Latest news with #StephenLarkham
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
I had a target on my back: Larkham on 2001 Lions series
Stephen Larkham played in three Rugby World Cups and multiple Bledisloe Cup encounters among his 102 Tests but the Wallabies great rates the 2001 British and Irish Lions series as the most brutal he's been involved in. The peerless Australian flyhalf was integral to the Wallabies' 2-1 series win, but it came at a cost with Larkham the primary target for the Lions' fierce defence. Now Brumbies coach and then their Super Rugby playmaker, Larkham's series came to an end in game two in Melbourne, where Australia levelled the series. After helping steer the Wallabies into the lead early in the second half by firing the pass that put Joe Roff through for his second try, the Lions ramped up the pressure on the No.10. His head was almost taken off by Lions skipper Martin Johnson before he was ironed out by centre Rob Henderson with a high shot that left him clutching his shoulder. Larkham soldiered on before he was flattened by another shoulder charge from bullocking Welsh No.8 Scott Quinnell, which ended his night in the 75th minute. One newspaper story at the time described it as "Bodyline tactics", referencing the England cricket team's aggressive bowling attack on their 1932-33 Ashes tour. The shoulder injury meant he was unable to play in the deciding Test in Sydney, with Elton Flatley taking over at 10 as Australia triumphed 29-23. "I certainly had a target on my back, they certainly ran down my channel," Larkham told AAP. "It was probably a plan to get into that channel, whether it was to get at me or not. "The second Test, that's where I busted my shoulder, and the first Test there was a few line breaks through that channel as well so they were definitely coming through there." The Wallabies entered that 2001 series as world champions but the Lions bared their teeth in the first Test in Brisbane in a commanding 29-13 win. Larkham said his team were shocked by the "ferocity and intensity" of the tourists through the series, rating it as more physical than his three World Cup campaigns. "Just like finals footy or Test match footy, where you've got your best players, and teams are evenly matched, it is extremely physical," he said. "That was certainly part of the series in 2001, no doubt about that, more so than the Bledisloes and the Rugby Championship or the World Cup. "When you look at the World Cup, you kind of get some easy opposition, whereas this is a three Test series against one of the best Test teams in the world. "The physicality was certainly something that was evident in those 2001 games for sure." Trailing 6-11 at halftime, Roff's two tries in Melbourne swung momentum in the home side's favour before they ground out a thrilling win in the last Test in Sydney. With a "golden army" of fans embracing the Wallabies, Larkham said the series was very special to be a part of. "That's sort of a golden period for Australian rugby as we were winning everything but we had to fight for that one," the now 51-year-old said. "We were behind the eight-ball after that first game, and we worked really hard at training, and sort of things started to click and certainly, by the third Test, the team was going really well. "You come out of that series and realised that it was very special to be part of it."
Perth Now
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
I had a target on my back: Larkham on 2001 Lions series
Stephen Larkham played in three Rugby World Cups and multiple Bledisloe Cup encounters among his 102 Tests but the Wallabies great rates the 2001 British and Irish Lions series as the most brutal he's been involved in. The peerless Australian flyhalf was integral to the Wallabies' 2-1 series win, but it came at a cost with Larkham the primary target for the Lions' fierce defence. Now Brumbies coach and then their Super Rugby playmaker, Larkham's series came to an end in game two in Melbourne, where Australia levelled the series. After helping steer the Wallabies into the lead early in the second half by firing the pass that put Joe Roff through for his second try, the Lions ramped up the pressure on the No.10. His head was almost taken off by Lions skipper Martin Johnson before he was ironed out by centre Rob Henderson with a high shot that left him clutching his shoulder. Larkham soldiered on before he was flattened by another shoulder charge from bullocking Welsh No.8 Scott Quinnell, which ended his night in the 75th minute. One newspaper story at the time described it as "Bodyline tactics", referencing the England cricket team's aggressive bowling attack on their 1932-33 Ashes tour. The shoulder injury meant he was unable to play in the deciding Test in Sydney, with Elton Flatley taking over at 10 as Australia triumphed 29-23. "I certainly had a target on my back, they certainly ran down my channel," Larkham told AAP. "It was probably a plan to get into that channel, whether it was to get at me or not. "The second Test, that's where I busted my shoulder, and the first Test there was a few line breaks through that channel as well so they were definitely coming through there." The Wallabies entered that 2001 series as world champions but the Lions bared their teeth in the first Test in Brisbane in a commanding 29-13 win. Larkham said his team were shocked by the "ferocity and intensity" of the tourists through the series, rating it as more physical than his three World Cup campaigns. "Just like finals footy or Test match footy, where you've got your best players, and teams are evenly matched, it is extremely physical," he said. "That was certainly part of the series in 2001, no doubt about that, more so than the Bledisloes and the Rugby Championship or the World Cup. "When you look at the World Cup, you kind of get some easy opposition, whereas this is a three Test series against one of the best Test teams in the world. "The physicality was certainly something that was evident in those 2001 games for sure." Trailing 6-11 at halftime, Roff's two tries in Melbourne swung momentum in the home side's favour before they ground out a thrilling win in the last Test in Sydney. With a "golden army" of fans embracing the Wallabies, Larkham said the series was very special to be a part of. "That's sort of a golden period for Australian rugby as we were winning everything but we had to fight for that one," the now 51-year-old said. "We were behind the eight-ball after that first game, and we worked really hard at training, and sort of things started to click and certainly, by the third Test, the team was going really well. "You come out of that series and realised that it was very special to be part of it."
