Match thread

Duluth

Date: Saturday, June 28
Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth
Kick-Off: 7:45pm AEST
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR)
Assistant Referees: Paul Williams (NZR), James Doleman (NZR)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
FPRO: Glenn Newman (NZR)


Kurtley Beale is injured (hamstring strain) and Donaldson has been released from the Wallabies camp

booboo

From a quick glance at the Wobbly squad Farce will be missing:
Champion de Crespigny
Robertson
Tizzano
Pietsch
White

Bovidae

@booboo

Donaldson was originally set to miss the game, staying with Joe Schmidt's national squad as ahead of next Sunday's Test with Fiji along with Harry Potter, Carlo Tizzano and Jeremy Williams.
Donaldson now joins 2025 Test squad members Nic White, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Darcy Swain and Tom Robertson in Perth, with the side to be named later on Thursday.

Chris

Western Force team to play British & Irish Lions

  1. Tom Robertson

  2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa

  3. Ollie Hoskins

  4. Sam Carter

  5. Darcy Swain

  6. Will Harris

  7. Nick Champion de Crespigny

  8. Vaiolini Ekuasi

  9. Nic White (c)

  10. Alex Harford

  11. Dylan Pietsch

  12. Hamish Stewart

  13. Matt Proctor

  14. Mac Grealy

  15. Ben Donaldson

Reserves: Nic Dolly, Marley Pearce, Tiaan Tauakipulu, Lopeti Faifua, Reed Prinsep, Henry Robertson, Max Burey, Bayley Kuenzle

NTA

@Chris said in Force v British Lions:

Ollie Hoskins

A special farewell for the 1-Test Wallaby from Perth, who answered the call on a Spring Tour. Fairytale ending for a guy who did his time in the youth systems and headed overseas when the opportunities didn't come.

Good on him!

NTA

It's actually not a bad side from the Force, with question marks over 10 obviously tho I suspect Donaldson will be at first receiver a fair bit.

Mr Fish

Great result for Alex Hartford, getting a once in a lifetime opportunity to play the Lions.

MiketheSnow

If we don’t spank that team it’s going to be a long tour

Daffy Jaffy

British and Irish Lions:

15 Elliot Daly, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Henry Pollock, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan (captain), 1 Pierre Schoeman

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Huw Jones, 23 Marcus Smith

ACT Crusader

Another St Kents player gets a chance against the BIL!

ACT Crusader

@Mr-Fish said in Force v British Lions:

Great result for Alex Hartford, getting a once in a lifetime opportunity to play the Lions.

Could yet play for the Wallabies one day……

MN5

@Daffy-Jaffy said in Force v British Lions:

British and Irish Lions:

15 Elliot Daly, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Henry Pollock, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan (captain), 1 Pierre Schoeman

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Huw Jones, 23 Marcus Smith

Very midweek looking team with the exception of Russell who will surely be the first choice test 10.

Interesting game coming up

ACT Crusader

@MN5 said in Force v British Lions:

@Daffy-Jaffy said in Force v British Lions:

British and Irish Lions:

15 Elliot Daly, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Henry Pollock, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan (captain), 1 Pierre Schoeman

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Huw Jones, 23 Marcus Smith

Very midweek looking team with the exception of Russell who will surely be the first choice test 10.

Interesting game coming up

Not sure about that for Russell. I’d start the young England 1st 5.

Plus for this game I think they’ve gone with a couple of key combos such as the Scottish 10/12, and the Irish flankers.

MN5

@ACT-Crusader said in Force v British Lions:

@MN5 said in Force v British Lions:

@Daffy-Jaffy said in Force v British Lions:

British and Irish Lions:

15 Elliot Daly, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Henry Pollock, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan (captain), 1 Pierre Schoeman

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Huw Jones, 23 Marcus Smith

Very midweek looking team with the exception of Russell who will surely be the first choice test 10.

Interesting game coming up

Not sure about that for Russell. I’d start the young England 1st 5.

Plus for this game I think they’ve gone with a couple of key combos such as the Scottish 10/12, and the Irish flankers.

Na Russell will walk in. So mercurial.

MiketheSnow

@MN5 said in Force v British Lions:

@Daffy-Jaffy said in Force v British Lions:

British and Irish Lions:

15 Elliot Daly, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Henry Pollock, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan (captain), 1 Pierre Schoeman

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Huw Jones, 23 Marcus Smith

Very midweek looking team with the exception of Russell who will surely be the first choice test 10.

Interesting game coming up

I reckon there's close to 15 of the test team in that 23

Catogrande

@MN5 said in Force v British Lions:

@Daffy-Jaffy said in Force v British Lions:

British and Irish Lions:

15 Elliot Daly, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Henry Pollock, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan (captain), 1 Pierre Schoeman

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Huw Jones, 23 Marcus Smith

Very midweek looking team with the exception of Russell who will surely be the first choice test 10.

Interesting game coming up

That could well be the starting test front row. Not sure about the back row, so much competition there. odd that they've not given the only out and out 8 man a start. Russell still a good bet as starting 10 (to be honest I'd be happy with any of the three). Tuipolutu has a very good chance of being the test 12.

Other than that I'd agree with you :beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes:

MN5

@Catogrande said in Force v British Lions:

@MN5 said in Force v British Lions:

@Daffy-Jaffy said in Force v British Lions:

British and Irish Lions:

15 Elliot Daly, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Henry Pollock, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan (captain), 1 Pierre Schoeman

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Huw Jones, 23 Marcus Smith

Very midweek looking team with the exception of Russell who will surely be the first choice test 10.

Interesting game coming up

That could well be the starting test front row. Not sure about the back row, so much competition there. odd that they've not given the only out and out 8 man a start. Russell still a good bet as starting 10 (to be honest I'd be happy with any of the three). Tuipolutu has a very good chance of being the test 12.

Other than that I'd agree with you :beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Good point. I did post it as someone who is not an expert on Northern Hemisphere Rugby

antipodean

This will be a thumping.

KiwiMurph

It might be a thumping but that's a better Force team on paper than I was expecting.

Talk of a 50k crowd at Optus.

Should be fun.

Canes4life

A shame Tizzano isn't playing this game, he was my favourite player in Super Rugby this year and would have loved for him to teach Pollock a thing or two.