How do you bounce back from defeat in a first Lions Test? In 2009, our response was brutal
Put simply, the Wallabies need to get in the Lions' faces if they are going to level the series. They were too passive in Brisbane and they need to set that right at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. I see similarities between where the Wallabies are now and where the Lions were in 2009. We didn't show up in the first Test in Durban and we got monstered in the scrum. I remember John Smit scored a try after five minutes in what was South Africa's first entry into our 22.
I'll never forget the debrief we had on a Monday. The defence coach, Shaun Edwards, played us the clips of that try, it was carry after carry and every Springbok got over the gainline before Smit ran through two defenders. Edwards told us it was one of the worst opening defensive sets he had ever seen in international rugby. So we had to show up in the second Test, which has gone down in history for its brutality. We had Simon Shaw come into the team, an enormous second-row who was named man of the match despite featuring for the losing side. The Wallabies will be hoping Will Skelton can have a similar impact.
When you're 1-0 down you are hyper-focused because the series comes down to the 80 minutes on Saturday. You want to keep the gameplan simple but there are things you can demand and expect. Emotionally you have to be in the right place, physically in the right place and work rate has to be through the roof. You've got to fight for everything, you've got to be desperate, but desperation can't lead to ill-discipline or trying too hard and where you end up doing other people's jobs. Because we know what the fallout will be if they don't get it right.
Australia were poor last week but when the Lions are doing their preparation they will be preparing for the best version of the Wallabies. You don't prepare for last week's version because if you do you'll find yourself with egg on your face. I fully expect that Australia will show up this weekend and I've spent a bit of time this week hoping that they will. That's alien to me in the context of a Lions tour, I don't ever remember feeling or hoping that the Kiwis or South Africans will turn up.
Why has it taken this sort of poverty of performance to invigorate this Wallabies side for a series that happens once every 12 years? Do you have to play so poorly to realise that you have to show up? Sometimes sport can be really simple when you are out of options and the Wallabies are at that stage, they have to show up. They have to be so much better. Yes, there were some green shoots but I didn't feel that the result last week was ever in question. To concede as early as they did, it was soft, and the hope must be they don't concede soft tries again, I really hope we get a competitive match.
And I'm confident we will. Rob Valetini will bring significant physicality, so will Skelton. With what's on the line you hope it's just a lot better. This is the first time as a fan with the Lions that I've wanted to see major improvements but it's a demonstration of where the Wallabies are.
They are the sixth best team in the world and almost by default, because other teams around them have lost. We're not in rugby union territory in Melbourne, I was at the AFL the other night and there were 65,000 there for a club match. The MCG should be sold out for a Lions game that happens once every 12 years and it's not.
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But while I have a sense of sympathy, the Lions won't. They'll be thrilled to be in the position they are but they'll be frustrated with themselves because they didn't play to their levels in the second half.
They need to show more of a ruthless edge because it's going to be massively physical, energetic, emotional – they've got to weather that storm and then get into gear and stay in gear. If they do that I'm confident they can wrap up the series.
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The Guardian
16 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Lions writer awards: man of the series, unsung hero and where tourists should go next
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Wales Online
2 hours ago
- Wales Online
What the 2029 Lions team could look like as Louis Rees-Zammit joins Jac Morgan
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Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Just days after the third and final Test of this year's tour in Brisbane, there is already debate over who will be involved next time around. Head coach Farrell has received backing to lead the squad again in 2029, but what about the players? Many of this year's tourists will be out of contention by the time the next tour comes around, while there is also likely to be some currently-unknown talents who will put themselves in the mix over the next four years. That said, we've had a go at predicting what the Lions team may look like come 2029, with Jac Morgan no longer the only Welsh player involved. Article continues below Of course, four years is a very long time in rugby, so this could well end up being completely wrong. However, on the off-chance that I could look like a genius, let's take a look into the crystal ball. 