Latest news with #Farrell
Wales Online
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Shaun Edwards' true feelings on Andy Farrell as he ordered boss to make decision
Shaun Edwards' true feelings on Andy Farrell as he ordered boss to make decision Edwards and Lions head coach Farrell were team-mates in their playing days before becoming two of the best rugby union coaches in the world Andy Farrell, the Lions head coach (Image: 2025 Getty Images ) When Andy Farrell leads the Lions in Australia this summer he will hope for fewer obstacles than his experience three decades ago when he was thrust into a leadership role on a very different Lions tour. At just 21, Farrell was part of what is regarded as one of the most disastrous rugby tours ever embarked upon when he captained Great Britain Lions rugby league team in Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Zealand. Even for such a precocious talent, the fact that Farrell was captaining the side was an indication of the challenges facing the side before they even left English shores. Set against the backdrop of a rugby league civil war, proposed mergers and the imminent professionalisation of rugby union, meant that a host of experienced internationals were forced to withdraw from the squad. Then when the team arrived in Papua New Guinea, things did not get any better, with tour manager Phil Lowe dealing with personal issues and finance becoming a major issue for those on the ground. Phil Larder, who went on to be the mastermind of England's defence on their way to 2003 World Cup glory in union, was the head coach, and remembers how Farrell was able to rise above the many obstacles thrown the players' way. Article continues below He said: 'It was pretty difficult, we didn't realise how difficult it was until we landed in Papua New Guinea. That was our first stop, there were problems straightaway. We hadn't got any finance in the group to purchase water, so we had no water. 'So after four or five days, myself and half the squad were puking up and shitting all the time because we had this infection. 'We managed to get a reasonable result against PNG and by the time we hit Fiji, things had turned out a little bit better. But it was a major concern and some of the players were still struggling, they had lost quite a bit of weight.' Things got even worse when Maurice Lindsay, the chief executive of the Rugby Football League, brought home half of the squad early to cut costs, destroying the morale of those who remained. And yet Farrell, who was not initially named as captain, very quickly became the leader of this group. Watch the Lions rugby tour on Sky Sports This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more £35 Sky Get Sky Sports here Product Description Sky Sports is the exclusive broadcaster of the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests and six warm-up matches available to enjoy with Sky's Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle. Larder added: 'Andy wasn't somebody who I had identified to be captain, but as the tour developed, it was obvious that he was the leader of the lads, he was the one that they all looked up to and he was playing exceptionally well, as well. He became my captain, that was how it happened. 'He, like me, and like Phil Lowe, found it very difficult. It wasn't easy for Lowey, because he had no money to play about with, it wasn't easy for me as head coach and it certainly wasn't easy for the players. And Faz just came through as a natural leader, not only on the pitch but outside as well. Everybody in the squad looked up to him. This was the reason I made him captain. 'The thing about Andy is he's got presence. If he walks into a room, he seems to attract people to him. Players latch onto that. 'I'd been to Papua New Guinea and Fiji and seen the boys train and play and seen how Andy bossed the show. It became an automatic choice to make him captain. 'For everybody, it was a completely miserable tour but particularly the second string who were forced to go home before the end of the tour. That broke everything up and the Test team were furious about it because their mates were in the other team. It was the most difficult job that I've had and the most difficult job for the players. But Andy was the one that seemed to be able to handle the situation better than most and the players looked up to him.' That should probably not have come as a surprise. After all, Farrell had been tipped as a massive talent from his early schoolboy days. Shaun Edwards' order to Wigan boss Shaun Edwards was one of the key figures at Wigan at the time, and told Lindsay, who was the Wigan chairman, that he had to do everything in his power to get Farrell onboard. The France defence coach recalls: 'Everybody was after him, he was potentially one of the best players ever. I thought it was absolutely vital that he signed for Wigan. I remember speaking to Maurice because I was a senior player by that stage. Whatever financial packet it took, we needed to give it to him because he was a special talent. Alan Tait of Leeds is tackled by Shaun Edwards and Andy Farrell of Wigan during a match in 1995 'He settled straight in, he is probably one of the most mature lads I've ever known at 17. He was physically mature and also mentally mature. He was playing in his first-ever final, Dean Bell was the captain of our team. They put Faz in with Dean Bell because they thought he would help support Andy with it being his first game at Wembley. 