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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Justin Harrison on his part in Wallabies' epic defeat of Lions in 2001: ‘I probably should have retired after that'
Every British and Irish Lions tour has its defining moments. One particular lineout remains among the defining moments of the tour to Australia in 2001. Perhaps the defining moment. An epic series came down to an epic decider between a vintage Wallabies side, then world champions, and a Lions team featuring a core of English players that would be the next world champions two years' later when beating Australia after extra-time in the same Sydney stadium. In front of an 83,000-capacity crowd inside Stadium Australia, now known as Accor Stadium and again the venue for this series' third Test, the lead had exchanged hands four times. The Wallabies were leading 29-23 when the Lions went to the corner two minutes into overtime in their last realistic shot at victory. Martin Johnson called the ball on himself at the front but Justin Harrison beat him to the throw by the Welsh hooker Darren Morris, and a few minutes later the Wallabies were celebrating a famous and dramatic series win. READ MORE True to type, Harrison already exchanged verbals with Austin Healy during the Lions' loss to Australia A and win over the Brumbies, prompting the English player to describe him as 'an ape, a plank and a plod' in a ghostwritten newspaper column. But Harrison had the last laugh. Remarkably, although he was already 27, that seismic series decider in Sydney was Harrison's Test debut. 'I probably should have retired after that,' Harrison admits wryly. As Orson Welles once said toward the end of his career, which had begun with his debut film Citizen Kane, acclaimed as one of the greatest movies of all time: 'I started at the top and there was only one way to go from there.' Justin Harrison of Australia with the Tom Richards Cup after the third and final Test between the British and Irish Lions and the Australian Wallabies in Sydney on July 14th, 2001. Photograph: Scott Barbour/Allsport In actual fact, Harrison won another 33 caps but, recalling that day 24 years ago, he told The Irish Times: 'I remember being petrified. A lot of people come up to me now, the few that remember it, and say that was a great night. 'What did you do after that?' And I say: 'Well, I played for Australia for another three years.' So that's a bit of a head-scratcher. But it genuinely was a career-defining moment. It comes once in a career and then to win it as well was fantastic.' 'I think it was probably the first time that rugby recognised that it was a professional sport as well as a commercial juggernaut off it,' Harrison adds. Noting the quality of players on both sides, he describes it as 'a really intense series'. He has no regrets about his run-ins with Healey. 'Rugby is a bit of a pantomime sport. There are villains and heroes and characters, and Austin was one of them, absolutely. It's great to zero in on a few people. I've had a lot of people come up and sort of remind me that Austin's hard to ignore, but worth the effort. 'I didn't use it as any extra motivation or spend any more time on it. We'd had a love affair since the Australia A fixture in Gosford. You pick on the smallest bloke on the field, don't you? I'm probably pretty smart there,' he says, laughing. [ Five areas where the Australia v Lions Test series will be won and lost Opens in new window ] After his 34-cap Test career, Harrison went to Ulster in 2005 for three seasons and was part of the province's last title, the 2006 Celtic League. 'I went there with a clear intent to be exposed to a similar culture to Australia; dealing with adversity and the Troubles, strong on identity, wanting to rebuild and searching for leadership, in the best competition, the Heineken Cup, as well as the Celtic League.' Justin Harrison says farewell to Ravenhill Stadium in Belfast in September 2008. Photograph: Presseye/Inpho He puts Mark McCall alongside Eddie Jones as the best two coaches he's played under. 'I'm mystified why he's not considered for national positions. He probably doesn't want to but I think he should. 'Belfast, for me, was extreme success with the trophy and then the way that they nursed me through some troubled times as well I'll never forget. It's a very special part of my life. My two young boys have Irish passports. My wife's grandfather lived in Portrush. We've got a strong connection there.' As well as being 'very clinical in his approach' and 'very well prepared', Harrison says of McCall: 'He articulates his message very clearly. A good communicator. He's played before but he knows how to connect with every single person from the lowest common denominator to the highest. He's a very, very good coach.' [ The Offload: Justin Harrison far from a plank in the commentary box Opens in new window ] As a retired player who had moved into punditry by the time the Lions returned to Australia, he describes the 2013 series as another epic. 