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Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Times
Haters must get a grip, Owen Farrell adds to party — and my Test team
Even though he was not even on the bench on Saturday, Owen Farrell brought out one of the loudest crowd reactions when he was picked out on the giant screens, now wearing his new British & Irish Lions kit. Perhaps unusually for him, he reacted with a broad beam until the camera moved on. We can get straight down to it with a verdict on the choice of Farrell as a replacement for the injured Elliot Daly, who was arguably the best Lion in the early games. The choice of Owen Farrell made by Andy Farrell — and his colleagues — is one of the bravest selections in the history of the Lions. For some reason, any reference to Farrell Jr is quickly enveloped in a fit of rage across social media and in the clubhouses of the nation. The reaction to him was sent up on Saturday by Will Stuart, who was seated behind him and accompanied the shot of the fly half with some comedy booing. Frankly, the reaction to Farrell Jr, whether he has been completely innocent, whether he has brought off the odd high tackle, and even when he is just going about his business, is a shocking blight on rugby and almost demolishes on its own the sport's reputation as a warm and friendly one. We can come to the reasoning behind his arrival shortly, and it is a cast-iron decision. But before then, the reaction. When Andy Farrell appeared at a briefing to account for his choice, I had a question for him. Bearing in mind the bile-laden reactions to Owen whenever his name seems to be mentioned, did he have any reservations when the decision was made that his son would be the replacement — did he think it might not be worth all the hassle? He did not answer the question directly, but he was far more convincing when explaining. The background is that the Lions win only very occasionally, that they keep on returning home in defeat, wishing they had done something different. Every single measure must be taken, or otherwise tours are usually doomed by a number of factors. My reading of the situation is that Finn Russell has come out clearly as the key Lion. If anything should befall the great Scot then the Lions are in trouble — because Fin Smith has not been quite at his best here, and Marcus Smith, the other nominated fly half, is simply not a contender at Test level. Farrell is a cool, calculating and definitive controller, and is here not as a replacement for Daly, but as a failsafe at the heart of the team. He will not play in Canberra on Wednesday, but may well appear next Saturday. People say that he has not played for ages. So does anyone think that his state of body and mind has not been rigorously checked by the Lions through consultation with Saracens? The truth, however inconvenient it is for the haters, is that Farrell adds to the touring party — just as a similar being, Johnny Sexton, adds his own gravel and bite on the coaching staff. The idea that a Lions tour is an opportunity for Buggins' turn, or to blood young and deserving players, is total garbage. This is the top of the game and demands proven hard men, in body and mind. On Saturday, the identity of the Test team became more clear simply because a good few of Saturday's side have played themselves out, or at least played themselves to the fringes. Hugo Keenan is short of rugby, and short of form; Elliot Daly is back at home. Blair Kinghorn, fresh and firing, is now ahead for me in the Test stakes. There are players in good form here. Tommy Freeman belies his youth with some sharp play, and Duhan van der Merwe has his moments with the ball in hand. But Farrell could well retain his two Irish wings, Mack Hansen and James Lowe — the latter needs to approach his best. Huw Jones entered the race in a big way on Saturday, he is a beautiful player and finished well to score two tries. He seemed to make a natural partnership with Sione Tuipulotu, which probably edges him ahead of the more limited Bundee Aki. Garry Ringrose, however, will fight them all the way. Russell is unchallenged, and if the Lions were playing at one of their other touring venues where mayhem is guaranteed, then someone would seek to put him out of the game. An absolutely key Lion. Ben White is newly arrived, Alex Mitchell has played bravely, but Jamison Gibson-Park is ahead by a considerable margin, his sharp wits alone are worth gold to the touring team. There are three loose-heads in Ellis Genge, Pierre Schoeman and Andrew Porter, who could thrive in a Test match, and it is incredibly close between them. Porter may be possibly favoured, but Genge is right in there. On the other side of the scrum, Will Stuart has not quite launched a crusade, so prayers will be said for the increasing fitness of the great Tadhg Furlong. A guaranteed area, surely. Maro Itoje and the hulking Joe McCarthy are nailed on, and have a shot at developing into one of the great Lions partnerships. All is not well with the outstanding Tadhg Beirne. He was not at his sharpest in any way on Saturday, perhaps showing the effects of an endless season. Ollie Chessum has been impressive and can switch to blind side and give the team a major lineout option. On the open side, Tom Curry has looked just a little short of a gallop, possibly slowed by a succession of injuries. The praise doled out by Andy Farrell to Jac Morgan on this tour suggests that he could be chosen ahead of Josh van der Flier. Not a strong position. It seems that Jack Conan must be the starter, even though he lacks the size, pace and presence of a great Test No8. Suggestions that Henry Pollock could be chosen are surely wider than wide of the mark.
