Category Sports News

Argentina vs. the British and Irish Lions

Dublin’s Aviva Stadium Date: Friday, June 20 Kick-off: 20:00 BST

The British and Irish Lions’ central partnership will be Sione Tuipulotu of Scotland and Bundee Aki of Ireland against Argentina in Dublin on Friday night.

Tuipulotu, a Glasgow international who injured himself during the Six Nations, will play his first international rugby match since Scotland beat Australia in November, despite the fact that both players appear to be more natural inside centers.

Leinster hooker Ronan Kelleher, who was the only player to feature for their club side last week and will be on display at the Aviva Stadium, is still without the majority of the players who made it to the domestic finals, according to head coach Andy Farrell.

Tadhg Furlong, who has only played nine games this season due to injuries, is making a welcome comeback. Leinster haven’t featured for them since last month’s Investec Champions Cup defeat by Northampton.

Finlay Bealham, the tight-head’s Ireland counterpart, will start on the bench when Zander Fagerson, the Scotland prop, is ruled out of the trip because of injury, is expected to wear the three jersey.

At nine and ten, Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith, two Northampton Saints teammates, will play.

Although Andy Farrell has had his hands tense over the fact that 15 of his squad only arrived in camp on Monday, the first Lions selection of a tour is always highly anticipated, and this is no exception.

That indicates that he almost exclusively selected players from Portugal training last week. The centre pairing is intriguing, with Blair Kinghorn and Bundee Aki seen as rivals for the Test number 12 jersey but playing together, while Marcus Smith is at full-back and Hugo Keenan is at 23.

The starting XV features two of the Englishmen, two of whom are familiar, but Tadgh Furlong has been chosen as his replacement and the bench.

Former owner Milan Mandaric says he will try to restore troubled Sheffield Wednesday in an effort to stop current chairman Dejphon Chansiri from “destroying” the club.

Prior to selling the Owls to Chansiri, Mandaric, an 86-year-old Serbian-American, held the club between November 2010 and January 2015. He stated in a BBC Radio Sheffield Football Heaven Special that he intends to create a “rescue” package.

Next week, Mandaric will fly into the UK to meet with Chansiri to discuss potential takeover options for the financially troubled Championship outfit.

Due to late payment penalties, the EFL informed the club on Wednesday that it would have to spend money over the next three transfer windows.

Everyone who loves football and loves Sheffield [Wednesday] has no doubt about that, according to Mandaric, who said “it needs a big rescue now.”

The former owner of the Oaklands said he would talk with former Wednesday CEO Paul Aldridge and former finance director John Redgate about the “possibility” of a takeover. Both men worked for the club under Mandaric.

“I’m going to try my hardest to see him [Chansiri] with my people and be very direct when I tell him that he’s going to destroy the club unless he lets newcomers like me get involved,” Mandaric said.

Mandaric was clear that Chansiri’s high valuation of the cash-strapped club will continue to be a likely obstacle to a deal despite not saying whether he wanted full control of the club once more or whether he intended to form a larger ownership group.

“I would have to get involved myself, and I have no objections to that,” Mandaric continued. “You have to find the right person and have Mr. Chansiri agree,” he continued.

The difficult part is. Because he is asking a crazy sum, he won’t be able to sell it.

24 hours before the club was subject to EFL sanctions for unpaid debts and wages, Mandaric admitted to feeling some responsibility for Wednesday’s current plight.

However, he claimed that after selling the Foxes to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in 2010, he had a similar experience.

He [Chansiri] made the same commitment to his family and the world that he had money and that he had desire, Mandaric said.

I lulled him into thinking he would continue to do a good job. Leicester City and Vichai were two examples of how I handled them. When I sold him the club, I felt the same way about him and he raised the bar as high as he could.

In the second round of Champions League qualifying, Rangers and Panathinaikos were faced.

The winners of the first-round matchup between Linfield, the champion of Northern Ireland, and Shelbourne, the Republic of Ireland, will face Azerbaijan’s Qarabag.

The New Saints, the Welsh champions, will face FCSB of Romania or Inter Club d’Escaldes of Andorra if they beat Shkendija of North Maceonia in a tie.

In their respective domestic leagues, all three potential opponents were runners-up, just like Rangers, but Swiss Servette are 139th (one place behind Heart of Midlothian) and Norwegian Brann is 189th, while the Greek side is 111th in the European club rankings, just 86 places behind Rangers.

After capturing AEK Athens after the division split, the side led by former Egypt and Benfica head coach Rui Vitoria finished 16 points behind Olympiakos in the Greek Super League last year.

In four meetings with Rangers, two with Motherwell, and one with Aberdeen, the Panathinaikos have won four of their seven games and never lost to Scottish foes over 90 minutes.

