Finn Russell warns Lions want to ‘finish on a high' with a series whitewash
The rivals delivered an all-time classic in the second Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground but it was Andy Farrell's men who held their nerve to emerge 29-26 winners.
Advertisement
Now they are chasing the 100 per cent record Down Under that Farrell set as a pre-tour target – an achievement that has not been managed since the 1927 visit to Argentina.
Lions fly-half Finn Russell (second right) is tackled during the second Test win over Australia in Melbourne (David Davies/PA).
Russell, who started the celebrations wearing a chocolate garland given to some of the players by Sione Tuipulotu, views the looming Sydney Olympic Park showdown as a must win occasion.
'Everyone here has been gunning for this for their whole career. To get to the Lions is one thing and then to get a series win is another,' the Scotland fly-half said.
'This is my third tour and I've not won one so it's special to get this, bringing four nations together to be a family for five, six weeks.
Advertisement
'So to get the series is amazing, but the job's still not done yet. We need to go and try and finish it off. Even though we've got the series, we want to finish on a high. Everyone wants to play in that game.'
Russell has been a key figure in the Lions' first series triumph since 2013, forging an influential half-back partnership with Jamison Gibson Park that has been among the tourists' greatest strengths.
On current form the best fly-half in the game, the 32-year-old is finally getting the accolades that his talent deserves after piloting Bath to Gallagher Premiership, Challenge Cup and Premier Cup success in the recent club season.
'I've learned another style of rugby at Bath. It's a different style that's about getting control back because of the backs that we have to launch,' he said.
Advertisement
Hugo Keenan, scorer of the try that won the second Test and clinched a series win for the Lions over Australia, celebrates with team-mates at the MCG (David Davies/PA).
'It's changed the way I look at the game a little bit. On Saturday, we had a couple of calls on their 10 metre line and I'm looking at kick plays rather than launching straight away.
'I'm loving my rugby right now. Some of the boys might say it's the most confident I've been and it's my best rugby, which might be true, it might not.
'I've not won much in my career so to have won the titles at Bath and now this, it's amazing, it's so special.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
a few seconds ago
- BBC News
'Thirty five runs or four wickets - rest well, if you can'
What is it about this place?Finales. The Bradman walking off for a duck, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh arm in arm, Stuart Broad denying Australia one last famous old ground has delivered again. Realistically, England have no right to be in with a shot of yet another successful run chase, but here we Brook and Joe Root. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Kumar Dharmasena and Ahsan Raza. Rain and bad light. 35 runs and four wickets. A long night staring into the morning will not be as raucous as Sunday evening, but the stakes will not be diminished by having to return at the beginning of the working England, there are 35 runs standing between them and the biggest series win of the Bazball they pull it off, it will be the second highest successful chase in their history and will break a 123-year-old record for the best chase by any team on this would do it with Ben Stokes not in the team and Chris Woakes absent for most of the match. England's two best all-rounders of the past 10 years have only two working shoulders between have a patched up pace attack that is missing Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood. Their first-choice spinner is injured. Jacob Bethell has been a part-time cricketer for the past two months and batted like dropped six catches in the India second innings and gave away 38 runs in extras in their first – how important they look now. At 106-3 on Sunday morning, England were toast, only for Yorkshire's finest to find individual inspiration to make the unlikely seem this ground 20 years ago, another epic series was on a knife edge. On that occasion, it was Kevin Pietersen belting Brett Lee into the stands that secured the Ashes for England. Two decades on and Harry Brook, the modern day spirit of KP, decided attack was the only was to Joe Root, this Test was always likely to be emotional, a celebration of the life of his mentor Graham Thorpe. How fitting that Root would play with Thorpe-like cool at the home of the great left-hander. Even a heart of stone would have been moved by Root celebrating his hundred by pulling on Thorpe's trademark contrasting centuries, a tired India attack flogged to all parts. Siraj treading on the boundary rope to reprieve Brook evoked memories of Trent Boult doing the same for Stokes in the 2019 World Cup final – another nerve-shredding Root and Brook were together, 200 runs to win seemed like a doddle. After they departed, 35 seemed must wonder what they have to do to beat this England team. It was India on the wrong end of a chase of 378 at Edgbaston in 2022, then 371 at Headingley in something stirred in Siraj, Krishna and Akash Deep. Perhaps it was the beat of the dhol drum that provided the soundtrack to India's last bat went further than the ball when he was caught at mid-off for 111. Bethell looked like what he is – a 21-year-old in his first home Test with only one first-class match since December – in scratching around for five off 31 balls. A wild hack and middle stump the tension got to Root. Play and miss, play and miss, lbw review, edge behind. The Oval came is hard to see how England would have won had the weather not intervened. Smith and Overton, the only Jamies to play Test cricket for England, were left with the task of resisting the touring pacemen and what felt like every Indian in home side were the happier to scurry to the dressing room. The boos of the crowd when the close was confirmed probably sounded like sweet music. What is left is mainly Surrey v India. Smith, Overton, then Gus Atkinson. Josh Tongue has not been dismissed in his six Test innings, but it's probably best not to rely on his not seen since leaving the field with his left arm in a makeshift sling on Thursday, was in his whites and ready to go on Sunday. Root said he had some throw downs to work out what was Woakes emerges on Monday, it will be the biggest act of bravery by an Englishman since James Bond stayed behind on the island in No Time To bowlers will have the benefit of a night's rest and a second new ball available 3.4 overs into the fifth morning. The tourists might not want it, because the old ball has started to England, 35 runs can be dented in a couple of big overs. Batting surely can't be harder than it was when the players were taken off on Sunday are the consequences for less than an hour's cricket on the fifth day? The difference between 3-1 and chance of a first series win against India in seven years and a first five-match series win against anyone in the same timeframe. The difference between heading to Australia as winners, or a way to end it run chase at Headingley, Shubman Gill's epic at Edgbaston. Aggro and Stokes at Lord's. Rearguards and handshakegate at Old down to five runs or four wickets. Rest well, if you can.
