Latest news with #MaroItoje
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Build-up as British and Irish Lions face Western Force in Perth
Update: Date: 10:14 BST Title: Sheehan leads from the front Content: Western Force v British and Irish Lions (11:00 BST) Stand-in Lions captain Dan Sheehan has challenged his Lions team-mates to match the passion of their hosts Western Force. "I'm sure the Force will be 150% of what they usually are," said the 26-year-old Ireland hooker," said Sheehan. "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." Read more here. Update: Date: 10:11 BST Title: Line-ups Content: Western Force v British and Irish Lions (11:00 BST) Western Force: Donaldson, Grealy, Proctor, Stewart, Pietsch, Harford, White (capt); T Robertson, Paenga-Amosa, Hoskins, Carter, Swain, Harris, Champion de-Crespigny, Ekuasi. Replacements: Dolly, Pearce, Tauakipulu, Faifua, Prinsep, H Robertson, Burey, Kuenzie. British and Irish Lions: Daly, Hansen, Ringrose, Tuipulotu, Lowe, Russell, Williams; Schoeman, Sheehan, Furlong, Cummings, McCarthy, Beirne, Van der Flier, Pollock. Replacements: Kelleher, Porter, Stuart, Chessum, Conan, Mitchell, Jones, M Smith. Update: Date: 10:08 BST Title: Team news Content: Western Force v British and Irish Lions (11:00 BST) With Lions captain Maro Itoje being rested, stand-in skipper Dan Sheehan leads the tourists on Saturday. The Ireland hooker is one of five players in the starting line-up who will make their Lions debut in Perth, his Leinster team-mates Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier being the others. Four more Lions are set to make their debut off the bench - lock Ollie Chessum, centre Huw Jones, and props Andrew Porter and Will Stuart. Northampton tyro Henry Pollock will make his first start at number eight having come off the bench in the defeat by Argentina in Dublin last Friday. Update: Date: 10:04 BST Title: One down, nine to go... Content: Western Force v British and Irish Lions (11:00 BST) The Lions have already played a match this summer, albeit on home soil in Dublin. Andy Farrell's side lost their opening game of a campaign for the first time since 1971 with defeat by Argentina. How will they respond in their first game on Australian soil today? Update: Date: 10:00 BST Title: This is your Everest, boys Content: Western Force v British and Irish Lions (11:00 BST) The British and Irish Lions have a long and vibrant history. The story of the Lions began over a century ago in 1888 when they first toured Australia and New Zealand. Thirty-eight tours and 137 years later, the best of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales return Down Under to write the next chapter of Lions folklore. In tribute to Scotland and Lions legend Jim Telfer, the climb to the top of Everest for the Class of 2025 starts now...
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Lions v Western Force live updates: XXX
British & Irish Lions v Western Force; Optus Stadium, Perth, kick-off 11am (Irish time) 5 minutes ago As ever, the best place to start is with the team news. There are already plenty of Irish living in Perth and should any of them have tickets for tonight, they'll get to watch plenty of their compatriots in the flesh. With the Leinster contingent mostly fit and firing after being rested for the defeat to Argentina, today's squad has a very distinctive green tinge. Somewhat surprisingly, with Maro Itoje given a breather today, Dan Sheehan captains on his Lions debut. Tadhg Furlong joins him in the frontrow along with Scotland's Pierre Schoeman. Joe McCarthy is in the secondrow while Tadhg Beirne shifts to six. Josh van der Flier joins him in the backrow. Henry Pollock lining out at eight, with Jack Conan on the bench, is an intriguing selection. James Lowe, Garry Ringrose and Connacht's Mack Hansen are all in the backline. Andrew Porter and Rónan Kelleher round out the Irish representation alongside Conan among the replacements. Tonight's team! 🦁 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) 10 minutes ago Good morning all and welcome to our coverage of this year's Lions tour. Nathan Johns here to tell you what's what as Andy Farrell and co take on the Western Force at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
BreakingNews.ie
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
William and Kate named ‘most socially significant people in Britain' by Tatler
Britain's Prince and Princess of Wales have topped Tatler's Social Power Index of the 100 'most socially significant people' in Britain in 2025. William and Kate were named number one in the society bible's annual list and hailed as 'the most influential in the land', ahead of Sir David Attenborough and the Beckhams. Advertisement The magazine called the future UK King and Queen 'dream dinner guests' and praised the princess's 'grace and grit' after her cancer diagnosis. David and Victoria also appeared in the top 10 (Finnbarr Webster/PA) 'Top billing goes to the Prince and Princess of Wales, future rulers of this sceptred isle – and dream dinner guests,' it said. The magazine added: 'Aston Villa, the beauty of nature, tennis: the Prince and Princess of Wales have plenty of passions and there's much to admire about the royal couple, especially the grace and grit displayed by Catherine after her cancer diagnosis. 'They will have a kingdom to run in due course, which makes them the No 1 couple to have at your table.' Advertisement Kate was singled out for her 'grace and grit' after her cancer diagnosis (Aaron Chown/PA) British and Irish Lions captain Maro Itoje and his model and artist wife Mimi came second, with Itoje praised for his rugby achievements, his poetry writing, passion for art, and for appearing on a previous Tatler cover. Also on the list were former England men's football captain Sir David Beckham and ex-Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in fifth place, with Tatler declaring that thanks to Sir David's new knighthood: 'Brand Beckham just grows and grows.' Other famous names included naturalist Sir David Attenborough, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who was singled out for his karaoke performances, Industry star Marisa Abela and The Crown actor Dominic West. Actress Marisa Abela also earned a mention in Tatler's Social Power Index this year (Ian West/PA) The Tatler Social Power Index 2025 top 10: Advertisement 1. The Prince & Princess of Wales 2. Maro & Mimi Itoje 3. Princess Dora Loewenstein 4. Johnny & Clare Hornby Advertisement 5. Sir David Beckham & Lady Beckham 6. Sir David Attenborough 7. Dominic West & Catherine Fitzgerald 8. Wes Streeting & Joe Dancey Advertisement 9. Lord & Lady Bamford 10. Marisa Abela & Jamie Bogyo – The full Social Power Index is available in the August issue of Tatler, via digital download and on newsstands from Thursday, July 3rd.
