
Wallabies v British & Irish Lions: Second Test
Kick off is at 12:00 (SA time) in Melbourne on Saturday.
Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Tom Lynagh, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (captain), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 David Porecki, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Carlo Tizzano, 22 Tate McDermott, 23 Ben Donaldson.
British and Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje (captain), 3 Tadgh Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jac Morgan, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Blair Kinghorn.
Date: Saturday, 26 July
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Kick-off: 12:00 (SA time)
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
Coach Joe Schmidt has vowed that his Wallabies side have learned their lesson as he prepares them to muscle up and force a series decider.
Andy Farrell's demand for a fast start was emphatically met by his British & Irish Lions team in Brisbane, where they stunned Australia with decisive scores at the beginning of each half.
Schmidt has made no secret of his desire to match that physicality in front of a near six-figure crowd at the MCG, buoyed by the return of powerhouse duo Rob Valetini and Will Skelton.
The experienced pair bring more than 80 caps and 252kg to the Australian pack, and Schmidt's game plan is simple: hit the Lions hard from the first whistle and don't stop.
'They got in amongst us in Brisbane. We've no intention of being submissive again,' he said.
'They played the game on the edge very well, and we've learned from that. I think you'll see us take it to them and keep them on the back foot more consistently.
'Everyone in rugby knows what Bobby [Valetini] brings. His experience gives us confidence, and the other players know he's going to carry hard.
'Having Will back is a big plus as well. His résumé speaks for itself — he won't panic, he has a calm head. He knows northern hemisphere rugby, and just having him back lifts the group.
'Confidence builds incrementally. You have to take small wins when you can, and getting those two back is certainly one of them.'
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