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lions vs Brumbies: Kick-off time today, TV channel, live stream, lineups, team news, h2h, venue, odds
The British and Irish Lions this morning face the ACT Brumbies as their summer tour of Australia steps up in intensity. Andy Farrell has selected a team in the capital Canberra that looks very much like the one he will field against the Wallabies in the first Test in Brisbane on July 19, with just a couple of positions left up for debate. Advertisement CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW THE LIONS VS BRUMBIES LIVE! The Lions will be looking for a huge improvement on Saturday's disjointed 21-10 victory over the New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney, when they committed handling errors galore during a thoroughly scrappy contest that was a far cry from their eight-try routs of both the Queensland Reds and Western Force that had seen them bounce back so emphatically from a shock defeat by Argentina in Dublin. Though missing a number of Australian internationals following Sunday's last-gasp win over Fiji in Newcastle, the Brumbies - coached by former Wallabies fly-half stalwart Stephen Larkham - are Australia's best-performing Super Rugby franchise and finished third this season, eventually losing 37-17 to the Chiefs in the semi-finals after beating the Hurricanes. Lions vs Brumbies date, kick-off time and venue The Lions meet the Brumbies at 11am BST - 8pm local time - today, Wednesday July 9, 2025 in what is their penultimate match before the first Test against Australia, with an AUNZ Invitational XV awaiting in Adelaide at the weekend. Advertisement The game takes place at the 25,011-capacity GIO Stadium in Canberra, which also hosts the Canberra Raiders of the NRL. How to watch Lions vs Brumbies TV channel: Sky Sports have exclusive broadcasting rights to the Lions tour in the UK this summer. Wednesday's match broadcast begins at 10am BST on both Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action. Live stream: Those with a Sky Sports subscription can also watch the game live online via the Sky Go app, while it's also available to stream via NOW. Live blog: Follow all the action on Wednesday with Standard Sport's live blog. Lions vs Brumbies team news As expected, Farrell has named what many expect to be the starting first Test XV for what could well be their most difficult challenge on this tour outside the Wallabies series. Advertisement The only slight question marks remain around full-back, where Blair Kinghorn starts after making his first tour appearance on the wing on Saturday as he looks to outduel Hugo Keenan, and at tighthead prop, where Tadhg Furlong is still among the world's best and a proven Lions veteran but needs to get back to top form with the likes of Will Stuart and Finlay Bealham pressing hard. Joe McCarthy looks to be firmly in the driving seat for that second lock spot alongside captain Maro Itoje, while Ollie Chessum is ahead of Tadhg Beirne to line up at blindside flanker in a back row also featuring openside Tom Curry and Jack Conan, who in the absence of Ireland skipper Caelan Doris is the only out-and-out number eight on the tour. Henry Pollock is on the bench after being withdrawn late against the Waratahs as a precaution with a tight calf, while there is no Welshman in the squad at all with Jac Morgan not selected and Tomos Williams having flown home injured along with Elliot Daly. The game comes too soon for Owen Farrell, who is expected to play against the AUNZ Invitational XV after training fully for the first time on Tuesday. The Canberra-born Mack Hansen is set to face his old club off the bench. Reunion: Australia-born Ireland and Lions wing Mack Hansen previously played for the Brumbies (Getty Images) The Brumbies are without all of Allan Alaalatoa, James Slipper, Nick Frost, Len Ikitau, Billy Pollard and Tom Wright as Joe Schmidt prepares to name his revised Australia squad for the Lions on Friday, with Rob Valetini having missed out through injury against Fiji and fly-half Noah Lolesio undergone surgery that will rule him out for the whole series having been stretchered off in Newcastle. Advertisement Flanker Tom Hooper - who will join Exeter next season - and wing Corey Toole have been released by the Wallabies to start, though Blake Schoupp and Charlie Cale are among the key injury absentees. Lions vs Brumbies lineups Lions XV: Kinghorn; Freeman, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe; Russell, Gibson-Park; Genge, Sheehan, Furlong; Itoje (c), McCarthy; Chessum, Curry, Conan Replacements: Kelleher, Porter, Stuart, Van