3 h. ago Lions one win from ending wait – 5 things we learned from first Test

The British and Irish Lions beat Australia 27-19 in Brisbane as they eye a first series win since 2013.

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5 h. ago How the Lions’ half backs seized control of Test series against Australia

Half backs Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell controlled proceedings well as the Lions took a first Test lead

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21 h. ago Lions hold off Australia fightback in worrying start to series

Australia 19-27 British and Irish Lions: The Lions survived a second-half stumble to go 1-0 against an at-times overmatched Australia

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21 h. ago Andy Farrell sings praises of 'absolutely immense' Lions duo as team selection is justified in Australia win

The British and Irish Lions are 1-0 up in the three-Test series against Australia

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22 h. ago 'Honest conversations': Maro Itoje reacts after Lions dominate Australia in First Test to take series lead

Itoje brought up his 100th international cap in Lions’ win over Australia

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23 h. ago British and Irish Lions withstand late Australia pressure to take lead in Test series

Lions make early dominance count to take lead in series

Events

23 h. ago Lions lay down series marker and ease to victory over Australia in first Test

First Test: Australia 19-27 British & Irish LionsOne-sided opener only came alive in the second halfWinning the first Test does not guarantee a series victory but Australia are already hanging on by their fingernails. On the evidence of this contest it is going to take something remarkable to stop the Lions from finishing the job in Melbourne next Saturday and, with thousands of travelling fans cheering them on, Andy Farrell’s side have firm control of their own destiny.There were moments in the first half when the Lions were so dominant it felt akin to watching a juggernaut thundering through the outback, scattering everything in sight like skittles. They were unable to sustain it but the visitors’ dominance in the opening 50 minutes was such that the winning margin should have been wider. From Finn Russell’s insouciant brilliance to Tom Curry’s relentless tackling, the Lions were a cut above in the areas that mattered most. Continue reading...

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40 h. ago Lions desperate for fast start in Test that will set the tone for Australia series

Talk is of a possible clean sweep for tourists but the onus is on Australia to make one or two Lions eat their confident wordsWhatever unfolds over the next three Saturdays this British & Irish Lions series will resonate more than its predecessor. Simply to see visiting fans in red jerseys wandering down Queen Street in central Brisbane is to be thankful the whole enterprise has a beating heart once again, in contrast to South Africa four years ago when a Covid-disrupted, spectator-free experience sapped everyone’s spirits.Because a Lions tour is nothing without a human element, enticed back every four years by the fabled steepness of the challenge. “This is our Everest, boys,” growled Jim Telfer back in 1997 and, as usual, the master coach was right. On only three occasions in the past 50 years has a Lions squad returned home triumphant and, for now, a series win remains the holy grail for the professional egg chasers of England, Ireland, Scotland and, if selected, Wa...

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50 h. ago Martin Offiah backs Junior Nsemba to become next English rugby league superstar

The 20-year-old was selected in Shaun Wane’s preparation squad for the ABK Beer Ashes Series against Australia, which begins in October, having made his England debut last November against Samoa

Sport

51 h. ago Lions accused of blocking Pasifika XV star in eligibility row on eve of series

‘Devastated’ Samu told he cannot feature in tour match‘They must have been worried we were going to win’The British & Irish Lions have been accused of running scared on the eve of the first Test against the Wallabies, amid a disagreement over the availability of Pete Samu for next week’s First Nations & Pasifika XV tour match.Samu, who last season represented Bordeaux before joining the Waratahs for the next Super Rugby season, has been blocked from playing in Tuesday’s game and is said by the head coach, Toutai Kefu, to be “devastated”. Continue reading...

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2 d. ago ‘Make it happen when it matters’ – Andy Farrell urges Lions to embrace pressure

Powerful Lions side named to face Australia in first TestTom Curry starts in back row, no Welsh player in 23Andy Farrell has urged his British & Irish Lions players to embrace the pressure of their billing as heavy favourites to beat Australia in the series opener on Saturday.The Lions will go into Saturday’s match as odds-on favourites after Farrell named a powerful side featuring Tom Curry at openside flanker and Sione Tuipulotu at inside-centre to face a Wallabies team missing Will Skelton, Rob Valetini and Taniela Tupou. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago The Itoje legacy: Nigerian roots shaped the Lions captain who has inspired a new generation

Maro Itoje’s rise to the very top of his sport brings both pride and idolisation from the British-Nigerian communityIt is 2017 and Maro Itoje has just been selected as the youngest member of the British & Irish Lions squad. He is asked for his favourite Lions memory and his response is illuminating. “Ugo Monye scoring his try in the third Test [against South Africa in 2009]. When you’re young and growing up, you look at players that look like you. And, by that, I don’t mean eyes, ears, nose, I mean who have the same skin colour, who you can identify with. Ugo is one I could identify with, as we’re both of Nigerian descent. To see him score that amazing try resonated with me.”On Saturday, when the Lions begin their series against Australia, Itoje will win his 100th Test cap. He is England captain, the first black captain of the Lions and the country’s most prominent rugby player. And you cannot help but wonder to what extent he himself has passed the torch. For there can be littl...