'Full of intrigue, and that's what sport does. It throws up unpredictability: the slip from Kurtley [Beale], the miss from Leigh Halfpenny,' he says in reference to the last-ditch kicks at the end of the first and second Tests before the Lions had 'a blowout' in winning the third. Australia had just won their second World Cup two years before the 2001 tour, and would reach a fourth final in 2015. But they haven't won it since and suffered a first pool exit two years ago in France when thrashed by Wales and beaten by Fiji. Harrison was also part of a fifth Bledisloe Cup win in a row over the All Blacks in 2002, but likewise they haven't won that since either. Justin Harrison, chief executive of the Rugby Union Players' Association (Rupa) at an event announcing Australia winning their Rugby World Cup 2027 & 2029 bid in Canberra. Photograph:for Rugby Australia Yet he is a little miffed when it is suggested to him that Australian rugby is in decline. 'It's been under pressure, absolutely. We have a commercial model for international rugby, not just Australian rugby, that's under strain. 'World Rugby is certainly solving some big macro issues around calendar alignment. Northern hemisphere clubs, as well as down south, are financially challenged. 'How to attract, retain and develop talent is an age-old problem, particularly in Australia, when you've got the economics that we're exposed to in the international market. We can't have a chequebook shoot-out. 'The health of the game, also, all the way down to under-6's, is determined by our national performance. So, absolutely, we need to be doing better, more consistently at a national level so that that'll have a waterfall effect, not only for resources, but for engagement and creating heroes. [ Gerry Thornley: The Lions must be wary of wily old fox Joe Schmidt. Something special is brewing Opens in new window ] 'We've got AFL and [Rugby] League, who are domestic competitions that have vastly superior broadcast deals and just outright resources. Do I think that there's been a decline? There's been a decline, possibly, in win-loss ratio, but I don't see any less parochialism or passion around the Wallaby jersey. Those things are never in question. Access to talent and ability to retain and develop talent, that's an ongoing issue.' Being an Australian, perhaps it's not so surprising to hear Harrison speak optimistically about this series and especially this Wallabies team. 'The Wallabies have a healthy group of players that have got shared experience in adversity, extreme adversity,' he says, citing the 2023 World Cup, and notes the improved Australian performances in Super Rugby Pacific and the work of Joe Schmidt . Australia's head coach Joe Schmidt during the team's training session in Brisbane on Thursday. Photograph: David Gray/AFP via Getty Images 'Joe Schmidt has done very well. He's connected with the group. He's built trust and honesty, and importantly he's recognised the stage at which Australian rugby is in. And he's let that inform the way that he places expectation on performance. 'He hasn't tried to reinvent a skill or find something that's not there. He's recognised that there's a rebuild and a foundation required. And there's consistency and cohesion coming through.' As in 2001, Harrison believes this series will come down to one or two key moments again. 'It's bound to. But for it to be a good series, we need good officials,' he adds, launching into a common lament in Australian rugby union regarding excessive use of the TMO and replays, and citing the Australia-Fiji game when referee Pierre Brousset 'was really going hard at making it into a clinically perfect dentist's visit of a match instead of just letting it be an entertaining spectacle'. Referees are trusted more in Super Rugby, and there is less use of TMOs. Contrary to the prevailing view, Harrison believes these Wallabies are in 'a great position', in large part due to the Australian mentality. 'Look at, culturally, the history of Australia. Just about everything that moves in the wildlife can kill you, whether we're in flood, drought or something we're dealing with, right? We're an adverse frontier country. We're used to being hard against it. And on the world stage, typically, every single one of our national teams does well. 'From a resource shoot-out, we probably do better than we are entitled to think we should. That's a great position for us to be in. Culturally, we like to be under pressure, and we like to prove our point, and this Wallaby group, I think, will prove their point.'
