Archive July 17, 2025

The first time Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu played in a midfield together was December 2022 for Glasgow Warriors against Perpignan – Jones scored and Glasgow won.

Their first match as an international centre partnership was February 2023 against England – Jones scored and Scotland won. Their first start as a 12-13 combination for the British and Irish Lions was earlier this month against the Waratahs – Jones scored twice and the Lions won.

And now Huwipulotu go up another level – a Lions Test. This may not have come about had Garry Ringrose not suffered a concussion, effectively taking Bundee Aki’s chances of a start with him, but they’re the incumbents now and they’re going to take a whole lot of shifting if their telepathic club and country understanding can be brought to the biggest stage of all.

Jones, 31, landed in Scottish rugby with an almighty bang – power, pace, incredible lines of running, an unerring try-scoring record. Ten in his first 14 Tests – three against Australia, four against England. Unstoppable.

“When he first came through he would just wriggle out of tackles,” says Townsend. “He knew exactly what he needed to do either to get into space or to force that defender to defend him, which opened up the space for someone else.”

Everything was easy, until it wasn’t. He sailed through 2016-17 and 2017-18. A World Cup beckoned in 2019 in Japan. A Lions tour looked likely in 2021. None of it happened. There were chunks of time when he couldn’t even get a start for Glasgow, when he wanted out and when he was “at peace” with the end of his international career.

In the beginning, they called him ‘Humble Huw’, a wind-up based on his fantastic confidence. Humble ceased to exist along the way. Injuries came for him, a loss of form hit deeply, an absence of self-belief brought him to the brink. “I’d decided that was it, my international career was over,” he said.

His defensive game was ripped apart, he got an unfair reputation of being indifferent, only keen on the big games for Scotland rather than coalface nights with Glasgow.

The opposite was the case, but that was him now. Branded. He wanted to talk to his Glasgow coach, Dave Rennie, but they never clicked. Jones had no confidence around him – nervous and sweating, he tried to articulate his frustrations but couldn’t really get the words out right. He fell into a slump that nobody saw coming. Him, least of all.

So he missed out on the 2019 World Cup and didn’t play for Scotland for close on two years. The comeback was launched in a season with Harlequins, when he started to rebuild.

“Those experiences would have hurt,” says Townsend. “They’ve made him into the player he is today. You can react in two ways there. You can not work on the things you know you have to work on to get back to the level you’re capable of playing, or you can say it’s not for me, or it was the coach’s fault, or whatever.

“At times like that, you just hope that players do make it. The feedback we were giving him was that he had to do more on the defensive side of it. He had a nine out of 10 attack and he needed to get his defence up to seven or eight out of 10 and he’s done that. He’s gone beyond it. We see his defence at the same level as his attack now. He’s become a complete player.

“We’ve always wanted him to back himself more and get on the ball more because his running lines are world class.

“That little short ball that he’s been getting so far on the Lions tour when he’s played with Sione, that’s a lot to do with him being in the right place at the right time for Sione to give him that pass when the defence has made one or two decisions and they’ve drifted out and he’s through the hole. It’s almost a total package in attack.

“He reminds me of Alan Tait from my time. He was really good at running those lines and scored a lot of tries. It’s a different game now, but they’re very similar.”

It was last autumn when Tuipulotu sat down for a chat after a Glasgow game at Scotstoun and met the Lions question head-on. No shadow boxing, no hedging his bets. The 28-year-old was all-in. He wanted a spot on the tour so much it almost hurt. And now here he is, a soon-to-be Test Lion.

Tuipulotu’s story began in Melbourne. The son of an Australian and a Tongan, the grandson of a Scot and an Italian, he speaks emotionally about his family and powerfully about his upbringing.

“I was an angry kid,” he said when asked about his school years. “Angry at what was happening around me, frustrated because I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. My mentor at school, Mr Windle, an English guy from Newcastle, changed my whole outlook. He saved me getting expelled a couple of times and got through to me. I owe a lot to him. I stopped having a chip on my shoulder.”

Tuipulotu is almost incapable of uttering a dull sentence, whether it’s about his beloved Scottish granny, Jaqueline Anne Thomson, a woman who helped in part to raise him, or any other issue you want to throw at him.

