Latest news with #LosPumas
RTÉ News
21 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Preview: Expect a response from Lions in first Australian outing
If you haven't seen it yet, it's worth watching the first couple of episodes of 'The Ultimate Test', the in-house videos from the British and Irish Lions squad on their YouTube channel. Obviously not on the same level as the warts-and-all 'Living with the Lions' documentary from 1997, but there have been plenty of interesting nuggets across the opening two episodes; Andy Farrell's emotional words to the room about calling up Finlay Bealham to his squad and Mack Hansen's candid admissions about getting to know Marcus Smith were the highlights of episode one. The latest video followed their week in Dublin, with Ellis Genge's leadership skills and John Fogarty's coaching work both jumping out. Unfortunately, one thing we weren't privy to was the scene in the Aviva Stadium changing room after last Friday's defeat to Argentina. The Lions head coach was scathing in his public assessment of their performance against Los Pumas, so one can only imagine what was said behind closed doors. It was a change of tack for Farrell, who clearly wanted to send a message to his players about the standards expected of them over the next six weeks. In his five years coaching Ireland, you can count on one hand how often he's had a cut off his team's performances in post-match press conferences, with the scrappy wins against Georgia in 2020 and Fiji in 2022 the ones that jump out. When Ireland have lost games under Farrell (above), he's been more inclined to become protective of his team rather than challenge them. He was furious after the first Test defeat to South Africa last summer, but that anger didn't become apparent until the days after the game in Pretoria. In the immediate aftermath, he kept an even keel. It's impossible to tell whether last week's defeat has factored much into Farrell's selection for the opening game in Australia against the Western Force tomorrow. Prior to the Argentina clash, he suggested that he had a rough sketch in his head about his squads for the opening two or three games, as he looked to test out various combinations and allow everyone get a run. Twelve of last week's matchday squad go again this week, but only two players have been named to start for the second week in a row, with Tadhg Beirne and Sione Tuipulotu the pair retained in the starting team. The fact that both payers feature in different positions may point towards some of the lessons learned in Dublin. Beirne moves from the second row to blindside flanker, where he was primarily used by Warren Gatland on the 2021 tour. The back row was one area where the Lions failed to click against Argentina, and the addition of a hybrid lock/flanker in the side could be a nod towards Farrell's Test plans, with Beirne, Ollie Chessum or possibly even Maro Itoje the able to fill that role. Tuipulotu (below) also keeps his place in the starting team, and the Scotland captain will be keen to iron out some of the creases in his game, having been guilty of some poor ball protection a week ago. He moves from outside centre to the number 12 channel, as Garry Ringrose comes in for his first Lions appearance. Last week's team had a strong English flavour to it, but this selection is dominated by Ireland, with eight starters and three more on the bench. Leinster contribute seven of those starting team, which equals the record for players from one club in a Lions XV. "We'll see on Saturday how we respond," the head coach said as he named his team for Saturday's game in Perth. "The guys that are taking the field this week are a little bit fortunate in the sense they understand how we want to get better. "They've got to take responsibility for that, and grab hold of their chance of taking this team forward." With Itoje rested, Dan Sheehan takes the honour of captaining the Lions in his first ever game for the side. It caps a remarkable turnaround for the Leinster and Ireland hooker, whose chances of even making the Lions squad looked in real jeopardy when he suffered a torn ACL in Ireland's opening Test defeat to the Springboks in South Africa just under a year ago. He returned ahead ahead of schedule, just in time for the start of the 2025 Six Nations and instantly hit his best form, while he captained Ireland in the absence of Caelan Doris during the round three win against Wales in Cardiff. "It says a lot about him. You don't make these decisions lightly," Farrell said of making the 26-year-old captain in his first Lions outing. "To have the special honour of captaining the British and Irish Lions must be amazing for Dan and his family, they will be bursting with pride. "But it's well earned. He will 100% do the job justice by just being himself. I know for a fact, whatever he asks the players to do, there won't be empty words, it will be things he's willing to do himself. "I know the responsibility will make him a better player because that's the type of character he is, a calming influence who understands what pressure situations are like at this level. All those things put together are why he is sat beside me." The Force were beaten 69-17 when these sides met 12 years ago, and the western Australia side are the weakest of the four Super Rugby sides on paper, finishing ninth in the 2025 season, with four wins from their 14 games. They do boast several Wallabies in their squad, some of whom will be meeting the Lions next month in the Test series. Former Australia captain Nic White starts at scrum-half, while internationals Matt Proctor, Hamish Stewart, Dylan Pietsch, Darcy Swain, Sam Carter, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Tom Robertson are also in the starting team. Another current Wallaby, Ben Donaldson has also left Australia's squad late in the week to cover at full-back, after injury ruled veteran Kurtley Beale (below) out of the game. "To get the opportunity to play against the Lions is unreal," White said. "It's a real dream come true, words don't really do it justice." With Farrell's stinging criticism of their performance against Argentina still fresh in their minds, it's hard to see the Lions falling flat for the second week in a row. But even if an upset win for the Force looks unlikely, White is playing the long game. "If we can bash a couple of their blokes on the way in and bruise them and make them a bit sore by the time they get to the Wallabies then job done as far as the Super Rugby sides are concerned."