Times
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Times
‘Austin Healey called me a plank and an ape, and there I was eating a banana'
Twenty-four years on and the memories are still strong as Justin Harrison and Owen Finegan regale their tales of beating the British & Irish Lions. Australia have emerged victorious from only two series against the Lions in 137 years of meetings: a 1-0 win in a one-match series in 1930, and a 2-1 victory in 2001. No wonder then that Finegan, the flanker who has scored a try in a World Cup final win, ranks the triumph over the Lions as his greatest achievement in rugby. 'I put it ahead of the World Cup,' he says, as we relive 2001 for an episode of The Ruck, The Times's rugby podcast, before Saturday's opening Test of the 2025 series. 'It's that once-in-12-years opportunity,' Finegan says. 'I have Irish heritage and was the only one in my family that was born in Australia, so I get it.' The difficulty for Finegan was finding tickets for 46 of his cousins that year. 'My mum's got 14 brothers and sisters and my dad's got 13 brothers and sisters. I've got over 100 first cousins!' 'On the bus, they used to go through the team alphabetically asking how many tickets you wanted — [Matt] Burke, [John] Eales, and eventually get to Finegan. And everyone was like 'four, two, three' and the manager goes, 'Finegan?' and I'd go '46'. 'I used to dread the phone call on Monday afternoon to tell me how many tickets they wanted.' What about Harrison? He made his Test debut in the third match of the 2001 series and, having been a regular subject in Austin Healey's newspaper column, he had the last laugh and stole a crucial lineout from Martin Johnson in the decider to help secure a 29-23 win in Sydney. How fondly does he remember it all? 'Well, when you've got a room dedicated to that series…' the former lock jokes. 'There's a screensaver and my children have to pay homage to my statue every night before they go to sleep. 'There are landmark victories that you remember. That's absolutely a huge event in anyone's rugby calendar. I've been on both sides of the story, I lost the World Cup [in 2003]. So you don't only remember it because of the victory. It was a once-in-a-career opportunity and the timing of it for me was outstanding. 'Coming into a world-champion Wallaby outfit that had every trophy in the cabinet at the time. It's a pinch-me moment just to be entering the changing rooms and training with this team, let alone participating in a Lions series and winning it.' Brisbane, banter and the sea of red The Wallabies did not have much preparation for the Lions series of 2001; just one match against the Maori All Blacks — which Finegan was banned for, having 'accidentally trod on someone's head' playing for ACT Brumbies in the Super 12 semi-finals. They had won the 1999 World Cup and held the Bledisloe Cup since 1998. It was Australian rugby's most dominant era; an unmatched peak. So when the Lions walloped them 29-13 at the Gabba in Brisbane, with Jason Robinson and Brian O'Driscoll waltzing around and through them for two of the great Lions tries, they were shell-shocked and embarrassed. 'We turned out at the Gabba and it was like you were playing in Cardiff,' Finegan says. 'You just walked out and everyone was in red.' Harrison was not playing in Brisbane, but still remembers the sea of red supporters. 'I remember feeling the physical assault of the wave of sound as you ran out onto the stadium,' he says. 'There's still a record at Caxton Street for consumption on the 2001 tour. They drank them out of beer in the pubs. It's a challenge for the supporters this time, right? Us and Owen's 46 cousins will help! 'For the first time in this tour, we heard the 'Lions, Lions, Lions' chant going up at the Waratahs game in Sydney the other day… it's taken a while.' Finegan adds: 'There's not been enough of that yet. I'd say the Lions fans are a bit embarrassing at the moment.' Despite the Gabba defeat, Finegan loved the atmosphere. It was like nothing he had ever experienced. 'The banter's unreal and the people that come in are passionate rugby people,' he says. 'We felt like we let ourselves down and the team. We were hoping to turn that around in Test two and three. That's what we talk about.' Roff's intercept and the revenge of 'the ape' In the second Test in Melbourne, the Lions led 11-6 before the wing Joe Roff nicked an interception from Jonny Wilkinson to level the match just after half-time. Roff scored a second and the Wallabies levelled the series with a 35-14 win. 'There's two blokes that I played with at the Brumbies, and they both claim winning the series,' Finegan says. 'Joe Roff turned the second one by himself, but he doesn't remember that I was putting pressure on Jonny Wilkinson and made him throw the bad pass. And then Justin won one lineout that third game. The blokes that lifted Justin Harrison did a great job, because I know it's very difficult!' Harrison had battled with Healey when Australia A beat the Lions 28-25 earlier in the tour and when the tourists sneaked past the Brumbies in Canberra with a last-minute penalty from Matt Dawson, winning 30-28. Healey, in a ghostwritten Guardian column penned by the late Eddie Butler, the former Wales captain, had targeted Harrison. Water off a duck's back to the 6ft 8in second-row forward. 'It was a sideshow,' Harrison says. 