He was playing club rugby in Japan when the offer came from Glasgow. His mates told him not to go. “Glasgow,” they said “is the grimmest city in the UK.” Turns out, it was the place that changed his life.

“When he was in Japan he was mainly playing on the wing,” says Townsend. “He was powerful, dynamic, creative. If you’ve got someone, like Sione, who’s carrying hard, but also can put a short pass in or a ball out the back, that’s dangerous.

“When he first came over, he thought he wouldn’t be able to do the things that centres do in the northern hemisphere, but he’s worked really hard. The personalities of the two of them (Huwipulotu) are a really good mix – the creativity of Sione and the running lines of Huw, that’s the reason they’ve gelled.

“They’re both really good rugby players, so if it was an unstructured situation they just know how to get that ball into space and work off each other.

“The other way they’ve combined really well is in defence. They’re just aware of what the person inside or outside them is going to do.”

Finn Russell has been one of the Lions of the tour so far, arguably the Lion. Control, class, leadership – this has been a long time coming but we’re most definitely living in Finn Time now.

A Scottish 10-12-13 in a Lions Test has never been seen before and the trio will trouble Australia because in the blue of their country they have an exceptional record against them.

When they met was last autumn Tuipulotu scored in a comprehensive Scotland victory. Russell has won four in a row against the Wallabies. Jones has won his past two Tests against them.

“The communication between Sione and Finn is impressive. Sione shares the load in terms of what we should be doing on the edge attack,” adds Townsend. “If you’ve got someone of Sione’s calibre saying, ‘This is the play’ then Finn will trust that and it’ll allow him to be more instinctive.

“So Finn will have another familiar voice outside him that will be telling him, ‘I think there’s more space out here, or there’s kick space there’. He helps Finn see those pictures.

“The skill level that Finn brings, it will be hard for defenders to match all three of them up, because Finn’s got a very good running game too, if they start to drift towards Sione and Huw.”

Speaking from Auckland, where Scotland are preparing to play Samoa, Townsend said he was a proud coach; happy that the work he’s seen these guys put in for so many years has paid off.

Newcastle are expected to accelerate their interest in Brentford striker Yoane Wissa in the next 24 hours after withdrawing from their pursuit of Hugo Ekitike.

The Magpies want to sign a new centre-forward but their £70m offer to Eintracht Frankfurt for 23-year-old Frenchman Ekitike was rejected.

Liverpool have also targeted Ekitike as a possible alternative to their first-choice target, Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.

And with Newcastle adamant Isak is not for sale, the Anfield club are now expected to step up their interest in Ekitike.

Sources have told BBC Sport that with Newcastle’s efforts to land Ekitike hitting complications in the last 24 hours, the Magpies have turned their attentions to Wissa.

Brentford attacker Wissa, 28, is also a target for Tottenham and Nottingham Forest

It is understood Newcastle’s interest in the Democratic Republic of Congo international is less advanced than that of those clubs as things stand, but it is now set to ramp up as the club from north east England increase their efforts to sign a striker.

Brentford are adamant they do not want to lose Bryan Mbeumo, who is coveted by Manchester United, and Wissa this summer – but Wissa is open to leaving the Bees for a chance to play in the Champions League.

Olivia Smith’s £1 million move to Arsenal from Liverpool has made her the most expensive signing in women’s football history.

The 20-year-old, who made her Champions League debut at age 15, has agreed to a four-year deal with the champions league team.

Smith’s move surpasses the previous record set by Chelsea, who signed American defender Naomi Girma from San Diego Wave for $900,000 in January.

Smith remarked, “It’s an honor and privilege to sign for Arsenal.”

Smith, who turned professional in 2023, signed for Liverpool from Portuguese side Sporting for a club record-setting $ 200, 000 transfer.

Smith is an “exciting young player” who can “make a big contribution,” according to Renee Slegers, head coach at Arsenal.

In her first season at Liverpool, she finished seventh overall in 20 Women’s Super League games.

After winning the Women’s Champions League, Arsenal vowed to improve their squad and not sit back.

