A week on from clinching the series with their biggest ever comeback, the British & Irish Lions will get the chance to seal a whitewash of Australia when the sides meet again in Sydney on Saturday.
The margin of victory in the second Test might have been as narrow as possible. And the validity of Hugo Keenan’s dramatic, last play try to cap the Lions’ comeback was hotly contested by the home side. But now the Wallabies are facing the unthinkable.
Chasing a clean-sweep
The 2025 Lions are not undefeated. They lost their first match together, against Argentina in Dublin.
But on tour in Australia, at least, their record has been spotless so far: played eight, won eight, which obviously includes both Test matches.
The last time they had all wins on tour was nearly a century ago, in Argentina in 1927. One of the great Lions sides of a more recent vintage went undefeated in 1974 in South Africa, although Willie John McBride’s “Invincibles” were held to a controversial draw in the last Test.
The current crop are focused on a clean-sweep, with captain Maro Itoje suggesting they have not even played their best rugby yet.
“While the first two games have been great, there’s still a feeling that we haven’t put it together in a way we know we can,” Itoje said this week.
“We want to chase down the performance we’ve been searching for. The Wallabies will be hungry and up for it but we also want to make some history this weekend.”
No squad rotation
The last time the Lions won a Test series with a Test to go, in 1997, they shuffled their pack for the final match, gave midweek players a chance, and lost.
That tour still ranks as one of their great ones, thought, with the series victory coming against the world champion South Africans.
Even if the Lions do close out a whitewash on Saturday, they are unlikely to be remembered in quite such reverential terms.
There are two reasons for that: the 1997 series, the first in the professional era, was a special moment in time, captured for posterity by the Living With The Lions documentary. Plus the merit of this Wallabies side is debatable.
That said, the tourists are doing all they can to touch greatness. That has meant sticking largely with the same side for the last Test.
The only changes to the XV are Blair Kinghorn replacing James Lowe on the wing, with James Ryan coming in for Ollie Chessum in the second row.
Furlong’s feat
Maybe it is because prop forwards do not crave the limelight like players elsewhere on the field. But the lack of attention Tadhg Furlong gets is strange, given his achievements.
The Irish prop deserves to be regarded as a Lions great. He will equal Alun Wyn Jones in starting nine consecutive Tests for the Lions.
Now aged 32, a fourth tour, to New Zealand in four years’ time might not be beyond him.
Itoje – that eminently starrier figure – will also appear in his ninth Lions Test in a row, having made his debut off the bench in New Zealand in 2017.
Importance to Australia
Are the Wallabies seriously playing for their future on Saturday? A 3-0 loss would be the latest exclamation mark signalling the decline of rugby union in a country who are two-time world champions.
But could it realistically prompt dropping the tour from the Lions cycle in future? Taking the invitational side on the short hop across the Channel to France for a series in future has been discussed.
It seems difficult to believe that fixtures against Australia would ever be replaced. Set aside the results on this tour, and consider the fact the hosts packed 90,000 into the MCG for the second Test, and will likely have 80,000 there in Sydney on Saturday for a dead rubber.
A following like that is too important to be swept away. But a victory in the last game would be more than just consolation for the hosts.
White’s farewell
One of the links to the last time Australia were any good is set to be broken after this weekend, as Nic White draws the curtain on his Test career.
The scrum-half is the one survivor in the Australia squad from the time these two teams last met, 12 years ago.
He will start in the No 9 shirt for the third Test, which is the 73rd and last game of his international career.
“First and foremost Nic is a great man to have in a squad,” Joe Schmidt, the Wallabies coach said. “He’s team first all the time and has been at the top of the game for over a decade.”
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Match info
Costa Rica 0
Serbia 1
Kolarov (56')
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
The%20BaaS%20ecosystem
%3Cp%3EThe%20BaaS%20value%20chain%20consists%20of%20four%20key%20players%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsumers%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20End-users%20of%20the%20financial%20product%20delivered%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDistributors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Also%20known%20as%20embedders%2C%20these%20are%20the%20firms%20that%20embed%20baking%20services%20directly%20into%20their%20existing%20customer%20journeys%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEnablers%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Usually%20Big%20Tech%20or%20FinTech%20companies%20that%20help%20embed%20financial%20services%20into%20third-party%20platforms%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProviders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Financial%20institutions%20holding%20a%20banking%20licence%20and%20offering%20regulated%20products%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
