28 h. ago Lions call up Jamie Osborne with Blair Kinghorn to miss first Lions Test

Full-back’s injury may return later in seriesOwen Farrell on bench against invitational XVBlair Kinghorn is to miss the opening Test of the British & Irish Lions series against Australia but has not yet been ruled out of the entire tour. While scans have suggested Kinghorn’s knee ligament injury is not as serious as initially feared, the full-back is understood to be resigned to missing next week’s first Test in Brisbane and Ireland’s Jamie Osborne has been called up as cover.The 23-year-old Osborne will arrive in Australia on Saturday and is the third injury replacement to link up with the squad. Ben White and Owen Farrell have already filled the gaps left by Tomos Williams and Elliot Daly respectively but the Lions management are being cagey about the precise details of Kinghorn’s injury, which he suffered during the first quarter of the 36-24 win over the Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Politics

28 h. ago Trust me, he’s gonna be fine – Ben Earl backs Owen Farrell to roar for Lions

Farrell is set to make the first appearance of his fourth expedition with the side.

Politics

35 h. ago Owen Farrell to make British and Irish Lions tour debut against AUNZ Invitational XV

Lions set for stern challenge against strong opposition in Adelaide ahead of first Test showdown with Australia

Politics

35 h. ago Owen Farrell to make Lions tour debut in last chance for players to stake Test claims

Farrell among replacements against invitational XVBeirne leads Lions against former Aus-NZ Test playersOwen Farrell will feature in his first game of the British & Irish Lions tour on Saturday after being picked on the bench against an invitational XV comprising players from Australia and New Zealand in what will be the touring team’s final game before next week’s first Test.The 33-year-old last played international rugby at the 2023 Rugby World Cup before stepping away from Test rugby to “prioritise his and his family’s mental wellbeing” but is now set to play his 19th game for the Lions across four tours. Continue reading...

Sport

56 h. ago Van der Flier caps win as Lions labour to patchy victory over ACT Brumbies

ACT Brumbies 24-36 British & Irish LionsInjury fears after Blair Kinghorn replaced early onWhen they reflect on their night’s work in Canberra the British & Irish Lions will once again have mixed emotions. At their best the touring team look sharp and dangerous but, with the Test series fast approaching, they are still not firing on all cylinders in some key areas. A first-half injury to full-back Blair Kinghorn has also come at a delicate moment ahead of the first Test in Brisbane on Saturday week.Fielding close to their best starting XV, the Lions finished up scoring five tries with Ollie Chessum, James Lowe and Marcus Smith crossing in the first and Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier following suit in the second. The in-form Finn Russell also contributed 11 points with the boot to cap another assured performance. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Owen Farrell set for British and Irish Lions tour debut after training return

Former England captain won’t face the Brumbies, but should feature against AUNZ Invitational XV in Adelaide this weekend

Politics

3 d. ago Owen Farrell closes in on Lions return: ‘He’s not missed a beat’

The 33-year-old is in line to make the first appearance of his fourth Lions tour in Adelaide

Politics

5 d. ago British and Irish Lions tour 2025: Results, fixtures, schedule and latest squad changes in Australia

Andy Farrell’s side record hat-trick of wins against Super Rugby opponents as Wallabies Test series edges closer

Politics

6 d. ago NSW Waratahs v British & Irish Lions: rugby union tour match – as it happened

An unconvincing performance from the tourists delivered a win in Sydney v NSW WaratahsHannah Sumby has a query: “Van der Merwe covering forwards position from the bench seems a bit odd?”It’s a 5-3 bench now, so he’s not covering forwards. It appears he was just chucked Cummings’s shirt to put on as the changes were so late. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago NSW Waratahs v British & Irish Lions: rugby union tour match – live

Updates from this 11am BST kick-off in SydneyEmail Lee | Sign up for The Breakdown newsletterYour views are always welcome and today is no exception so send them to me on the Email. I may even tolerate Owen Faz chat, but don’t bank on it.Rotation once more as the fixtures pile up quickly for Andy Farrell and the Lions, made more tricky by Henry Pollock withdrawing with a tight calf late on. Apparently it’s ‘precautionary’. Tadhg Beirne will have the honour of captaining from six, Scott Cummings now starts in the second row and Duhan van der Merwe comes onto the bench. Hugo Keenan has his first start of the tour at fullback along with Blair Kinghorn on the wing, while Fin Smith returns at stand-off. Continue reading...

Society

8 d. ago Andy Farrell demands end to social media ‘nonsense’ after son Owen’s Lions call

The younger Farrell had taken a break from international rugby after teh 2023 World Cup to prioritise his mental wellbeing

Politics

8 d. ago Lions call up Owen Farrell to replace the injured Elliot Daly

Daly will miss the rest of the tour after sustaining a fractured forearm.

Events

8 d. ago Owen Farrell called up by Lions after fractured arm ends Elliot Daly’s tour

Farrell, 33, will arrive in Australia on FridayDaly suffered the injury during win over Queensland RedsAndy Farrell has called up his son Owen to join the British & Irish Lions squad in Australia as a replacement for Elliot Daly, who has been ruled out of the tour with a broken forearm. Farrell Jr, consequently, will feature on his fourth Lions expedition at the age of 33 and is due to join the squad on Friday.With 112 caps for England and six Lions Test appearances, Farrell unquestionably has big-game experience a relentless competitive edge. He has endured an injury-plagued Top 14 season at Racing 92, however, and has not played international rugby since the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions: rugby union tour match – live

Updates from the 11am BST / 8pm AET game in BrisbaneEmail Daniel | And you can sign up for the BreakdownOur man on the ground, Rob Kitson, has been busy down under. While you sit at your desk and pretend to do some work, why not take a glance at a couple of cracking yarns. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Blair Kinghorn gives Lions skipper Maro Itoje a rude awakening

Kinghorn has now arrived in Australia for the British and Irish Lions tour after winning the French Top 14 title with Toulouse

Politics

1 week ago Lions star OUT of Australia tour after being injured while scoring with replacement named

British and Irish Lion scrum-half Tomos Williams has seen his tour ended by a hamstring injury that he picked up while scoring at the weekend, with Scotland's Ben White in to replace him

Events

1 week ago Joe McCarthy enjoying friendship with ‘good fella’ Henry Pollock

The Irishman has struck up a bond with his fellow forward on the British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia.

Politics

1 week ago Australian rugby’s incendiary attitude towards nationality needs extinguishing | Robert Kitson

Wallabies’ great pleasure in focusing on where a Lions player was born is an inflammatory device masked as banterSo there we were in the bowels of Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday night. The post-game media mixed zone is not always the natural home of relaxed, honest repartee, but Sione Tuipulotu is a friendly guy and the British & Irish Lions had just won their opening tour game in Australia. It was a chance for a couple of ritual enquiries and a spot of gentle breeze-shooting.It was good to see Tuipulotu smiling aside from anything else. He’d missed the entire Six Nations through injury, initially putting his tour participation in doubt. It must have been a particularly tough period given he was Scotland’s captain back in the autumn and also grew up in Melbourne. To say he fancied going on this trip would be an understatement. Continue reading...

Events

1 week 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 Gareth Thomas backs Blair Kinghorn to shine on late link up with British and Irish Lions Tour

Scotland full-back Blair Kinghorn, who will run out at the Stade de France on Saturday night for the Top 14 final for club side Toulouse against European champions Bordeaux.

Society