der Flier, Pollock, Mitchell, M Smith, Hansen Brumbies XV: Muirhead; O'Donnell, Sapsford, Feliuai, Toole; Meredith, R Lonergan (c); Leli, L Lonergan, Van Nek; Shaw, Neville; T Hooper, Scott, Tualima Advertisement Replacements: Bowron, Orr, Fotuaika, L Hooper, Reimer, Goddard, Debreczeni, Creighton Lions vs Brumbies head to head (h2h) history and results The Lions lost their last match against the Brumbies in 2013, the hosts edging out the tourists 14-13 in a famous victory ahead of the Test series, which the Lions won 2-1 under Warren Gatland for their first series win since 1997 in South Africa. The Lions beat them 30-28 before their series defeat by the Wallabies in 2001, Austin Healey's dramatic last-gasp try successfully converted by Matt Dawson. Lions wins: 1 Brumbies wins: 1 Draws: 0 Repeat or revenge? The Brumbies beat the Lions back in 2013 in a famous result (Getty Images) Lions vs Brumbies prediction This is where things get serious for the Lions, with a lot of expectation falling upon what is essentially the Test team to lay down a marker and rise to the challenge against Australia's best Super Rugby side, albeit one seriously weakened by missing so many Wallabies stars. Advertisement Andy Farrell bemoaned the sheer number of handling errors and botched opportunities against the Waratahs, but called the game a valuable learning experience. He will be expecting far better this time around and the onus is on the Lions to utilise their physicality and hugely superior strength in depth to emphatic effect, all the while keeping up those notable improvements to both scrum and lineout, also delivering a vastly improved attacking display with ball in hand. We're backing the Lions to rise to the occasion and send out a real statement after Australia's massively underwhelming performance against Fiji in their only warm-up game, in which they needed a late try from Harry Wilson to avoid a chastening loss. Lions to win, by 15 points. Lions vs Brumbies match odds Lions to win: 1/80 Brumbies to win: 33/1 Draw: 50/1 Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
Sydney Morning Herald
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Lions secure another win against gritty Brumbies
Go to latest Drennan match report: Fight from the Brumbies but Lions show class The British and Irish Lions have completed their expected Test dress rehearsal by defeating the Brumbies 36-24 in front of 23,116 in Canberra. Bigger venues, crowds and expectations will await Lions in the Test series against the Wallabies, but they frequently stuttered against a weakened Brumbies. Canberra has traditionally been a difficult stopover for the Lions, losing in 2013 and needing a late penalty to win in 2001. And so it proved again at GIO Stadium. The Brumbies were without nine of their Wallabies and refused to be upstaged by the Lions for much of the evening, typified by their captain and halfback Ryan Lonergan, who must be considered for his first international cap sooner rather than later. After the game Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said that he was disappointed to lose against the Lions, but pleased that the performance would set a platform for Lonergan and others to go onto higher honours in the game. 'Coming out of the game without the win is disappointing, it's not about playing against the Lions, it's the opportunity to beat the Lions, and we didn't do that,' Larkham said. 'But there were some really good performances out there, I think the guys stepped up exceptionally well. 'If you look back 12 years ago and even further back to 2001, guys come out of this game and this experience a better player and I'm hoping it leads to opportunities down the track for players such as Ryan (Lonergan).' The Waratahs had provided the Brumbies with a blueprint for upsetting the Lions: make the breakdown a contest and maintain relentless physicality. For most of the night, the Brumbies applied their fierce local rivals' best work against an even stronger Lions side. There was patience and poise from the Brumbies in their mauling. Stephen Larkham had once tasked current Waratahs coach Dan McKellar with developing the best maul in the world for the Brumbies and his invention took apart some of world's elite forwards. Tuaina Taii Tualima acrobatically dived over Lions' bodies to score his first try after just four minutes, but followed by a poor and uncharacteristic miss from Ryan Lonergan with a straightforward conversion. After such a strong start, Brumbies inside centre David Feliuai running into contact deep in his own half threw a wild offload, the ball