Latest news with #BritishAndIrishLions
BBC News
27 minutes ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'I was very raw' - Skelton itching for Lions rematch
Australia lock Will Skelton says he has been rewatching footage of taking on the British and Irish Lions as a rookie 21-year-old to whet his appetite for this summer's 33, one of Skelton's first senior matches was as part of a Waratahs side that lost 47-17 to the Lions in 2013."I was very raw," said Skelton."I didn't understand the magnitude of the tour as I do now with all the experience I have had now. "I watched the game again last week and I walked a lot of that game."I wasn't actually that good, I didn't have too many involvements - it was probably my third professional game."I wanted to look at what the atmosphere was like, how I was as a player then, how I have changed and improved, and just take it in as an experience because I know in a few weeks that is coming."Skelton, who moved to La Rochelle from Saracens in 2020, is the only overseas-based player in Australia's squad for their warm-up Test against Fiji on 6 6ft 8in tall and weighing nearly 23 stone, Skelton was asked whether his power could be a way for the Wallabies to get on top of the Lions forward pack."I will just try and be myself," he added."They have some great players, but we have also got some weapons in this team."It is about trying to fulfil that as best we can come those big games. "Aussie rugby in the last two years has improved a lot and this Wallaby team is playing a brand of footy the whole country is getting behind. We really want to take it to these guys."Skelton was part of Australia team that crashed out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup pool stages, but a calf complaint limited his involvement to their opening weekend win over returned to Australia colours for the first time since the tournament in the win over Wales in the 2024 autumn Lions' 2-1 series win in Australia in 2013 was their first tour victory in 16 years, and is also their most recent.
The Sun
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Lions vs Argentina: Start time, live stream, how to watch and team news as Andy Farrell's side play first test
ANDY FARRELL takes charge of his first British and Irish Lions game in Dublin. His side will clash Argentina in the 1888 Cup in the first of TEN matches the Lions will play this summer. 4 The British and Irish Lions are heading down under this summer, and will take on Australia in a three-test series. Last time the Lions went down under, they beat Australia 2-1, winning a third and deciding test in convincing 16-41, with the side that day seeing ten Welsh players start. This time around, there are only TWO Welsh players in the whole squad, with Jac Morgan of Ospreys and Tomos Williams of Gloucester the only two picked by Andy Farrell. Farrell already has a selection headache for the tour, with 16 players having taken part in domestic finals just SIX days prior to the first Lions test. How to watch Lions vs Argentina and is there a live stream? British and Irish Lions take on Argentina from the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday, June 20. The match, like all Lions matches, will be available with English commentary on Sky Sports. The clash will be available for stream on Sky Go, the Sky Sports app and NOW TV - but will also stream FREE with Welsh commentary on S4C, which is available via BBC iPlayer. Alternatively, follow along with SunSport's comprehensive live blog of the action. When is British & Irish Lions vs Argentina? The match between British & Irish Lions and Argentina will take place on Friday, June 20. The clash will be the first of TEN matches Andy Farrell's side take part in throughout their tour. Taking place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, the game kicks-off at 8pm BST. Sky Sports will have English commentary of the game, while a FREE stream is available on the BBC iPlayer in Welsh. British & Irish Lions vs Argentina team news Andy Farrell is without 17 of the squad he picked, with Leinster, Bath, Leicester and Toulouse all playing in domestic finals just one week before the clash in Dublin. Furthermore, Farrell will be missing Scottish tighthead prop Zander Fagerson, who is ruled out of the tour with a calf injury, while Tadhg Furlong's fitness remains a question. Finlay Bealham of Connacht was called into the squad full-time for Fagerson, while Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Jamie George have come in as other forward options. Toulouse fullback Blair Kinghorn would have missed out due to the Top 14 finals, but Kinghorn remains injured ahead of the tour. 4 This means 17 players are out, including 12 from Leinster, those 17 being: Dan Sheehan (Leinster) Ronan Kelleher (Leinster) Andrew Porter (Leinster) Tadhg