Latest news with #LionsManagement
BreakingNews.ie
15-07-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Jack Conan says nerves mounting as Lions prepare to name first Test team
Jack Conan admits the British and Irish Lions squad are feeling the tension as Andy Farrell prepares to reveal who has claimed the ultimate prize of a Test place against Australia. Six matches into their tour, all of them producing wins except the Dublin curtain-raiser against Argentina, and the Lions management have finalised selection for Saturday's series opener at Suncorp Stadium. Advertisement The players will be told who has made the matchday 23 at a meeting on Wednesday and Conan believes the performances delivered over the last four weeks have not made selection easy. Tuesday Training 🏉 T minus 4 days to the 1st Test 🇦🇺🦁 #Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 15, 2025 'Everyone will be a bit nervous, but everyone has gone incredibly well, especially in the back row,' said Conan, who is expected to be named at number eight when the team is officially announced on Thursday. 'It's tough for the coaches, I'm sure, and hopefully we've given them plenty of headaches over the last while. No matter who's been out there, they've taken their opportunity really well. 'It's about those lads who get to run out at the weekend to do right by the lads who aren't playing. Advertisement 'It's going to be unbelievably special to play the first Test so hopefully everyone can make the most of it.' No area of the team has been more competitive than the back row, with Conan the closest thing to a certainty given he is the only specialist number eight in the 44-man squad in Australia. England duo Ollie Chessum and Tom Curry just hold the edge in the race to be picked as flankers, but Farrell is blessed with options in both positions. 'There's huge amounts of class and talent in the back row. It's been great to get to know the lads, to learn off them, to see how they do things and to push each other on as well,' Conan said. Advertisement 'That level of talent pushes everyone on to be your best and I think everyone has been at their best. No one can say they've been poor over the last few weeks. 'Especially in the back row, the standard has been unbelievably high, so it's been a joy to play with the lads and get to know with them.'
Irish Times
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Western Force tested Lions fully, says Andy Farrell
Coach Andy Farrell was pleased with how the British & Irish Lions stayed in the contest early on against the Western Force on Saturday before running away with a 54-7 victory to kick off their tour of Australia. Lions management had questioned whether the tour matches against Super Rugby teams would be competitive enough to prepare the Lions properly for the test series with so many Wallabies in camp and unavailable to play. The Force, the weakest of Australia's four Super Rugby teams, made a mockery of those fears in the opening quarter of Saturday's match when they held the tourists at 7-7 and had a string of penalties inside the Lions 22-metre line. 'The Force played the ball from everywhere and kept the ball in play, that's exactly what we wanted and they tested us fully,' Farrell said. READ MORE 'I was happy with how we stayed in the fight because it was a tough old start to the game. At 7-7, everything was locked wasn't it really? So I thought we stayed in the game really well. 'We reassessed at halftime and then hit them on the break which was pretty pleasing, and after that I thought our defence was pretty strong.' The Lions were beaten 28-24 by Argentina in their first outing in Dublin last week and Farrell said there was still plenty to work on despite the lopsided scoreline in Perth. 'There's fantastic learnings for us again,' he added. 'We had a few things to fix, mainly our discipline, but once we gained a little bit of composure, I thought the second half was a little bit better. 'Some nice stuff but obviously, at this stage in the tour, a lot still to do.' The Lions play the Queensland Reds, New South Wales Waratahs, ACT Brumbies and an invitational Australia-New Zealand XV over the next three weeks before the first test against the Wallabies in Brisbane on July 19th.
CNA
28-06-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Farrell pleased with Lions grit after early Force onslaught in Perth
PERTH :Coach Andy Farrell was pleased with how the British & Irish Lions stayed in the contest early on against the Western Force on Saturday before running away with a 54-7 victory to kick off their tour of Australia. Lions management had questioned whether the tour matches against Super Rugby teams would be competitive enough to prepare the Lions properly for the test series with so many Wallabies in camp and unavailable to play. The Force, the weakest of Australia's four Super Rugby teams, made a mockery of those fears in the opening quarter of Saturday's match when they held the tourists at 7-7 and had a string of penalties inside the Lions 22-metre line. "The Force played the ball from everywhere and kept the ball in play, that's exactly what we wanted and they tested us fully," Farrell said. "I was happy with how we stayed in the fight because it was a tough old start to the game. At 7-7, everything was locked wasn't it really? So I thought we stayed in the game really well. "We reassessed at halftime and then hit them on the break which was pretty pleasing, and after that I thought our defence was pretty strong." The Lions were beaten 28-24 by Argentina in their first outing in Dublin last week and Farrell said there was still plenty to work on despite the lopsided scoreline in Perth. "There's fantastic learnings for us again," he added. "We had a few things to fix, mainly our discipline, but once we gained a little bit of composure, I thought the second half was a little bit better. "Some nice stuff but obviously, at this stage in the tour, a lot still to do." The Lions play the Queensland Reds, New South Wales Waratahs, ACT Brumbies and an invitational Australia-New Zealand XV over the next three weeks before the first test against the Wallabies in Brisbane on July 19.
Reuters
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Farrell pleased with Lions grit after early Force onslaught in Perth
PERTH, June 28 (Reuters) - Coach Andy Farrell was pleased with how the British & Irish Lions stayed in the contest early on against the Western Force on Saturday before running away with a 54-7 victory to kick off their tour of Australia. Lions management had questioned whether the tour matches against Super Rugby teams would be competitive enough to prepare the Lions properly for the test series with so many Wallabies in camp and unavailable to play. The Force, the weakest of Australia's four Super Rugby teams, made a mockery of those fears in the opening quarter of Saturday's match when they held the tourists at 7-7 and had a string of penalties inside the Lions 22-metre line. "The Force played the ball from everywhere and kept the ball in play, that's exactly what we wanted and they tested us fully," Farrell said. "I was happy with how we stayed in the fight because it was a tough old start to the game. At 7-7, everything was locked wasn't it really? So I thought we stayed in the game really well. "We reassessed at halftime and then hit them on the break which was pretty pleasing, and after that I thought our defence was pretty strong." The Lions were beaten 28-24 by Argentina in their first outing in Dublin last week and Farrell said there was still plenty to work on despite the lopsided scoreline in Perth. "There's fantastic learnings for us again," he added. "We had a few things to fix, mainly our discipline, but once we gained a little bit of composure, I thought the second half was a little bit better. "Some nice stuff but obviously, at this stage in the tour, a lot still to do." The Lions play the Queensland Reds, New South Wales Waratahs, ACT Brumbies and an invitational Australia-New Zealand XV over the next three weeks before the first test against the Wallabies in Brisbane on July 19.
