Great Britain’s Olympic medallist Beth Potter claimed bronze at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Hamburg, Germany.
Potter, who won two bronzes at the Paris Games last summer, finished third in 56 minutes 32 seconds, seven seconds behind French winner Leonie Periault.
Periault’s compatriot and reigning Olympic and world champion Cassandre Beaugrand finished three seconds ahead of Potter in second.
GB’s Kate Waugh completed the race in sixth position.
It was the fourth event of the World Triathlon Championship Series which marks the halfway point of the competition.
Potter currently leads the overall standings, with Periault second and Germany’s Lisa Tertsch third.
The men’s race was won by Australia’s Matt Hauser, with Max Stapley the leading Briton in seventh and Connor Bentley 12th.
In a rare interview, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh has opened up about her role within the Royal Family – and the sometimes emotional toll of her hard-hitting work championing women caught up in war
The Duchess of Edinburgh has revealed her pride in being able to give her utmost support to the King – and her true feelings about being called the Royal Family’s ‘secret weapon’.
In a rare interview, Sophie also told the Mirror about what it really means to have the Duchess of Edinburgh title – one once held by her beloved mother-in-law, the late Queen – as well as the emotional toll of her hard-hitting work highlighting the plight of women caught up in conflict. This week, the Duchess has been in Bosnia for a three-day trip to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, where some 8,000 Muslim men and boys were brutally murdered in July 1995 during the Bosnian War.
READ MORE: Kate Middleton ‘icing on the cake’ in King Charles plan as hidden royals step up
Sophie with some of the mothers of those killed during the Srebrenica genocide during the Bosnian War on the 30th anniversary of the massacre (Image: PA)
On the visit, she was entrusted to deliver a personal message on behalf of the King to the mothers of Srebrenica, who lost sons in the devastating conflict, comforting them as she listened intently to the stories of their fight for justice.
It is all part of her hard-hitting work highlighting the plight of women, including that of the survivors of sexual violence in conflict, which she admits are “not easy subject matters”.
Over the past two years, she has carved out an at times gritty role travelling to the likes of Iraq, Chad and even Ukraine – mainly to champion women and the role she believes they can play in delivering peace across the world.
It all coincides with her being made the Duchess of Edinburgh just over two years ago after her husband Prince Edward became Duke of Edinburgh. In a light-hearted exchange when asked about her previous title of Countess of Wessex, she joked: “I quite liked her.”
But talking about becoming Duchess of Edinburgh and how she will shape the role, she added: “First of all it was quite large shoes to fill because not as many of the population alive today will remember but the Queen was Duchess of Edinburgh for the first few years when she and my father in law first married.
Sophie lays flowers at the Srebrenica Cemetery (Image: AP)
“For me, it was quite an emotional thing to sort of step into her shoes [as being Duchess of Edinburgh], it felt like quite a big moment.
“But of course being practical my role and my husband’s role is to support the King as it was to support the Queen and we are fortunate because we are able to not be in front and centre role, so it allows us the flexibility to explore our own interests and then also be available to do things like this where the King asked if I would represent him here, it so happens it also covering an area of interest personally for me too. But yes, we are there to support and that will continue.”
In recent years, courtiers and charity bosses have hailed Sophie as a dependable figure in the slimmed-down working monarchy – earning her the often-used description of the Royal Family’s ‘secret weapon’.
And revealing her thoughts about that label she explained: “I like to fly under the radar. It’s all very well being a secret weapon but if no one knows, maybe it’s too secret.”
However, after a pause, she added: “I suppose I should take it as a backhanded compliment. I don’t see myself in a frontline position per se, that said admittedly there are fewer working members of the family these days so I suppose more and more I’m becoming less secretive. I just wonder what they are going to describe me as next!”
Sophie delivers a message on behalf of the King at the commerations of the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide (Image: PA)
But when asked what she would like her own description to be, she quickly replied: “I don’t know, I am going to leave that for others, it would be very presumptuous for me to suggest something, that could go badly wrong.”
With her role travelling the world and facing hard-hitting subjects head-on, Sophie admits sometimes it can “take its toll on emotions, that’s for sure”.
