The selection dilemmas the Lions face in third Test against Australia

Independent

11 hours ago

The nature of the British and Irish Lions always poses a unique challenge for a selector but Andy Farrell 's task of putting together a team for the third Test provides fresh questions still for the head coach. With the series secure, the would-be decider in Sydney now becomes a shot at history – not since the 4-0 win on the 1927 trip to Argentina, when the British Isles team won all nine matches on the wider itinerary for the concession of a total of nine points, has a 'Lions' side swept a Test entanglement of more than one match.
Of course, there is 'The Invincibles'' tour of 1974 in slightly more recent memory but a fourth Test draw in Johannesburg discounts the otherwise remarkable achievements of Syd Millar and Willie John McBride's squad. It can certainly be said, then, that the Lions are chasing something special.
Look back to the last time they faced this sort of scenario and it becomes clear that peril may lay ahead. In 1997, Ian McGeechan 's squad vanquished the Springboks after Jeremy Guscott's drop goal to go 2-0 up – but could not go again in Johannesburg with the squad later admitting that they had lost focus amid the chaos and cacophony that had surrounded their series win. It did not help, either, that several of the England players were thinking about a one-off game against Australia that followed closely on the tour, while the squad switched off, indulging deeply in their celebrations after winning in Durban. The only tourists perhaps fully focussed on the job at hand were Dr James Robson and the medical team, dealing with the many walking wounded from a brutal second Test.
Farrell's crop certainly enjoyed all that Melbourne had to offer before heading to Sydney but arrived with, it seems, a cleaner bill of health than their 1997 predecessors could count upon. It is unclear yet if any of Garry Ringrose, Mack Hansen or Joe McCarthy will be passed fit to feature but there did not appear to be any matters of major concern stemming immediately from the exertions at the MCG.
It is worth remembering, mind, that this is the end of a long and gruelling season for most in the Lions squad. Forwards like Ellis Genge, Maro Itoje and Tadhg Beirne have ploughed past 30 matches in the campaign, with the latter two generally 80-minute men. It is not yet showing in their performances but whispers of a few niggles betray the fact that some of the squad are playing sore. 'Like all the boys, it's the end of the season, you learn to play a little bit hurt,' Sione Tuipulotu suggested after the first Test - days before a tight hamstring prevented him pressing for inclusion in the second.
That is, alas, part and parcel of being a professional rugby player but a freshening up in places may be wise. Even if not as intense as it once was, a Lions tour offers the most demanding schedule that any international will have to endure, with the regular rhythm of matches compounded by the travel in the early weeks. No-one will willingly stand down, one would think, given what is on the line but Farrell may be considering changes anyway.
The back three of James Lowe, Tommy Freeman and Hugo Keenan hasn't quite clicked just yet. Their backfield coverage, usually a strength of Keenan particularly, has been lax at times, and all have had moments of weakness under the high ball. Lowe's left clearing boot hasn't been quite as effective as usual; Freeman's roaming hasn't done the damage that the Lions would have expected. And yet each found a way to contribute a big moment in Melbourne: Freeman's thumping carry helped set up the space for Tom Curry's try, Lowe's power and dexterity likewise teed up Tadhg Beirne, and Keenan's involvement was the telling one. Blair Kinghorn was good off the bench in Melbourne, though, and offers an option across all three spots, while Hansen's fitness will be closely monitored.
The other factor for the Lions staff to consider is whether to reward some of those banging on the selection door in a wider squad that has so far remained tightly bound on this trip. A recognition that the second half in Brisbane and first half in Melbourne did not go right may bring some of those on the fringes into the frame, and the places have been hotly contested throughout. 'I believe that the group is so competitive at the moment,' assistant coach Simon Easterby insisted last week. 'You genuinely could put out a team of 15 players, a different team, and the quality and the standard of that performance won't dip.
'Everyone brings their own individual strengths to this group, but certainly the connectivity and the teamship and being the best teammates they can be has showed out across the last few weeks.'