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Powys County Times
18 minutes ago
- Sport
- Powys County Times
British and Irish Lions hammer Western Force but Tomos Williams suffers injury
The British and Irish Lions claimed their first victory on Australian soil by overwhelming Western Force 54-7, but a possible injury crisis is brewing at scrum-half after Tomos Williams was forced off. Williams was among the Lions' star performers at Optus Stadium but his match was over when he injured his left hamstring during the act of finishing his second try in the 47th minute. The Wales half-back limped from the pitch to leave the Lions sweating on his fitness given Jamison Gibson-Park has yet to play on tour because of a glute problem, potentially leaving Alex Mitchell as the only available option in the position. It was the biggest disappointment of a mixed evening for Andy Farrell's men, who bounced back from their 28-24 defeat by Argentina with an eight-try demolition of the weakest of Australia's Super Rugby franchises while exposing areas of concern. Up and running in Australia 🦁🇦🇺 #Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 28, 2025 The lack of cohesion in defence continued and the scrum took a step backwards after excelling against the Pumas as part of a shaky overall set-piece performance, but their passes stuck in attack and they created some classy tries. Henry Pollock, Joe McCarthy and James Lowe all advanced their claims to Test selection against the Wallabies, while fly-half Finn Russell produced an inventive first outing on tour. Russell's fingerprints were over Dan Sheehan's fourth-minute try with his pinpoint kick to Lowe making the score possible, but the Force hit back with their first attack of the match when Nic White wriggled over. All the early pressure was coming from the hosts but they were turned over three times when in commanding positions, one of them occurring when man-of-the-match McCarthy pinched line-out ball. The Force were showing plenty of endeavour but the Lions' extra class was evident in the 16th minute when Pollock combined with Josh van der Flier, raced clear and then passed out of the tackle for Williams to score. 😍😍🦁🦁 — Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) June 28, 2025 And their accuracy was on display again in the 36th minute when Russell ran a quickly taken free-kick with Pollock and Elliot Daly in support and when he was stopped just short of the line, Daly was able to touch down. Pollock provocatively celebrated the try close to Force openside Nick Champion de Crespigny, igniting a flashpoint that drew in a large number of players. The England back row was then sin-binned, although his yellow card was the result of Ben O'Keeffe running out of patience with the number of Lions infringements. 🦁 A second score for Tomos 🔥 — Welsh Rugby Union 🏴 (@WelshRugbyUnion) June 28, 2025 Pollock had yet to rejoin play when the Lions struck again early in the second half with wings Mack Hansen and Lowe involved in a counter attack that ended with Williams diving over in the corner for his fateful finish. Just 10 minutes after the interval and the Force defence was already tiring, allowing the tourists to force an easy open with Hansen supplying Garry Ringrose with the scoring pass. Back on the field, Pollock pounced on a loose ball to launch a counter that ended with McCarthy crossing and the gaps continued to appear with Marcus Smith, on for Russell at fly-half, sending Daly over before Alex Mitchell landed the final blow.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
British and Irish Lions dominate Force in the opening game of their Australian tour
PERTH, Australia (AP) — Dan Sheehan made the perfect start on debut for the British and Irish Lions. The Ireland hooker led the Lions for the first game of their Australian tour, scored in the second minute and steered the team to a commanding 54-7 win over the Perth-based Western Force on Saturday. After an arm-wrestle of a first half where the Lions led 21-7 despite having only 40% of possession and spending most of the time in their own half, the bigger, more polished British and Irish lineup opened up and put five unanswered tries on a tiring defense in the second. Scrumhalf Tomos Williams scored a pair of tries before limping off with a left hamstring issue, fullback Elliot Daly scored two tries and flyhalf Finn Russell created two tries with his spur-of-the-moment judgement. He also kicked five goals. Henry Pollock, the 20-year-old England No. 8, played an integral hand in two tries and also spent 10 minutes in the sin-bin in his eventful debut start for the Lions. Early exchanges The Lions made changes after a 28-24 loss to Argentina in a warmup last week in Dublin, putting more emphasis on short, sharp passing. The Lions had the ball for 11 phases until Russell kicked high and wide to the right touchline where Sheehan took the ball high and tapped infield for winger James Low, who flicked an inside pass back to him to score. The Force equalized quickly after 14 phases of attack with veteran Wallabies scrumhalf Nic White sniping over from the base of a ruck in the fifth minute. The Force opted against taking penalty goals in order to keep up attacking intensity but the Lions held firm and relieved pressure with some crucial turnovers. Flyhalf Russell set up the first try with his pinpoint kick wide and the third with a quick penalty tap and go in the 35th, scooting up to the five-yard line before popping up a ball off the ground for fullback Daly to score. In between, Pollock was instrumental in the Lions' second try, bursting onto a sharp inside ball from openside flanker Josh van der Flier, stepping inside and out and going to ground before popping a ball up to