But even though the subject matters, such as rape, may not be easy to hear about and the scale of the problems may be too much for just one person such as her to solve alone, the Duchess say it just strengthens her resolve to do as much as she can, especially when it comes to issues facing women.
She explained: “I have absolute faith in the women of the world to solve so many issues that we have alongside men of course, we can’t do it without.
Sophie during a visit to a church in Sarajevo’s Old Town during her three-day trip to Bosnia (Image: PA)
“But it does seem to be wherever I go it’s so often the women on the ground who are the ones that are starting make the difference, who are the ones who are starting to build peace, who are the ones who are going to have to take the resolutions and turn them into actions on the ground. So it is always emotional, of course, it is always emotional, but you have to see through the emotion to find the strength and it is always there.
“When I was in Chad next to the Sudanese border, the Sudanese refugees for everything that they’ve been through for everything they’ve witnessed, the women in those camps were incredibly strong, they were supporting each other all they need is opportunity.
“There is always very straightforwardness in what everybody wants. They want shelter they want obviously food, they want water and they want education for their children. And I think it is through education that we can change things.
The Duchess of Edinbrugh with the King (Image: Getty Images)
“It’s from bottom up and top down, it always is. But I hope that my activity in this area creates continuity. I always work alongside the FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] on the principal things they are focusing on so I’m trying to not go off on a tangent.
“But I hope that I make a difference. It’s very hard because sometimes these issues are very overwhelming because of the scale.”
Sophie spoke to the Mirror after laying a flower at the Srebrenica Memorial Cemetery, just metres from an old battery factory in the town where many sought refuge during the war before the men and boys were picked off by Bosnian Serb forces and killed – with many of them never found.
After paying her respects, she met a group of mothers whose sons were killed in the genocide, which is Europe’s worst war crime since the Second World War.
Describing what she saw as thousands descended on Srebrenica to pay their respects on the 30th anniversary of the massacre, she said: “Outside these walls where we are now there are 8,000 graves. The scale of that is enormous. You look at what is happening in Ukraine, in Sudan, in DRC, these conflicts are huge and the scale is enormous and I’m just one person.
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“But I think if I can keep banging the drum it perhaps creates traction somewhere. It would be too easy to give up. It does take its toll emotionally. But then I see the strength of the mothers and they are telling me their story, I haven’t lived through it, they have.
“I can be emotional but that’s not going to help them I have to be able to take their message and amplify it and that’s what I am here to do.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino triumphantly declared the Club World Cup to be “the most successful club competition in the world” Saturday ahead of this weekend’s final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
The first 32-team edition of the tournament faced criticism in the build-up for stretching demands on elite players and has been played out in baking temperatures in the United States that have raised concerns for the health of those involved.
Advertising for the FIFA Club World Cup final match between Frances Paris Saint-Germain and Englands Chelsea is displayed on a screen at Times Square in New York on July 12, 2025. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)Former Brazilian football player Ronaldo speaks during a press conference at the Trump Tower in New York on July 12, 2025, on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final football match between England’s Chelsea and France’s Paris Saint-Germain. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)Former Brazilian football player Kaka speaks during a press conference at the Trump Tower in New York on July 12, 2025, on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final football match between England’s Chelsea and France’s Paris Saint-Germain. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
“The golden age of club football has started. We can definitely say this FIFA Club World Cup has been a huge success,” Infantino told reporters at Trump Tower on New York City’s Fifth Avenue, where FIFA has just opened an office.
“We heard that financially it would not work, that nobody is interested, but I can say we generated almost 2.1 billion dollars in revenues, for 63 matches,” he said.
“That makes an average of $33 million per match — no other club competition in the world comes close.
“It is already the most successful club competition in the world.”
Former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has been one of the leading voices against the tournament, calling it “the worst idea ever implemented in football” in a recent interview.
But the head of world football’s governing body dismissed suggestions that Klopp might be speaking for most observers in Europe.
“We shouldn’t say that the opinion of Europe on this is very bad because it is not true,” said Infantino, who was appearing on a stage alongside numerous footballing greats including the Brazilian Ronaldo.