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Steve Borthwick reveals one key for England to beat Argentina this summer
England will need to show that they cope with Argentina' s transition game if they are to succeed away to Los Pumas, according to head coach Steve Borthwick. Borthwick and his team have flown out to South America for a two-Test series against the world's fifth-ranked side before travelling onto Washington DC to take on the USA. And any danger that they might take the task lightly was quickly extinguished on Friday night when Argentina ran in three tries in a historic 28-24 win over the British and Irish Lions in Dublin in their opening fixture. Even without some key players based in France, including future Harlequins second row Guido Petti and Toulouse duo Juan Cruz Mallia and Santiago Chocobares, Argentina were lethal off turnover ball. Former Exeter winger Santiago Cordero scored the winning try from a move that started in his own half, while Gloucester's Santiago Carreras was heavily involved in another long-range try finished by Tomas Albornoz. That ability to strike from nowhere did not go unnoticed by Borthwick, whose England side warmed up for their tour with a narrow home defeat to a France XV at Allianz Stadium. He said: 'Argentina are an enthusiastic, committed team who score fast in transition. They changed their strategy in a couple of areas against the Lions and ultimately, they got some opportunities and took them really well and took them quickly. 'It's a great challenge; it's one we are looking forward to and this group of players are really enthused by the chance to go to Argentina and go up against a really good team.' In the non-capped match against France, England bounced back from an early 12-0 deficit to get back in front 24-12, even after winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was shown a 20-minute red card for a high tackle. That looked as though it would be enough to claim the win, but France came back strongly in the last 10 minutes with two tries to snatch the win. Despite that, Borthwick was pleased at the way his team – featuring five uncapped players in the matchday squad – were able to seize control of the encounter. He said: 'The response after a couple of scores against us, the response then and to get back control of the game. Tactically then, for about 55-60 minutes, I thought the team were very good and we looked very dangerous. 'If you look at the 22 entries and the number of penalties the opposition conceded close to their line, that told us there was a lot of good in our game. That was the pleasing aspect to it. 'While we are disappointed by the scoreboard at the end and the last 10 minutes, I think that's going to be positive in the development of this young group.'