The Guardian
21 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Your Guardian sport weekend: Club World Cup last 16, F1 Austrian GP and more
The Lions are eager to kickstart their tour after falling 28-24 to Argentina in Dublin as they build towards the Test series against the Wallabies, which begins in Brisbane on 19 July. Captain Maro Itoje has been stood down for the opening fixture on Australian soil, so the Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan takes charge of Andy Farrell's tourists at Perth's Optus Stadium. Henry Pollock makes his first Lions start after being picked at No 8, 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. There are two survivors from the side beaten by the Pumas in Sione Tuipulotu and Tadhg Beirne, although they have been switched to inside centre and blindside flanker, respectively. Lee Calvert is your liveblog host, while Robert Kitson reports from WA. Daniel Gallan helms our over-by-over coverage as Sophie Ecclestone returns to England duty after a near-five-month absence. A knee injury meant the spinner missed the recent clean sweep of West Indies under England's new leadership team of head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt. Ecclestone then took a break from playing for Lancashire to manage a sore quad and 'prioritise her wellbeing' but she is in contention for England's opening T20 against India . It would be her first international appearance since the Women's Ashes debacle in early February, with England whitewashed 16-0 in the multi-format series. Raf Nicholson reports from Trent Bridge. Lando Norris's confidence will have been dented by his crash with Oscar Piastri. The British driver collided with his McLaren teammate as they fought for fourth place in the closing laps of last Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix. Norris accepted full responsibility for a coming together he said made him look foolish and leaves him 22 points behind Piastri in pursuit of the drivers' title. Norris retired from the race while Piastri went on to take the chequered flag. The Briton was already on the back foot after two mistakes in qualifying which left him seventh on the grid. He drove well to bring himself back into contention only to misjudge the move on Piastri which again raises questions over his credentials as a championship contender. Yara El-Shaboury has live updates from qualifying at 3pm while Giles Richards is trackside at Spielberg. Two years on from winning the competition for the first time since 1984, the Young Lions are preparing for another final having narrowly avoided a shock group stage exit. Slovenia's defeat of the Czech Republic meant England edged through as Group B runners-up despite losing 2-1 to a much-changed Germany, who they will face again in Saturday's Bratislava showpiece. Lee Carsley's side have kicked on since then, with a 3-1 quarter-final win against favourites Spain followed by a 2-1 semi-final triumph against the Netherlands in midweek. England played with a swagger against the Dutch, much like they did in Georgia two years ago, as Carsley seeks to follow Dave Sexton in masterminding a second Under-21 Euros triumph. Emillia Hawkins has minute-by-minute coverage and Ed Aarons is our match reporter. With fellow forward Nicolas Jackson still suspended, Liam Delap has a chance to cement his place in Enzo Maresca's side. The 22-year-old striker scored a first goal since his £30m move from Ipswich as Chelsea beat Espérance 3-0 in Philadelphia to reach the last 16. It was the striker's second start in succession, having made his debut as a substitute in their opening Group D game against LAFC. The result meant the Blues finished second in Group D behind Flamengo. They face a Benfica side who beat one of the tournament favourites in Bayern Munich to top Group C. Scott Murray helms our minute-by-minute coverage while Jacob Steinberg reports from Charlotte. Earlier Rob Smyth covers the action as Palmeiras meet Botafogo in the 5pm game. Yorkshire take on Essex at Clifton Park, from where Tanya Aldred will be casting around all the grounds as the County Championship resumes. Nottinghamshire remain top of Division One but their lead is now just two points after the draw with Yorkshire. The pacesetters travel to Taunton to face Somerset, who coasted to a forgettable draw against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in midweek. Surrey, targeting a fourth successive title, wrapped up a dominant nine-wicket win over Worcestershire on Tuesday and host Durham at the Oval. In Division Two, the leaders Leicestershire are unbeaten but Glamorgan denied them a sixth win in eight games last time out. Middlesex offer their next challenge at the County Ground. Last time out at the Canadian Grand Prix, George Russell won from pole position to claim his first triumph of the year and just the fourth of his career. The British driver has been one of the grid's standout performers this season, and his win in Montreal takes him to 62 points behind the championship leader Piastri. The Mercedes driver is 40 points behind Norris while Max Verstappen is 43 