21 h. ago Dan Sheehan says Lions can fire up travelling support if they ‘give them a win’

The Lions are favourites to come out on top in the three-Test series against Australia going into Saturday’s Brisbane opener.

Events

2 w. ago Lions captain Dan Sheehan's sports star girlfriend and his family's rugby careers

Dan Sheehan has been named British and Irish Lions captain for their opening Tour game in Australia this weekend - and he will be supported by his girlfriend, Katherine Egan

Sport

2 w. ago Dan Sheehan wants ‘passion’ from British and Irish Lions teammates

The Lions captain wants his team to show the same intensity as their opponents, Western Force, in Saturday’s tour opener

Politics

2 w. ago Farrell backs Pollock to prove ‘point of difference’ for Lions in striking selection

Squad’s youngest member starts against Western ForceDan Sheehan to captain Lions on SaturdayThere is a distinctly emerald tinge to the British & Irish Lions teamsheet for this weekend’s opening tour fixture in Australia. More than half the starting XV, three of the bench reserves, the newly minted captain, Dan Sheehan, and the head coach, Andy Farrell, reside in Ireland but perhaps the latter’s most striking selection is the squad’s uncut English diamond at No 8.Henry Pollock is only 20 but the young back-rower has been handed the glittering prize of a lifetime against Western Force on Saturday. Go well and Farrell may well include him in his Test match plans next month. Should the Northampton forward endure a problematic night, conversely, it may precipitate an abrupt managerial U-turn. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago British and Irish Lions team: Henry Pollock starts with Dan Sheehan captain against Western Force

Andy Farrell makes 13 changes from Argentina defeat for opening match of Australia tour in Perth

Politics

3 w. ago Debutant Dan Sheehan will lead Lions in first tour fixture against Western Force

Irish hooker joins eight other first-timers in matchday 23Jamison Gibson-Park and James Ryan left out with injuriesEight Ireland players have been selected in the British & Irish Lions starting XV to face Western Force in the first fixture of the squad’s Australia tour on Saturday. The Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan will lead out the team on his Lions debut with eight more first-time Lions featuring in the matchday 23 and 20-year-old Henry Pollock handed a start at number eight.Sheehan will be among those making his Lions debut alongside his club-mates Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier. The bench contains another four newcomers in the shape of England’s Ollie Chessum and Will Stuart, Scotland’s Huw Jones and Ireland’s Andrew Porter. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Sheehan will lead Lions with Pollock handed start at No8 against Western Force

Irish hooker joins eight other debutants in matchday 23Northampton’s Pollock to add back-row dynamismEight Ireland players have been selected in the British & Irish Lions starting XV to face Western Force in the first fixture of the squad’s Australia tour on Saturday. The Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan will lead out the team on his Lions debut with eight more first-time Lions featuring in the matchday 23 and 20-year-old Henry Pollock handed a start at number eight.Sheehan will be among those making his Lions debut alongside his club-mates Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier. The bench contains another four newcomers in the shape of England’s Ollie Chessum and Will Stuart, Scotland’s Huw Jones and Ireland’s Andrew Porter. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago British Lions team: New captain picked with wonderkid to start first match in Australia

The British and Irish Lions will be led by captain Dan Sheehan for their first match in Australia with Henry Pollock and Finn Russell starting against the Western Force

Politics

3 w. ago Dan Sheehan goes from ‘despising’ Ellis Genge to loving ‘funny bloke’ Lions prop

Sheehan and Genge have joined forces on the 10-fixture expedition Down Under.

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Ellis Genge? You go from despising people to having coffee’: Dan Sheehan on Lions magic

Irish hooker on forging alliances with sworn enemies and the challenge of getting ‘four different nations connected’The best way to sum up the unique dynamic of a British & Irish Lions tour is to consult a player experiencing it for the first time. “It’s mad how fast you can go from despising people to hanging around to go for a coffee with them,” says Ireland’s straight-talking hooker Dan Sheehan, admitting he had not been expecting to bond instantly with his new English mate Ellis Genge. “He’s definitely someone that surprises you that he’s not a dickhead.”Welcome to the psychological maze that is the first week of a Lions tour on the other side of the world. Dealing with jet lag is the easy part. Even for top players like the 26-year-old Sheehan, a probable Test starter, the need to rub shoulders – often literally – with previously sworn enemies and forging unlikely alliances is a challenge in itself. “Genge would be a good one. He’s obviously a passionate, animated player fo...

Politics

3 w. ago Ian McLauchlan dead aged 83: British and Irish Lions legend known as 'Mighty Mouse' passes away as tributes pour in for 'indestructible' hero

Nicknamed 'Mighty Mouse' for his powerful scrummaging and compact frame, he won 43 caps for Scotland between 1969 and 1979, captaining his country 19 times.

Events

3 w. ago Ian McLauchlan, Scotland and British & Irish Lions ‘Mighty Mouse’, dies at 83

‘Mighty Mouse’ led his country 19 times, winning 43 capsPart of successful Lions tours in 1971 and 1974The former Scotland and British & Irish Lions prop Ian McLauchlan has died at the age of 83. The Ayrshire-born McLauchlan, who was known throughout the rugby world as Mighty Mouse, won 43 caps for Scotland between 1969 and 1979, captaining the side 19 times.McLauchlan’s legacy was cemented on the victorious Lions tours of New Zealand and South Africa in 1971 and 1974, being one of only five players to feature in all eight Test matches. Continue reading...

Events