Telegraph
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Watch: Owen Farrell ‘booed' by team-mates on his Lions return
Owen Farrell was jokingly booed by British and Irish Lions team-mate Will Stuart as he was pictured on the big screens in Sydney after joining up with the tourists. The former England captain was controversially called up by father Andy this week – in news broken by Telegraph Sport – to replace injured Elliot Daly. It will be his first international involvement since stepping back from England duty following the 2023 World Cup, a tournament in which he was booed by supporters – an incident he has admitted greatly affected him. And the Saracen was booed again when he was shown on the big screen sitting in the stands at Allianz Stadium alongside the other squad members who were not playing against Waratahs. Owen Farrell getting jokingly booed by his team-mates 🤣 — Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) July 5, 2025 The boos were pantomime rather than serious and that was emphasised when Lions prop Stuart, sat behind Farrell, also started booing the 33-year-old. Stuart was clearly joking and his fellow Lions, including Maro Itoje and Tom Curry, found the incident hilarious with Farrell also seeing the funny side. Farrell last month told Telegraph Sport how he found being booed against Fiji in the World Cup particularly difficult to handle. 'I could make sense of it all individually,' he said. 'I could make sense of the criticism, I could make sense of the booing, and I could make sense of everything that was going on. But put it all together and it felt like it was non-stop. It was overwhelming. 'That was no one's fault and I am not asking for anything. I am just trying to say how it was for me. In the past I would have just fought against it and that didn't seem to fit anymore. It didn't get the best out of me in recent times, now that I have been maturing. 'In the past, when I was younger, people thought I didn't care. I did care. Everyone thinks that I didn't because I was competitive. But stuff did hurt. I overthink everything anyway, but I always just thought it was all just part of it, and I would fight against it and suppress it. I had wanted to enjoy it, but everything seemed to hit the fan after that.'
Irish Daily Mirror
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Dan Sheehan to captain British and Irish Lions team v Brumbies
Don't kid yourself, Lions team selection for Force wasn't as simple as just winding up the Leinster/Bath contingent and filling the gaps. There may be 12 Leinster players on tour but even with the best will in the world, only 11 can be shoe-horned into the one starting side as there are two hookers in their number, Dan Sheehan and Ronan there are two Bath players in the party, out-half Finn Russell and tighthead Will Stuart who is in direct contention with Tadhg Furlong (and Finlay Bealham) for a with the injury list still containing Hugo Keenan and Jamison Gibson-Park - the latter, by the way, causing increasing worry at management level as the 'Irish' game-plan is acutely based on his hurry-hurry meant that even with the best will in the world Andy Farrell could only have chosen a dozen Leinster-Bath players for Saturday's first game on Australian indeed, he has NOT gone full-on in this direction but settled for just one Bath starter in Russell and six Leinster players among an eight strong Ireland representation. There are another three Leinster players on the bench which leaves James Ryan as the only Leinster player not involved this Saturday in Perth. Sheehan will captain the side, quite a surprise given Caelan Doris is Leinster captain and Luke McGrath is his regular vice-captain as Leinster, while he has captained Ireland just once, against Wales, in the 2025 Six Nations. Sheehan is also one of five starters, alongside club teammates Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Joe McCarthy and Josh van Der Flier who will make their Lions debuts this weekend at the Optus Stadium. A further four players could make their Lions debuts off the bench - England and Leicester Tigers lock Ollie Chessum, Scotland and Glasgow Warriors centre Huw Jones, Ireland and Leinster Rugby prop Andrew Porter and England and Bath Rugby prop Will Stuart. Elliott Daly starts at full-back (Keenan injured and with Marcus Smith on the bench) and Tomos Williams at scrum-half (Gibson-Park injured). :'We have had a good week of training and all of the travel and time zone changes have been managed really well, so we are good to go," said Head Coach Andy Farrell.'Dan Sheehan gets the opportunity to lead the side against Western Force, which is a great honour for him and his family - so congratulations to Dan as he captains the side on his Lions debut. 'We know the quality and experience the Force have and the opportunity to play against the Lions always brings out special performances from the Super Rugby sides, so we expect them to be at their best.'On the 2013 Tour, the Lions ran out 69-17 winners at the Subiaco Oval. Current assistant coach Johnny Sexton got the Lions off the mark with an early try while Leigh Halfpenny converted all nine Lions & Irish Lions v Western Force, Optus Stadium, Saturday 28th June, 2025, KO: 11:00 BST, live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.15. Elliot Daly (Saracens/England) #82214. Mack Hansen (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) #86713. Garry Ringrose (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)12. Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) #86311. James Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)10. Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland) #8359. Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby/Wales) #8661. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) #8682. Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) (c)3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #8184. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/ Scotland) #8695. Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)6. Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland) #8387. Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)8. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England) #865Replacements:16. Ronan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #86417. Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)18. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England)19. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England)20. Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #83921. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England) #86022. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)23. Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England) #855