“All the teams who have come here have been happy — some teams who didn’t come here because they didn’t qualify were calling us to see how they could qualify.
A worker covers the FIFA Club World Cup trophy at the end of a press conference at the Trump Tower in New York, on July 12, 2025, on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final football match between England’s Chelsea and France’s Paris Saint-Germain. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)The FIFA Club World Cup trophy is seen on display at the Trump Tower in New York, on July 12, 2025, on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final football match between England’s Chelsea and France’s Paris Saint-Germain. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
The next Club World Cup is due to take place in 2029, with Infantino refusing to commit when asked whether the tournament could be played every two years or be expanded to feature more teams.
Watch the best shots of Wimbledon 2025 from the women’s singles, featuring Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal as well as world number one Aryna Sabalenka and finalist Amanda Anisimova.
Watch live coverage from every court on BBC iPlayer.
Lagos State is conducting its local government elections to pick chairmen and councillors for the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the coastal state.
According to the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Chairman, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile, who spoke with Channels Television, no political party was restrained from participating in the elections.
LASIEC officials stranded and forced to walk to polling units in Ikosi-Isheri LCDA during Lagos LG election.#LGElection2025 #LagosLGAElection pic.twitter.com/7qVM3PBItH
The electoral umpire said 15 political parties have been confirmed for the chairmanship, vice chairmanship, and councillorship positions in the 20 LGAs and the 37 LCDAs in the state.
Here’s your quick guide to voting in the Lagos Local Government Elections. #LGElection2025 #LagosDecides pic.twitter.com/2FRwB1ycsE
Channels TV is on the ground and will provide a live update about the exercise. Kindly refresh this page for more details about the election.
05:05 pm: LASIEC Boss Contests Low Voter Turnout During Lagos LG Election
The Chairperson of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile (retd), says people may say the turnout was very low in Saturday’s local government elections, but it was because voters didn’t stay more than five minutes at the polling units to complete the process.
She stated this during a press briefing shortly after voting ended on Saturday afternoon at the LASIEC head office on Lancaster Street in the Yaba area of Lagos State.
04:45 pm: Heavy Security Presence at LASIEC Head Office Ahead of Result Collation
The Lancaster Street in the Sabo Yaba area of Lagos was militarised on Saturday afternoon by security officials from different police special squads ahead of the collation of local government elections results.
The entire stretch of the street was barricaded by policemen heavily armed with all sorts of rifles and combat ammunition.
Our correspondent counted at least four armoured vehicles and 10 police patrol vehicles stationed on the street.
Fierce-looking policemen were positioned across the head office of the state electoral commission.
Scores of armed policemen were also scattered inside LASIEC head office with electoral officials going in and out of the building.
Assessing the electoral process so far, she thanked God that the rain didn’t disturb the process.
03:10 pm: Lagos LG Poll: Voting Ends, Counting, Sorting Begin
Voting has officially ended in Saturday’s chairmanship, vice-chairmanship, and councillorship elections in Lagos State.
Voting lasted six hours from 9 am to 3 pm, as directed by the electoral umpire, the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).
Voting took place in the 20 local government areas and the 37 local council development areas of the state.
With the conclusion of voting, LASIEC officials moved to the next stage, which is the counting and sorting of results in the presence of election observers and party agents, as well as some voters who stayed behind to monitor the process.
2:29 pm: It’s past 2 pm, and economic activities are ongoing at Igbayilola Market in the Ikate-Itire LCDA in Surulere. A PU is just by the side of the market, but the traders seem uninterested in voting.
“LASIEC is not here, nobody is coming out to vote everybody is scared. “APC scared them.”
– FESTAC resident decry the absence of LASIEC officials, blame fear for low voter turnout during Lagos LG election.#LGElection2025 #LagosLGAElection pic.twitter.com/UQmOECDVvh
2.22 pm: At PU 18 in the Ikate-Itire LCDA in Surulere, only 24 voters so far out of the 733 registered voters in the PU, representing just 3.5% of the expected voter turnout.
1:59 pm: PU010 Ojota LGA 445 registered voters. Over 200 have voted.
A crowd of young men was seen around the polling unit. They initially packed themselves under the voting tent but dispersed upon sighting our bus.