Rangers, however, made progress when they last faced the Ibrox side.

After drawing 1-1 at home in Athens in the round of 32 following a 0-0 draw in Glasgow, the Greeks lost on away goals after defeating Aberdeen 3-0 at home in the 2007-08 Uefa Cup group stage.

In their most recent encounter with a Scottish side in 2012, they defeated Rangers 3-1 at Ibrox and draw 1-1 at home in the Champions League group stage. They also defeated Motherwell 5-0 on aggregate in their most recent encounter in the Champions League third qualifying round.

Since 2010-11, the Panathinaikos haven’t qualified for the Champions League properly, and their last season started with a win over Botev Plovdiv before falling to Ajax to advance to Conference League by defeating Lens.

They finished 13th overall, defeated Vikingur Reykjavik in the knockout phase, lost to Fiorentina in the final 16, and lost 4-1 at home to eventual champions Chelsea.

Under Philippe Clement’s leadership last season, Rangers lost their opening Champions League qualifier to Dynamo Kyiv. By the time interim head coach Barry Ferguson was in charge, Rangers had already advanced to the Europa League quarter-finals.

David Gray’s side kicks off the Europa League campaign this season with a third-place finish in the Premiership on July 24 when the Danes travel to Leith for the second leg.

Hibs avoided Belgium’s Anderlecht and the winners of ties between Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova and Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine against Ilves Tampere in a match against Prishtina of Kosovo, who were unseeded in Wednesday’s draw.

Midtjylland, led by Thomas Thomasberg, finished 20th in the Europa League league before falling to Real Sociedad in the knock-out stage play-offs.

After falling 5-0 on aggregate to Finnish side Kuopion Palloseura in the Conference League first qualifying round last year, Arno Bonvini’s side, who finished second overall in the Luxembourg, will only be playing in their second-ever European tie.

In the event that St. Joseph’s of Gibraltar defeat Cliftonville to face Shamrock Rovers in the first qualifying round, there might be a north-south match-up.

Northern Irish rivals Dungannon and Larne or Auda of Latvia will face off against Prishtina of Kosovo or Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova in their first match.

If Haverfordwest County defeats Kauno Zalgiris of Lithuania, they will face Ballkani of Kosovo, while Welsh rivals Penybont will face Valur of Iceland or Flora Tallinn of Estonia in an encounter.

Should St. Patrick’s Athletic defeat Hegelmann from Lithuania, they will face Nomme Kalju of Estonia or Partizani of Albania.

Who will face Zalgiris of Lithuania or Hamrun Spartans of Malta in the Champions League match between Shelbourne and Linfield?

Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson and her backroom staff will have been deep in conversation over the past few days, weighing up the pros and cons of the players who will be selected to contest the 2025 Women’s European Championship.

The waiting – and the selection nerves – will be over on Thursday morning when Wilkinson takes to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) to reveal her squad.

The announcement will give joy to some and heartbreak to others, as Wales ramp up their preparations for the 16-team tournament.

Wilkinson has previously said she was clear on about 20 of the squad places, while there are others than can “go either way”.

A total of 23 players are likely to be named officially for the tournament but – as was the case with Wales and the men’s World Cup in 2022 – extra training places could be offered to players to form part of the travelling squad.

Wales, who have qualified for a women’s major tournament for the first time, will face holders England in Switzerland as well as 2022 Euro semi-finalists France and 2017 champions the Netherlands in the group stage.

Euro 2025 gets under way on 2 July, but Wales – the lowest ranked side in the draw – will kick-off their campaign against the Dutch in Lucerne on 5 July.

On first examination, Wales’ recent relegation from the top tier of the Nations League is hardly the morale boost that Wilkinson would have hoped for going into the Euros.

Wales finished bottom of League A Group 4 with two draws and fours losses from matches against Sweden, Italy and Denmark – teams that have also qualified for the Euros.

But the frustrating campaign could well have a silver lining.

Apart from the 4-1 defeat by Italy in the last group game, with relegation already confirmed and Wilkinson opting to limit the participation of some of her Euro-bound stars, Wales never lost by more than one goal.

Although the lack of a win is a glaring minus, they came very close and have shown, not just to themselves but to the wider footballing world, they can mix it at the game’s elite level.

There is a hard-won, genuine belief that they belong in this company and – with a touch more composure, or that slice of fortune that so often decides sporting contests – can turn those close defeats and draws into wins.

As star player Jess Fishlock has already bullishly stated: “We’re not there to make up the numbers. I believe – and these girls believe – we’re going to get there and compete.

That brings us nicely on to Fishlock, a generational talent and Wales’ record cap-holder and goalscorer.