'The morning of the match, Faz was watching TV and Dean Bell was in the toilets being sick with nerves, so Faz went and had his arm around him saying 'Don't worry Deano, we'll batter these lot'. That sums him up, very confident, with a bit of humour about him and absolutely world class.' France defence coach Shaun Edwards (Image:) A 20-14 win over a Larder-coach Widnes duly ensued and Farrell has not looked back. Having achieved everything there was to achieve in league, he made the jump across to union in 2005, joining Saracens and quickly becoming a dual-code international. When injury forced him into retirement in 2009, he turned his hand to coaching, for Saracens and then under Stuart Lancaster with the England Saxons. Lancaster recalled: 'On a hunch, not really knowing Andy at all, I asked if he was interesting in helping me coach the Saxons through the Six Nations games and the Churchill Cup. 'We both got on very well straightaway. I needed someone to come in a coach the backs and run the defence. 'I think Andy enjoyed the responsibility of coaching the attack, the backs as well as the defence. There were only two of us so we basically did it all together. Not only was he very good on the defence, but he was also very good as a second set of eyes but also as a second presence. 'As a head coach, you are always looking for someone who could support you. Sometimes you can step back a bit and the other coach steps up, Andy was very good at that. He would bring energy at the right time and bring his presence to support me as the head coach.' That word presence is one that keeps coming up, and will no doubt be a big part of how he leads in Australia. Nearly 30 years from the absolute disaster of New Zealand, expect Farrell the head coach to enjoy a lot more success this time around. After all, as Edwards says: 'He's a proven winner.' 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Daily Maverick
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
2025 British & Irish Lions jet off to Australia in vastly different atmosphere
The 2025 Lions tour starts on Friday evening with a match against Argentina in Dublin. Very different circumstances to the tour's start four years ago during Covid. The official expedition through Australia kicks-off in Perth on 28 June against the Western Force. As the British & Irish Lions prepare to leave for Perth this weekend for the 2025 tour to Australia, the mood is much lighter and more jovial than four years ago. That's because the world is a vastly different place from when the British & Irish Lions' 2021 tour to South Africa (SA) remained in the balance until the last moment. The Covid pandemic meant the tour's feasibility and ability to go ahead was a constant roving target. The pandemic brought the 2021 tour close to collapse on several occasions. The original operational and commercial plans, which in themselves were complex documents to agree on, had to be rewritten. And then rewritten again and again. There was talk of playing the matches between the world champions, Springboks, and the Lions, outside of the Republic. Australia offered to host, but that was turned down for several reasons, including the unpalatable time zone for broadcasting. Dubai was briefly discussed as an alternative because fans might be allowed, but that option quickly withered on the vine. The most plausible scenario was moving the entire caravan to Britain with the Springboks playing tourists. That option, which was acceptable to both the Lions organisation and SA Rugby (Saru), hit snags because South Africa was placed on Britain's 'red list' of countries with Covid surges. In the end, the decision to continue as scheduled in SA was made when there was only about a month to go, because broadcasters and sponsors needed clarity; and a host of other logistics providers such as hotels, security, medical services and transport needed to be finalised. It went ahead and into the record books, but the overriding theme of 2021 was the empty Cape Town Stadium as the backdrop to what were three gripping Tests, despite the eerie surroundings. More positive 2025 tour The 2025 Lions tour starts on Friday evening with a match against Argentina in Dublin, although the official expedition through Australia kicks off in Perth on 28 June against the Western Force. Friday's clash against the Pumas doesn't carry Test status — it should — but will be a vital pilot study for coach Andy Farrell and his 38-man squad. There is also the question of money. The Argentina game will raise £2.55-million (R61-million), of which R21-million will go to the Pumas squad, which is a handy little bonus. But for Farrell, the most important factor is allowing some game time for combinations after a brief training camp in Portugal so that the Lions don't arrive in Australia completely underdone. That in itself makes a change from four years ago when the initial concerns were not so much over match-readiness but rather whether there would be matches at all. In 2025, concern lies with whether Australian Rugby is up to the standard required to compete with the Lions. There is some compelling evidence to suggest that Rugby (Union, not League) in Australia is suffering. The Wallabies are ranked eighth in the world, while Australia doesn't have a club that looks close to winning Super Ruby. Almost two years ago the Wallabies failed to make the knockout stages of Rugby World Cup 2023, losing 40-6 to Wales, who have subsequently lost 16 Tests in a