points off the championship pace. Niall McVeigh picks up the baton for our live coverage of the race, with Giles Richards reporting from venue. Before England head to Euro 2025 with the same goal as three years ago when they conquered Europe, they have one final warmup match for Sarina Wiegman to assess her new-look Lionesses in the buildup to their opener against France. With four of her 2022 mainstays now retired, many of Wiegman's 13 returnees – such as Alessia Russo and Hannah Hampton – have stepped up, and seven major tournament newcomers will be looking to make their mark. Aggie Beever-Jones has enjoyed a breakout season, last month completing a hat-trick on her Wembley debut for England, while the 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang scored 41 seconds into her maiden senior international appearance in April. Jamaica's captain will be familiar to WSL observers, Khadija Shaw, sharing the golden boot this year alongside England's Russo with 12 goals. Helming our live coverage is Rob Smyth from 3.30pm, with Suzanne Wrack our correspondent at Leicester's King Power Stadium. One of the picks of the last 16 pitches Inter Miami's Lionel Messi against his former side, PSG. Messi's new club beat Porto in the group stage but a late collapse against Palmeiras meant they finished second and now face Luis Enrique's European champions. They may be expected to subdue their MLS opponents, but Botafogo beat them in the group stage to prove they are not invulnerable. Dominic Booth will be at the helm of our MBM blog, while Sid Lowe reports on the game.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Lions team has a ‘distinctly emerald tinge'
Just one more sleep until the Lions get their tour of Australia under way, Western Force their opponents in Perth on Saturday morning. And, as John O'Sullivan tells us, it'll be a heck of a day for Dan Sheehan who, in the absence of Maro Itoje, will captain the side, the first Irish player to be given that honour since Conor Murray in South Africa four years ago. And Sheehan is promising Western Force that the Lions will be as hungry for a victory as themselves , not least because 'this will be the first time I will be putting on the jersey, along with a few other lads'. There is, as Robert Kitson notes, 'a distinctly emerald tinge' to the Lions teamsheet for the game, but 'the most striking selection is the squad's uncut English diamond' , Henry Pollock. 'His character is infectious to everyone,' said Andy Farrell of the 20-year-old, 'he's certainly not overawed'. Gerry Thornley, meanwhile, talks to David Humphreys a year in to his role as IRFU high-performance manager , his chief challenge helping Munster, Connacht and Ulster close the gap on Leinster who, he says, 'are incredibly good at nearly everything'. Tommy O'Brien played no small part in Leinster's successful URC campaign , John hearing from the 27-year-old winger ahead of Ireland's test matches against Georgia and Portugal. READ MORE In Gaelic games, there's been quite the backlash over the manner in which Mayo parted company with Kevin McStay and his management team. They were, writes Malachy Clerkin, perfectly within their rights to come to their decision, but the way they did it was 'classless'. If Mayo have some soul-searching to do, so too do Limerick and Galway's hurlers after their championship exits, Joe Canning still struggling to make sense of Limerick's defeat by Dublin . They will, he writes, 'spend a long winter trying to work it out', while Galway 'have a lot of thinking to do as well'. In soccer, the Republic of Ireland had a torrid time of it against the United States in Denver, their 4-0 defeat making it 16 losses in 16 games against the world's top ranked nation. And back home, Paul Buttner talks to Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley who is expecting his players to put Monday night's chastening 2-0 defeat to Bohemians behind them when Waterford visit Tallaght this evening. In racing, ahead of Sunday's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, Brian O'Connor looks at the 'fading grandeur' of Ireland's premier classic , 'the underlying problem commercial breeding prejudice against middle-distance ability', and wonders if cutting it to 1¼ miles would help its cause. And in tennis, 'Like Bob Dylan almost 60 years ago, Wimbledon is going electric'. As Johnny Watterson tells us, 'you cannot be serious' was the most common reaction when it was announced that 'artificial intelligence would be taking over from the Homo sapiens' - for the first time in the tournament's 148-year history, there will be no line judges. The pity is that John McEnroe isn't still playing. Oh to see him argue with a machine. TV Watch : Sky continues its golf coverage from the Italian Open (from 12.30 this afternoon), the LPGA Dow Championship (from 4.0) and the Rocket Mortgage Classic (from 5.30) where Conor Purcell, Leona Maguire and Séamus Power are, respectively, in action. From 5.10, TG4 brings coverage from The Curragh, and at 7.45 Virgin Media Two has the Premier Division meeting of Cork City and St Patrick's Athletic.
