Why the Lions have a 16-point advantage against the Wallabies
11. Harry Potter: Will have his hands full against Tommy Freeman, and may have been picked due to his ability under the high ball. Rating: 6
10. Tom Lynagh: Has a calm head, but this is an enormous step up for a 22-year-old in his first Wallabies start. A concern. Rating: 6
9. Jake Gordon: The 32-year-old is a proven performer, but has no form to speak of and Ryan Lonergan's excellent game for the Brumbies against the Lions has put the spotlight on the Wallabies' selections at No. 9. Rating: 7
8. Harry Wilson: Loved his toughness and mentality to literally drag his side across the line against Fiji, but probably needs an all-time performance in Brisbane. Rating: 7
7. Fraser McReight: Form hasn't been as good compared to last year, when he was arguably the best player in Super Rugby Pacific. The Wallabies need him to find that top gear. Rating: 8
6. Nick Champion de Crespigny: As tough as they come, but a questionable selection ahead of Tom Hooper. Rating: 6
5. Nick Frost: The tallest man on the field needs to get up and challenge the Lions at lineout time, an area where he caused so much disruption during Super Rugby Pacific. Rating: 7
4. Jeremy Williams: His work rate is exceptional, but the suspicion is that the Lions have the upper hand in power through the scrum and through contact. Rating: 6
Loading
3. Allan Alaalatoa: A mixed Test against Fiji from a scrummaging perspective, and will be attacked by the Lions. Probably the most important player on the field because if the Wallabies can't hold the scrum the Lions will feed off it. Rating: 7
2. Matt Faessler: Underdone after an injury-affected Reds campaign. Highly capable at Super Rugby level, but rival hooker Dan Sheehan is a bigger body. Rating: 6
1. James Slipper: Another contentious selection. Is Angus Bell carrying a niggle? Easily one of the toughest Wallabies of the professional era, but this is a big ask of a 36-year-old. Rating: 6
Wallabies total: 156 (average 6.8 a player)
British and Irish Lions
15. Hugo Keenan: A class act, but is in the team due to injuries to others, and his form isn't where it was a few years ago. Rating: 7
14. Tommy Freeman: One of the outstanding athletes in the Lions squad. Big, tall, strong and a proven Test finisher for England. Rating: 7
13. Huw Jones: Arguably the most impressive back on tour so far. Jones has played his way into the Test side and his sheer size will pose problems. Rating: 8
12. Sione Tuipulotu: Must have been a close selection call ahead of Bundee Aki, and has arguably been helped by the form of his Scotland partner Jones. Looked dangerous with ball in hand against the Waratahs. Rating: 7
11. James Lowe: Has the ability to break your heart in numerous ways, not least with his big left boot. New Zealand Rugby was wrong to let him go. Rating: 8
10. Finn Russell: The Scot is flying and has arrived in Australia full of confidence after guiding Bath to the Premiership title. Has been putting himself about in defence, too. Rating: 9
9. Jamison Gibson-Park: Will set the tempo for the Lions attack, and possibly has been holding something back for the first Test in terms of his running game. One of the world's best when in top form. Rating: 8
8. Jack Conan: There is no doubt the Lions lost something when Ireland's Caelan Doris was ruled out with injury. Conan has been solid so far, but he's a big man and his selection points to a brutal Lions game plan. Rating: 7
7. Tom Curry: Tough openside never plays with anything but total commitment and is a menace at the breakdown. Rating: 8
6. Tadhg Beirne: On his day he's one of the world's best, but his form on this tour has been underwhelming by his standards. Needs a big Test to justify selection. Rating: 6
5. Joe McCarthy: Powerhouse second-rower has been selected to drive home where the Lions believe they have the clearest advantage – up front. Rating: 7
4. Maro Itoje: Impressive England captain is one of those players who can impose himself on a Test due to the strength of his all-round game. Rating: 8
3. Tadhg Furlong: The veteran has improved vastly since his first outing against Argentina before the tour proper got under way. Was underdone then but looks determined to make a scrum statement now. Rating: 8
Loading
2. Dan Sheehan: A world-class hooker who can do it all. Watch out for him hugging the touchline to show his athleticism. Rating: 9
1. Ellis Genge: Made a name for himself as a powerful ball carrier, but his scrummaging has improved markedly in recent years. Rating: 7
Replacements: Ronan Kelleher 6, Andrew Porter 8, Will Stuart 7, Ollie Chessum 8, Ben Earl 7, Alex Mitchell 7, Marcus Smith 7, Bundee Aki 8