Furlong (Leinster) Joe McCarthy (Leinster) James Ryan (Leinster) Jack Conan (Leinster) Josh van der Flier (Leinster) Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster) Garry Ringrose (Leinster) Hugo Keenan (Leinster) James Lowe (Leinster) Will Stuart (Bath) Finn Russell (Bath) Ollie Chessum (Leicester) Zander Fagerson (Glasgow) Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse) British & Irish Lions XV: 15. M Smith, 14. Freeman, 13. Tuipulotu, 12. Aki, 11. Van Der Merwe, 10. F Smith, 9. Mitchell; 1. Genge, 2. Cowan-Dickie, 3. Bealham, 4. Beirne, 5. Itoje (C), 6. T Curry, 7. Morgan, 8. Earl. Felipe Contepomi takes charge of the 1888 Cup for the first time as Argentina head coach. A number of Argentine players ply their trade in Europe, such as Santi Carreras, who this season played for Gloucester, but will move to Bath next season. Leicester Tigers captain Julian Montoya will captain Los Pumas. Argentina XV: 15. Carreras, 14. Isgro, 13. Cinti, 12. Piccardo, 11. Mendy, 10. Albornoz, 9. Garcia; 1. Vivas, 2. Montoya (C), 3. Scalvi, 4. Molina, 5. Rubiolo, 6. Matera, 7. Gonzalez, 8. Oviedo.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Tommy Freeman, Duhan van der Merwe and Luke Cowan-Dickie all to score tries NOW 15/2 - as the British & Irish Lions' summer gets underway with pre-tour clash against Argentina
The British & Irish Lions' summer starts tonight - as Andy Farrell's side go head-to-head with Argentina in a pre-tour clash at Dublin's Aviva Stadium. It will be the first of six warm-up games the British & Irish Lions will play ahead of their three Test series against Australia in July and August. The Lions are overwhelming favourites to kickstart their summer tour with a victory - with the hosts priced at a very short 1/16. Conversely, Argentina are 7/1 outsiders to upset the applecart in Ireland, while a drawn match is the widest in the market at 20/1. For those in search of more detailed bets - there is a Featured Price Boost and a further three Price Boosts on offer for tonight's match-up. Firstly, the Featured Price Boost is valued at 11/8 and requires the Lions to score a try in the first ten minutes of the match (00:00 - 09:59). Meanwhile, the three Price Boosts need the Lions to win by 16-20 points at 6/1, Tommy Freeman, Duhan van der Merwe and Luke Cowan-Dickie all to score tries at 15/2, and each team to score 2+ tries in each half at 12/1. Freeman, Van der Merwe and Cowan-Dickie combined to score 42 tries across all competitions this season. Sky Bet odds for British and Irish Lions vs Argentina: British and Irish Lions 1/16 Argentina 7/1 Drawn Match 20/1 Sky Bet Featured Price Boost for British and Irish Lions vs Argentina: British and Irish Lions to score a try in the first ten minutes of the match (00:00 - 09:59) WAS 1/1 NOW 11/8 Sky Bet Price Boosts for British and Irish Lions vs Argentina: British and Irish Lions to win by 16-20 points WAS 5/1 NOW 6/1 Tommy Freeman, Duhan van der Merwe and Luke Cowan-Dickie all to score tries WAS 13/2 NOW 15/2 Each team to score 2+ tries in each half WAS 11/1 NOW 12/1
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
British and Irish Lions 2025: Where are they playing this summer?
The British and Irish Lions kick off their 2025 rugby tour against Argentina in Dublin on Friday 20 will be the first time that the Lions have played in Ireland and also their first match under head coach Andy Farrell. Friday's fixture is their only game before they leave for a nine-match tour of who are the Lions and where are they playing this summer? Keep reading to find you excited for the tour? Let us know what you're looking forward to in the comments below. Who are the Lions? The Lions are a team made up of rugby union stars from England, Ireland, Wales and do not have to have already played for their national side, they just have to be available for selection by one of those four put together every four years to face one of the world's best rugby teams - rotating between Australia, New Zealand and South tour, the Lions play a selection of warm-up games before three Tests against the host country. Most recently, the Lions lost their Test series against South Africa in 2021, by two matches to one. The Lions last played in Australia in 2013. Who's in this year's squad? British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has selected 38 players for their tour of and Saracens captain Maro Itoje, a Test regular in the 2017 and 2021 series, will lead the squad for the first are best represented with 16 players, England supply 13, Scotland seven and Wales have two players in the is the full squad list for this summer's tour:Captain: Maro Itoje (Eng)Props: Finlay Bealham (Ire), Tadhg Furlong (Ire), Ellis Genge (Eng), Andrew Porter (Ire), Pierre Schoeman (Sco), Will Stuart (Eng)Hookers: Luke Cowan-Dickie (Eng), Ronan