With Smith widely regarded as one of the WSL’s most exciting young players with a high ceiling of potential, this recruit has an eye-catching eye.

She has already established herself in the WSL with a successful season at Liverpool, giving pace and directness to Arsenal’s attacking line-up.

Arsenal have a long history of interest in Smith, but they were forced to sign her by Liverpool in 2024, and they have always been willing to pay when necessary.

After breaking their club record last summer by signing Smith, the Reds will now view this as good business despite losing one of the best young players in the world. They have already made a profit of almost $800,000.

Up until the sum of £1 million was presented, Liverpool’s managing director Andy O’Boyle rejected numerous offers. Liverpool will be able to invest gradually with the £1 million payment in instalments.

This season, the club hopes to use this money to improve the squad in a number of ways.

Liverpool will profit from any upcoming sales thanks to the sell-on clause.

Smith had several suitors, but it is believed that Arsenal’s recruitment presentation impressed her.

Smith started playing football at age five when she signed for Whitby Iroquois SC, and she made her debut at age 12 in the youth team for Canada.

Three years later, in Chongqing, China, she was thrust onto the international stage, playing alongside Brazil and New Zealand.

Smith then competed for Canada in the Concacaf Women’s U20 Championships in 2022 and 2023, and in 2024 he was chosen to play in Canada’s World Cup that year.

She was named the tournament’s best young player after winning 6-0 over El Salvador in the 2024 Gold Cup.

Smith is regarded as the key to Canada’s hopes of capturing international recognition as well as the persona of Christine Sinclair’s talisman record goalscorer.

Smith won the golden boot in her debut season with 18 goals in 11 games with North Toronto Nitros in League 1 Ontario, making her debut club debut in 2022.

After deciding to leave her university eligibility to pursue a career, she signed a three-year contract with Sporting in July 2023, spending one season playing college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

For former head coach Mariana Cabral, Smith’s potential was unmistakable. They fought off opposition from Chelsea and PSG.

We were like, “Yep, let’s sign her,” about 30 seconds into the video. She was a complete package, which is unusual, Cabral said to BBC Sport.

She also had physicality and technical skills, according to the author. She can nutmeg you like that and is explosive and strong.

She contacted us because she wanted to begin her professional career. She liked us because our playing style was very possession- and aggressive at the time, and she needed more time to develop.

“But we knew that Portugal would serve as a stepping stone for her, and she would eventually find greater things.”

Smith made 22 league starts (13 goals, nine assists) during her first season in Europe, helping Sporting finish second overall.

Only 76 minutes into her WSL career, Smith scored against West Ham, making her team’s first attacking threat. She immediately became the team’s main attacking threat.

She led all other players in terms of goalscoring, scoring only three goals in her 20 league starts.

Smith also led the opposition in both touches (92) and shots (50), with 16 of his attempts on target and a 14% conversion rate.

She established herself as a player for the big occasion, recording nine goals and one assist in 25 appearances.

She opened the scoring for Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Anfield and scored the team’s first WSL goal.

Smith has enjoyed good company thanks to her goalscoring prowess.

In comparison to her debut WSL seasons, she outscored Mayra Ramirez (4), Vivianne Miedema (4), and new Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo (3), Opta claims, but only two other players over the age of 20 combined scored more goals than Vicky Lopez (10), Cora Zicai (9) and Vicky Lopez (10) in the leagues’ top five.

Arsenal can expect more from their seven-figure signing than just goals, though.

Smith has a variety of options. She spent the majority of last season playing as a striker, but she also averaged a lot of time playing the right, perhaps most impressively in the FA Cup semi-final.

Fara Williams, a former England international, called her “a weapon down the right-hand side” as she spoke about that game.

She has the technical, physical, tactical, and tactical parts, according to Cabral, “you can be very talented but you can’t have the mental part of being focused on your work, being ambitious, and resilient.”

She belongs to the group you want on your team. Give her the ball, and she will be able to adjust. That is unique.

Fans and journalists also need patience. You want everything in today’s society, whether it is right away or even yesterday.

She is not yet at her best, according to reports. She has the power to unlock.