row. The Brumbies made the 2025 Super Rugby semi-final but that hardly constitutes a tale of success for Australian rugby. And to further compound matters Rugby Australia (RA) announced a AUS$36.8-million (R430-million) deficit for the 2024 financial year. Obviously, the Lions tour will bring in huge revenue to help offset those losses but the state of the sport in the country remains precarious. This tour is explicitly 'expected to yield a record financial surplus', according to RA chief executive Phil Waugh. Beyond 2025, Australian rugby is set to enter a new and significantly enhanced five-year broadcast cycle from 2026. The agreement with Nine Entertainment is projected to be valued at approximately A$240-million (R2.8-billion), representing a substantial 40% uplift from the current contract. War of words On the field, former Ireland coach and now Wallabies mentor Joe Schmidt, a New Zealander, threw some jibes at the Lions. Schmidt is well known for his mind games and he immediately set the tone at the announcement of his first squad earlier this week, lobbing a jibe at the Lions' southern hemisphere players. The tourists will have a cosmopolitan flavour, with two former Junior Springboks in the party to Australia, as well as two players born in Australia, and three in New Zealand. Schmidt focused his barbs on Ireland's New Zealand-born centre Bundee Aki and Scotland's Australian-born midfielder Sione Tuipulotu. He described the pair as a 'southern hemisphere centre partnership that will be pretty formidable'. Former Junior Springboks Pierre Schoeman (prop) and Duhan van der Merwe (wing), who both play for Scotland, have also been included in the 38-man squad. There are further Southern Hemisphere connections in the squad with the selection of the New Zealand-born Ireland duo of Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe, in addition to Aki. Australian-born wing Mack Hansen, who plays for Ireland, was also included. Tuipulotu represented Australia U20s between 2015-17, but his maternal grandmother is Scottish. Hansen represented Australia U20s in 2018, but qualified for Ireland through his Cork-born mother. The Lions shot back about the questioning of the Lions players' heritage through assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth. 'I don't know if they (Australians) are questioning their (non-British born players') commitment because you would argue 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,' Wigglesworth said. '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 are you? And we have got great men and great players.' Van der Merwe brushed it off when asked about his heritage and credentials as a Lion, in an interview with The Guardian. He took some social media abuse when he was part of the 2021 tour, but he has learned to cope. 'I always knew they were going to get stuck into me,' he told the Guardian. 'There were a lot of personal messages on social media towards me. I just dust it off because I know how hard I've worked to get to where I am. 'You always have people on social media who are going to bring you down and slate you, but I've got to a point in my career where it doesn't faze me at all.' DM Schedule Friday 20 June British & Irish Lions v Argentina Aviva Stadium, Dublin Saturday 28 June Western Force v British & Irish Lions Optus Stadium, Perth Wednesday 2 July Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Saturday 5 July NSW Waratahs v British & Irish Lions Allianz Stadium, Sydney Wednesday 9 July ACT Brumbies v British & Irish Lions Gio Stadium, Canberra Saturday 12 July Invitational Australia and New Zealand XV v British & Irish Lions Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Saturday 19 July First Test: Australia v British & Irish Lions Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Tuesday 22 July First Nations & Pasifika XV v British & Irish Lions Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Saturday 26 July Second Test: Australia v British & Irish Lions MCG, Melbourne Saturday 2 August
Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
British Lions star 'wasn't good enough for Australia' & has Andy Farrell tattoo
Mack Hansen was born and raised in Australia but, despite playing age grade rugby, never represented the Wallabies and so led to a move to Ireland, which means he'll play against his homeland for the Lions You'd be forgiven for thinking that a player who got their head coach's face tattooed on them was a teacher's pet, but not in this case. British and Irish Lions star Mack Hansen honoured a bet to get the Wigan legend inked on his leg. Farrell has had a profound impact on Hansen's career. He saw quality in the Connacht winger and picked him for Ireland, beginning a sequence of events that meant Hansen, who is Australian born, will now play against the Wallabies this summer. When fit the Ireland back three has picked itself. Hansen on one wing, James Lowe on the other and Hugo Keenan and fullback. All three men are on tour and they helped Ireland achieve the Grand Slam back in the 2023 Six Nations. The Irish were firmly on the rise. They'd beaten New Zealand in their own backyard only months earlier and Hansen, who already boasts a number of tattoos, claimed he'd get Farrell inked on him if Ireland won all five games. "Johnny Sexton seemed to remember about the tattoo the whole way through the Six Nations and kind of reminded me towards the end," he told the Evening Standard. "I'm a man of my word, I said I would get it