went forward and breakaway Ollie Chessum was able to score the Lions first try. Brumbies fullback Andy Muirhead did brilliantly to stop a certain try from James Lowe somehow getting his left shin under the ball, denying the Irish winger a try. Ryan Lonergan also reminded the onlooking Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt he isn't going away with an outstanding steal at the ruck. Lowe redeemed himself after 28 minutes scoring in the same left-hand corner after Muirhead had denied him earlier, diving over after the Brumbies' defence was opened by swift ball movement from the Lions. The Brumbies had refused to be intimidated as previous Super Rugby opponents, typified by veteran second row Caderyn Neville making a vital steal at the ruck, deep in the Lions half, leading to the fastest man in Canberra Corey Toole racing over for his side's second try. With the siren gone, a quick offload from Tom Curry set up replacement Marcus Smith to set the score at 10-19. Hooker Lachlan Lonergan had started the game brilliantly for the Brumbies, but two early attacking lineouts missed deep in the Lions proved costly. The Brumbies were starved of ball for much of the game, so when they had opportunities they needed to take them. The impressive Irish centre Garry Ringrose threw a brilliant dummy to cut through the home defence, then took a perfectly threaded kick from Smith into his hands to score his first try. The Brumbies refused to whither in the cold and after Toole dragged Gibson-Park down in his in-goal area, a stable five-metre scrum set up Hudson Creighton to charge over for try. The Lions dominated possession, with replacement Josh van der Flier missing out on a try after a long deliberation from the TMO that ruled he had been held up. Russell's decision to kick a penalty after so much possession on 61 minutes highlighted the Lions' evident nerves. The Brumbies' bravery throughout the night didn't falter, but it became impossible to match the fresh Lions bench, with van der Flier charging through for a try from a rolling maul to essentially kill off the game. Replacement Brumbies hooker Liam Bowron burrowed over for a late Brumbies try that delighted their biggest crowd in 17 years. With the clock in the red, Ollie Chessum was held up over the line thanks to frantic Brumbies defence. It summed up the night, the Brumbies refused to go away and make up the numbers for their vaunted opponents. The stage is nicely set for the Test series. Lions coach Andy Farrell was relieved at the win, but will nervously wait for updates on Scotland fullback Blair Kinghorn, who hurt his knee in Canberra. 'He's in good spirits, so you wouldn't know with Blair, he's always in good spirits anyway,' Farrell said. 'He got a bang on the knee, so he carried on for quite a bit, but there was no need to keep him going.' Latest posts 10.55pm Signing off … bring on the Anzacs That's all from me, thanks for your company. Looks like it was a good night to be distracted from the other game going on. Keep an eye out for Dr Dre's updated match report later on, and some follow-up news and analysis tomorrow morning. Next up is the AUNZ game in Adelaide and I will be heading down there tomorrow. Check out this story we published today, via an interview with Ian Foster. The former All Blacks coach reckons the trans-Tasman team could have a genuine future, and play many more games together. I wholeheartedly agree. Have a great night. 10.45pm Tour games are mostly done, who ya got? Okay, it's poll time. Too early? Maybe, but just go with it. There are still two more tour games to come but that Lions-Brumbies clash was the last of the fixtures against the Super Rugby sides. And with Andy Farrell having played what many view as his Test team tonight in Canberra, we are starting to get a proper picture of what the strongest possible Lions outfit will be on July 19. There will be guys who can win themselves a Test jersey in the AUNZ clash, for sure, but many spots are starting to looked semi-locked in - with the exception of fullback given Blair Kinghorn's injury tonight. So we've have had a pretty good look at the Lions. But we've also had a look at the Wallabies, who only just beat Fiji. To suggest that was a grievous sin though, is doing Fiji a huge disservice. They're a proper Test team, with power and skill. So it may prove better and better as a preparation run as the weeks go by. And then, of course, there's Noah Lolesio's absence due to his neck injury, and clouds over Rob Valetini and Will Skelton. So the question is, are you more or less confident about your original pick for the series? Have at it. 10.28pm Farrell: 'Some good dominance there' And here is the post-match summation of Lions coach Andy Farrell: 'Some great stuff at times, you know, if you look at the story of the game, it was probably field position and game understanding, some good dominance there and scoring some nice tries on the back of that. 