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Will Stuart opens up on spooking his sleeping Lions team-mates, becoming a viral sensation and why he was glad to escape Bath's Premiership party
Soon after arriving for Lions duty with a celebratory hangover, Will Stuart found himself lurking behind a curtain next to his unsuspecting Irish room-mate's bed, in the middle of the night. For the England prop, there is a history of such nocturnal behaviour, which is why he will be making sure he is suitably dressed at lights-out time. 'I've been rooming with Finlay Bealham, he's a funny guy,' said Stuart. 'He's had to put up with me sleepwalking already, which he dealt with pretty well. 'He was in the bed next to the window and I'd got up and crept behind his bed and woke up behind the curtain next to the window. I opened the curtain and he was just there. I'm surprised he didn't wake up and get the fright of his life!' Asked about his 'previous', the Bath tighthead added: 'I've had some bad instances. The worst it's got in camp has been locking myself out of hotel rooms and getting halfway to the lobby. Hopefully that doesn't happen on this trip. I might just wear a few more layers in bed because I've been caught out a couple of times!' Stuart and Finn Russell belatedly joined up with the Lions after helping their club seal an historic Treble by winning the Premiership title for the first time in 29 years. Their tense victory over Leicester in the final at Twickenham sparked a wild party which shifted from London to the West Country and on to Ibiza, but by then the two men included in Andy Farrell's British and Irish squad had ducked out. The pair flew over from Bristol to Dublin last Monday. Asked if they'd had sufficient time to savour Bath's epic feats, Stuart laughed and said: 'Er, yeah! I think we did enough in two days to warrant a season celebration and the day after we were a bit ropey coming in, but I managed to dust off the cobwebs quite quickly. Some of the other Bath lads were still going for a few more days, but I haven't got that sort of staying power, so I was quite glad that I had to do this instead!' Once the hangover had receded and Stuart was up and running with the rest of the Lions squad, the magnitude of what he is involved in suddenly hit him, in a fleeting interaction with a legend who is part of the management team. 'I had a moment in training the other day when (Johnny) Sexton was running around, helping out,' he said. 'I threw a ball out the back and just thought to myself, 'Wow, I've just thrown a ball out the back to Johnny Sexton, that's quite cool'. He's working with the fly-halves mainly. I'm not sure I'll be picking his brains about kicking 50-22s, but if I get the chance…!' Joking aside, Stuart demonstrated during the Six Nations that there is a wannabe playmaker hidden in a prop's imposing frame. His side-step and off-load in the win over Italy caused a stir and he had to be politely told to stop trying to repeat the trick every time he received the ball in space. The subsequent banter has been incessant. 'I've been getting stick for that ever since,' he said. 'It's been, 'One viral clip and you've been picked for the Lions'! I had to rein it back a bit, but it's in the locker in case I need it!' As ever, in his role, the fundamental task for Stuart will be to provide a powerful set-piece platform with his set-piece work. After enduring scrum ordeals during England's Tests in New Zealand last summer, the 28-year-old enjoyed a transformational season of personal progress, to emerge as a prime contender for the Lions' starting tighthead place in the series against Australia. He will be involved in the first tour fixture Down Under against Western Force here on Saturday and Stuart is already alert to the threat the Wallabies will pose up front in a few weeks' time. 'I've seen their squad and (Will) Skelton is back in,' he said. 'With him at tighthead lock, that is a scary prospect for any opposing front row. 'Their props are all great players. Tupou (AKA 'Tongan Thor') is a big old goose and has a good bit of footwork on him. When he's firing, he's the world's best. They have a strong scrum, so it will be a good ding-dong.' Having become a Lions devotee while watching the 2013 tour of Australia on a big projector screen at school — 'I remember George North picking up Folau and everything like that' — Stuart is looking forward to the unique touring experience. He will be well supported. His girlfriend, Nancy, will be spending plenty of time in Australia after throwing herself into the Bath party. Speaking before departure from Dublin, Stuart said: 'She's coming out for a good stint. Actually, she just rocked up here today. We talked about me recovering from the celebrations — I don't think she has. She was worse for wear this morning. I think she's kept on going! 'My mum, stepdad and step-brothers are going to come out for the tour. Mum and my stepdad are getting a camper van and doing the tour properly. They did that in New Zealand (last year) and they were slightly worried that their relationship might not stand the test, but they passed it with flying colours! So, they're going to take it on a big scale to Australia. It'll be cool.' For Stuart himself and the Lions squad, all the journeys between cities will be by air. On the pitch, he has been flying all season — now he has a chance to soar to career heights over the coming weeks.
RTÉ News
19-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Will Stuart
NAME: Will Stuart DOB: 12/06/1996 POSITION: Prop CLUB: Bath ENGLAND CAPS: 50 A late developer, Stuart was a bit-part player at Wasps for several seasons until a move to Bath in 2019 kick-started his career. Now well established as England's first choice tighthead, Stuart won his 50th cap in England's hammering of Wales in Cardiff on the final round of the 2025 Six Nations, scoring his third Test try that afternoon. A Premiership finalist with Bath in 2024, he was part of the team that won the EPCR Challenge Cup in May 2025.