According to the election officer, they speak only Hausa and do not understand English, but they want to vote. So they were looking for a speaker of both languages to help them find their names and vote.
1:07 pm: The speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, says the opposition must put a formidable front to gain power.
He said this after casting his ballot at Orile Agege Local Government in Oluwole Olaniyan Street, Polling Unit 019, Ward E, during the ongoing local government elections across the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs in the state.
12:31 pm: Lagos LG Poll: Gbajabiamila Votes In Surulere
Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, cast his vote in Saturday’s chairmanship, vice-chairman, and councillorship elections in the Surulere Local Government Area of the state.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives cast his vote at Lagos PU 014 on Elizabeth Fowler Memorial High School in the Adeniran Ogunsanya area in the Surulere LGA of Lagos.
Gbajabiamila arrived at the PU, which has a total of 669 registered voters, at exactly 12:28 pm with a retinue of supporters and some government officials.
Security presence at the polling unit increased with his arrival.
Gbajabiamila cast his vote at exactly 12:31 pm.
12:10 pm: Three hours into voting, and only 60 persons have exercised their franchise so far out of the 669 registered voters at PU 014 at Elizabeth Fowler Memorial High School in the Adeniran Ogunsanya area in the Surulere LGA of Lagos.
Voting ends by 3 pm, but voters’ apathy may be at work here, with only 10% of the expected votes recorded three hours into the exercise.
The Chief of Staff to President Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, is expected to cast his ballot here.
12:07 pm: Ikeja LGA: PU 005
As young men play football on one side of the road, accreditation has just commenced on the other side
Election officers say they just received the ballot papers. Some of the voters say they have been waiting to vote since 8 am.
11:46 am: Lagos State Deputy Governor Kadri Hamzat cast his vote at the polling centre, Oke-Balogun, Epe at 11.05 am
11:39 am: The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, says he his pleased with the ongoing local government election exercise. Governor Sanwo-Olu commends the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission for the smooth process, and also urges others to turn out and cast their vote.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, cast their votes in the ongoing Lagos LG elections at polling units 06 and 07, St. Stephen Nursery and Primary School, Lagos Island, around 11am.#LGElection2025 #LagosLGAElection pic.twitter.com/isL945I8tx
11:20 am: Ikosi-Isheri PU 036. 234 registered voters. Only 6 have come out to vote
PDP and APC party agents present.
11:09 am: Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu arrives at his polling unit, with his wife, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, to cast their vote
10:46 am: As the Lagos state local government elections get underway, low turnout is being recorded in Alimosho and Agege LGAs.
A visit to some polling units also revealed the late arrival of voting materials.
10:35 am: Socialite Balogun Eletu aka Sam Larry, and some youth, arrive at Adeniji/Adele polling unit, Lagos Island Ward O06, 007.
10:31 am: Voting has commenced at Ikosi-Isheri PU 021. Election officers say they had to trek from the LCDA
10:21 am: Youths play football on Jubril Martins Street in the Surulere LGA of Lagos. There are a few PUs around, but they do not seem ready or interested in voting.
10:08 am: Voting has commenced at Ikosi-Isheri PU 020. APC agents are present at all polling units so far. No sign of agents of other parties.
09:46 am: PLWD Votes In Surulere, Says Process Seamless
At PU 17 with over 1,000 registered voters, in the Small London area of Surulere, scores of voters, mostly women, were seated under a canopy as they took turns to cast their ballots.
Amid the voting process, a police surveillance chopper hovered over the PU.
Interestingly, a physically challenged woman, Toyin Davids, cast her ballot.
She expressed satisfaction with the whole process and urged other PLWDs to exercise their franchise.
According to her, no challenge should prevent Lagosians from choosing their representatives.
However, low turnout was recorded at PU 34 in the Alhaji Marshal Small London area of Surulere. The PU has 172 registered voters, but only a handful of voters were seen at the PU.
09:38 am: Mild drama at the Ikosi-Isheri LCDA
LASIEC officials stranded and forced to walk to polling units in Ikosi-Isheri LCDA during Lagos LG election.#LGElection2025 #LagosLGAElection pic.twitter.com/7qVM3PBItH
Presiding officers and election staff are unable to leave for their stations because of an inadequate number of vehicles to transport them.
