Wallaby Carlo Tizzano reveals 'beef' he has with likely Lions opponent

Australia flanker Carlo Tizzano hopes to face England’s Tom Curry later this year when taking on the British and Irish Lions, saying he has “a bit of beef” with the flanker.

England’s 60-cap forward will already be one of the players penciled into Andy Farrell’s Lions squad to fly to Australia later this year, where he will look to add to the three caps he earned against South Africa in 2021.

No one seems keener for the 26-year-old to make the squad than Tizzano, with the Wallaby hoping to meet the Englishman again after an encounter last year that left a sour taste in his mouth.

Joining the Kick Offs and Kick Ons podcast recently, the Western Force flanker described the time he bumped into Curry in London ahead of Australia’s meeting with England at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, which was the genesis of his “beef”.

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Tizzano did not feature against England, but had the last laugh as Joe Schmidt’s side snatched a 37-42 victory at the death in an epic encounter.

Having earned the first of his five Wallabies caps in 2024, the former Ealing Trailfinders has made a barnstorming start to Super Rugby Pacific this year, which has helped his case in earning yet more caps against the Lions, where he could line up against Curry.

“I hope he plays,” Tizzano said on the podcast. “Me and him have got a bit of beef. It was actually on the spring tour, I saw him in the dentist and I wished him luck for the weekend and he acted like I was a nobody. I was like ‘f**k, here we go, you’re lucky I’m not playing mate.'”

Curry, meanwhile, has his final international match this weekend before Farrell names his Lions squad, where he will hope to make a good impression as England take on Wales in Cardiff in the final round of the Guinness Six Nations.