Wallabies vs British and Irish Lions: Third Test live stream, preview, how to watch
This Lions tour was said to be the first step of Rugby Australia turning a $36.8 million deficit into a profit. That may still be the case, with tens of thousands of touring fans pouring through the turnstiles for all three Tests.
But where will a series whitewash leave the game as a whole in Australia?
FOLLOW THE BUILD-UP AND THIRD TEST IN OUR BLOG BELOW
Aussies love a winner, but the Wallabies haven't been doing much of that recently.
The U8s running around suburban grounds in Sydney and Brisbane don't care about RA's bank balance. They want to see their heroes winning games and lifting trophies.
That's the only way to ensure the next generation grows up throwing a Gilbert around rather than a Steeden or a Sherrin.
JOSEPH-AUKUSO SUAALII'S BEST POSITION
Suaalii has played well enough on attack – his break to set up Tom Wright's try in Melbourne last weekend was a perfect example. But he has repeatedly been caught out defensively.
At times, so has his midfield partner Len Ikitau, who has been moved to inside centre rather than his preferred spot at outside to accommodate Suaalii.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is brought to a halt during the second Test.
Despite growing calls for Suaalii to be switched to the wing so the Wallabies can select a proven centre pairing of Hunter Paisami and Len Ikitau, head coach Joe Schmidt is sticking with his same midfield combo for game three but he can expect some criticism if it doesn't work out.
THE BENCH
Harry Potter's injury was a hiccup – and the Lions have much more depth that Australia – but Andy Farrell's supporters will argue that he also out-coached Joe Schmidt at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last weekend.
Owen Farrell came on in the final quarter and provided an instant impact, off the ball as much as on it.
Meanwhile, Ben Donaldson – who has several years more experience at Test level than Tom Lynagh - was left stranded on the bench as Australia desperately tried to hang on but couldn't, raising questions about Schmidt's tactics.
Question marks were asked after Ben Donaldson watched on from the bench in Melbourne.
Strangely, Schmidt picked a 6-2 forwards-backs split for Melbourne in the belief that it would rain, but when there wasn't a drop in the sky, it gave the Lions the advantage because they went with a traditional 5-3 split.
But this week, with heavy showers forecast for Accor Stadium, the Lions have added an extra forward as a precaution for the weather while the Wallabies have returned to the 5-3 split they abandoned last week.
THE WHISTLEBLOWERS
Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli and his assistants will be under intense scrutiny this week after the controversial ending to the second Test when the match officials opted against penalising the Lions' backrower Jac Morgan for his clean-out on Carlo Tizzano.
Schmidt launched a blistering attack over the ruling, saying it went against the game's pledge to player safety, which drew a sharp rebuke from World Rugby, which is trying to protect referees from the vile abuse they sometimes cop on social media.
Nika Amashukeli shows Owen Farrell a yellow card.
Regardless, with matches regularly stopped while Television Match Officials pore over replays of contentious incidents, the whistleblowers will be under more pressure than usual this weekend.
TACKLE, TACKLE, TACKLE
All the complaining in the world won't change the result from the first two matches but there is one area that might make a difference if they fix things up.
When the Wallabies were the best team in the world, the cornerstone of their success was their outstanding defence. When they last won the World Cup, in 1999, they famously conceded just one try in six matches in the entire tournament.
But in the two Tests against the Lions so far, they have given up eight tries, three in Brisbane then five in Melbourne, while also repeatedly falling off tackles.
In Brisbane, the Wallabies missed 29 tackles in an eight point loss then missed 23 tackles in their three point loss in Melbourne. If they can plug those holes, they won't need to worry about blaming officials because they might just win.