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Why Wallabies could have the 'blueprint' to defeating British and Irish Lions in second Test
When the Wallabies watched back their defeat to the British and Irish Lions in the first Test, they could have hit the pause button after just 10 seconds to identify a key area of the match in which they were soundly beaten. Making a hit-up on the second phase following the kick-off in Brisbane last Saturday night, Wallabies loose-head prop James Slipper was abruptly halted by a stinging two-man tackle executed by Lions hooker Dan Sheehan and back-rower Tom Curry. The moment set the tone for the match, as the Lions had immediately signalled they were intent on dominating the physical contest, a key battleground in any Test. After Sheehan and Curry stopped Slipper in his tracks, the Lions imposed themselves again by winning a defensive breakdown penalty in the next phase, from which they established a 3-0 advantage on the scoreboard in the second minute of play. The Lions enjoyed a 24-5 lead soon after half-time, and despite a spirited Wallabies' fightback, the tourists completed a comfortable 27-19 victory, with the final scoreline not reflecting how dominant they were in the series opener. Lions coach Andy Farrell admitted his team had room for improvement, an ominous warning ahead of Saturday night's second Test at the MCG. Having been out-muscled on both sides of the ball by the Lions, "physicality" virtually become a buzzword for the Wallabies after arriving in Melbourne. Reacting to the Wallabies' loss, coach Joe Schmidt added some world-class firepower to his forward pack in the form of back-rower Rob Valetini and lock Will Skelton. Both players were sorely missed in the first Test, having been sidelined due to calf injuries. Valetini and Skelton have the potential to provide much-needed aggression to the Wallabies' attack and defence, and have shown they can win the collisions at the Test level. "When you get two people with their presence and experience coming into your side, it always does give you confidence," Wallabies captain Harry Wilson told reporters on Friday. "They're two real leaders in the group and to have them back in such a big match is really exciting for us." There are question marks over Valetini and Skelton's match fitness, however, given they were also unavailable for the Test against Fiji in Newcastle earlier this month. It's one of the reasons Schmidt opted to select six forwards — including damaging ball-runner Langi Gleeson — on his eight-player reserves bench, wanting to maintain an aggressive template he hopes Valetini and Skelton can create for the Wallabies before they are replaced. "We want to impose ourselves physically," Wilson said. "We want to back our skills and go out there and start fast … and throw your body around, knowing there's some quality bench players to come and finish." Personnel changes can go a long way to teams upping the ante when it comes to physicality, but an attitudinal adjustment can be just as effective. The Wallabies would be wise to take a leaf out of the First Nations and Pasifika XV's playbook in the wake of their performance against the Lions in Melbourne last Tuesday night. It wasn't a mistake-free display from the First Nations and Pasifika XV, who trailed 14-0 early, conceded 12 line breaks and gave away 13 penalties to the Lions' eight during the 80 minutes. But they stuck to their pre-match plan of being aggressive in attack and defence to rattle the Lions, who were forced to cling on during the final 10 minutes before prevailing 24-19 at the Docklands stadium. Such was the physical presence of the First Nations and Pasifika XV, their captain Kurtley Beale believed they showed the Lions can be vulnerable. "You need to take it (physicality) to them," said Beale, who has appeared in 95 Tests for the Wallabies. "There were patches there where we had the momentum and the Lions were kind of taking a backfoot step, and I think that created opportunities for us. "These boys (First Nations and Pasifika XV), they love the physicality. You need the physicality to lay the platform for your backs to play off." The First Nations and Pasifika XV's effort didn't go unnoticed by the Wallabies. "Just seeing the way they went after them (Lions) with the line speed, the big hits in defence," Wilson said. "It was a great blueprint there about how really to try to physically dominate them." Defence is said to be built on attitude and mindset, so the Wallabies have had plenty to think about in the past week. They also don't need a reminder about what's at stake when both teams run out on the MCG in front of a crowd that may exceed 90,000 spectators. "There is no denying — we've got to go out here, we have to win," Wilson said. "We've got to win the next two (Tests) to win the series."

Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Moorabbin to the MCG: The magical journey of Wallaby Harry Potter
On Saturday, English-born Harry Potter will step out onto the MCG to represent Australia's Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions in front of a predicted 90,000-strong crowd. But a few months ago, Potter secretly attended another Melbourne rugby ground, albeit a much smaller one with equally enthusiastic fans. In April, the 27-year-old made a surprise visit to Moorabbin Rugby Club – where he played as a junior after moving to Australia from England when he was 10. Club president Ian Nathan said Potter dropped by one night to help three of Moorabbin's junior teams with their training. 'It's amazing to have guys of that calibre come down,' Nathan said. 'It gives the kids a chance to see that even though Melbourne is supposedly not a rugby place, we've got guys playing for Scotland, Samoa, Japan and Australia, representing all parts of the world.' Nathan said Potter spent time with the juniors and offered them advice, saying, 'if you work hard, you can make it anywhere'. 'I think that's great for the kids to hear,' Nathan said. 'You don't have to grow up to be six foot four to be able to play ... that's one of the wonderful things about rugby, because it does cater for all shapes and sizes.' Nathan remembered Potter showing 'signs of being a really good player' in his early days at Moorabbin. The inevitable wizard puns and magic jokes ramped up once he moved back home. (The first J. K. Rowling book was published in 1997, the year the future Wallaby was born, before burgeoning into a literary juggernaut and movie franchise.)

The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
Moorabbin to the MCG: The magical journey of Wallaby Harry Potter
On Saturday, English-born Harry Potter will step out onto the MCG to represent Australia's Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions in front of a predicted 90,000-strong crowd. But a few months ago, Potter secretly attended another Melbourne rugby ground, albeit a much smaller one with equally enthusiastic fans. In April, the 27-year-old made a surprise visit to Moorabbin Rugby Club – where he played as a junior after moving to Australia from England when he was 10. Club president Ian Nathan said Potter dropped by one night to help three of Moorabbin's junior teams with their training. 'It's amazing to have guys of that calibre come down,' Nathan said. 'It gives the kids a chance to see that even though Melbourne is supposedly not a rugby place, we've got guys playing for Scotland, Samoa, Japan and Australia, representing all parts of the world.' Nathan said Potter spent time with the juniors and offered them advice, saying, 'if you work hard, you can make it anywhere'. 'I think that's great for the kids to hear,' Nathan said. 'You don't have to grow up to be six foot four to be able to play ... that's one of the wonderful things about rugby, because it does cater for all shapes and sizes.' Nathan remembered Potter showing 'signs of being a really good player' in his early days at Moorabbin. The inevitable wizard puns and magic jokes ramped up once he moved back home. (The first J. K. Rowling book was published in 1997, the year the future Wallaby was born, before burgeoning into a literary juggernaut and movie franchise.)