Dan Sheehan says Lions can fire up travelling support if they ‘give them a win'
Fans will start streaming into Brisbane over the coming days and in the face of criticism in the Australian media that Andy Farrell's tourists have shown limited willingness to engage in community events, Sheehan declares winning is the only currency that matters.
'The best way to connect with supporters is to give them a win,' the Ireland hooker said.
'Performance is the way to do that. Yeah we can give them a cheer and a clap after the game but ultimately that's not what they came for – they came for a good game of rugby. If we do that, they'll feel part of it.
'A goal of ours is to make sure that if we have a big crowd on Saturday – which we probably will – we bring them into the game and make it feel almost like a 50/50 game that could be anywhere in the world.
'But I still think it's down to what we put out on the pitch, that's how you get the crowd in behind you.
'It would be a good story and a good legacy to have a winning series. We haven't delved too much into the wider picture.
'We did at the start when we were trying to frame the mindset, but this week has been all about Saturday.
'There's going to be no holding anything back, or waiting for the next two Tests. It's all about Saturday.
'We're in a good spot. The lads are hungry, and we're expecting the Wallabies to be hungry. There will be fireworks on Saturday.'
The Lions ruffled feathers in the wake of their 48-0 victory over Saturday's AUNZ Invitational XV when flanker Henry Pollock revealed their intention to whitewash Australia 3-0 and become the best team to have represented the elite of British and Irish rugby.
Captain Maro Itoje then doubled down on the desire to put the Wallabies to the sword – and Sheehan believes there is no reason why they should not aim high.
'I don't think that's anything too crazy. It's a massive goal of ours to make sure we reach our potential,' he said.
'If we do reach our potential we have the possibility to be one of the best teams. I think they're fair comments.'
Farrell names his team on Thursday with Tom Curry expected to be given the nod in the ferociously competitive openside position ahead of Jac Morgan and Josh van der Flier.
Tadhg Beirne appears to be winning his battle with Ollie Chessum at blindside flanker, while Sione Tuipulotu has now edged ahead of Bundee Aki in the race to start at inside centre.
With Blair Kinghorn losing his battle with a knee injury, Hugo Keenan is favourite to be picked at full-back with Marcus Smith potentially supplying cover from the bench.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
23 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Lando Norris braced for rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix after clinching pole
Norris edged out McLaren team-mate Piastri by just 0.085 seconds at Spa-Francorchamps, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc third. In the other scarlet car, Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q1 and was set to line up from a lowly 16th – a performance the seven-time world champion described as 'unacceptable'. Our top three in qualifying 😀🤩😀#F1 #BelgianGP — Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025 Norris secured his fourth pole of the season and his second in three races in dry conditions, but rain is forecast to hit Sunday's 44-lap race in the Ardennes. However, Norris has won both of the two races staged in the wet this year – the curtain raiser in Melbourne and the last round in Silverstone three weeks ago – and said: 'It's probably going to rain and at Spa, there is a high chance it could just hit half of the track and not the other half, so we could be in for a chaotic race like Australia or Silverstone. 'Hopefully I can take advantage from being at the front, but I don't expect it to be dry. I expect it to be raining and for there to be more chaos.' Norris qualified six tenths behind Piastri for Saturday's sprint race. He started third and finished in the same position with Piastri one place above him – allowing the Australian to extend his championship lead from eight points to nine. Max Verstappen won the first Formula One race staged following Christian Horner's dismissal as Red Bull team principal and the defending champion will start from fourth for Sunday's main event. Yet in qualifying on Saturday, Norris delivered with his first lap in Q3 to hold a near two-tenth advantage over Piastri heading into the concluding runs and although he failed to improve and Piastri did, it was enough to take the 13th pole of his career as he bids for a hat-trick of consecutive wins. 'Everyone was pretty worried after yesterday but I wasn't even that far off,' said Norris. 'There was nothing to worry about, but people like to make a lot of things up. It was just a couple of little issues that I had. 'I was confident coming into today so it was nice to get back on top.' At the other end of the grid, Hamilton will have just four drivers behind him when the lights go out on Sunday. His lap was chalked off by the stewards after he ran all four wheels of his Ferrari off the circuit at Raidillon. Hamilton, who spun in qualifying for the sprint race and then improved only three places from his grid slot of 18th, is without a podium for Ferrari – the deepest he has ever gone into a season without a top-three finish. 'I don't agree (with the stewards' decision), but I'm out,' said the 40-year-old. 'It was another mistake from my side and I have to look internally. 'I have to apologise to my team because it is just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s this weekend. A very, very poor performance.'