Kelleher (Ire), Dan Sheehan (Ire)Second rows: Tadhg Beirne (Ire), Ollie Chessum (Eng), Scott Cummings (Sco), Maro Itoje (Eng), Joe McCarthy (Ire), James Ryan (Ire)Back rows: Jack Conan (Ire), Tom Curry (Eng), Ben Earl (Eng), Jac Morgan (Wal), Henry Pollock (Eng), Josh van der Flier (Ire)Scrum-halves: Jamison Gibson-Park (Ire), Alex Mitchell (Eng), Tomos Williams (Wal)Fly-halves: Finn Russell (Sco), Fin Smith (Eng), Marcus Smith (Eng)Centres: Bundee Aki (Ire), Huw Jones (Sco), Garry Ringrose (Ire), Sione Tuipulotu (Sco)Wings: Elliot Daly (Eng), Tommy Freeman (Eng), Mack Hansen (Ire), James Lowe (Ire), Duhan van der Merwe (Sco)Full-backs: Hugo Keenan (Ire), Blair Kinghorn (Sco) Where is the 2025 Lions Tour taking place? Aside from their Dublin fixture, the Lions will play six tour matches and three Tests in Australia on the following days: Friday 20 June - Lions v Argentina, DublinSaturday 28 June - Lions v Western Force, PerthWednesday 2 July - Lions v Queensland Reds, BrisbaneSaturday 5 July - Lions v NSW Waratahs, SydneyWednesday 9 July - Lions v ACT Brumbies, CanberraSaturday 12 July - Lions v Invitational AU & NZ, AdelaideSaturday 19 July - Lions v Australia, first Test, BrisbaneTuesday 22 July - Lions v First Nations & Pasifika XV, MelbourneSaturday 26 July - Lions v Australia, second Test, Melbourne Saturday 2 August - Lions v Australia, third Test, Sydney
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Australia coach takes aim at Lions duo - born in New Zealand and Australia - after former stars raised questions over their inclusions
Australia head coach Joe Schmidt has taken aim at the British and Irish Lions for their centre partnership of of Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu ahead of the side's first tour game. Lions boss Andy Farrell has named his stating side for the first of the summer matches against Argentina on Friday, with four foreign-born players included in the 15 and two more in the replacements. Schmidt will lead his side against the Lions later on this summer, with the first Test to be played in July before the tour concludes in early August. The 59-year-old has named his own squad to take on Fiji, and wasted no time taking aim at a duo who were born in New Zealand and Australia respectively. The subject has been a source of controversy since Farrell named his 38-man squad, with Lions icon Willie John McBride saying the inclusions 'bothered' him, while former England scrum-half Danny Care agreed that the inclusion of foreign-born players was an eyebrow-raiser. And Schmidt has now marked himself as the leader of the criticism, highlighting the duo when he named his Australia squad on Thursday. 'A southern-hemisphere centre partnership that will be pretty formidable,' he said. 'Obviously, I coached Bundee for several years (at Ireland) and know him really well, respect him massively as a player and a great contributor to the team environment. 'I've only had glancing conversations with Sione but again, by all accounts a champion bloke. You don't get to be captain of a national team without being a great bloke and really professional in those high-performance environments. 'They are real athletes, those two together, so that'll be really interesting.' Lions back coach Richard Wigglesworth, however, jumped to his side's defence, insisting players aren't picked on their backgrounds, but commitment and talent. 'I don't know if they are questioning their commitment,' he said. 'Their journey and how committed they have been to their country, whether that be Scotland or Ireland, England or Wales, everyone has earned the right to pull on the Lions jersey. 'They are, to a man, incredibly proud to be here. It is not your background or how you have got here, it is what sort of player are you and what sort of man you are and we have got great men and great players.' Care had said on the BBC Rugby Union Weekly podcast: 'Both your starting wingers are going to be lads that never, ever once in their childhood or even their mid-20s dreamt of wearing a red Lions jersey. 'It is what it is, it's the rules, and why not. If you're James Lowe or you're Duhan van der Merwe or you're [Jamison] Gibson-Park, you go, "Oh, I'll play for the Lions, yeah". 'We're not going to change it, but it just doesn't… I think there's a lot of people that feel the same but can't say it.' It's not uncommon in sport for starts to feature for countries they weren't born in at international level, but qualify for through family links or how long they have lived there. That includes in the sports such as football, with the likes of Marc Guehi (Ivory Coast) and Trevoh Chalobah (Sierra Leone) in the current England set-up born elsewhere, while cricket greats such as Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen were born in South Africa but represented England.
