Australian media reaction: Praise for Lions' Pollock, Russell, kick restart will have Suaalii licking his lips

Irish Examiner

20 hours ago

How much can you truly read into a British & Irish Lions tour opener?
Was this the kind of performance level that the Lions will be capable of reaching further down the line? No. Did the 54-7 scoreline against the Western Force flatter Andy Farrell's men? Probably.
What the Australian media have taken from the clash is a better idea of what Farrell's backline may be, come the first Test against the Wallabies.
Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, columnist Paul Cully insists the Lions backline is more or less locked in.
"Jamison Gibson-Park, Finn Russell, James Lowe, Bundee Aki, Garry Ringrose and Mack Hansen will start the first Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane, with only the fullback position looking particularly contestable between Elliot Daly, Blair Kinghorn and Hugo Keenan," Cully writes.
"It was clear in Perth that the Irish contingent are understandably more comfortable with coach Andy Farrell's style of play, with No 13 Ringrose the key man defensively with his line speed.
"Schmidt won't mind that tactic, particularly with Len Ikitau or Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii good enough or strong enough to take the hit from Ringrose and get the ball wider or beat him with footwork... on the flipside, Russell's quick hands were a joy to watch in Perth - he really does belong among the elite in terms of the deception he can offer at the line."
So where can the Lions be got at then? Kick restarts proved a bit of an issue for Farrell's men on opening night in Perth. Ball recoveries from those very scenarios have become a trademark of Suaalii's game since his switch to Union from League.
Jamie Pandaram of the Daily Telegraph feels it is a part of the game where Joe Schmidt's Wallabies can get a lot of joy, especially with a weapon like Suaalii.
"Suaalii looms as the greatest threat to the British & Irish Lions after the Western Force exposed a glaring weakness the Wallabies can exploit." Pandaram said.
"The Lions, despite their 54-7 win in Perth, look vulnerable from kick restarts, and Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is sure to launch big-jumping Suaalii from kick-offs against the shaky tourists.
"They lost four of eight kick restarts against the Force at Optus Stadium, as Nic White's pinpoint kick-offs found a flying Dylan Pietsch or caused Lions errors, after they'd been targeted in the same area the previous weekend when Argentina beat them 28-24."
Cully of the
SMH
added, on the Lions' defensive weak spots: "The defensive issues that prevented Lowe from being an All Black also pop up sporadically, so there will be opportunities for the Wallabies if they are good enough."
There was, of course, plenty praise for a Lions team early on their journey to the three Test matches.
"The Lions showed they also have plenty to make the Wallabies concerned," Pandaram said.
"Their transition from turnover to attack, particularly in the second half, was stunningly fast, leading to several long-range tries."
And onto Henry Pollock. The dynamic youngster gets people up out of their seats, like him or loathe him. Does he feature from the start in a Test, or two, or three? Only time will tell, but the view from Down Under is that he will prove to be a thorn in their side for a long time.
"Henry Pollock looks like a stereotypical English backpacker you want to dislike, but his performance against the Western Force on Saturday makes that impossible," Cully wrote.
"His athleticism, ambition and offloads made international teammates such as Lions No 6 Tadhg Beirne, who is badly out of form, look like they were running in mud or playing a different version of the sport before a new software update kicked in.
"Forget the off-the-ball stuff, it really is peripheral - Pollock's main contribution in Perth was to remind everyone that games of rugby can still be unlocked by the right type of athlete.
"The bad news for the Wallabies is that Pollock looks like he can be a 10-year nemesis for the Wallabies - a rare talent."