and so I did. Andy's done great stuff for this team and for Irish rugby, on and off the pitch. I can definitely think of worse people to have on my leg, so it's not too bad." Farrell has become adopted by the Irish such has been his impact on their rugby scene. Those exploits saw him land the Lions job and among his 38-man squad are a number of players who would be wearing the Australian shirt this summer had things gone differently. Hansen was a Wallaby at U20 level and came through the ranks with the Brumbies. The Canberra-based outfit are currently the country's top performing side, but they were willing to shop Hansen about. There were no takers. And so he left Australia to take up a deal with Connacht in 2021. Within a year he debuted for Ireland given he was eligible through his Cork-born mother and the rest, as they say, is history. Hansen has come up with numerous viral moments, including some accidental explicits during very raw interviews. He's become one of the most likeable players on the planet - and one of the most relatable. Ireland's gain has certainly been Australia's loss. They had Hansen in their talent pool but a lack of recognition sent him halfway across the world to Galway, where he has earned iconic status. Former Wallaby midfielder Morgan Turinui insists the Ireland - and now Lions - winger would never have got a look in had he stayed in his homeland. 'I don't think he would have got picked here,' he previously said on Stan Sport's Between Two Posts podcast. 'That's the stupidity of it. He wasn't anywhere near it, really. Like the chat was that the Brumbies had their succession plan. They went to the other Super (Rugby) teams – his management, whatever – said, 'Who wants him?' No one wanted him. 'And he was a good footballer, but good football didn't stand out, whatever, you couldn't have picked him – well, I wouldn't have picked him to be this good at international level.' The last time the Lions headed to Australia was in 2013. It remains their last series victory. During the warm-up games the Brumbies were the only side to down the Lions and Hansen was in the crowd that day but is now in line to make his first Lions outing having been named among the replacements for Friday's game against Argentina. He admits he "feel in love with the concept" of what the Lions is. Now he gets the chance to be front and centre as he and his pal Farrell look to end 12 years of frustration.
Irish Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
What time and TV channel is the British and Irish Lions v Argentina on tonight
Andy Farrell's long wait to get back into the coaches box ends tonight as he returns to Lansdowne Road for the visit of Felipe Contepomi's Pumas in what is a novel fixture for the British and Irish Lions. Never before have the Lions played on Irish soil so that unwelcome record comes to an end here as Farrell gets down to business in a match scenario for the first time since Ireland's Autumn Series victory over Australia on November 30 of last year. Since then he has planned and plotted for this moment and, with many of his Leinster contingent still getting up to speed in Lions camp after their URC final success last weekend, there are six of his Ireland stars involved tonight. The game takes place at Aviva Stadium, Dublin The match kicks off at 8pm on Friday It will be shown live on TG4 (from 7.20pm) and on Sky Sports Main Event (from 7pm) The British and Irish Lions are 1/10 to win, Argentina are 13/2 to win, the draw is 30/1 Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand) Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne and Finlay Bealham are the three Ireland players who start the game, while replacements Tadhg Furlong and Mack Hansen are poised to make their return from injury and Rónan Kelleher will be hungry for his chance to shine when the time comes. Farrell will hope that his new-look side hit the ground running and immediately puts down a marker for the squad in terms of standards set, but Argentina won't make it easy. The 2025 Lions are finally ready to roar. British and Irish Lions: Marcus Smith, Tommy Freeman, Sione Tuipulotu, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe, Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Finlay Bealham, Maro Itoje (captain), Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl. Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Pierre Schoeman, Tadhg Furlong, Scott Cummings, Henry Pollock, Tomos Williams, Elliot Daly, Mack Hansen. Argentina: Santiago Carreras, Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Justo Piccardo, Ignacio Mendy, Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Garcia; Mayco Vivas, Julian Montoya (captain), Joel Sclavi, Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiolo, Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo Replacements: Bautista Bernasconi, Boris Wenger, Francisco Coria Marchetti, Santiago Grondona, Joaquin Moro, Simon Benitez Cruz, Matias Moroni, Santiago Cordero
RTÉ News
12 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Preview: Cohesion the key as Lions prepare for Pumas send-off
