Australia coach Joe Schmidt has added a considerable heft to his pack with the inclusion of Rob Valetini, Will Skelton and Dave Porecki in his starting line-up for Saturday's second Test against the British & Irish Lions.
The Wallabies were outmuscled by the tourists in the first hour of last week's series opener in Brisbane, losing 27-19. The return of flanker Valetini and lock Skelton from calf injuries should help in that area.
Hooker Porecki missed that defeat because of a concussion sustained in Australia's warm-up match against Fiji and his recall in place of Matt Faessler should help in the lineout, where the Wallabies struggled at Lang Park.
Schmidt resisted making any further changes to his starting side and 22-year-old Tom Lynagh will lead an unchanged backline from fly-half at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in his second Test start.
Flanker Nick Champion de Crespigny and Faessler have been dropped to allow the return of Valetini and Porecki, while lock Jeremy Williams remains in the matchday squad among the replacements after making way for Skelton.
Schmidt has opted for a 6-2 split in favour of the forwards on the bench with the powerful Langi Gleeson also returning from injury to join flanker Carlo Tizzano as back-up for the loose forwards.
"The squad has recovered well after a very physical first Test and the week's preparation here in Melbourne has allowed us a bit more time together," Schmidt said in a news release.
"We took some confidence from the second half last week, but we know we'll need to improve further against a Lions team that will bring plenty of fire to the contest on Saturday night."
Owen Farrell has been named on the bench for the British & Irish Lions’ attempt at completing a series victory over Australia in Melbourne.
Four days after captaining the Lions in the midweek victory over the First Nations and Pasifika, Farrell will make his first Test appearance since the 2023 World Cup as fly-half and inside centre cover.
The former England international has six previous Lions Test caps to his name and is set to make his 22nd appearance for the touring side.
Head coach Andy Farrell has made three changes to the starting line-up that won the first Test, including the removal of Sione Tuipulotu, who is jettisoned from the matchday 23 completely with Bundee Aki taking his place in the number 12 jersey.
Joe McCarthy has lost his battle with the foot condition plantar fasciitis, so Ollie Chessum is drafted into the second row and there is an adjustment at loosehead prop where Andrew Porter is preferred ahead of Ellis Genge.
“We have put ourselves in a good position after the first Test, but we know there will be a massive reaction from this Wallaby team,” said Andy Farrell. “Everyone saw the quality they have in Brisbane and we know we will have to be a lot better than we were last week.”
The third and final Test takes place at Sydney's Stadium Australia on August 2.
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
FIXTURES
Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)
Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Terminator: Dark Fate
Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
Rating: 3/5
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