scrumhalf Williams to score. The tourists went into halftime with a man down after Pollock was yellow carded for a ruck infringement deep inside his own quarter. The Force crossed the line from the resulting penalty but were held up. Williams finished off an 80-meter counter-attacking try seven minutes into the second half. Both wingers were involved, with Lowe making an initial break and then exchanging passes with Williams at the end. Williams limped off after scoring, and was replaced by Alex Mitchell. The Lions' attacking intent led directly to Garry Ringrose's try soon after that gave the Lions a 33-7 lead. Pollock, the youngest member of the Lions squad, was back in the attack quickly, chipping over the defense, regathering and almost scoring himself before the Lions shifted it quickly through the hands for lock Joe McCarthy to score out wide in the 55th. Daly scored in the 71st minute after sustained attack to help the Lions take a 40-point buffer. It was extended to 47 when Mitchell scored after the siren, taking the last pass from Australian-born Ireland winger Mack Hansen to put the final touches on the victory. The Lions are playing nine games in their first tour to Australia since 2013, including tests in Brisbane on July 19, in Melbourne on July 26 and in Sydney on Aug. 2.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
British and Irish Lions dominate Force in the opening game of their Australian tour
PERTH, Australia (AP) — Dan Sheehan made the perfect start on debut for the British and Irish Lions. The Ireland hooker led the Lions for the first game of their Australian tour , scored in the second minute and steered the team to a commanding 54-7 win over the Perth-based Western Force on Saturday. After an arm-wrestle of a first half where the Lions led 21-7 despite having only 40% of possession and spending most of the time in their own half, the bigger, more polished British and Irish lineup opened up and put five unanswered tries on a tiring defense in the second. Scrumhalf Tomos Williams scored a pair of tries before limping off with a left hamstring issue, fullback Elliot Daly scored two tries and flyhalf Finn Russell created two tries with his spur-of-the-moment judgement. He also kicked five goals. Henry Pollock, the 20-year-old England No. 8, played an integral hand in two tries and also spent 10 minutes in the sin-bin in his eventful debut start for the Lions. Early exchanges The Lions made changes after a 28-24 loss to Argentina in a warmup last week in Dublin, putting more emphasis on short, sharp passing. The Lions had the ball for 11 phases until Russell kicked high and wide to the right touchline where Sheehan took the ball high and tapped infield for winger James Low, who flicked an inside pass back to him to score. The Force equalized quickly after 14 phases of attack with veteran Wallabies scrumhalf Nic White sniping over from the base of a ruck in the fifth minute. The Force opted against taking penalty goals in order to keep up attacking intensity but the Lions held firm and relieved pressure with some crucial turnovers. Flyhalf Russell set up the first try with his pinpoint kick wide and the third with a quick penalty tap and go in the 35th, scooting up to the five-yard line before popping up a ball off the ground for fullback Daly to score. In between, Pollock was instrumental in the Lions' second try, bursting onto a sharp inside ball from openside flanker Josh van der Flier, stepping inside and out and going to ground before popping a ball up to scrumhalf Williams to score. The tourists went into halftime with a man down after Pollock was yellow carded for a ruck infringement deep inside his own quarter. The Force crossed the line from the resulting penalty but were held up. A key moment Williams finished off an 80-meter counter-attacking try seven minutes into the second half. Both wingers were involved, with Lowe making an initial break and then exchanging passes with Williams at the end. Williams limped off after scoring, and was replaced by Alex Mitchell. The Lions' attacking intent led directly to Garry Ringrose's try soon after that gave the Lions a 33-7 lead. Pollock, the youngest member of the Lions squad, was back in the attack quickly, chipping over the defense, regathering and almost scoring himself before the Lions shifted it quickly through the hands for lock Joe McCarthy to score out wide in the 55th. Daly scored in the 71st minute after sustained attack to help the Lions take a 40-point buffer. It was extended to 47 when Mitchell scored after the siren, taking the last pass from Australian-born Ireland winger Mack Hansen to put the final touches on the victory. The Lions are playing nine games in their first tour to Australia since 2013, including tests in Brisbane on July 19, in Melbourne on July 26 and in Sydney on Aug. 2. ___ AP rugby:
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
British Lions win first tour game on Australian soil but injury crisis brews