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
England pick banned player for tour of Argentina and US
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has been included in England's 36-man summer tour squad, despite being suspended for the first two matches. Hooker Jamie George and five-eighth George Ford will co-captain the group, which contains 10 uncapped players, for two Tests against Argentina and one against the United States. Exeter wing Feyi-Waboso was sent off for a high tackle on Antoine Hastoy in the first half of Saturday's 26-24 loss to a France XV on his first appearance since suffering a dislocated shoulder in December. Due to his ban, the 22-year-old will been unavailable for the matches against Los Pumas on July 5 and 12 in La Plata and San Juan respectively. Subject to completing a tackle course, Feyi-Waboso, who has scored five tries in eight international caps, will return to contention for the clash with the US on July 19 in Washington DC. Joe Carpenter, Seb Atkinson, Guy Pepper and Oscar Beard, who were involved in the non-capped contest with France, are joined in the squad by fellow potential Test debutants Charlie Atkinson, Arthur Clark, Emmanuel Iyogun, Will Muir, Luke Northmore and Max Ojomoh. "For some of the younger players, this will be their first experience of touring overseas with England. Travelling together helps strengthen team bonds and offers a valuable chance for new players to integrate into our environment," said head coach Steve Borthwick. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has been included in England's 36-man summer tour squad, despite being suspended for the first two matches. Hooker Jamie George and five-eighth George Ford will co-captain the group, which contains 10 uncapped players, for two Tests against Argentina and one against the United States. Exeter wing Feyi-Waboso was sent off for a high tackle on Antoine Hastoy in the first half of Saturday's 26-24 loss to a France XV on his first appearance since suffering a dislocated shoulder in December. Due to his ban, the 22-year-old will been unavailable for the matches against Los Pumas on July 5 and 12 in La Plata and San Juan respectively. Subject to completing a tackle course, Feyi-Waboso, who has scored five tries in eight international caps, will return to contention for the clash with the US on July 19 in Washington DC. Joe Carpenter, Seb Atkinson, Guy Pepper and Oscar Beard, who were involved in the non-capped contest with France, are joined in the squad by fellow potential Test debutants Charlie Atkinson, Arthur Clark, Emmanuel Iyogun, Will Muir, Luke Northmore and Max Ojomoh. "For some of the younger players, this will be their first experience of touring overseas with England. Travelling together helps strengthen team bonds and offers a valuable chance for new players to integrate into our environment," said head coach Steve Borthwick. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has been included in England's 36-man summer tour squad, despite being suspended for the first two matches. Hooker Jamie George and five-eighth George Ford will co-captain the group, which contains 10 uncapped players, for two Tests against Argentina and one against the United States. Exeter wing Feyi-Waboso was sent off for a high tackle on Antoine Hastoy in the first half of Saturday's 26-24 loss to a France XV on his first appearance since suffering a dislocated shoulder in December. Due to his ban, the 22-year-old will been unavailable for the matches against Los Pumas on July 5 and 12 in La Plata and San Juan respectively. Subject to completing a tackle course, Feyi-Waboso, who has scored five tries in eight international caps, will return to contention for the clash with the US on July 19 in Washington DC. Joe Carpenter, Seb Atkinson, Guy Pepper and Oscar Beard, who were involved in the non-capped contest with France, are joined in the squad by fellow potential Test debutants Charlie Atkinson, Arthur Clark, Emmanuel Iyogun, Will Muir, Luke Northmore and Max Ojomoh. "For some of the younger players, this will be their first experience of touring overseas with England. Travelling together helps strengthen team bonds and offers a valuable chance for new players to integrate into our environment," said head coach Steve Borthwick.
Daily Mirror
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Farrell hammers 'unacceptable' Lions issue as 54-year record comes to an end
The British and Irish Lions suffered defeat in their opening fixture for the first time in more than 50 years as Argentina downed them in Dublin with Andy Farrell not holding back with his criticism The British and Irish Lions suffered defeat to Argentina on Friday night as their summer tour got off to a less than ideal start in Dublin. Los Pumas produced a stunning performance to seal a 28-24 win. The result means the Lions have lost their opening game for the first time since 1971 - ending a 54-year record of getting off to the best possible start. That said, few teams from the past have played a team of the calibre of Argentina. They came up with three stunning tries - their winning score coming from Santiago Cordero in the second-half. Despite missing all of their French-based players Los Pumas took advantage of a Lions side still lacking in cohesion with a number of new combinations tried. Sione Tuipilotu and Bundee Aki partnered in the centres for the first time. England and Ireland stars came together in the front row but the forwards struggled to consistently nail their lineout. Head coach Andy Farrell bemoaned the amount of errors they made in the aerial battle, which was dominated by Argentina, and also claimed their number of handling errors on opening night were enough for an entire tour. READ MORE: British Lions star Mack Hansen 'wasn't good enough for Australia' and has Andy Farrell tattoo He told Sky Sports: "It wasn't exactly a show from us, it was a show from Argentina. First and foremost, congratulations to them, they thoroughly deserve their win. They capitalised on all the errors we made. But as far as we're concerned, there is a lot to do. You cannot win any Test match with that error rate. "We lost enough ball there for a full tour, let alone a match against a good side like Argentina. We threw passes that were never on. It wasn't just that, it was the aerial battle and the scraps on the floor. They were hungrier than us, that is just not acceptable. The lineout and breakdown work was off a bit at times. I'm disappointed. We need to be honest with ourselves, take the learning and improve, then at least it will stand for something." The Lions will now jet out to Australia as they prepare for their first game Down Under next Saturday. That will take place in Perth against the Western Force as their schedule of games against the Super Rugby teams begins. Farrell's side will be bolster by the return of a number of key players, many of whom are tipped to start the First Test. Finn Russell will come back in and potentially occupy the fly-half berth with hooker Dan Sheehan also returning. The likes of Andrew Porter, Joe McCarthy, Josh van der Flier and James Lowe will also be available. Farrell added on the performance: "We were just a bit tentative and obviously I take responsibility for that. When we came out with a bit of fight at the start of the second half it was more like it, but we just suppressed ourselves with the error count that carried on late into the second half. You don't win Test matches when things like that happen. Where we're at will certainly concentrate the minds. We'll be honest with ourselves, we get on the plane to Australia [on Saturday]."