'He [Healey] is a big character. He's a sport jock, really. I just didn't like him. Since, I think I've been validated by British & Irish Lions fans and his own team-mates. He's hard to avoid, but worth the effort.' Harrison had been told he was not playing in the third Test by the Australia coach Rod Macqueen — but would be the water-carrier — until David Giffin pulled out late with a hamstring issue. 'He had literally just finished telling me, 'it's a very important job. We're really proud, you've done well with Australia A, the Brumbies, you've been a good member of the squad,' ' Harrison says. 'Giff then tells me that he's injured. And Rod panics and runs up to his room — ten minutes later, I get a phone call, it's the same story, except the end is, we've actually had to think about it. And you're going to start with John Eales.' Then before the final Test Healey wrote of Harrison: 'The plod from the second row. And what do you know, he's in the team to face us. Me and the plank. Do you think one of us will have the final say? I'll say so.' He also labelled Harrison an 'ape'. 'The morning of the Test, I opened the door and there's a hand of bananas at the foot of my door. And I thought, this must be a Wallaby protocol,' Harrison remembers. 'I walked down to the breakfast hall eating a banana — and something's off, I noticed Joe Roff, Matt Burke, sitting there laughing. 'I pivot right and there's a table with all of the papers spread out with Austin Healey's column calling me a plod, plank and ape, and I'm standing there eating a banana. The whole team laughed their heads off. So that was my Test morning to settle my nerves. I'm getting shit put on me by my team-mates.' Harrison, right, holds the Tom Richards Trophy with Australia's replacement lock Matt Cockbain MATTHEW IMPEY/SHUTTERSTOCK Harrison had the final say in the lineout, though. 'I remember running in and saying, 'I'm gonna have a go at this', he says. 'You look at the still frame and it's not a great throw from Keith Wood. There's heaps of energy around Jonno and his two lifters. You can tell no one else is involved in the catch. 'Every Lion is getting ready for a maul. A bit of captain obvious, but then a huge amount of luck, right? It pings off left, goes to right, hits my knee — pinball wizard! 'I remember hitting the ground and that's when I became aware of the crowd again. I thought, 'Wow, this feels like the ball, it's not someone's head or my knee, it's the ball.' Then I hear the crowd get up. Andrew Walker pats me on the bum.' And that was that. Wallabies 2-1. So can the 2025 crew emulate the heroes of 2001? 'You look at the history of Australia, one of our best exports is sport, sporting performance on the big stage,' Harrison says. 'Culturally, we're a frontier country that deals with a lot of adversity. We're either in flood, drought, fire, or you're getting chomped on by a shark. Pretty much everything that moves can kill you, if it bites you. Most of it culminates in courage. 'When you talk about Australia, that's what rises to the fore. So don't worry about form coming into a British & Irish Lions team series. It's all about the intensity of the moment.'
Irish Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Kangaroo leaves Ronan O'Gara speechless as never-ending Lions tour trundles on
Day 4,782, or thereabouts, of the Lions tour and while there hasn't been a great deal of spice in it so far, Sky's Alex Payne reminded us of bygone days when there was no end of it. 'Austin Healey called you a plod, a plank and an ape back in 2001,' he said to Justin Harrison as he warmly welcomed him to their coverage, Ronan O'Gara's neck straining to see the reaction of the 6ft 8in former Australian international who was standing beside him pitchside in Canberra. 'Austin and I have had a love affair for a long time,' said Justin. 'He is hard to ignore but it's worth the effort. He's not my favourite human in the world, but good luck to him.' He had, then, put 24-year-old ape-gate behind him, a spell in his life, he once recalled, when his team-mates habitually left bananas outside his bedroom door. [ Lions fail to land statement win against Brumbies but positives outweigh negatives Opens in new window ] [ Lions player ratings: Garry Ringrose does his Test chances no harm with strong outing Opens in new window ] On to 2025 and there was, not to be too parochial, a decidedly green tinge to the Lions' latest outing – eight Irish starters, four more on the bench, and a Brumbies side that featured two Lonergans, an O'Donnell, a Toole (who lost the O in Botany Bay), a Shaw and a Declan, Rory and Liam. It's a wonder they didn't play Amhrán na bhFiann before the game. READ MORE What they did play, quite a bit, was music of the heavy metal kind which resulted in Ronan being close to hoarse from trying to make himself heard above the din. AC/DC proved a particular challenge. Ireland impress as the Lions struggle Listen | 26:21 If the Brumbies didn't shake the Lions all night long, they gave them a few wobbly moments, not least with that try after just three and a half minutes. It wasn't actually over the line, but no matter. 'It's a mixed bag,' said a not entirely impressed Ian McGeechan at half-time, while Kyle Sinckler noted 'some quite head-scratching stuff'. The second half was a bit on the mixed side too. 