Sua'ali'i fit for Australia as Irish retain Prendergast at 10 and set to give Healy record cap

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Sua'ali'i fit for Australia as Irish retain Prendergast at 10 and set to give Healy record cap

2024-11-28 23:39 Last Updated At：23:40

DUBLIN (AP) — Code-switcher Joseph Sua'ali'i has recovered from injury to make Australia's team for the rugby test against Ireland, which handed 21-year-old flyhalf Sam Prendergast a second straight start and is set to give Cian Healy a national record 134th cap.

Sua'ali'i came off holding his right arm just a half-hour into Australia's 27-13 loss to Scotland last weekend that ended the Wallabies' bid for a first Grand Slam of the home unions since 1984.

However, he was declared fit for the last match of Australia's end-of-year European tour and will make his third start since a high-profile switch from rugby league last month.

Flyhalf Tane Edmed will be the 19th Wallabies debutant this year if he comes off the bench, while winger Harry Potter — a try scorer on debut against Scotland — drops to the reserves as Max Jorgensen returns.

Prendergast made his Ireland debut off the bench against Argentina two weeks ago, and his first start for his country against Fiji last weekend. He kept his place at No. 10 against most expectations, ahead of Jack Crowley, who started against New Zealand and Argentina.

Healy will break a tie on 133 caps with Brian O’Driscoll should he come off the bench in Dublin. The 37-year-old prop made his debut against the Wallabies in 2009.

“Cian is a giant of Irish rugby,” Ireland coach Andy Farrell said, “and we are determined to provide him with a performance that he deserves.”

Australia opened its tour by beating England and Wales before fading against the Scots.

“It’s been a challenging year where we have grown a bit as a squad," said Australia coach Joe Schmidt, who used to lead Ireland, "and we have an opportunity to challenge ourselves again against what is a settled and cohesive Ireland team.”

Lineups:

Ireland: Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, James Lowe, Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Caelan Doris (captain), Josh van der Flier, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Joe McCarthy, Finlay Bealham, Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter. Reserves: Gus McCarthy, Cian Healy, Tom O’Toole, Iain Henderson, Peter O'Mahony, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Garry Ringrose.

Australia: Tom Wright, Andrew Kellaway, Joseph Sua’ali’i, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen, Noah Lolesio, Jake Gordon; Harry Wilson (captain), Fraser McReight, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Nick Frost, Taniela Tupou, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, James Slipper. Reserves: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, ⁠Allan Alaalatoa, ⁠Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, ⁠Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Tane Edmed, Harry Potter.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce

2024-11-28 23:19 Last Updated At：23:20

BEIRUT (AP) — The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.

There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.

The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah militants are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers.

On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.

The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”

Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.

A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese militant group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.

Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.

More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.

Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.

In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.

Frankel reported from northern Israel. Associated Press writer Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel contributed.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war