dour tour off the field. Get the British & Irish Lions kit Various Fanatics Buy Now on Fanatics Product Description The new British & Irish Lions kit has launched ahead of their latest tour with the range including shirts, hoodies and merch for all ages Now, on his second tour, he's the clear favourite to wear the 10 jersey against the Wallabies and, alongside English phenom Henry Pollock, he tends to dominate headlines. When Farrell was asked on Thursday if he'd given the pair any specific instructions for this weekend, he said: "I don't need to ask them to do anything but be themselves. "That's why they're selected. They understand how we're going to play, how we want to play, how they want to play, how they get their own points of difference out there because that's why they're selected as well. So they're as excited as everyone else is." The same will go for Russell's half-back partner, Tomos Williams. The Wales scrum-half will make his first start for the Lions, after impressing off the bench against Argentina last Friday. After replacing England scrum-half Alex Mitchell in Dublin last week, the former Cardiff man upped the tempo - with his eye for a flat miss-pass suiting the style of play Farrell wants. Having put Ellis Genge through a gap, he then picked out Tadhg Beirne as the third option out from the breakdown to put the Irish second-row over for a second-half try. With Ireland's four-man pod, possession-heavy system heavily dependent on the passing range and accuracy of Jamison Gibson-Park. However, the Leinster scrum-half has yet to feature on the tour so far through injury. All being well, he should be available for next week's midweek clash with the Queensland Reds. The smart money would still be on Gibson-Park being the Test scrum-half, such has been Farrell's dependence on him in recent years with Ireland. However, before he even gets the chance to pull on the red jersey, Williams will get a start and a chance to push his case even further. While Russell might have been the catalyst to Bath's Premiership glory, it was Williams who was voted the league's best player this season after a campaign of eye-catching moments. Alongside each other, the pair could certainly shine. Rugby chaos is a term that only brings derision in Wales and it would certainly be unfair to suggest both half-backs are just cavalier spirits throwing caution to the wind and abandoning all common sense. But, within the detailed framework of Farrell's gameplan, there's room to improvise - more so than his Ireland predecessor and current Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt's game. Russell should thrive in a Farrell gameplan, with options to stretch his vast range of passing and wonderfully delayed decision-making. But Williams should also have ample opportunity to show what he can do. Article continues below Maybe, just maybe, it could end up being the Test half-back partnership. Russell, as everyone knows, is box office. Don't rule out Williams alongside him being so too.