After speaking to one of the officers, it appears the transport provider was asked to provide a certain number of buses, which he claims he did. But the buses still aren’t enough to transport all the election officers.
A 70-year-old woman arrived early at Adeniji/Adele polling unit, Lagos Island East, to cast her vote. The polling unit, which has 634 registered voters including Governor Sanwo-Olu, began voting at 8:00 AM.#LGElection2025 #LagosLGAElection pic.twitter.com/sYS7XcDjSU
09:18 am: Voting began at exactly 09:10 am after the accreditation of voters.
The PU has a total of 669 registered voters, but fewer than 12 voters are in the queue as of the start of voting. The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, is expected to cast his vote at the PU.
09:17 am: LG Poll: Voting Begins At Gbajabiamila PU in Surulere LGA
Voting for the local government chairmanship, vice-chairmanship, and councilorship election has commenced at Lagos PU 014 on Elizabeth Fowler Memorial High School in the Surulere LGA of Lagos.
09:13 am: Voting has just started at the Elizabeth Fowler Memorial school in Adeniran Ogunsanya Area of Surulere, where the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, is expected to cast his vote.
In most parts of the Local Government Area, Materials have been deployed.
09:01 am: Accreditation ongoing at PU 014 at Elizabeth Fowler Street in the Surulere LGA of Lagos.
As of 09:01 am, LASIEC officials are fully seated at the PU with men of the Lagos State Police Command on the ground.
Party officials and election observers are also on the ground, but only a few voters turn out for the accreditation.
Roads Deserted As Lagosians Vote LG Chairmen, Councillorshttps://t.co/FmdGGTH1Zi pic.twitter.com/LNx4a9VKNr
8:53 am: LASIEC officials present. Voting is yet to commence. Security agents present. APC agent present as well.
8:52 am: Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the Governor, Jubril Gawat, cast his vote at Adeniji/Adele polling unit, Ward 006, Lagos Island.
8:45 am: Alausa PU22; Setup underway.
8:43 am: Voting has commenced at St. Stephen nursery and primary school, Adeniji Adele, lagos Island East.
Voting commenced at exactly 8 am within the premises, which has two polling units, ward 006 and ward 007.
Ward 006 has 634 registered voters, including Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who will also be casting his vote here.
Ward 007 has 667 registered voters, and some of the residents are already exercising their rights by voting for their choice of candidates.
Policemen manning roads in Lagos as the local government elections kick off today.#LGElection2025 #LagosDecides pic.twitter.com/Y2n8iHHI6Z
8:01 am: Alausa PU22: LASIEC officials arrived at 8:20 am, blamed lateness on logistical issues and sorting of materials.
And so, after six games and five wins, after 235 points scored and 81 points conceded, after 35 tries for and 12 against, we’ve arrived at the so-called business end of the tour.
The Lions are heading back to Brisbane on Sunday for the first Test against the Wallabies the following Saturday. The preamble is now complete, mercifully. The phony war is officially over. Hallelujah. It’s been pretty dull.
Saturday’s match against an AUNZ Invitational XV was a little different. Things happened. Garry Ringrose’s injury became known and the possible spin-off consequences are intriguing.
Garry Ringrose and the butterfly effect
The news of Ringrose’s head knock and the fact that he will miss the first Test came mid-match in Adelaide. Huw Jones, the other outside centre in the squad, was conveniently tearing it up at the time.
“Garry unfortunately had a delayed reaction,” head coach Andy Farrell confirmed after the rout of the AUNZ Invitational side. “He had headaches for a day and it carried on the next day. So he went through concussion protocols and failed those, unfortunately.”
A day that started with Ringrose and Bundee Aki looking very much like the Test match midfield (with the Scottish counterparts Jones and Sione Tuipulotu not making the squad) looks to have completely turned on its head.
Jones, gaining form after recovering from injury and outstanding in Adelaide, will start at 13 against the Wallabies. Farrell talks a lot about cohesion, so it would make sense for Tuipulotu to join him. It was always going to be the two Irish centres or the two Scottish centres, despite all the mixing and matching in earlier games.