'But, yeah, on the flip side, I thought we got a little bit loose at times and kept inviting the Brumbies back in the game and they were good enough to take a few scores themselves. 'I would say all areas we can tidy up on. But the Brumbies were well up for that and they were strong, obviously very aggressive at the breakdown, strong kicking game, etc. So, to get the score that we did or the points that we got, obviously, we wouldn't be happy with the points that we conceded but at the same time, you know, we got held up three times over the line.' 10.25pm Larkham: 'Our effort was outstanding' Here's the post-match verdict from Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham: 'Overall I thought the effort was outstanding. The guys that came off the bench did an amazing job. Everyone contributed. 'There were a couple of lapses .… where we were just a little bit inconsistent coming out of our end, but for the majority of the game we were under the pump. I don't know what the stats are, but it felt like we were in our half of the whole game, pretty much. And we were pretty dogged defensively. A couple of held up tries there and I think we were sort of still in it, you know, close enough at the end of the game there. If we score a try with five minutes to go, we give ourselves a chance of winning it. But yeah, I guess like every other Australian team, we've come up short this time around. And they were pretty good. That's probably their test team.' 9.56pm FULLTIME: LIONS 36 BRUMBIES 24 By Iain Payten That's all she wrote. The Brumbies denied the Lions a try on the hooter, via another Muirhead held-up, but the Lions still got the job done 36-24. It's no repeat of the Brumbies beating the Lions in 2013, but it's still a heck of an effort when you look at the facts of the matter. It was five tries to four, and the Lions - drawn from four nations - fielded their Test-strength team. The Brumbies, meanwhile, had eight Wallabies missing. They let themselves down a bit with discipline and handling, and giving the Lions easy access to their redzone. But it was a strong effort nonetheless. 9.41pm Lions cross for a fifth try and pull away The difference between the Lions' bench, and those of the state teams, has been stark in most of the tour games and so it has proved again tonight. The Lions used their power in contact to get down into the Brumbies' territory, and two penalties saw the visitors kick to the corner and roll in a try to reserve flanker Josh van der Flier. The Brumbies have just found it hard all night to get in the Lions half and build pressure. The Lions have done it easy. LIONS 35 BRUMBIES 17 9.33pm Drennan's view on the hour By Jonathan Drennan 'The Brumbies are living off scraps but they are frustrating the Lions here. Josh van der Flier thought that he had scored a try, and Finn Russell's decision to kick a penalty was roundly booed by the crowd, it said something about the visitor's nerves that this Brumbies time just will not die. 'The Waratahs provided some of the blueprint, create a fight at the breakdown and do not relent. It will be a Lions win here, but there is optimism for Australian rugby fans. This Lions team is excellent, but they have their flaws and can be rattled.
The 42
09-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Live: Brumbies v British & Irish Lions, Australia Tour 2025
There's a real feeling that the Lions have now moved beyond the audition phase and tonight swing into rehearsal mode. 'Everyone's had a good run at it, it's about locking things down now and showing our worth as a team', Andy Farrell tells Sky ahead of kick-off in Canberra. 'We certainly think it's pretty close to his Test squad', says Stephen Larkham, head coach of the Brumbies. 'If you look at their run-in, they played the Reds a week ago, a pretty strong side went out on the park that day, and now they have a 10-day run-in to the first test against the Wallabies. Probably gives the boys a chance to recover from this game if there are any knocks or bruises, and gives them one more chance to check those combinations they had against the Reds. 'It's an Ireland-heavy, Leinster-heavy team, I've coached in Ireland before. There is amazing talent not just in the starting team, but those guys coming off the bench as well.'
