Wallabies maintain ‘quiet resolve’ for Lions series despite injuries, errors and uncertainties

The Wallabies know they aren’t expected to beat the formidable British & Irish Lions in the first Test in Brisbane in less than two weeks. Their performance in Newcastle on Sunday, a last-minute victory over Fiji 21-18 in their only lead-in match, suggests as much.Injuries to key players and a lack of composure against the Flying Fijians point to Australia having only a slim chance to defeat the tourists, even if the Waratahs on Saturday – and the Argentinians three weeks ago – showed they are beatable.But within the Wallabies camp, there remains hope. “There’s a quiet resolve,” Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said

Pavlyuchenkova ends Sonay Kartal’s Wimbledon dream as line-calling fails again

Sonay Kartal took Wimbledon by storm as the last British player standing in the women’s singles, after Emma Raducanu’s exit. The Brighton native calmly went about her business in the first week, defeating the world No 21 Jelena Ostapenko in the first round before dominant straight-set wins against Viktoriya Tomova and Diane Parry to reach the fourth round at a grand slam for the first time.But the fairytale run came to a halt as the unseeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova’s greater experience told, the 34-year-old winning 7-6 (3), 6-4 to return to the Wimbledon quarter-finals after nine years.It was a match not without its controversies, with the electronic line-calling system failing at a crucial point for the Russian in the first set, an embarrassing moment for Wimbledon, which has received pushback for getting rid of line judges.Kartal walked out calmly to roaring applause and a clap of thunder, much to the surprise of the packed supporters inside

Scratchy Lions win has simplified the Test selection equation for Andy Farrell | Robert Kitson

For some reason Dame Edna Everage sprang to mind in the wake of the British & Irish Lions’ less-than-marvellous display against the NSW Waratahs on Saturday. As Edna once waspishly told a fellow grand dame: “I’m trying to find a word to describe your outfit … affordable.” It was not dissimilar to the lacklustre Lions in Sydney: all dressed up and nowhere to hide.It has been an awkward few days all round, with increasing amounts of potential comedic ammunition available to Aussie hecklers. “Mr Farrell, welcome to our hotel, we’ve held the family suite for you

Australia 21-18 Fiji: international rugby union Test – as it happened

But for now, I’ll leave you with Angus Fontaine’s match report from Newcastle. Thanks for joining me today, enjoy the Lions in a couple of weeks.All eyes now on the Lions. The tourists have a midweek clash against the ACT Brumbies, then they’re up against the Invitational XV on Saturday. After that we have a week’s lead-in to the opening Test

Wallabies score late to snatch win against surging Fiji as Lions await

The Wallabies have got their 2025 season off to a victorious start and struck a crucial blow in the quest to win the 2027 World Cup at home with a tense 21-18 triumph over Fiji in Newcastle.The 79th minute shading of their fierce south Pacific rivals ignites Australia’s hopes ahead of the first Test against the British & Irish Lions in Brisbane on 19 July.The result was only decided by a late try by captain Harry Wilson but buries the demons left by the Flying Fijians’ cataclysmic defeat of Australia at the 2023 World Cup. It also sends a warning shot to the world that Joe Schmidt’s rebuilding side are again a force to be reckoned with.Dave Porecki, who was captain in that 19-23 defeat at Saint-Étienne, started the exorcism

Smith and Head build Australia’s lead over West Indies after Green steadies ship

Finally, in a helter-skelter series, something approaching a normal day’s Test cricket took place. In the second Test against West Indies in Grenada, Australia added 209 for five after resuming at a vulnerable 12 for two, taking their overall lead out to 254. The normality of the score is masked by the fact that several tropical rain delays kept play to 58.3 overs, so a full day’s play would likely have seen Australia bowled out and West Indies at least commencing the fourth innings. As it is, this match will now make it into a fourth day