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Finn Russell (L) looks on with Johnny Sexton, the Lions kicking coach(Image: 2025 Getty Images)<\/p>\nThe latest rugby news stories from the Lions tour and the rest of the worldFinn Russell (L) looks on with Johnny Sexton, the Lions kicking coach(Image: 2025 Getty Images)<\/p>\n
These are your morning headlines on the day of the first Lions Test against Australia – Saturday, July 19.<\/p>\n
Scotland help Wales<\/p>\n
Scotland have done Wales a favour after bouncing back from defeat to Fiji to beat Samoa on Friday night. The 41-12 victory means Wales will head into the autumn internationals still placed 12th in the World Rugby rankings.<\/p>\n
That position will be crucial in ensuring Wales are placed in the top two seeding groups for the Rugby World Cup<\/a> draw, which takes place at the end of the November internationals. A Samoa victory, a week after Fiji turned over the Scots, would have seen them leapfrog Wales, leaving them in 13th ahead of tricky autumn fixtures against the likes of New Zealand and South Africa.<\/p>\n If Wales drop out of the top 12 before December they will face a potential Rugby World Cup group of death in 2027.<\/p>\n Townsend praised his Scotland players for showing their \u201ctrue identity\u201d after they won. Seven different Scotland players scored tries as the tourists won 41-12 at Eden Park in Auckland.<\/p>\n Scotland opened their tour with victory over the Maori All Blacks in New Zealand but were on the end of an ill-disciplined 29-14 defeat by Fiji in Suva last weekend.<\/p>\n That result was a major blow for Scotland\u2019s aspirations of breaking into the top seeds ahead of the World Cup draw, but Townsend\u2019s side reacted in the best way possible to finish the season on a high.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was hugely important,\u201d Townsend said. \u201cYou rise to a challenge and you show your true identity when you\u2019ve got that challenge of backing up a defeat and the players showed that.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way they came together during the week with just a six-day turnaround and one training session, they were really aligned and focused on delivering a better performance and they did that.\u201d<\/p>\n Sexton says he’s changed his perception of Russell<\/p>\n Lions coach Johnny Sexton says he’s changed his perception of the tourists’ fly-half Finn Russell – having previously been critical of the Scottish playmaker.<\/p>\n Russell, who starts the first Test against Australia in Brisbane today, was famously described as \u201cflashy\u201d and a \u201cmedia darling\u201d in Sexton\u2019s autobiography, but the former Ireland fly-half says he has been won over by his former rival since working with him in his capacity as Lions kicking coach.<\/p>\n \u201cFinn\u2019s still flash! He\u2019d hate it if I said he isn\u2019t,\u201d Sexton said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut in the last couple of years he\u2019s come into his own as a 10 and he\u2019s been able to manage a team because ultimately that\u2019s his main job. And then his brilliance will come out once he\u2019s into the game.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s probably been our best defender in the backline on this tour so far. You always knew that was in there because he\u2019s a feisty guy.<\/p>\n \u201cPhysically he doesn\u2019t look that big, but he\u2019s fronted up big time on this tour and made a lot of impact tackles. We\u2019ll need him to do that against Australia because they\u2019ll be coming down his channel.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure (Australia coach) Joe Schmidt will have a plan for him because he\u2019ll know how integral he is to our team and I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll be doing everything to cut him off.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cFinn has been relaxed as always, you wouldn\u2019t know it\u2019s the week of a Test. You can see the work he does, though,\u201d Sexton said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have a perception of him from the outside and I would have had the same, in terms of he is a relaxed guy and just takes things in his stride. But he does a lot of work behind the scenes.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the last couple of years he\u2019s really matured as a player. Bath getting to finals, winning trophies \u2013 you can\u2019t do that if you\u2019re just that kind of mercurial 10.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve seen that now this year. He\u2019s got his team over the line and he\u2019s won a few trophies and he\u2019s carried that form into here.\u201d<\/p>\n Kolisi backs uncapped Scarlets star<\/p>\n World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi has backed uncapped Scarlets<\/a> hooker Marnus van der Merwe to shine on his Springboks debut against Georgia today.<\/p>\n