North Wales Chronicle
24 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Lando Norris braced for rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix after clinching pole
Norris edged out McLaren team-mate Piastri by just 0.085 seconds at Spa-Francorchamps, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc third. In the other scarlet car, Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q1 and was set to line up from a lowly 16th – a performance the seven-time world champion described as 'unacceptable'. Our top three in qualifying 😀🤩😀#F1 #BelgianGP — Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025 Norris secured his fourth pole of the season and his second in three races in dry conditions, but rain is forecast to hit Sunday's 44-lap race in the Ardennes. However, Norris has won both of the two races staged in the wet this year – the curtain raiser in Melbourne and the last round in Silverstone three weeks ago – and said: 'It's probably going to rain and at Spa, there is a high chance it could just hit half of the track and not the other half, so we could be in for a chaotic race like Australia or Silverstone. 'Hopefully I can take advantage from being at the front, but I don't expect it to be dry. I expect it to be raining and for there to be more chaos.' Norris qualified six tenths behind Piastri for Saturday's sprint race. He started third and finished in the same position with Piastri one place above him – allowing the Australian to extend his championship lead from eight points to nine. Max Verstappen won the first Formula One race staged following Christian Horner's dismissal as Red Bull team principal and the defending champion will start from fourth for Sunday's main event. Yet in qualifying on Saturday, Norris delivered with his first lap in Q3 to hold a near two-tenth advantage over Piastri heading into the concluding runs and although he failed to improve and Piastri did, it was enough to take the 13th pole of his career as he bids for a hat-trick of consecutive wins. 'Everyone was pretty worried after yesterday but I wasn't even that far off,' said Norris. 'There was nothing to worry about, but people like to make a lot of things up. It was just a couple of little issues that I had. 'I was confident coming into today so it was nice to get back on top.' At the other end of the grid, Hamilton will have just four drivers behind him when the lights go out on Sunday. His lap was chalked off by the stewards after he ran all four wheels of his Ferrari off the circuit at Raidillon. Hamilton, who spun in qualifying for the sprint race and then improved only three places from his grid slot of 18th, is without a podium for Ferrari – the deepest he has ever gone into a season without a top-three finish. 'I don't agree (with the stewards' decision), but I'm out,' said the 40-year-old. 'It was another mistake from my side and I have to look internally. 'I have to apologise to my team because it is just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s this weekend. A very, very poor performance.'
The Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Sun
Irish rugby legend Ronan O'Gara gets POOED ON live on Sky Sports after Lions' epic comeback win over Australia
RONAN O'GARA was given an unwelcome gift by a bird while LIVE on air. Irish rugby legend O'Gara was working as a pundit for Sky Sports during the British and Irish Lions clash with Australia earlier today. 5 5 5 5 5 However, a winged viewer flying by decided that the 48-year-old's coat needed some extra decoration. And while he stood alongside colleagues discussing Hugo Keenan's last-gasp winning try, Will Greenwood spotted that O'Gara had been POOED on. He said: "Oh a bird has just pooed on Ronan." The group then shared a laugh at O'Gara's expense as he frantically tried to find where Greenwood had pointed it out. A voice can then be heard saying: "That's lucky for some but not for Ronan." Fans behind the panel also poked fun at O'Gara for the unfortunate incident. Greenwood then adds: "La Rochelle are going to win the European Cup." O'Gara eventually laughs off the incident, though we expect his coat to receive some TLC to remove the poo. And while the unusual present might not be seen as too lucky by O'Gara, the Lions certainly did find some luck in their match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. They moved 2-0 over Australia in the series, but only after coming back from 26-17 down in the 53rd minute. Keenan's late winner has now set the scene for a potential clean sweep when the sides clash again at the weekend.
