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Irish Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Leinster's big hitters missing as Lions show kicks off with English-heavy side in Dublin
The ironies abound. Leinster had supposedly generated a degree of Aviva fatigue by earning five knock-out games at their temporary home this season before last Saturday's successful URC final segue in Croke Park. Now they are almost nowhere to be seen when the British & Irish Lions host Argentina this Friday at the Aviva Stadium (kick-off 8pm, live on TG4 and Sky Sports). Only two of Leinster's dozen inclusions in the 38-man squad will feature, and both Rónan Kelleher and Tadhg Furlong are on the bench, with Andy Farrell resting all eight starters in last Saturday's win over the Bulls, while the head coach gave positive updates on last week's other absentees Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan. So it is that the Lions' starting XV to be roared on by the 'home' crowd will feature nine English players. These include eight of the England starting XV which were beaten more soundly by Ireland on February 1st in this stadium than the 27-22 scoreline indicates , as well as the replacement outhalf that day, Fin Smith. There's still room for the Connacht duo of Finlay Bealham and Bundee Aki, as well as Mack Hansen on the bench, while the Munster captain Tadhg Beirne will partner captain Maro Itoje in the secondrow. There will also be two Scots in Duhan van der Merwe and Sione Tuipulotu and the tireless Welsh openside Jac Morgan, thereby ensuring all four countries are represented. READ MORE In another irony, through no fault of his own, Furlong has made the smallest contribution of any of their Lions contingent to the Leinster and Ireland campaigns, thanks to recurring calf and hamstring issues. His sole cap for Ireland was as a replacement in Rome on the final weekend of the Six Nations and, having been an unused replacement against Glasgow in round 18 of the URC, the last of his seven appearances and five starts for Leinster was in the Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton seven weeks ago. But after apparently training impressively with the Lions, the experienced 32-year-old from Wexford will have an opportunity to prove his wellbeing at some juncture against Los Pumas as a replacement for Bealham. A fit and strong Furlong would be a huge boost to the Lions given his pedigree as a starting tighthead in all six Tests against New Zealand in 2017 and South Africa four years ago, and his motivation to complete the southern hemisphere cycle with a series win. 'He's fit, he's fit,' asserted Andy Farrell ahead of his first game as Lions head coach, 'and ready to go and train well. And he's as keen as everyone else to get the show on the road.' The irony of leading the Lions on the eve of his third tour in Dublin wasn't loss on Itoje, whose first game as England captain had been that aforementioned loss to Ireland on February 1st. Tadhg Furlong and Ellis Genge. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho 'It's been very nice to be so warmly received in Dublin,' he revealed with a broad smile. 'That tends not to be the case. It's going to be a great spectacle. It's one the players can't wait for to be honest. We can't wait to get out there and show ourselves and others what we're about. We're looking forward to it.' Plenty of water, along with six matches, will pass under the bridge between now and the first Test in Brisbane in a month's time, but Itoje's partnership with Beirne – a replacement in the first and second Tests four years ago – could be a precursor of things to come. 'I'm really enjoying spending time with Tadhg,' said Itoje. 'I spent a bit of time with him on the last tour. We built a good relationship and it's been amazing we've been able to continue that. He's a fantastic player. He has a level of physicality that's really impressive. I've been impressed with his leadership and how he is around the boys in a very calm and mature way.' The absence of the rest of the Leinster contingent along with the Bath duo of Finn Russell and Will Stuart, and Leicester's Ollie Chessum, forced Farrell's hand, and they will have some catching up to do after the squad lands in Perth next Sunday. But Farrell provided encouraging updates on Gibson-Park and Keenan, as well as the Glasgow and Scotland outside centre Huw Jones. 'They are all a week or so away from being fit. We didn't quite know until Jamison got another scan on Monday night which was pretty positive. Jack [van Poortvliet] comes over as cover for this game, Jamison should be up and running for the week after. 'Huw Jones has trained with us this week, and he's been back into full training, so that's great. Hugo Keenan ran for the first time a couple of days ago. Everything's going pretty well as far as that's concerned. And there's always one or two bumps and bruises that you're trying to nurse but the nature of rugby within itself. So, we're in good shape.' So, what did he want to see from this team in this non-Test warm-up match? 'Cohesion, connection. An ability to attack the game from the off and be the best version of themselves individually and collectively. You can give yourself any excuse in terms of time together. But we've had good preparation. If you want to be a good Lions player, you have to hit your straps straight from the off. We want to see these players compete.' British & 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 Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Pierre Schoeman, Tadhg Furlong, Scott Cummings, Henry Pollock, Tomos Williams, Elliot Daly, Mack Hansen Argentina: Santiago Carreras; Rodrigo Isgró, Lucio Cinti, Justo Piccardo, Ignacio Mendy; Tomás Albornoz, Gonzalo García; Mayco Vivas, Julian Montoya (capt), 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, Simón Benitez Cruz, Matias Moroni, Santiago Cordero.