With 162 caps and 47 goals, the 38-year-old Seattle Reign midfielder is the beating heart of Wales: fiercely competitive, a born leader, oozing class.

There have been injury niggles this season, but the fact that she continues to operate at the highest level in her late 30s is testament to Fishlock’s professionalism and hunger to at last represent her country on the big stage.

It is a stage she fully deserves to occupy, front and centre, even if it comes in the twilight of a career that has taken her from Cardiff to Seattle via top-flight clubs across the world including Melbourne Victory, Frankfurt and Olympique Lyonnais.

The Welsh men showed during their heady march to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 how much a close-knit squad of good professionals can achieve with that little sprinkle of stardust.

Gareth Bale provided that for the men and Fishlock can be a similar ace in the hole for Wilkinson’s side in Switzerland.

Former Real Madrid star Bale was far from a one-man band though, ably assisted by his midfield muckers Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey, a core that allowed the players around them to step up to the plate and flourish.

Sam Vokes and Hal Robson-Kanu were hardly household names before Euro 2016; after that tournament they are part of Welsh footballing folklore.

Fishlock has her own lieutenants, not least her Seattle team-mate Angharad James – who, with 132 caps, has so often lined up alongside her in midfield for club and country.

Fishlock, James, Hayley Ladd, Gemma Evans, Rachel Rowe and Kayleigh Barton boast a total of 638 international appearances between them.

Wales have a hugely experienced core at the heart of their squad even before you consider former captain Sophie Ingle, but more of the 141-cap midfielder and her chances of playing in Switzerland later.

While Wilkinson will turn to some players who represent clubs outside the top divisions, the bulk of her squad will be made up of those who have been tempered both sides of the Atlantic in the Women’s Super League (WSL) and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

Those include strikers Ceri Holland (Liverpool), Hannah Cain (Leicester City) and Elise Hughes (Crystal Palace), plus Seattle defender Lily Woodham, who joined Palace on loan last season.

The raw pace of Ffion Morgan, Bristol City’s player of the season in their Championship campaign, provides Wilkinson with an important option in attack and the 25-year-old must surely be included.

Likewise IFK Norrkoping’s Carrie Jones and fellow midfielder Alice Griffiths, who spent the second half of the season on loan from Southampton at fellow Championship side Durham.

Newcastle United’s 26-year-old defender Lois Joel – another competing in the second-tier Championship that has been rebranded as WSL2 for next season – will likely also go as cover across the backline, but it remains to be seen how much youthful enthusiasm Wilkinson will add to her grizzled veterans.

The likes of Sunderland forward Mary McAteer, 21, Manchester United’s once-capped 18-year-old midfielder Mared Griffiths and club-mate defender Scarlett Hill, 17, Aston Villa goalkeeper Soffia Kelly, 18, fellow stopper Poppy Soper – the 23-year-old from Blackburn Rovers – and Bristol City forward Tianna Teisar, 19, have all been called into the squad during the Nations League campaign.

A corner piece of Wilkinson’s selection jigsaw is Ingle, the former captain who has sat out the whole season with a serious knee injury sustained in a pre-season match in September.

The 33-year-old, who will leave Chelsea this summer, has still not played since tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a pre-season friendly with Chelsea last September.

However, the noises coming out of the Wales camp have been positive on her progress, with Wilkinson saying Ingle is “on track” to be part of Euros selection after the “milestone” of training with team-mates in a session before the game with Italy.

A fit-again Ingle would be a huge fillip to the Wales squad, not just for what she brings on the field but for her calming influence and leadership off it.

Knee injuries have been the bane of Wales’ preparations, in common with so many women’s teams, with Mayzee Davies the latest ruled out of Euro 2025 after the 18-year-old Manchester City defender ruptured her ACL in the Nations League defeat by Denmark at the end of May.

Wales are also without forward Megan Wynne, who suffered an ACL injury in Perth Glory’s final game of the season in April.

Gwalia United goalkeeper Laura O’Sullivan-Jones is another ruled out with an ACL injury, although Wilkinson has said the 33-year-old, capped 59 times, will travel with the squad to help their preparations.

The injury to O’Sullivan-Jones will be less keenly felt by Wales, however, as fellow stoppers Olivia Clark and Safia Middleton-Patel have been the preferred choices during the Nations League campaign.

A few days after the squad announcement, Wales will head to the Algarve in Portugal for a training camp.

The Cascade resort is a Wales favourite, having previously played host to both the women’s and men’s teams, while Wilkinson also spent time there during her 183-cap playing career with Canada.

After some finishing touches are applied, Wales will then decamp to their Euro 2025 base in Weinfelden in the north of Switzerland.