If it’s Jones and Tuipulotu, then what happens to Aki, a bit of a force of nature in the red jersey? The bench? Well, not really. You fancy that Owen Farrell will cover 12, as well as 10, so maybe Aki misses out altogether. Ringrose misses the game and there’s a butterfly effect.
“I actually don’t know a lot about it,” Jones said after the game of the news about Ringrose. “No-one told me, which I think was probably a good thing because then it didn’t mess with my head.
“He played really well on Wednesday [against the Brumbies]. He’s great, one of the best guys I’ve met. We shared a room in Perth and I really got on with him. We’ve been working together loads, the four of us, Sione and Bundee as well, to try and get all of our connections, so I’m gutted for him.
“But if that means that I get an opportunity next week then I’ll be very happy with that and then try and grab it with both hands.”
Battle for the number seven jersey goes to the wire
When Andy Farrell was asked in the post-match press conference about his back-row and whether the identity of the guy who’s going to wear the number seven jersey has become clearer, he took out his straight bat and knocked the question out of the park, Don Bradman style.
“We’ve got great options there, so we’re delighted with that.”
Anyway… Jac Morgan was very impressive again on Saturday. The game turned into a hammering, but when it was still a contest, Morgan was intense and influential.
Ian Foster was in charge of the AUNZ team, and as a former All Blacks coach he’s not a bad sounding board on this whole Lions back-row. Asked which of the Lions impressed him the most, he was pretty direct.
“You can’t help but be impressed with Morgan at the moment,” he said. “He’s going good as a loosie [loose forward]. There’ll be a lot of consideration about that loose forward trio, but they’re mobile, they’re skilful and he [Morgan] is a tough player.
“Look, he just works hard. You could see that we were a bit short in some of our connections at the breakdown on early phases a couple of times and he made a bit of a meal of that. He’s good in that space, but he had great support too.”
Owen Farrell makes an impressive return
The pantomime baddie came on for the last 30 minutes, which is 30 minutes more than he’s had since early May. There was a little booing.
You’d imagine that, for Farrell, the only thing more disconcerting than fans booing him is fans not booing him. It’s expected these days – as much a part of his rugby existence as anything else.
“He did OK, he did OK, as did many others,” said his father, later. No danger of going over the top there. “There were some great individual performances, wasn’t there? But I suppose those individual performances gelled together as a collective.”
It felt like Farrell Sr couldn’t wait to get away from talking about his son, but it was a fine cameo – a nice link with the excellent Ben White in the build-up to Scott Cummings’ try and a clever chip through to Henry Pollock later on, among other things.
The caveat is that, by the time he arrived, the game was done and the AUNZ side were a busted flush.
Hugo Keenan stands up to the greatest pressure
The Leinster and Ireland full-back was under significant pressure going into Saturday. Still not totally free of illness, and with the memory of his poor performance against the Waratahs still fresh in the mind, Keenan couldn’t afford to fail.
With Blair Kinghorn out of the first Test, he was the only out-and-out full-back left standing. And his coaches needed him to come good. He did. Right from the off, he looked himself again. He was full energy and intent.
“I thought he was excellent,” said Farrell. “There were some great, tough, gritty performances.”
What next for the tourists?
The Lions head for Brisbane at about midday on Sunday, about 03:00 BST in the UK. “We’ve got a normal week coming up,” said Farrell, after battling through so many abnormal ones featuring games and flights and training ground walk-throughs at a devastatingly rapid pace.
“When we get to Brisbane, we’ll have a coaches’ meeting like we always do and discuss how the week is going to unfold,” he said.
“We train Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ll get to a performance day on Wednesday and everyone will know where they’re at.
“I just said to the players that selection is going to be unbelievably difficult. That’s how it should be. I know that we’ve got a group that’s as cohesive as it gets and they’re all rowing together no matter what because, like I said during the week, it takes a squad to win a series.
“The lads who get picked in the first Test, they’ll be the lucky ones to represent the group, but they’ve also got to earn the right to keep that jersey for the second Test as well.”
So who are the lucky ones? Another punt at picking Farrell’s brains…
