It feels like the Lions are walking into a Wallabies ambush in Brisbane
The British and Irish Lions head coach got a pleasant surprise when he spotted Gorden Tallis, an icon of Australian rugby league.
The pair had many battles in their playing days. Farrell v Tallis. The 'Man of Steel' vs the 'Raging Bull'. Andy Farrell had a chance encounter with an old sparring partner when he was walking the streets of Brisbane earlier this week. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Tallis is fondly remembered for his storming displays in State of Origin, the gripping three-game slugfest between New South Wales and Queensland. You'll find plenty of his impressive feats on YouTube, namely an iconic tackle on Brett Hodgon. It's well worth a watch.
Queensland, as it happens, recently secured an unlikely 2-1 series win against their bitter foes, despite being widely written off as one of the worst teams in the state's illustrious history.
A worrying omen for the highly-fancied Lions perhaps? Gorden Tallis is fondly remembered for his storming displays in State of Origin. Pic:'He used to say that everyone used to talk about Queensland being underdogs,' Farrell told a packed press conference on Thursday, recalling his impromptu meeting with Tallis.
'He said 'we never, ever saw it that way,' and Australia will be exactly the same.' Gorden Tallis locks horns with Andy Farrell and Tony Smith in 2000. Pic: Phil Cole/ALLSPORT
Right there is a timely reminder of the sporting mentality of this nation.
Rugby union has fallen on hard times in Australia. In truth, the game has been in a steady decline since 2003, Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal in the World Cup final proving something of a flashpoint.
Rugby league and AFL have stormed ahead. The 52,000-capacity Suncorp Stadium will be packed to the rafters and the atmosphere will be electric before kick-off. Jonny Wilkinson nails a drop goal during the 2003 Rugby World Cup final. Pic: Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images
The Lions have brought a legion of travelling supporters and the cash injection from this series is thought to be in the region of 250 million Australian dollars for the local economy.
Yet there is a sense that this series has not grabbed the wider Australian public. The Lions is scarcely mentioned in news bulletins, radio or in newspaper articles across the country.
For these Wallabies players, these looming games against the much-vaunted tourists isn't just about pride. There is far more on the line for the hosts than bragging rights. There is far more on the line for the hosts than bragging rights. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher
If Australia suffer a 3-0 whitewash, it would be disastrous for the professional game in their country. It would be another nail in rugby union's coffin in Oz.
The next few weeks is a golden opportunity to reinvigorate this sport. An upset today or, dare they dream, a series win would be shot of life for the entire organisation, especially with a home World Cup in 2027.
It should serve as a powerful motivator for the home side.
On paper, the Lions should win this opening Test comfortably. Farrell's team is stacked with proven, Test match animals across a stellar matchday 23. If you want to get a real sense of the quality of this Lions side, look at the players who failed to make the cut: Pierre Schoeman, James Ryan, Josh van der Flier, Jac Morgan, Fin Smith and Owen Farrell. The injured trio of Blair Kinghorn, Mack Hansen and Garry Ringrose are all set to come back into contention for the second game in Melbourne, too. That's quite the playing roster. On paper, the Lions should win this opening Test comfortably. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Australia, meanwhile, are without the destructive Will Skelton and powerful flanker Rob Valetini, arguably their best player for the past two years. They have rolled the dice at No10, with the 22-year-old Tom Lynagh starting his first international game. Nick Champion de Crespigny is another debutant on the blindside flank. They look a weight class below the Lions in the tight five.
But Test rugby can bring out another side in previously unheralded players. Especially Australians. This is a proud rugby nation. This is a country which has won two World Cups and finished second in two other tournaments.
The Lions are overwhelming favourites but history is not on their side. The 2013 series win in Australia remains the only triumph in the professional era. This tours don't come easy.
And it's not like the Wallabies don't have quality in their ranks. In Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, they have a genuine superstar. The former rugby league prodigy has taken the 15-man game by storm. Like Israel Folau, another cross-code convert, did in 2013, he is set to have a huge impact in this series. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is a genuine superstar. Pic:The hosts have genuine gas in the wide channels, with Tom Wright and Max Jorgensen offering so much threat. Jeremy Williams and Nick Frost are two seriously underrated locks while Fraser McReight is a top-class openside flanker who will attack the breakdown with ferocity all evening. The Wallabies captain and No8 Harry Wilson is another character who doesn't get enough plaudits. There's plenty of impact on the bench with Ulster-bound prop Angus Bell, Tom Hooper, Carlo Tizzano, Tate McDermott and Andrew Kellaway all primed to make a big impact.
And then there's the Joe Schmidt factor. Known for his obsessive work ethic, forensic analysis and intense methods during his time with Leinster and Ireland, the Kiwi has cut a more relaxed figure in this gig. Schmidt answered an SOS to the Wallabies a few years back after Eddie Jones' disastrous second stint in the job.