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Centres: Tommy Freeman, Sione Tuipulotu While has played most of his rugby to date on the wing, Freeman admits that a more permanent transition to centre "is on the cards" for England and he will have likely become assured in the position at Test level by 2029. With impressive athleticism and a powerful carry, he is a formidable attacking option on his day and should be at his peak when the tour of New Zealand comes around. There may well be a few more question marks over Tuipulotu's involvement, but the Scotland star - who will be 32 in 2029 - is an explosive carrier with strong footwork and distribution skills and, at the moment at least, is the best option that the Lions have going into the next tour. Of course, though, four years is an awful long time in rugby and some new stars may well force their way into the conversation before the next tour. In Wales, it is hoped that the highly-rated 20-year-old Macs Page will light up the international stage in the coming years, while Mason Grady will also be entering his peak if he can stay injury-free. England's Ollie Lawrence is also very unlucky not to get the nod here, while Scotland's Tom Jordan and Ireland's Jamie Osborne are also contenders. Meanwhile, Osborne's experienced international team-mate Garry Ringrose could well be picked for successive tours at the age of 34. Half-backs: Fin Smith, Ben White Northampton Saints star Smith went straight into the Lions starting XV for the warm-up against Argentina and he is the leading contender to take the No.10 jersey on the next tour. The Englishman has already proven himself to be an assured, reliable match-winner and this tour will have been invaluable to his development. 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Stuart, meanwhile, had a quieter tour than the Irishman but got better as the summer went on. The Bath tighthead is now the cornerstone of England's scrum and, at 33, will be a highly-experienced Test veteran by the time of the New Zealand tour. At the other end of the front row, Opoku-Fordjour is set to be one of the youngest members of the next Lions tour, having already got a flavour for it at the age of 20 after being called in to train with Farrell's squad this summer. While he currently has a solitary cap for England, the Sale man has massive potential and is a powerful scrummager who can play at both loosehead and tighthead. Honourable mentions for the props go to 2025 tourists Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter, as well as the likes of Fin Baxter, Zander Fagerson and Afolabi Fasogbon. Wales star Dewi Lake is also expected to provide competition at hooker, while Theo Dan will also be in the mix. Second row: Maro Itoje, Joe McCarthy Not much change here as the lock combination for the opening Test against the Wallabies returns to the engine room four years later. Itoje led Farrell's men admirably Down Under and while, at 34, he will be reaching the tail end of his career by the time the New Zealand tour comes around, there are few better operators in world rugby and he will be an experienced, dependable presence at the heart of the pack. His absence in the second half of the final Test against the Wallabies was very noticeable. McCarthy, meanwhile, was one of the form players this summer, before a plantar fasciitis issue robbed him of further involvement in the second and third Tests. Boasting immense physicality, he will be 28 and at the peak of his powers in New Zealand, which should make him one of the first names on the teamsheet. However, England's Ollie Chessum will also fancy his chances of making successive tours, while Wales star Dafydd Jenkins has also been tipped to push for a Lions place in four years' time. By that time, highly-rated English teenager Junior Kpoku could also be an option. Back row: Henry Pollock, Jac Morgan, Caelan Doris (capt) Another familiar feel to the back row, with Pollock and Morgan both making the cut for a second tour. While he may have been the bolter for this year's tour, Pollock would be 24 in New Zealand and, if he can keep his remarkable trajectory going, could well be one of the best back row players in the world by that time. Morgan, meanwhile, did Wales proud this summer as the nation's only representative for much of the tour following Tomos Williams' early departure. While, hopefully, the Ospreys man will not be so outnumbered in four years' time, he will likely still be the standout Welsh talent at the Lions coach's disposal and should take the starting jersey that he missed out on during this year's Test series. Finally, while it will come four years later than he would have hoped, Doris should become a Test Lion, having missed this summer's tour due to a cruel injury blow just days before Farrell named his squad. The Irish talisman was the favourite to be named captain for the tour Down Under before that setback, but will be older (31) and wiser in four years' time and should have the honour bestowed on him then. Article continues below As for honourable mentions, Tom Curry was one of the standout performers of the 2025 tour, but whether his body will be able to sustain four more years of high-level rugby remains to be seen. Ben Earl will also be right in the mix for the 2029 tour, while the very highly-rated Morgan Morse could be an outside bet if he breaks on to the international stage with Wales. Potential Lions 2029 XV: 15. Blair Kinghorn; 14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13. Tommy Freeman, 12. Sione Tuipulotu, 11. Louis Rees-Zammit; 10. Fin Smith, 9. Ben White; 1. Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Will Stuart; 4. Maro Itoje, 5. Joe McCarthy; 6. Henry Pollock, 7. Jac Morgan, 8. Caelan Doris (capt) (7 x England, 3 x Scotland, 3 x Ireland, 2 x Wales)