While Wilkinson’s selection will be confirmed on Thursday at 1,085m above sea level, Wales’ highest summit is dwarfed by the Swiss alpine ranges and there may yet be – at least metaphorically – some daunting mountains to climb when the action gets under way there.

Saturday 5 July

Wales v Netherlands (17:00 BST, Lucerne)

Wednesday 9 July

France v Wales (20:00 BST, St Gallen)

Sunday 13 July

Before the 2025 World Cup, Wales head coach Sean Lynn removed Hannah Jones from the position of captain.

Before the world championship and the two-game World Cup warm-up tour to face Australia in July and August, Jones, 28, has been let go of his position.

Before the 2023 Six Nations, when Wales finished third, the center became the center’s captain. He has won 65 caps.

In addition to Jones’ contract dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) in 2024, Wales finished third in the next two competitions.

“This is a new chapter for the team,” said Lynn, “and I’m determined to influence the changes we need with the squad, coaches, and staff to build real success on solid foundations.”

WRU members admitted to serious errors during a drawn-out negotiation process, during which players had to endure ultimatums and threats to withdraw from major tournaments.

While Ioan Cunningham, the WRU head coach, left with mutual consent, the organization apologised and conducted an independent review.

After winning three consecutive league titles with Gloucester-Hartpury, a team that included Jones, Lynn was appointed as Wales’ head coach.

He made the initial decision to retain Jones as his skipper, with the addition of flankers Alex Callender and scrum-half Keira Bevan as vice-captains, but he has since made the switch.

We will call for a fresh voice in a deliberate effort to develop the leadership within the squad, according to Lynn, who performed a professional job in difficult circumstances that have been well documented.

When I was hired by the WRU, Lynn stated that the job I had always wanted was the one I wanted, and that I needed the authority to establish new team standards and challenge coaches, players, and staff to build a team that would inspire pride.

“Developing more leaders is one of the many steps on that journey, and we will all do that together.”

In order to emphasize his desire to change in the senior national squad, Lynn has named a 45-member summer training squad that includes a number of brand-new faces.

Before traveling to Brisbane on July 26 and then Sydney on August 1, the coach wants to reduce his squad to 30 players.

In a warm-up at Rodney Parade in September, Wales defeated Australia for the first time in their history before suffering a crushing defeat at WXV2 a week later.

Wales will have three weeks to recover from their jet lag before the 10-year-old Women’s Rugby World Cup, which will take place at eight different locations in England.

In the second round of Champions League qualifying, Rangers and Panathinaikos were faced.

The first leg of the Scottish Premiership will take place on July 22 and 23 and then go to Greece the following week.

The winners of the first-round matchup between Linfield-champions of Northern Ireland and their Republic of Ireland counterparts Shelbourne and Qarabag from Azerbaijan will face off.

The New Saints, the Welsh champions, will face FCSB of Romania or Inter Club d’Escaldes of Andorra if they beat Shkendija of North Maceonia in a tie.

Russell Martin’s first competitive game as the Rangers head coach will be against Panathinaikos, and the former Southampton boss has been given the toughest draw of their possible draws despite having the Ibrox side seeded.

In their respective domestic leagues, all three potential opponents were runners-up, just like Rangers, but Swiss Servette are 139th (one place behind Heart of Midlothian) and Norwegian Brann is 189th, while the Greek side is 111th in the European club rankings, just 86 places behind Rangers.

After capturing AEK Athens after the division split, the side led by former Egypt and Benfica head coach Rui Vitoria finished 16 points behind Olympiakos in the Greek Super League last year.

In four meetings with Rangers, two with Motherwell, and one with Aberdeen, the Panathinaikos have won four of their seven games and never lost to Scottish foes over 90 minutes.

Rangers, however, made progress when they last faced the Ibrox side.

After drawing 1-1 at home in Athens in the round of 32 following a 0-0 draw in Glasgow, the Greeks lost on away goals after defeating Aberdeen 3-0 at home in the 2007-08 Uefa Cup group stage.

In their most recent encounter with a Scottish side in 2012, they defeated Rangers 3-1 at Ibrox and draw 1-1 at home in the Champions League group stage. They also defeated Motherwell 5-0 on aggregate in their most recent encounter in the Champions League third qualifying round.

Since 2010-11, the Panathinaikos haven’t qualified for the Champions League properly, and their last season started with a win over Botev Plovdiv before falling to Ajax to advance to Conference League by defeating Lens.

They finished 13th overall, defeated Vikingur Reykjavik in the knockout phase, lost to Fiorentina in the final 16, and lost 4-1 at home to eventual champions Chelsea.

Under Philippe Clement’s leadership last season, Rangers lost their opening Champions League qualifier to Dynamo Kyiv. By the time interim head coach Barry Ferguson was in charge, Rangers had already advanced to the Europa League quarter-finals.