'It's a little bit disjointed, their juices aren't flowing,' said Ronan, although he was impressed by some of the individual performances. He described Tadhg Furlong , for example, as 'a thoroughbred', 'and I played with a few piebalds in my day'. Tadhg Furlong in action for the Lions during the game against the Brumbies in Canberra. Photograph:When Mack Hansen came on, Miles Harrison suggested that 'he wouldn't be spooked by a kangaroo on a jog up a mountain', asking Ronan to share his experience from the day before with the viewers. Ronan refused, though, perhaps still traumatised. 'Did the kangaroo win by any chance,' Miles asked. There was no response, so we took that as a yes. Any way, the Lions won, 36-24, all our pundits a touch concerned about the concession of four tries, suggesting there's still plenty of fine-tuning to be done before the first test. The highlight of the post-match coverage was the terrific chat between Ronan, Dan Biggar and Finn Russell out on the pitch. 'A Scottish 10, a Welsh 10 and an Irish 10 walk in to an interview with Ellie,' as Alex introduced it. 'It's great to see you play with a smile on your face,' said Ronan. 'I've always got a smile on my face,' said Finn. 'Even though this is the highest level you can play, it's still just a game of rugby, so I'm still out there having a bit of fun.' 'Some of us don't see rugby like that,' said Ronan, Dan nodding vigorously, like it only ever put a grimace on his face. The Lions' Finn Russell is tackled by the Brumbies' Ollie Sapsford. Photograph:What was helping put Finn in good spirits, he said, was the company of his wife and two young daughters who had travelled to Australia. The younger girl, Skye, is one, but will be sitting her GCSEs by the time the tour is over. Back in the studio, it was Ian's turn to pick his Lions side for the first test, Sam Warburton, Alex told us, having received quite a lot of social media feedback after choosing his. 'I learnt the hard way – don't open your notifications.' Alex suggested that there'd be a free pint of Guinness for Ian on his next visit to Ireland after he picked nine of our lads in his team, but having omitted the other six of them, that's probably doubtful. We'll just have to be patient and wait to see Andy Farrell's selection, the only one that matters, of course. And we'll need to be patient too before finding out what exactly happened between Ronan and the kangaroo. If Skippy called him a plod, a plank and an ape, no wonder it kicked off.
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Farrell experience 'gold dust'
Former Australia lock Justin Harrison says Owen Farrell's experience of being in winning environments will be "gold dust" to the British and Irish 33-year-old earned a call-up to his fourth Lions tour on Thursday after Elliot Daly's tour ended through former England captain, who is short of match minutes after struggling with injuries last season, was part of the victorious 2013 Lions tour to Australia."When you introduce someone like Owen Farrell, you don't need to wait to see what he does on the training field, he's already arrived in this squad before he's got here," Harrison told BBC Sport."Yes he may have sent a ripple of energy and shock and surprise but he'll also bring a calmness and reassurance that the right person has come in."Owen Farrell has shared experiences with some of the senior members of this group in winning Lions environments and winning national campaigns. That's gold dust."
Daily Telegraph
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Telegraph
Justin Harrison-Martin Johnson feud to ignite on TV
Don't miss out on the headlines from Wallabies. Followed categories will be added to My News. The television executives who thought it was a good idea to partner Justin Harrison with Martin Johnson during Australia's upcoming series against the British and Irish Lions might have got more than they bargained for. The pair have history - including a long-running feud that has never been resolved - prompting some anxious reservations about how they'll get along when they're seated together in Stan's Rugby Heaven studio. The big hope is that things won't end up like Ian Chappell and Ian Botham, who once started scuffling in the car park, though no-one is sure how it will all play out. Most rugby fans already know the backstory to their bitter dispute, but few are aware of the last fiery exchange when Harris and Johnson nearly came to blows. Justin Harrison was a master in the lineouts. Their row initially kicked off way back in 2001 when Harrison, on debut for the Wallabies, famously stole a lineout from Johnson to clinch Australia's first and only series win over the tourists. While Harrison was proclaimed a national sporting hero and has gone to become a television celebrity, Johnson took the defeat hard, developing a deep dislike for Australians that drove him to the ultimate revenge when he captained England to victory over the Wallabies in the 2003 World Cup final. But what few people know is the pair had another fallout years later after a chance meeting at the Hong Kong 10s when Harrison was there with the Classic Wallabies. Justin Harrison bested Martin Johnson on many an occasion, whether the latter played for England or the Lions. Picture: Getty Images Goog, as he's known to his mates, is a well-known prankster who loves winding people and having a laugh and Hong Kong is the one place where rugby fans all over the world come to let their hair down and take the mickey out of each other. So when Harrison spotted a photograph in the clubhouse of him pinching another lineout from Johnson, he thought he'd have a bit of fun with it, unaware that the former Lions skipper was in the crowd that day. Like all good yarns, it starts with 'I had a few beers under my belt' but we'll let Harrison fill in the rest. Australian lock Justin Harrison was adored by fans in his playing days. Picture: AFP 'There's a lineout picture, not the Lions one but England v Australia and I'm winning the lineout against Johnson, so I take it off the wall and I'm walking around the artificial turf there at Hong Kong football club like a boxing ring girl. 