RTÉ News
20-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Andy Farrell delivers scathing assessment of Lions defeat to Argentina
Andy Farrell didn't hold back in his criticism of his side's performance, as the British and Irish Lions prepared for their tour of Australia with a 28-24 defeat to Argentina at a sold-out Aviva Stadium. Despite dominating possession and territory against Los Pumas, the Lions were left to rue a litany of handling errors and careless offloads, as Argentina twice hit them with stunning counter-attack tries, to claim a famous win. "We made it a tough game, didn't we?" was Farrell's opening remark after full-time. Those in attendance at his press conference were left in no doubt about his thoughts on the performance. "You can try and throw it all around and say we had plenty of opportunities, and we should have done better to convert that, but the whole story of the game is that we compounded too many errors. "In the end, we weren't able to put the pace on the game because of that. "You can single out one thing, but it's not just one thing, it's a compounding of quite a few bits. "The amount of balls that we threw blindly, either to the opposition or the floor, is probably a stand-out. "If you combine that with the kicking game and the aerial battle, and what is disappointing is scraps on the floor from that type of battle, it always seemed to go to Argentina, so there's a bit of fight and hunger from them that we can't accept. "Then you combine stuff at the breakdown, the lineout or whatever, and it's too much. It's too much when it all comes together, it's just compounded, and there's a reason why people do get cramp or look a bit tired or are not able to capitalise on opportunities you have created, because probably subconsciously you're suppressing yourself with the compounding of errors. It obviously needs to be addressed." Argentina held a 21-10 lead at half time, but that was in large part down to errors from the Lions. Luke Cowan-Dickie had a try disallowed for an offload early in the game, while Sione Tuipulotu was guilty of poor handling in a promising position. Defensively, they were opened up far too easily for Ignacio Mendy's opening try (below), while they were caught napping at the breakdown right on half time, as the Pumas sprinted clear for Tomas Albornoz to score after a ball popped free at the ruck. While it could be easy to use a lack of familiarity or teething problems to write off an opening defeat, Farrell refused to take that line. "I wouldn't give that excuse. We need to do better than that. It is what it is. "They capitalised very well on the back of quite a few errors from us. Congratulations to them. I'm sure that's a big moment in Argentinean history. "I think some players will have done themselves proud and they will be hurting for the team because they're all team players. Some people will be happy and some people won't and will be dying to get another chance out there. "We know where we're at, we're underway, so we're going to have to learn a lot of lessons from that. "We're not sugar-coating anything because we need to be honest. If we're not honest how do we gain trust with each other? We have to say it as it is. There are certain things we said we were going to do and we need to own that and review that properly," he added. Normally one to keep an even keel when speaking to the media, Farrell made no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction with both the result and performance. There were positives though. Fin Smith looked sharp at out-half, and had little to do with the sloppiness of those around him, while the scrum dominated throughout, with Finlay Bealham and Ellis Genge in particular making a strong statement in the front row. Bealham was also busy around the pitch, leading his team with 12 tackles, although even in praise of his tighthead prop, Farrell's frustrations with the overall performance couldn't be hidden. "That's what happens when you make so many errors," he said of the amount of tackles the Connacht prop had to put in. "But yeah, I thought himself and Ellis were really good today. "It [the scrum] was aggressive, the lads who started the game especially, they were aggressive and good and had Argentina under the pump a few times. So yeah, very pleased with that." And Farrell even saved the final criticism for himself. "Obviously not good enough," was how he assessed his own coaching. "I always take full responsibility, that's my role. It doesn't matter what department or whatever, I'm in charge of the job lot so it obviously wasn't good enough and I need to be better."
