Rugby’s Social Media Moments of the Week: Wales’ streak continues and George Ford makes history

With rugby’s Summer Internationals starting throughout the weekend, there were some interesting storylines surrounding the teams and players involved. 

It was almost an endless weekend of rugby action, so there was plenty to talk about. 

From things getting even worse for Wales to George Ford‘s 100^th Test cap and a confident England win, it was a mixed bag of emotions from supporters online. 

Here, Charlie Elliott goes through some of the most talked about events on social media from the weekend just gone. 

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Noah Lolesio Injured 

Australia‘s first-choice fly-half, Noah Lolesio, has avoided serious injury after being stretchered off during the Wallabies’ 21-18 win over Fiji.  

The 25-year-old landed heavily in a tackle and was taken from the field in a neck brace with 20 minutes remaining.  

He was later discharged from hospital and has rejoined the squad at their hotel, with his condition improving.  

Lolesio, who started 11 of 13 Tests last year, was expected to wear the number ten jersey against the Lions. Ben Donaldson replaced him, while Tom Lynagh remains in contention.  

Fans online have been wishing Lolesio well, whilst also speculating as to who may replace him. 

Lions Hobble to Victory 

The British and Irish Lions laboured to an unconvincing 21-10 win over a weakened Waratahs side in Sydney, with their error-strewn performance raising fresh concerns ahead of the Test series in two weeks.  

Despite two first-half tries from Huw Jones and another from Alex Mitchell, the Lions struggled to find rhythm.

Poor handling, ill-discipline, and constant turnovers disrupted their momentum.  

The Waratahs, missing several key players, exposed the Lions’ lack of cohesion and nearly pulled off an upset.  

Andy Farrell’s side looked frantic and disjointed, and the Wallabies will have taken encouragement from the Lions’ struggles in their opening few games on tour. 

Wales’ Woes Continue 

Wales’ record losing streak stretched to 18 Tests after a 24-19 defeat to Japan in sweltering conditions in Kitakyushu.  

Despite leading 19-7 at half-time, Wales faded badly in the second half as Japan scored 17 unanswered points.  

The intense heat and humidity took a toll and disrupted things for the visitors.

Wales haven’t won a Test in 21 months and now sit 14th in the world, below both Japan and Samoa. 

When it looked like it couldn’t keep getting worse for Wales, they proved that it most definitely can. 

Fijian Magic Against Wallabies 

Fans have been rightly praising Jiuta Wainiqolo for an absolute worldie of an assist that he pulled off against the Wallabies. 

He ran from deep inside his own half, took on multiple defenders and kept going until he began bearing down on the Australian try-line. 

Unselfishly, he offloaded over the head of a defender for Lekima Tagitagivalu to finish. 

While they didn’t get the result, Wainiqolo’s moment of magic will not be forgotten any time soon. 

World Cup Debutants Confirmed 

Hong Kong China have made history by qualifying for the Men’s Rugby World Cup for the first time, securing their spot at the 2027 tournament with a dominant 63–23 win over South Korea in Incheon.  

After years of near misses, they now join Japan as Asia’s representatives. 

Andrew Douglas’ side took early control with tries from Matt Worley and Alexander Post, and despite being reduced to 14 men before halftime, they remained firmly on top. 

With this win, Hong Kong China became the 27th nation ever to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. 

France Show Depth 

Although they lost to the All Blacks, France deserves a huge amount of credit for the performance that they put in at the Forsyth Barr Stadium. 

Fabien Galthie has been widely criticised for picking an understrength team to travel to New Zealand after he opted to rotate instead of taking his big stars. 

Instead of ending with them being embarrassed, it has instead shown the world the sheer strength in depth that France has at its disposal. 

The likely cause of this is their impressive domestic system, which has a knack for producing top-quality players. 

Fans have been quick to share their surprise at the result, whilst praising France for their performance. 

George Ford becomes centurion 

England fly-half Ford became only the eighth man to get 100 caps in the white jersey and marked the occasion with a stunning performance against Los Pumas. 

He ran the show, kicking 15 points, which included a drop goal that was a throwback to the 2023 World Cup, as well as dictating the tempo of the match in general. 

Both he and Jamie George were the clear leaders in an England squad lacking in experience, and their work paid off with a surprisingly comfortable win. 

Tributes to Ford have been coming in online after the performance, with a lot of discourse around whether he is the greatest player to have never been picked for the British and Irish Lions. 

By Charlie Elliott

READ MORE: Summer Internationals Team of the Week – George Ford shows class in 100th Test appearance