Originally published as Wallabies vs British and Irish Lions: Third Test preview, how to watch
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- The Age
‘Special things ahead': Lions coach says Wallabies will be a force at 2027 World Cup
'I said to Joe (Schmidt) before the game there on the pitch that I think special things are going to happen for this team over the next 18 months, and by the time the World Cup comes around they'll be a force to be reckoned with, like everyone's seen in the past. 'They've got some special athletes and some special players and that's no surprise to us of how they've performed over the last couple of weeks.' When informed of Farrell's comments, Schmidt joked he agrees 'with everything Faz tells me'. 'Faz and I would be good friends, go back a long way, have worked together a lot and we would also be quite like minded around probably studying other teams,' Schmidt said. 'I'd like to think that he's right.' The Wallabies' victory in Sydney opened the door for the series win by the Lions to carry an asterisk - given the contentious nature of the end of the second Test at the MCG, where the Wallabies argued Jac Morgan's cleanout on Carlo Tizzano, prior to Hugo Keenan's matchwinning try, was illegal. But Schmidt didn't want to go down that road after the game on Saturday night, which had crept into early Sunday morning by the time the teams finished their media duties. 'We can't get those points back,' Schmidt said. 'We can only try to win the points that are ahead of us. I think I've said before I'm very boring and pragmatic and all we can do is try to affect what happens to us in the future and try to control as much of that as possible by trying to grow. 'The one thing I would say is I felt we grew through the series. We lost the first half of the series poorly, we won the second half, we played well in the first half of the second test, didn't succeed eventually in that test but I felt we deserved to win both halves today. 'We fought our way through very difficult conditions and got destabilised a couple of times but fought our way through that as well.' Schmidt and Wallabies captain Harry Wilson both revealed the power of Alaalatoa's address to the team on Friday, after the side had struggled to bounce back from the disappointment of losing a thriller in Melbourne. Schmidt said Alaalatoa had badly injured his shoulder in the 14th minute of the MCG Test but played out the first half in pain and 'with one wing'. 'It was a little bit of the inspiration the players needed yesterday,' Schmidt said. 'We were flat early in the week and we got a little bit of an upswing, but I really think Alan helped.' Wilson said Alaalatoa had spoken to the team about having to be prepared to suffer to win. 'The thing with Allan, what he says he delivers - and he's spoken to us quite a bit about willing to put your body on the line for the team, whatever it takes to win,' Wilson said. 'In that game in Melbourne he tore his shoulder pretty early and he put his body on the line for the next 25 minutes. 'When he came in and spoke to us the day before a game about what we need to be willing to do for each other to win a game, it really did hit home.' The Wallabies now turn their attention to two games in South Africa for the Rugby Championship, and Schmidt said he will name a squad on Wednesday. He confirmed Jake Gordon was in doubt after injuring a hamstring at training, which could see Nic White push out his international retirement for a few more weeks. White was outstanding against the Lions and received a standing ovation when he came off, but Schmidt joked: 'Whitey will rival me maybe in terms of being kind of like Johnny Farnham, one more tour.'
Sydney Morning Herald
6 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Special things ahead': Lions coach says Wallabies will be a force at 2027 World Cup
'I said to Joe (Schmidt) before the game there on the pitch that I think special things are going to happen for this team over the next 18 months, and by the time the World Cup comes around they'll be a force to be reckoned with, like everyone's seen in the past. 'They've got some special athletes and some special players and that's no surprise to us of how they've performed over the last couple of weeks.' When informed of Farrell's comments, Schmidt joked he agrees 'with everything Faz tells me'. 'Faz and I would be good friends, go back a long way, have worked together a lot and we would also be quite like minded around probably studying other teams,' Schmidt said. 'I'd like to think that he's right.' The Wallabies' victory in Sydney opened the door for the series win by the Lions to carry an asterisk - given the contentious nature of the end of the second Test at the MCG, where the Wallabies argued Jac Morgan's cleanout on Carlo Tizzano, prior to Hugo Keenan's matchwinning try, was illegal. But Schmidt didn't want to go down that road after the game on Saturday night, which had crept into early Sunday morning by the time the teams finished their media duties. 'We can't get those points back,' Schmidt said. 'We can only try to win the points that are ahead of us. I think I've said before I'm very boring and pragmatic and all we can do is try to affect what happens to us in the future and try to control as much of that as possible by trying to grow. 'The one thing I would say is I felt we grew through the series. We lost the first half of the series poorly, we won the second half, we played well in the first half of the second test, didn't succeed eventually in that test but I felt we deserved to win both halves today. 'We fought our way through very difficult conditions and got destabilised a couple of times but fought our way through that as well.' Schmidt and Wallabies captain Harry Wilson both revealed the power of Alaalatoa's address to the team on Friday, after the side had struggled to bounce back from the disappointment of losing a thriller in Melbourne. Schmidt said Alaalatoa had badly injured his shoulder in the 14th minute of the MCG Test but played out the first half in pain and 'with one wing'. 'It was a little bit of the inspiration the players needed yesterday,' Schmidt said. 'We were flat early in the week and we got a little bit of an upswing, but I really think Alan helped.' Wilson said Alaalatoa had spoken to the team about having to be prepared to suffer to win. 'The thing with Allan, what he says he delivers - and he's spoken to us quite a bit about willing to put your body on the line for the team, whatever it takes to win,' Wilson said. 'In that game in Melbourne he tore his shoulder pretty early and he put his body on the line for the next 25 minutes. 'When he came in and spoke to us the day before a game about what we need to be willing to do for each other to win a game, it really did hit home.' The Wallabies now turn their attention to two games in South Africa for the Rugby Championship, and Schmidt said he will name a squad on Wednesday. He confirmed Jake Gordon was in doubt after injuring a hamstring at training, which could see Nic White push out his international retirement for a few more weeks. White was outstanding against the Lions and received a standing ovation when he came off, but Schmidt joked: 'Whitey will rival me maybe in terms of being kind of like Johnny Farnham, one more tour.'
