These are the rugby stories making morning headlines on Tuesday, July 8
These are your morning headlines on Tuesday, July 8
Forshaw: Tigers ‘the right fit’
Former Wales coach Mike Forshaw says he’s excited to join Leicester Tigers, seeing the English giants as “the right fit” for him.
Forshaw joins the Tigers after three seasons with Wales working with Warren Gatland. His contract officially came to an end last month and was not considered for the tour to Japan this summer.
He now has a new challenge alongside head coach Geoff Parling at Welford Road, where he will fulfil the role of defence coach.
“After moving on from Wales, I wanted to find the right fit for me and that is definitely Leicester Tigers,” he said. “I wouldn’t class myself as a journeyman coach; I like to make an impact wherever I go and help build something over a period of time.
“I think the DNA of the club, around working hard for one another and being physical, really suits me.
“It is an exciting time for the club, with Geoff taking over, and it is great to be able to be a part of that.”
Parling added: “I’ve never worked with Forsh but everyone I spoke to had positive things to say about him as a coach and him as a person.
“Leicester teams are built on great defences so I’m delighted to get someone of Forsh’s standing at Tigers.”
Moore: Farrell treatment of Smith ‘odd’
Rugby legend Brian Moore says Andy Farrell’s treatment of England utility man Marcus Smith has been “odd”.
The Lions are now on the fringe of the business end of the tour, with the Test matches kicking off against the Wallabies a week on Saturday. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia.
Farrell has been giving players chances to prove themselves to him in the warm-up games so far but Smith has yet to start a match in his favoured position of fly-half.
“Some say that Marcus Smith was fortunate to be picked from the outset, but it is odd that he has not been given a chance to start a game in his best position at fly-half,” Moore said in his Telegraph column. “He can play at 15, but it is clearly not his strongest deployment.
“It could be that he is being lined up for a role from the bench as cover for both positions. This would allow Andy Farrell to choose a 6-2 split because the other back will have to be a scrum-half. If this is not so, it is hard to see why he was selected from the start.”
Moore says the late call-up of Owen Farrell has not helped matters for Smith and has muddied the waters somewhat.
He added: “I reiterate a point I made weeks ago – why Owen Farrell was not picked in the squad from the outset, if it was his father’s intention to select him at all?
“His selection could have been justified on the grounds of his experience and track record for the Lions but that was always the case. Nothing has happened since then that makes that case stronger. Had this been done originally, we would not now be waiting for him to have game time and to see whether he has recaptured his form at a level at which he has not played for some time.”
Farrell in line for Lions return
By Duncan Bech, PA Rugby Union Correspondent, Canberra
Owen Farrell on Tuesday took part in his first full training session since joining the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia.
Farrell arrived Down Under on Friday as a replacement for broken arm victim Elliot Daly and was present as the Lions stepped up preparations for Wednesday’s clash with the ACT Brumbies in Canberra.
The 33-year-old is in line to make the first appearance of his fourth Lions tour against an AUNZ Invitational XV in Adelaide on Saturday.
Head coach Andy Farrell confirmed on Monday that his son is in contention to play in the final fixture before the first Test against Australia on July 19, having completed all his return to play protocols for concussion.
His last game was for Racing 92 against Lyon when he suffered a head injury, a further setback in a season that has been interrupted by groin surgery. He played only 17 games in the 2024-25 campaign.
“I wouldn’t say he’s over the jet lag just yet. I think he was up all night, but haven’t we all been through that? But the rest is fine,” Andy Farrell said.
Farrell’s call-up is controversial given his last Test for England was almost two years ago and his only season at Racing 92 was underwhelming to the point he has agreed an immediate return to Saracens.
However, the management regards his experience and leadership as valuable assets, not least because he is the only player in the squad who was present for the last triumphant Lions tour, also to Australia in 2013.
Johnny Sexton, the former Ireland fly-half who is the Lions’ kicking coach Down Under, insists Farrell has fitted in seamlessly with the tourists.
“As you’d expect with someone with that experience, he’s fitted in. He’s hit the ground running, so it’s great to see,” Sexton said after Tuesday’s training session.
“He must have had the playbook on the plane on the way over because he came in and he’s not missed a beat.
“He’s been on top of things in training and that’s exactly why you pick someone with experience who knows about a Lions tour because it might take someone else 10 days to fit in.”
Slade out of England tour
PA staff
England centre Henry Slade has been ruled out of the tour of Argentina and the United States due to a hand injury.
The Exeter back sustained the injury during Saturday’s 35-12 win over the Pumas in the opening Test in La Plata, in which he played the full 80 minutes.
England confirmed in a brief statement on X that the 32-year-old will play no further part for Steve Borthwick’s squad, who are preparing for Saturday’s second Test in San Juan.
Slade, one of England’s senior players with 74 Test appearances, will also miss the following week’s one-off Test against the USA in Washington DC.
Borthwick could call on either Bath’s Max Ojomoh or Harlequins’ Oscar Beard for the second Test after Gloucester’s Seb Atkinson made his England debut alongside Slade in the opener.
England scored four tries to two in La Plata, with wing Tom Roebuck going over twice and Freddie Steward and Cadan Murley also crossing.