'And someone goes 'Johnno's here, he's at the game, over in the VIP section.' 'So I walk over and I'm standing on the field with this photo and I see him, he's in about row six, and I said 'let's get a photo. 'I thought it was pretty funny but he goes 'f…k you' like proper serious. 'So then there's a bit of a verbal and I'm like 'c'mon on then, come here' and the crowd's into it and singing 'Johnno's a wanker' and I'm geeing them up and he keeps telling me to 'f… off.' 'But that was my last interaction with Johnno and now he's coming down here for a partnership and we're on a panel together. 'So, that's gonna be interesting, right? I better break bread with him.' Former England skipper Martin Johnson, pictured announcing his retirement in 2004, is on his way back to Australia. FORCE 'DEVASTATED' TO LOSE POTTER Western Force coach Simon Cron says losing Wallabies winger Harry Potter to the Waratahs is 'devastating'. Potter will join NSW from next season. 'Potts is a great man, a big part of our team, and it's a shame we've lost him,' Cron said. 'We'd love to keep everybody out west. But Potts has got to do what's best for him and his family and the support staff around him, so devastating to lose him. 'Great fella, great team man. But we wish him all the best. And we're supportive of what's best for Potts.' Wallabies flyer Harry Potter is in high demand. Picture: Getty Images It opens the door for the Force to poach NSW winger Darby Lancaster in what could be a straight swap. 'Obviously, we've got some players coming in there and we need to add a few more into the back three, into the middle of the field and a couple in the tight five,' Cron said. 'We're always on the hunt for the guys that will fit into our environment and the squad and add to the team.' FANS SCRAMBLE IN FLIGHT CHAOS Thousands of British and Irish Lions are scrambling to get to Australia in time for Saturday night's opening match against the Western Force after being delayed by the tensions in the Middle East. The threat of missile strikes in Iran, Israel and US bases in the Gulf region have forced massive changes to the available air routes in the region, with hundreds of flights diverted and cancelled. It has caused chaos for the rugby fans travelling to Perth with some passengers stranded at airports waiting for the next flight while others were turned around and sent home. British and Irish Lions fans are passionate and travel in strong numbers - if they can get here. RA'S MOVE AGAINST HATE SPEECH Rugby Australia has signed a landmark agreement to protect players, refs and coaches from toxic online hate speech. Working closely with former counter-terrorism expert Shane Britten, Rugby Australia has signed a partnership with Social Protect, an AI-powered social media app that detects and deletes harmful and abusive comments from a user's social media profile in real time. The move comes after World Rugby last year charged an Australian resident with sending online abuse to referees after tracking through the AI. 'We're proud to be leading the way in Australian sport and sending a clear message that abuse and harassment - online or offline - have no place in rugby,' RA chief executive Phil Waugh said. Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh. Picture: Getty Images PHILLIP'S TURNING HEADS Former Wallabies lock Matt Phillip has put himself in contention for the chance of playing against the Lions after an eye catching return to Australia. The towering two-metre tall lock has spent the last two seasons in Japan but has signed a new deal with the Waratahs and is available to play for New South Wales against the Lions at Allianz stadium on July 5. But his main goal is to get back into the Wallabies after his last appearance at the 2023 World Cup. Matt Philip last played for the Wallabies at the 2023 World Cup. Picture: Getty Images The 31-year-old has been included in the Wallabies' wider training squad and made a big impression on his comeback to Shute Shield, playing 60 minutes for Sydney University against Gordon at Chatswood Oval last weekend. 'It would definitely be my biggest achievement so far,' he said. 'It happens once every 12 years. 'I'd love to be in the national team again but obviously a lot of things have to happen again.' WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL LEAGUE TIPS OFF Australia's men's Wheelchair Basketball League tips off this weekend and it's shaping up to be the most competitive season yet. Six international imports – double last year's total – and a full squad of U23 World Championship reps, fresh from Brazil, will take to the court across NSW, QLD and WA. This includes two Paris-bound Paralympians; 19-year-old Eithan Leard and 20-year-old Jaylen Brown, both now back on home courts after playing pro in Italy. Originally published as Justin Harrison-Martin Johnson feud to ignite on TV as former rivals link up on Lions coverage
