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British and Irish Lions reject Rugby Australia golden point proposal for Wallabies Test series


“That’s got to go to the Lions board around whether it’s a drawn series, or you decide it through golden point or extra time.”

“Our preference, if we put the fans at the centre of everything we’re doing, I think that the familiarity that everyone has with ‘Super point’ and the interest for that in our market is a good guide.

Extraordinary: New Zealand captain Kieran Read, left. and Lions captain Sam Warburton share the spoils after an epic three-Test series.

Extraordinary: New Zealand captain Kieran Read, left. and Lions captain Sam Warburton share the spoils after an epic three-Test series.Credit: AP

“Obviously, we will be making sure both parties agree. But I think that if you’re thinking about some fan engagement, that’s certainly very appealing.”

Meanwhile, a throwaway line by Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt about “Southern Hemisphere” players in the Lions team has exposed a raw nerve in the touring side, with assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth defending a big group of Lions squad members who grew up south of the equator.

Andy Farrell’s Lions squad features eight foreign-born players: three raised in Australia (Sione Tuipulotu, Mack Hansen and Finlay Bealham), three raised in New Zealand (James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park and Bundee Aki) and two from South Africa (Pierre Schoeman and Duhan Van der Merwe).

Canberra-raised prop Finlay Bealham passes at the Lions’ captains run in Dublin.

Canberra-raised prop Finlay Bealham passes at the Lions’ captains run in Dublin.Credit: Getty Images

Tuipulotu and Aki will start in the centres for the Lions in their clash against Argentina in Dublin on Saturday morning (AEST), and when asked about the big pairing on Thursday, Schmidt described them as a “Southern Hemisphere centre pairing”.

He then heaped praise on them and the whole Lions squad, and Schmidt has previously defended Aki as a passionate Irish player, having worked with him as Ireland coach.

But the comment caused a stir in Dublin, with the numbers of Southern Hemisphere players in the Lions squad a sensitive issue which has been criticised by ex-Lions like Willie John McBride and Danny Care.

“I don’t know if they [Australia] are questioning their commitment because you would argue … their journey and how committed they have been to their country, whether that be Scotland or Ireland, England or Wales, everyone has earned the right to pull on the Lions jersey,” Wigglesworth said to UK media.

“They are, to a man, incredibly proud to be here. It is not your background or how you have got here… it is what sort of player are you and what sort of man you are and we have got great men and great players.”

Wigglesworth said he believed the Schmidt comment may have been made to cause a media stir, and distract the Lions’ focus away from their goal of winning.

Aki, Schoeman, van der Merwe, Lowe and Gibson-Park qualified for their countries via three years of residency. Lowe even played against the Lions in 2017 for the New Zealand Maori side.

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Melbourne-raised Junior Wallaby Tuipulotu qualified for Scotland via his “Greenock Granny”, and Bealham’s grandmother was Irish. Mack Hansen qualified for Ireland given his mother was born in the country.

Having both grown up in Canberra, Hansen moved to Ireland after playing for the Brumbies but Bealham left when he was 18, after playing for the Australia A schoolboys side but missing out on a spot in the Brumbies academy.


“That’s got to go to the Lions board around whether it’s a drawn series, or you decide it through golden point or extra time.”

“Our preference, if we put the fans at the centre of everything we’re doing, I think that the familiarity that everyone has with ‘Super point’ and the interest for that in our market is a good guide.

Extraordinary: New Zealand captain Kieran Read, left. and Lions captain Sam Warburton share the spoils after an epic three-Test series.

Extraordinary: New Zealand captain Kieran Read, left. and Lions captain Sam Warburton share the spoils after an epic three-Test series.Credit: AP

“Obviously, we will be making sure both parties agree. But I think that if you’re thinking about some fan engagement, that’s certainly very appealing.”

Meanwhile, a throwaway line by Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt about “Southern Hemisphere” players in the Lions team has exposed a raw nerve in the touring side, with assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth defending a big group of Lions squad members who grew up south of the equator.

Andy Farrell’s Lions squad features eight foreign-born players: three raised in Australia (Sione Tuipulotu, Mack Hansen and Finlay Bealham), three raised in New Zealand (James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park and Bundee Aki) and two from South Africa (Pierre Schoeman and Duhan Van der Merwe).

Canberra-raised prop Finlay Bealham passes at the Lions’ captains run in Dublin.

Canberra-raised prop Finlay Bealham passes at the Lions’ captains run in Dublin.Credit: Getty Images

Tuipulotu and Aki will start in the centres for the Lions in their clash against Argentina in Dublin on Saturday morning (AEST), and when asked about the big pairing on Thursday, Schmidt described them as a “Southern Hemisphere centre pairing”.

He then heaped praise on them and the whole Lions squad, and Schmidt has previously defended Aki as a passionate Irish player, having worked with him as Ireland coach.

But the comment caused a stir in Dublin, with the numbers of Southern Hemisphere players in the Lions squad a sensitive issue which has been criticised by ex-Lions like Willie John McBride and Danny Care.

“I don’t know if they [Australia] are questioning their commitment because you would argue … their journey and how committed they have been to their country, whether that be Scotland or Ireland, England or Wales, everyone has earned the right to pull on the Lions jersey,” Wigglesworth said to UK media.

“They are, to a man, incredibly proud to be here. It is not your background or how you have got here… it is what sort of player are you and what sort of man you are and we have got great men and great players.”

Wigglesworth said he believed the Schmidt comment may have been made to cause a media stir, and distract the Lions’ focus away from their goal of winning.

Aki, Schoeman, van der Merwe, Lowe and Gibson-Park qualified for their countries via three years of residency. Lowe even played against the Lions in 2017 for the New Zealand Maori side.

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Melbourne-raised Junior Wallaby Tuipulotu qualified for Scotland via his “Greenock Granny”, and Bealham’s grandmother was Irish. Mack Hansen qualified for Ireland given his mother was born in the country.

Having both grown up in Canberra, Hansen moved to Ireland after playing for the Brumbies but Bealham left when he was 18, after playing for the Australia A schoolboys side but missing out on a spot in the Brumbies academy.

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