The British and Irish Lions are right in the thick of their 2025 tour down under, coming off a solid 27-19 win against the Wallabies in Brisbane. Now they’ve got the second Test coming up this Saturday, July 26, at the MCG. It’s one of those moments where things could go either way—some hurdles to clear, but also plenty of chances to make something special happen.
Team Announcement on the HorizonWe'll find out who's playing when they drop the lineup this Thursday, July 24th. Rumor has it they might shake things up a bit, especially with those back three spots. Lowe and Freeman haven't exactly been killing it lately, and now that Kinghorn's back from injury, he could totally snag that wing position. We'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.
Injuries Pile Up
Wallabies Preparations
The Wallabies are gearing up for a huge second Test down in Australia. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is gonna be packed, with something like 90,000 fans showing up—might even set a new record for rugby crowds there. Last time, the Lions fans totally owned the vibe, so the Wallabies are definitely looking to turn that around on home turf. And hey, Harry Potter (yeah, the winger, not the wizard) isn’t buying into all that talk about the team having a "losing mindset," even though people have been questioning some of captain Harry Wilson’s calls from the Brisbane match.
Welsh Rugby Developments
The Welsh women's rugby team is really getting people pumped for the World Cup. They're holding an open practice on August 12, 2025 at Cardiff Arms Park, and anyone can come check it out for free starting at 1:30 PM. It's a cool opportunity to see the team up close before they kick things off against Scotland in Manchester on August 23. You can really feel the buzz around women's rugby in Wales these days - it's awesome to see the sport getting so much love.
Looking Ahead
This is a huge moment for the Lions down in Melbourne. Injuries and some new faces in the lineup might throw them off their game, or hey, maybe it’ll spark something fresh. The Wallabies are feeling the heat to even things up, and you know that home crowd is gonna give them a serious boost. Over in Wales, the women’s team is quietly putting in work, getting ready to make some noise at the World Cup. No matter where you look, things are heating up, and the next couple days are gonna be packed with rugby you won’t wanna miss.
The Lions are really feeling the injury bug right now. Joe McCarthy, who’s been solid in the second row, went down with plantar fasciitis in the first Test and hasn’t been able to train since. Ollie Chessum will probably slot in next to Maro Itoje, and they might have to move Tadhg Beirne around to fill the gaps.
Then there’s Darcy Graham—his tour ended way too soon after he hurt his ankle just 16 minutes into that match against the First Nations and Pasifika XV back in July. He managed to score a try before going off, but losing him that early was a tough break for the team.
Mack Hansen might not be ready for Saturday thanks to that nagging foot injury that sidelined him for the first Test. He hasn’t been at practice this week, so things aren’t looking great.
As for the squad, Andy Farrell decided to send Fin Smith, Tom Clarkson, and Ewan Ashman home early. Smith had some nice moments with assists and tackles, but he just wasn’t climbing the depth chart at fly-half. Clarkson and Ashman did their part, but with no real shot at cracking the starting lineup, it makes sense to trim things down for the rest of the tour.
The Wallabies are gearing up for a huge second Test down in Australia. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is gonna be packed, with something like 90,000 fans showing up—might even set a new record for rugby crowds there. Last time, the Lions fans totally owned the vibe, so the Wallabies are definitely looking to turn that around on home turf. And hey, Harry Potter (yeah, the winger, not the wizard) isn’t buying into all that talk about the team having a "losing mindset," even though people have been questioning some of captain Harry Wilson’s calls from the Brisbane match.
Welsh Rugby Developments
The Welsh women's rugby team is really getting people pumped for the World Cup. They're holding an open practice on August 12, 2025 at Cardiff Arms Park, and anyone can come check it out for free starting at 1:30 PM. It's a cool opportunity to see the team up close before they kick things off against Scotland in Manchester on August 23. You can really feel the buzz around women's rugby in Wales these days - it's awesome to see the sport getting so much love.
Looking Ahead
This is a huge moment for the Lions down in Melbourne. Injuries and some new faces in the lineup might throw them off their game, or hey, maybe it’ll spark something fresh. The Wallabies are feeling the heat to even things up, and you know that home crowd is gonna give them a serious boost. Over in Wales, the women’s team is quietly putting in work, getting ready to make some noise at the World Cup. No matter where you look, things are heating up, and the next couple days are gonna be packed with rugby you won’t wanna miss.