He has galvanised the entire operation and it's a credit to the New Zealander that that this team looks competitive ahead of this series. Schmidt is a serious operator. He transformed Irish rugby. He brought Leinster to another level and continued in the same vein when the national tame came calling for his services in 2013. Joe Schmidt is known for his obsessive work ethic, forensic analysis and intense methods. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher
Some of the revisionism of his trophy-laden tenure in Ireland has jarred. It must have stung Schmidt as well. It feels like a lot of the praise which has been heaped on Farrell, his successor, has come at the expense of Schmidt. He has already helped mastermind an All Blacks win against Ireland in a 2023 World Cup quarter-final. No doubt, he has a masterplan to down the Lions in the coming weeks.
If the Wallabies come out firing, knock the Lions off their rhythm and make this a dogfight, then all bets are off. Expect a few trademark Schmidt strike moves and a few moments of genius from Suaalii.
Lest we forget, it's not like the Lions have looked invincible either. Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, James Lowe and Hugo Keenan have been picked on pedigree and not recent form. No doubt, the Pumas defeat in Dublin sowed a few seeds of doubt as well.
The closer we get to this Test opener in Brisbane, the more it feels like the Lions are walking into an ambush. Farrell got an early warning this week. Another Schmidt masterclass is on the cards.
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Irish Times
2 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Tadhg Furlong likely to start again for Lions as big Irish contingent expected for third Test
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He's constantly on that and he's constantly on us as coaches to make sure we're driving that. Garry Ringrose will play no further part in the Lions tour. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho 'He's a great man motivator, he's a great man around connecting the wider staff and management group as well. I'm learning stuff off him every day, he's an amazing coach and it's a privilege to work underneath him. Goodman also cited Farrell's capacity to make training fun. 'Today we got down to training and he'd sent Fogs [scrum coach John Fogarty] down early to set up the Squid Game mini-team challenge, the whole field was covered in equipment. 'The staff were dressed up in all that kit, the speakers were all set up, a bit of fun, stuff like that to get a bit of energy back in the group. 'The mini-team stuff, the little challenges he'll have at the start of meetings, there's always a bit of craic, a bit of a laugh involved. 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Irish Examiner
2 minutes ago
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Andrew Goodman: 'A big part of his philosophy as a coach is just that, to make sure everyone is all in'
A relentless man motivator who pushes his coaches as much as his players and gets huge buy-in from all who work under him. Even when it's a recreation of hit TV show Squid Game before training, it is no surprise to Andrew Goodman that Andy Farrell has brought the British & Irish Lions to the brink of a series clean sweep over Australia. The Lions are just a win away in Saturday's third and final Test from making the 2025 series against the Wallabies a 3-0 whitewash, which would complete a 100% return from nine tour matches on Australian soil under head coach Farrell's command. Ireland attack coach Goodman is one of four of Farrell's assistants on tour alongside Simon Easterby, John Fogarty and Johnny Sexton and the New Zealander can count Scott Robertson, the current All Blacks boss, at the Crusaders and Leinster's Leo Cullen as 'pretty amazing coaches' whose strengths he sees in the Lions boss. Yet one suspects Farrell has left the deepest impression on the Kiwi and that this journey Down Under has only enhanced his appreciation of his boss. That was clear on Tuesday as he outlined what the head coach had brought to the tour. 'Just his motivation and his ability to bring the group together and his ability to make sure everyone has been all in together the whole time,' Goodman said. 'Whether they are involved in Test matches are midweek games, it doesn't feel like there has been any separation in the group whatsoever. 'He's had his finger on the pulse the whole time. A big part of his philosophy as a coach is just that, to make sure everyone is all in, all the time in terms of what we do on the field and off the field, you always add to the group. 'You're always preparing the group as best you can whether you're starting, on the bench, or not involved. He's constantly on that and he's constantly on us as coaches to make sure we're driving that. He's a great man-motivator, he's a great man around connecting the wider staff and management group as well. I'm learning stuff of him every day, he's an amazing coach and it's a privilege to work underneath him.' To give an example of Farrell's methods, Goodman did not have long to recall the impact he has on Lions sessions, citing Tuesday's return to the training field at North Sydney's Shore School and a surprise recreation of the satirical Korean drama set on a dystopian reality television show, where players risk their lives playing children's games. 'Just his relentlessness. It's not just one thing, it's because it's every day. He's always on having fun as a group. Today we got down to training and he'd sent Fogs down early to set up the Squid Game mini-team challenge, the whole field was covered in equipment. 'The staff were dressed up in all that kit, the speakers were all set up, a bit of fun, stuff like that to get a bit of energy back in the group. The mini-team stuff, the little challenges he'll have at the start of meetings, there's always a bit of craic, a bit of a laugh involved. 'It keeps the boys engaged and fresh and it's not just going into a meeting where it's rugby all the time. There are little bits like that that make it enjoyable as well. 'We had a Squid Game challenge, green light, red light, the whole field was covered in different things they could hide behind, and they had people in the top tier keeping an eye on people. It was a good craic.' Fortunately for the Lions, death was not a consequence of a wrong move, though Goodman did reveal the first victim. 'Tom Clarkson - one of the props - hard to hide. 'Every week we've done things like that. All part of touring, isn't it? Even with Ireland it's a part of his week to make sure there's fun involved.'