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Lions to kick off 2025 Tour with shocking display of elitism and snub to rivals
The Lions will kick off their 2025 Tour with a stunning display of elitism - there will be no 'test caps' for the game with Argentina. This at a time when the Pumas are FIFTH in the world rankings, three spots ahead of world-ranked EIGHTH Australia for whom Lions caps will be awarded for playing against. The Lions will play nine matches on their 2025 Tour, one in Ireland and eight in Australia. Of those, four are against national sides, the opener Argentina in the Aviva Stadium and the three-game series with Australia. There are a further three games against Super Rugby teams, one against a representative selection and one game against opposition yet to be confirmed. Yet there are only Lions caps awarded for the games with the Wallabies, a clear snub to the Pumas - never mind those playing over €150 to watch the game in Dublin which is essentially ranked by the Lions as an 'exhibition'. "For us, the most important thing is not who we play or where we play, it is the jersey we put on," insists teak-tough Puma centre Matias Moroni. "So it doesn't matter if it's a game in a park or in a stadium with all the crowd, every time we put on our jersey it is the most important thing, because we represent all our effort. "We represent all the players that have played for Argentina, our country, our family, our amateur clubs, our coaches. "So I think, obviously it's real for us, it's gonna be a really good amount of fear, but the most important thing is to do our best in the jersey that we're gonna put on." Ireland may have five players in the mix to start as the likelihood is the eight Leinster players who started against Bulls last weekend won't be considered while there are a further three on the injury list. Ronan Kelleher, who was on the bench for Bulls might be involved, while Connacht's Bundee Aki, Finlay Bealham and Mack Hansen - none of whom were born in Ireland - and Munster's Tadhg Beirne are in consideration. A poor return for Irish for fans for a game which does not award Lions caps and for which the lowest priced tickets for the Aviva are €158. A cost that has drawn criticism from many quarters and compares unfavourably with the list prices for the rest of the non-Test games on the Tour as, for instance, the Lions vs Western Force match in Perth has tickets from €58. The game against Queensland Reds in Brisbane has tickets for €67. Meanwhile, Scotland second-row Scott Cummings is expected to claim one of the second-row spots on Friday, most likely alongside Beirne. "It was definitely a bit of a surreal moment hearing your name get called out and that you had made the squad," admitted the Scot who was only considered 40/60 to make the cut beforehand. "It's something you dream of as a kid and as a player. Over the past couple of years, it's definitely been a target for me. "Obviously, with being injured for a decent part of the season, I didn't know if that was going to affect my chances so hearing your name called out was probably the highlight of my professional career so far. "It's been a bit of a whirlwind since then, getting to meet everyone. Andy Farrell has set his stall out in terms of what he wants from us all and it's just getting to know everyone and build that cohesion." Cummings revealed that Farrell, pre-Tour, had decided on a light touch. "He didn't load us too much before we came in. We were playing with our clubs and he wanted us finishing the season winning if we could. "But since we've been in, there's a lot of detail being added. Everyone's trying to help each other out. "Obviously, some of the Irish guys have been through certain things but it's a different game plan and there's a lot of stuff coming from all the teams so everyone is working together as much as they can. "It's tough because there are different coaches, there's lots of stuff we're taking from the different teams we're trying to integrate into one." Cummings has enjoyed the freedom to finish out the season with Glasgow without the extra Lions pressure. "I've always said that if you play well for your club, you get picked for national and if you get picked for national, you end up being picked for the Lions. "For me, it's just trying to represent Glasgow as well as I can every day and represent Scotland as much as I could. I want to get my hands on the ball. "I feel like I'm someone who has got a bit of speed in their game, that's probably one of my points of difference, so trying to get my hands on the ball, run lines, and impact the defence as much as I can." And now the hope is he will impress against Argentina "I think the coaches have put it on us. We've only been together for a short period of time so there will be some mistakes. "We're still learning our systems over the past couple of weeks, but Friday is a massive opportunity for us to show what we've been working on. "We have high quality players across the team, and they're just telling us to go and make rugby decisions; attack it, don't sit back and let Argentina play their style. Go and get them, go and show what we can do as a team.. "It's a massive occasion, if I'm lucky enough to get selected it will be a huge moment for anyone."