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4 d. ago ‘We’re not here to pay homage’: Lion turned Australia coach Geoff Parling on how hosts can stun tourists

There’s no room for sentiment as Wallabies assistant bids to leave country on a high before his move to Leicester TigersGeoff Parling is a perfect example of just how far sport can propel you in life. Growing up in Stockton-on-Tees he was a goalkeeper who did not start throwing a rugby ball around until the age of 12. Back then the chances of him coaching Australia in a British & Irish Lions series were about the same as seeing a snoozing koala up a gum tree in Hartlepool.Yet here he is now in a Wallaby tracksuit, preparing to complete the unique double of playing a Test for the Lions and then also coaching against them at the same exalted level. It is a parallel universe to 2013 when Parling was part of the triumphant Lions side in the final Test in Sydney. That night it was his crucial tackle on Jesse Mogg – “My long arms came in useful for once” – which snuffed out any chance of a home fightback. This weekend the aim is to do the precise opposite and restore a golden glow to ...

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4 d. 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

4 d. ago Future British & Irish Lions tour of France on the agenda at Melbourne summit

French federation puts forward hosting 2027 warm-upMeeting before second Test over new Lions modelA British & Irish Lions tour of France could move a step closer next week when executives hold talks over “a new business model” in Melbourne before the second Test of the series against Australia.Abdel Benazzi, the vice-president of the French federation (FFR), held informal discussions with Lions executives in Dublin before the warm-up match against Argentina, and he will travel to Australia next week to further press his nation’s claims of facing the touring side again, having previously done so in 1989. France have emerged as leading contenders to face the Lions in a warm-up match before the tour of New Zealand in 2029 and, according to Benazzi, could also fulfil the same role before the inaugural women’s tour in 2027, also to New Zealand. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago The Breakdown | Five areas where the Australia v Lions Test series will be won and lost

Selection, discipline, kicking, aerial dominance and individual brilliance will all be key in the next few weeksSelection It may sound obvious but both sides need their key chess pieces to be in the correct places. Neither team are due to declare their hands officially until Thursday but the Lions will be well aware of Joe Schmidt’s ability to produce a tactical surprise or two. The big name to look out from an Australian perspective will be Rob Valetini, such an important cog in the Wallaby pack but injured for the recent Fiji game. If Valetini is ruled out it will be a blow to home morale; the Wallabies are going to need their main men on the field. The Lions have had their own injury problems but their back-row and centre selections will be instructive. They will be tempted to start with their most physical flanker, Tom Curry, and send out Ben Earl and/or Henry Pollock to up the tempo later. But Jac Morgan, the only Welshman left in the squad and a specialist jackler, would offer...

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5 d. ago Gino D'Acampo plans to leave UK after ITV axe and misconduct claims

Celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo is reportedly planning to move to Australia for two years as he launches a series of new ventures Down Under, including two restaurants

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5 d. ago Brutal Mitchell Starc spell one to remember amid Australia batters’ tour to forget | Geoff Lemon

The left-arm fast bowler claimed a record-breaking six-wicket haul in the third Test against the West Indies to celebrate his milestone match in styleModern sport reporting casually reaches for words like “brutality” and “carnage” where their usage even as metaphor is overblown. The end of the third Test in Kingston, though, warranted both. Australia’s fast bowlers destroyed West Indies for 27, a single run higher than the lowest innings score in Test history.The batting lasted 14.3 overs, the third-shortest innings on record. Mitchell Starc, curling the pink Dukes ball, took 6 for 9. Scott Boland’s 3 for 2 came in the form of a hat-trick. It was a sporting annihilation, the lowest West Indies total ever by 20 runs, worse than any time during the struggles of their earliest years or their recent decades. Australia swept the series 3-0. Continue reading...

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6 d. ago Andy Farrell calls up Scotland trio to British and Irish Lions squad as injury cover ahead of tour match

Farrell continues to call in reinforcements ahead of the series-opener against Australia on Saturday

Events

8 d. ago How to watch Lions vs AUNZ Invitational XV: TV channel and live stream for rugby today

Owen Farrell to make his tour debut in final warm-up fixture ahead of Australia Test series opener

Sport