Six weeks and 10 games. It all starts tonight. Given the make-up of the squad and coaching staff, this Lions tour feels more Irish and British than British and Irish, and Dublin is the first stop, before they head Down Under on Saturday. The majority of the 16-strong Irish contingent in the playing group will be watching from the stands at Aviva Stadium this evening, with Rónan Kelleher the only of Leinster's BKT URC final squad asked to play two weeks in a row. While officially this is the end of week two in the Lions camp, 15 of the squad have only been in place since Monday afternoon, with the Leinster, Bath and Leicester Tigers contingent missing last week's Portugal camp due to their club commitments. As such, cohesion has been this week's buzz-word. Nine of the starting 15 for this opening game against Argentina are England internationals, but that familiarity could be offset by a new coaching team whose style of play may differ from Steve Borthwick. It's telling that his opening half-back partnership are team-mates for both club and country, with Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith teaming up behind the scrum, while Marcus Smith is patrolling the backfield at full-back, and ready to pivot to out-half if needed. "They were the two tens in the squad last week so they've been dovetailing 10 and 15, so it's great for them to have time in the saddle to be able to do that," Farrell said of the Smiths. "That's why it was good to, on many accounts, to train with a 23/24-man squad because it gave different people different combinations to have time and reps. New system, new calls, getting their heads around all that has allowed them to get to a point now where they're pretty excited to play together." Selections will change, but it will be curious to see if Farrell's side play to the strength and size of their three-quarter line. Wings Duhan van der Merwe and Tommy Freeman measure in at 6ft 4in and 6ft 3in, and weigh a couple of digits either side of 105kg. The centre combination of Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu are by no means tall, but are two of the most powerful in their position in the northern hemisphere. "I wouldn't have noticed," Farrell replied, when the size of his backline was mentioned. Aki (above) and Tuipulotu's partnership in particular is the one that jumped off the page when the team was named on Wednesday afternoon. Hard-running and big-hitting, the pair would initially have been expected to be in competition for the 12 shirt in the Test series next month, but if they gel as a combination while Garry Ringrose and Huw Jones are getting back to full fitness, it could be a perfect marriage. Farrell says he wants them to become a "dominant partnership", and if their direct carrying can occupy bodies and space for others to score, it could give them a head-start on Test selection. "So they've [Aki and Tuipulotu] been great. Getting on the same page, sharing each other's strengths and weaknesses, etc, and trying to get across what is a new system to everyone. So very diligent and excited to see that partnership, along with a few others. "But we know that we're coming up against a side who are pretty good in those type of positions as well, you know," Farrell added. The six Irish players n this week's matchday 23 are split evenly across the starting team and replacements; Aki and Tadhg Beirne both mark their second Lions tours at the Aviva, while Finlay Bealham starts at tighthead, less than two weeks after being called into the squad as an injury replacement for Scotland's Zander Fagerson. His fellow Ireland international and Canberra-native Mack Hansen is among the replacements, as is Kelleher and Tadhg Furlong, who will be making his first appearance since early May after being troubled by a calf injury. Argentina drove Ireland all the way when they last visited the Aviva back in November, and while Felipe Contepomi could be handing out three debuts off the bench, 12 of his starting team featured in that 22-19 defeat seven months ago. Four years ago, the tour to South Africa was thrown into chaos when captain Alun-Wyn Jones (above) dislocated his shoulder just seven minutes into the warm-up fixture against Japan. Jones did recover miraculously to rejoin the squad in time for the first Test, but Justin Tipuric had no such luck, and played no further part after his injury in Edinburgh. The head coach bristled at any suggestion players will have Saturday's flight to Australia in their sub-conscious for this game. "I'm not even thinking about avoiding injuries, that's the furthest thing from my mind because it's just sport. This is just the nature of sport in general, never mind the contact sport that we that we love to watch and play. So it is what it is. "We certainly, in the back of our minds, wish that we've got a healthy squad going to Australia, but we know that along the way, there's also the sorts of different implications that can happen. It's just the nature of the tour. "This is all about putting your best foot forward as a group. They're representing the group. "This is a full-blown Test match for us, for all that are involved internally. We're lucky to have the quality of the Argentinian side to come over and test that. It's going to be a fantastic occasion," added Farrell. British and Irish Lions: Marcus Smith; Tommy Freeman, Sione Tuipulotu, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Finlay Bealham; Maro Itoje (capt), Tadhg Beirne; Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl Argentina: Santiago Carreras; Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Justo Piccardo, Ignacio Mendy; Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo García; Mayco Vivas, Julian Montoya (capt), Joel Sclavi; Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Juan Martín Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo