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Leinster name nine Lions inclusions for Zebre game
Leinster have named nine of their 12 players selected for the British and Irish Lions tour in their squad for Saturday's United Rugby Championship contest against Zebre at the Aviva Stadium (17:15 BST)James Lowe and Garry Ringrose will start in the backs with Ronan Kelleher, Joe McCarthy, Jack Conan and Josh van der Flier selected in the forwards and Jamison Gibson-Park, Andrew Porter and James Ryan included in the United Rugby Championship leaders retain six of their starters from last weekend's shock Investec Cup semi-final defeat by Ringrose and Lions squad omission Sam Prendergast are named in the backs with Kelleher, McCarthy and van der Flier retaining the forward starting Zealand star Jordie Barrett is named at centre after coming on as a second-half replacement last weekend, while Conan will captain the side in the absence of injured Caelan Doris after also been introduced from the bench against replacements include Robbie Henshaw who was a notable omission from Andy Farrell's Lions Ciaran Frawley will make 100 Leinster appearance in Saturday's go into this weekend's round of fixtures with an eight-point lead over second-placed Glasgow while Zebre are in 15th spot, with only marooned Dragons behind them in the Osborne; J O'Brien, Ringrose, Barrett, Lowe; Prendergast, McGrath; Boyle, Kelleher, Clarkson; McCarthy, Mangan; Baird, van der Flier, Conan (capt). Replacements: McKee, Porter, Slimani, Ryan, Culhane, Gibson-Park, Frawley, Henshaw
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Five talking points from Lions squad announcement
So the first roar of the 2025 Lions has been heard - some old cats who have prowled this terrain before, some cubs who are experiencing this for the first time. And Henry Pollock, a beast so rare that it's still difficult to find the right word for Farrell has picked 38 men for the trek to Australia and there are almost as many talking points as players. Here are five. Big-name casualties, especially at hooker Some big-name casualties. No Jamie George and no Dewi Lake. Many folk will have had both of them involved but their places have gone to Ireland's back-up hooker, Ronan Kelleher, and England's Luke Cowan-Dickie. Dan Sheehan was always going to be selected and he's the very clear frontrunner to start in the first will not have been high in Wales, but two Lions is by a distance their lowest-ever total. There was mention of Blair Murray as a bolter at full-back and more talk of Taulupe Faletau possibly coming in for the desperately-unlucky Caelan Doris, who misses out. That's so cruel. From captaincy contender to couch-sitter. It's a horrible sport at times. Marcus makes it but Farrell circus avoided Marcus Smith is in at 10 and as cover at 15, where Blair Kinghorn is likely to miss the first two or three games because of his commitments to Toulouse. Elliot Daly is another who can deputise as 15. Scotland would have been hoping to get Tom Jordan picked in that utility role but it's fallen to Daly was a world of speculation around the 10s. A big campaign had formed around Owen Farrell, sparked in part by Johnny Sexton, the Lions assistant coach, who said previously that he would pick him in his Test squad. Through injury and lack of form in France with Racing, Farrell Jnr doesn't make it. Wonder what Sexton made of that in the selection meeting. His man - out. Farrell Snr may not have wanted the circus of having his son in the squad and, quite possibly, Owen wouldn't have wanted to be part of it either. Intrigue Sam Prendergast also had a bandwagon, but the wheels fell off in a disastrous display against Northampton on Saturday. Some old characters were tipping that there would be no Finn Russell in this squad. He's there and his battle with the brilliant tyro Fin Smith for Test starts will be exhilarating. Back-row power leaves impressive stand-by list There's no getting away from it - the strength in the back-row is immense and there was always going to be big names missing out. Jack Willis is one of them. He's been sensational at Toulouse but if Farrell was prepared to wait for Kinghorn, then he hasn't afforded the same latitude to Willis. Mainly because he doesn't have to. He has more than enough artillery without him. Maybe the dramatic rise and rise of Pollock put paid to his chances also. There's no Ben Curry, no Chandler Cunningham-South, no Faletau. They'll be devastated but if the history of the Lions tells us that injuries will happen and replacements will be parachuted in. The list of standbys will be impressive. Hansen beats Graham in wing battle Scotland will be very happy to have eight - one short of their all-time high - but the many fans of Darcy Graham will be crestfallen. The wee man has X-factor and is in flying form. He was strong in the Six Nations, offers real pace and is as brave as a lion, only he's not a an eyebrow-raiser because Hansen hasn't played since the middle of April and doesn't have the gas that Graham offers. He's a clever rugby player, though, and he has a fan in head coach Farrell. This might have been a call where familiarity won the day. Williams wins scrum-half scrap Jamison Gibson-Park was always a shoo-in and Alex Mitchell was nailed-on to be the second scrum-half. There was a lot of debate around who the third and final nine would be - Tomos Williams or Ben White. The Welshman has won the Dawson went White on a podcast during the week, reckoning that his style of play might best suit what Farrell is looking for. Williams, though, is a terrific player. Smart and dynamic. The call will have come down to fine margins. The agony and ecstasy of the Lions writ large.
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Kelleher to be assessed ahead of Harlequins tie
Ireland hooker Ronan Kelleher will be assessed for selection ahead of Leinster's Investec Champions Cup last-16 tie with Harlequins at Croke 27, has been sidelined with a neck injury and will step up his rehabilitation ahead of the last-16 qualified for the knockout stages as top seed with four victories from the Pool were seeded 15th of the 16 teams to qualify for the knockout stages with two victories from their four row Alex Soroka will be assessed as he works through return to play protocols after a concussion, but Will Connors is out after injuring his shoulder in Saturday's narrow win over the Sharks in South Larmour, Paddy McCarthy, Rob Russell and James Culhane are still unavailable for selection.