WESTERN FORCE 7-54 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS: Tomos Williams suffered a hamstring injury at Optus Stadium to leave coach Andy Farrell sweating on his scrum-half options The British and Irish Lions claimed their first victory on Australian soil by overwhelming Western Force 54-7, but a possible injury crisis is brewing at scrum-half after Tomos Williams was forced off. Williams was among the Lions' star performers at Optus Stadium but his match was over when he injured his left hamstring during the act of finishing his second try in the 47th minute. The Wales half-back limped from the pitch to leave the Lions sweating on his fitness given Jamison Gibson-Park has yet to play on tour because of a glute problem, potentially leaving Alex Mitchell as the only available option in the position. It was the biggest disappointment of a mixed evening for Andy Farrell's men, who bounced back from their 28-24 defeat by Argentina with an eight-try demolition of the weakest of Australia 's Super Rugby franchises while exposing areas of concern. The lack of cohesion in defence continued and the scrum took a step backwards after excelling against the Pumas as part of a shaky overall set-piece performance, but their passes stuck in attack and they created some classy tries. Henry Pollock, Joe McCarthy and James Lowe all advanced their claims to Test selection against the Wallabies, while fly-half Finn Russell produced an inventive first outing on tour. Russell's fingerprints were over Dan Sheehan's fourth-minute try with his pinpoint kick to Lowe making the score possible, but the Force hit back with their first attack of the match when Nic White wriggled over. All the early pressure was coming from the hosts but they were turned over three times when in commanding positions, one of them occurring when man-of-the-match McCarthy pinched line-out ball. The Force were showing plenty of endeavour but the Lions' extra class was evident in the 16th minute when Pollock combined with Josh van der Flier, raced clear and then passed out of the tackle for Williams to score. And their accuracy was on display again in the 36th minute when Russell ran a quickly taken free-kick with Pollock and Elliot Daly in support and when he was stopped just short of the line, Daly was able to touch down. Pollock provocatively celebrated the try close to Force openside Nick Champion de Crespigny, igniting a flashpoint that drew in a large number of players. The England back row was then sin-binned, although his yellow card was the result of Ben O'Keeffe running out of patience with the number of Lions infringements. Pollock had yet to rejoin play when the Lions struck again early in the second half with wings Mack Hansen and Lowe involved in a counter attack that ended with Williams diving over in the corner for his fateful finish. Just 10 minutes after the interval and the Force defence was already tiring, allowing the tourists to force an easy open with Hansen supplying Garry Ringrose with the scoring pass. Back on the field, Pollock pounced on a loose ball to launch a counter that ended with McCarthy crossing and the gaps continued to appear with Marcus Smith, on for Russell at fly-half, sending Daly over before Alex Mitchell landed the final blow.
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Lions bounce back from Pumas loss with dominating display against Western Force
The British and Irish Lions secured their first win on Australian turf, trouncing Western Force 54-7. However, a potential injury crisis is looming at scrum-half after Tomos Williams was forced to leave the pitch. Williams was one of the standout performers for the Lions at Optus Stadium, but his game came to an abrupt end when he injured his left hamstring while scoring his second try in the 47th minute. The Welsh half-back's departure has left the Lions anxious about his fitness, especially as Jamison Gibson-Park has yet to play on tour due to a glute issue. This could potentially leave Alex Mitchell as the only available option for the scrum-half position. It was the biggest disappointment of a mixed evening for Andy Farrell's men, who bounced back from their 28-24 defeat by Argentina with an eight-try demolition of the weakest of Australia's Super Rugby franchises while exposing areas of concern. The lack of cohesion in defence continued and the scrum took a step backwards after excelling against the Pumas as part of a shaky overall set-piece performance, but their passes stuck in attack and they created some classy tries. Henry Pollock, Joe McCarthy and James Lowe all advanced their claims to Test selection against the Wallabies, while fly-half Finn Russell produced an inventive first outing on tour. Russell's fingerprints were over Dan Sheehan's fourth-minute try with his pinpoint kick to Lowe making the score possible, but the Force hit back with their first attack of the match when Nic White wriggled over. All the early pressure was coming from the hosts but they were turned over three times when in commanding positions, one of them occurring when man-of-the-match McCarthy pinched line-out ball. The Force were showing plenty of endeavour but the Lions' extra class was evident in the 16th minute when Pollock combined with Josh van der Flier, raced clear and then passed out of the tackle for Williams to score. And their accuracy was on display again in the 36th minute when Russell ran a quickly taken free-kick with Pollock and Elliot Daly in support and when he was stopped just short of the line, Daly was able to touch down. Pollock provocatively celebrated the try close to Force openside Nick Champion de Crespigny, igniting a flashpoint that drew in a large number of players. The England back row was then sin-binned, although his yellow card was the result of Ben O'Keeffe running out of patience with the number of Lions infringements. Pollock had yet to rejoin play when the Lions struck again early in the second half with wings Mack Hansen and Lowe involved in a counter attack that ended with Williams diving over in the corner for his fateful finish. Just 10 minutes after the interval and the Force defence was already tiring, allowing the tourists to force an easy open with Hansen supplying Garry Ringrose with the scoring pass. Back on the field, Pollock pounced on a loose ball to launch a counter that ended with McCarthy crossing and the gaps continued to appear with Marcus Smith, on for Russell at fly-half, sending Daly over before Alex Mitchell landed the final blow.