Wales Online
29 minutes ago
- Wales Online
Lions star's wife gives birth in back of a car hours before Australia Test
Lions star's wife gives birth in back of a car hours before Australia Test Lions and Ireland star Bundee Aki says his wife called him from a car on the way to hospital hours before he faced the Wallabies Bundee Aki (centre) says he is looking forward to meeting his new-born child (Image:) Lions centre Bundee Aki has revealed that his wife gave birth on the day of the first Test in Brisbane - with the Ireland international yet to meet his new-born daughter. Aki, who featured in all three Tests for the British and Irish Lions here in Australia, was on the bench for the first Test in Brisbane. However, following the third Test defeat in Sydney, Aki revealed that he recently welcomed a fifth child - although he's yet to see his newest daughter. "I want to enjoy my break, my family time," said the 35-year-old as he reflected on the end of a long Lions tour. "I haven't seen my family for eight weeks. "I have a new-born child who I haven't met yet. She was born when we were playing in Brisbane, so I haven't met her. "Her name is Aine, so I'm looking forward to going and meeting my new-born child and we'll go from there." Aki and his wife have a simple theme when it comes to naming their children, with Aine joining Armani-Jade, Adrianna, Andronicus and Ailbhe. Article continues below "All my kids start with A," he added. "So my wife loved the name Aine. That's five As in the family." When asked if it had been difficult not seeing his new-born daughter and the rest of his family, Aki ultimately told the remarkable story of how his wife gave birth in New Zealand on the same day he was facing the Wallabies. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. "Credit to my wife," he said. "She's a powerful woman, a strong woman. "I have to say it to her. If you only knew the story of what happened, it's a funny story in itself. It was a good day. "I was in the hotel. I knew we were overdue. The missus calls me and she's like, 'Water hasn't broke but I'm going to the hospital, I'm feeling contractions.' "I go, 'Yeah, fair enough.' She goes to the hospital, we're getting ready for the team meeting pre-match, and then she calls me and says she's on the way to the hospital, so I said, 'Fine, be safe.' "Five minutes later, she sends a photo, her water broke. I was like, 'Cool, OK, are you almost there?' This is like 30 or 40 minutes away from the hospital, so I said, 'You'll be all right, Mum is there.' "Ten minutes later, she video calls me and I was like, 'S**t, what's going on?' I saw a baby on the video call, so she had it in the car on the way to the hospital. They're both strong and healthy, so happy days. "In New Zealand, yeah. So happy days." Article continues below Given the nature of the day, it might have been difficult for Aki to focus on the rugby, but the centre admitted he had no issue getting on with the task of taking on Australia at Suncorp Stadium. "I knew it was good Juju, I knew it was good Juju," he said. "So I knew we were going to have a good day."
The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Bundee Aki reveals he missed birth of fifth child to play in first Lions Test
Bundee Aki has revealed he missed the birth of his fifth child to play in the British and Irish Lions' first Test against Australia. Aki completed 23 minutes as a replacement against the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium on July 19 just hours after his wife Kayla had given birth to Aine in their native New Zealand. And the 35-year-old Ireland centre saw the delivery of a healthy baby as an omen for the Lions' resounding 27-19 victory that set them on the path to a series triumph. 'I want to enjoy my break, my family time. I haven't seen my family for eight weeks. I have a newborn child who I haven't met yet,' Aki said. 'Credit to my wife – she's a powerful woman, a strong woman. I have to say it to her. If you only knew the story of what happened, it's a funny story in itself. 'It was a good day. I was in the hotel. I knew we were overdue. The missus calls me and she's like, 'Water hasn't broke but I'm going to the hospital, I'm feeling contractions.' I go, 'Yeah, fair enough'. 'She goes to the hospital, we're getting ready for the team meeting pre-match and then she calls me and says she's on the way to the hospital, so I said, 'Fine, be safe.' 'Five minutes later she sends a photo, her water broke. I was like, 'Cool, OK, are you almost there?'. This is like 30 or 40 minutes away from the hospital, so I said, 'You'll be all right, mum is there'. 'Ten minutes later she video calls me and I was like, 'S***, what's going on?'. I saw a baby on the video call, so she had it in the car on the way to the hospital. They're both strong and healthy, so happy days! 'I knew it was good Juju, I knew it was good Juju, so I knew we were going to have a good day.' The Lions clinched the series in Melbourne the following weekend by emerging 29-26 winners in what was the first of two successive starts for Aki, who was also part of the 2021 expedition to South Africa. 'Only so many people can say they've been on two tours or have won a series,' he said. 'Honestly, I can't say anything high enough of this bunch of boys, the team, the staff. It's been one of the most enjoyable tours I've ever been on. It's so good. 'The Lions is every four years so coming to Australia, being the first team to go back-to-back to win the series against Australia – it's up there.'