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Henry Pollock, Dan Sheehan and five players who could shape the next British and Irish Lions tour
With a series victory secured in Australia, the British and Irish Lions hierarchy now head home to debrief the tour and begin to look ahead to their next trip to New Zealand. A number of changes to the structure of the quadrennial adventure are on the table as the Lions prepare to take on the All Blacks in 2029, a journey that will follow the inaugural women's tour to the country in two years' time. Sketching out a squad at this stage would be pure folly – so much can and will change in the next four years, while the identity of the head coach, even if Andy Farrell again, will dictate plenty. New stars will emerge in the intervening period while others will fade, though one hopes that each nation's fluctuating fortunes will come together to leave a more equal spread of representation across the squad. While any predictions of this ilk are purely speculative at this juncture, here are five players who could shape the series next time around: Caelan Doris, Ireland Let's begin with something of a forgotten man in the last seven weeks, a would-be skipper denied his first British and Irish Lions tour by the most cruelly-timed injury. Caelan Doris had established himself as both certain starter and leadership linchpin ahead of a 2025 trip where he surely would have thrived. It is a slightly strange quirk that Jack Conan has started the last six Lions Tests without ever really commanding a first-choice place at No 8 for Ireland. Having turned 33 during the trip, his time in red is surely at an end, perhaps clearing the way for another Irishman to take the shirt. Perhaps the Doris/Farrell axis will have found a way to end their nation's World Cup woe by then… Henry Pollock, England As a learning experience for a young player experiencing a quite extraordinary rise, the Lions tour felt just about perfect for Henry Pollock. The 20-year-old flashed at times, showcasing his unique blend of speed and skill in wide channels and the work as a connector and collector that earmarks him as such a special prospect. It always felt, though, a long shot that he would feature in the Tests given the depth of options available on the flanks. One would expect Pollock to be fully established at international level by the time the 2029 tour rolls around. That said, the England back row room is suddenly looking incredibly crowded – Tom Curry's standards refuse to slip, Sam Underhill was back with a bang in Argentina, Ben Curry and Ben Earl are incumbent options; Guy Pepper looks a force on the rise. Add in Tom Willis and Chandler Cunningham-South and Pollock might have a fight on his hands for autumn involvement. Dan Sheehan, Ireland One unsavoury clearout on Tom Lynagh slightly marred an otherwise exemplary trip to Australia for Dan Sheehan. The Irish hooker set the tone right from the very start Down Under, captaining and scoring inside the first two minutes of the win over the Western Force. A hooker very much in the modern mould, his lineout darts can go forgotten but he was rock solid in that area in contrast to a couple of his colleagues until the wretched conditions of the third Test. At only 26, he must have another tour or two in him. Farrell clearly rates his leadership, too, and may look to further develop that side of Sheehan's game in the run up to the 2027 World Cup after a significant recent loss of experience from his Irish squad. It is tough to see, at this stage, a challenger emerging for the Lions hooker berth but watch out for Kepu Tuipulotu down at Bath. Macs Page, Wales Probably the boldest call of this quintet but there is so much to be excited about Macs Page. In a relatively compact frame, Page packs plenty of pace and power and his capacity to play at outside centre and on the wing is valuable in an era where backline positional versatility is increasingly a must as six/two benches become more and more common. Page toured Japan with Wales this summer without making an appearance but his time will surely come after a solid season with the Scarlets. The return of Louis Rees-Zammit, who is thought to have agreed a deal with the breakaway R360 league but may still return to traditional club rugby beforehand, could complicate matters, and others including Mason Grady and Blair Murray will also be eyeing those outside back spots under new Welsh coach Steve Tandy. Of versatile backs elsewhere, the development of Jamie Dobie may be one to monitor with the Scotland scrum half increasingly deployed as a wing option. Maro Itoje, England Already assured of a rich Lions legacy for his role in three tours so far, would a return to the nation where he first made his name in the famous jersey appeal for Maro Itoje in four years' time? There is little reason why a durable and uber-consistent figure cannot make it to New Zealand in 2029 with the lock continuing to hit the high peaks of which he is capable and bedding in nicely as a captain, too. It is now eight straight Test starts for the 30-year-old after an initial outing off the bench in 2017 – surpassing Alun Wyn Jones's professional era record of nine is surely in Itoje's sights. The Saracens and England forward has spoken about a possible retirement at the age of 35, a birthday that would come mere months after a possible fourth Lions tour.