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Lions roar back in style against flat Magpies
The Brisbane Lions have responded after a QClash debacle to knock off Collingwood by 27 points in a potential grand final preview in front of 82,326 fans. After suffering a 66-point belting by Gold Coast last Saturday, the reigning premiers roared back to defeat the Magpies at the MCG for the first time since 2014. Leading by 19 points at three-quarter time, Brisbane had to overcome some nerves in the final term to win 14.8 (92) to 10.5 (65) in front of the biggest home-and-away crowd for a non-Victorian team. Emerging forward Logan Morris bagged a career-best six goals in a commanding display - the first Lions player to kick that many majors in a MCG game since Jonathan Brown in 2004. Morris had terrific support from young ruck-forward Henry Smith, who slotted three first-half goals in his first game for 2025. Smith came in to replace sore Oscar McInerney, who continues to struggle with a debilitating back injury. Darcy Fort and Smith battled manfully against star Collingwood ruck Darcy Cameron, helping the Lions comfortably win the clearance battle 50-36. After being towelled up by Suns stars Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson last week, premiership stars Lachie Neale (36 disposals) and Hugh McCluggage (34) were outstanding in the middle. "I expected the group to respond, I didn't know whether they would be able to respond well enough to win because we were playing a really good opponent," Lions coach Chris Fagan said. "It was really pleasing with a younger team to be able to come here and play in a big game in front of a big crowd and produce a really tough performance." Brisbane were dealt a major blow to their defensive structure when they lost premiership veteran Ryan Lester to concussion at the start of the second quarter. Trailing by 20 points at quarter-time, Collingwood powered ahead with five goals to two in the second term, including a long bomb to returning star Jordan De Goey. But after being sidelined for three months, the Magpies opted to take it easy with their dynamic ace, subbing him out during the third quarter. Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill, who has missed a month due to personal reasons, came into the game for De Goey. Hill flew for a trademark speccy in the last quarter after Lions star Will Ashcroft inexplicably kicked across goal. The Pies' second term was the only period when they looked close to their best, managing just three goals after halftime in a concerning form line so close to September. It was Collingwood's third defeat in four matches, meaning they will finish the round off the top of the ladder, replaced by surging Adelaide. "We've won one of our last two ... it's feedback, but I just have a positive lens," Collingwood coach Craig McRae said, dismissing concerns over the Magpies' form. "We were outplayed by a really good team, a hungry team. "Our second quarter was pretty dominant ... 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Emerging forward Logan Morris bagged a career-best six goals in a commanding display - the first Lions player to kick that many majors in a MCG game since Jonathan Brown in 2004. Morris had terrific support from young ruck-forward Henry Smith, who slotted three first-half goals in his first game for 2025. Smith came in to replace sore Oscar McInerney, who continues to struggle with a debilitating back injury. Darcy Fort and Smith battled manfully against star Collingwood ruck Darcy Cameron, helping the Lions comfortably win the clearance battle 50-36. After being towelled up by Suns stars Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson last week, premiership stars Lachie Neale (36 disposals) and Hugh McCluggage (34) were outstanding in the middle. "I expected the group to respond, I didn't know whether they would be able to respond well enough to win because we were playing a really good opponent," Lions coach Chris Fagan said. "It was really pleasing with a younger team to be able to come here and play in a big game in front of a big crowd and produce a really tough performance." Brisbane were dealt a major blow to their defensive structure when they lost premiership veteran Ryan Lester to concussion at the start of the second quarter. Trailing by 20 points at quarter-time, Collingwood powered ahead with five goals to two in the second term, including a long bomb to returning star Jordan De Goey. But after being sidelined for three months, the Magpies opted to take it easy with their dynamic ace, subbing him out during the third quarter. Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill, who has missed a month due to personal reasons, came into the game for De Goey. Hill flew for a trademark speccy in the last quarter after Lions star Will Ashcroft inexplicably kicked across goal. The Pies' second term was the only period when they looked close to their best, managing just three goals after halftime in a concerning form line so close to September. It was Collingwood's third defeat in four matches, meaning they will finish the round off the top of the ladder, replaced by surging Adelaide. "We've won one of our last two ... it's feedback, but I just have a positive lens," Collingwood coach Craig McRae said, dismissing concerns over the Magpies' form. "We were outplayed by a really good team, a hungry team. "Our second quarter was pretty dominant ... I want to dig into that and why that was the case and let's repeat that behaviour." The Daicos brothers, Nick and Josh, were typically dominant early, but their influence faded as the game went on. It was the Magpies' first loss to the Lions since round 23, 2023, having won their previous four games against Brisbane. The Brisbane Lions have responded after a QClash debacle to knock off Collingwood by 27 points in a potential grand final preview in front of 82,326 fans. After suffering a 66-point belting by Gold Coast last Saturday, the reigning premiers roared back to defeat the Magpies at the MCG for the first time since 2014. Leading by 19 points at three-quarter time, Brisbane had to overcome some nerves in the final term to win 14.8 (92) to 10.5 (65) in front of the biggest home-and-away crowd for a non-Victorian team. Emerging forward Logan Morris bagged a career-best six goals in a commanding display - the first Lions player to kick that many majors in a MCG game since Jonathan Brown in 2004. Morris had terrific support from young ruck-forward Henry Smith, who slotted three first-half goals in his first game for 2025. Smith came in to replace sore Oscar McInerney, who continues to struggle with a debilitating back injury. Darcy Fort and Smith battled manfully against star Collingwood ruck Darcy Cameron, helping the Lions comfortably win the clearance battle 50-36. After being towelled up by Suns stars Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson last week, premiership stars Lachie Neale (36 disposals) and Hugh McCluggage (34) were outstanding in the middle. "I expected the group to respond, I didn't know whether they would be able to respond well enough to win because we were playing a really good opponent," Lions coach Chris Fagan said. "It was really pleasing with a younger team to be able to come here and play in a big game in front of a big crowd and produce a really tough performance." Brisbane were dealt a major blow to their defensive structure when they lost premiership veteran Ryan Lester to concussion at the start of the second quarter. Trailing by 20 points at quarter-time, Collingwood powered ahead with five goals to two in the second term, including a long bomb to returning star Jordan De Goey. But after being sidelined for three months, the Magpies opted to take it easy with their dynamic ace, subbing him out during the third quarter. Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill, who has missed a month due to personal reasons, came into the game for De Goey. Hill flew for a trademark speccy in the last quarter after Lions star Will Ashcroft inexplicably kicked across goal. The Pies' second term was the only period when they looked close to their best, managing just three goals after halftime in a concerning form line so close to September. It was Collingwood's third defeat in four matches, meaning they will finish the round off the top of the ladder, replaced by surging Adelaide. "We've won one of our last two ... it's feedback, but I just have a positive lens," Collingwood coach Craig McRae said, dismissing concerns over the Magpies' form. "We were outplayed by a really good team, a hungry team. "Our second quarter was pretty dominant ... I want to dig into that and why that was the case and let's repeat that behaviour." The Daicos brothers, Nick and Josh, were typically dominant early, but their influence faded as the game went on. It was the Magpies' first loss to the Lions since round 23, 2023, having won their previous four games against Brisbane.
