The main talking points as British and Irish Lions target Australia whitewash
Andy Farrell's tourists enhanced their reputations by showing they have the character to match their quality after emerging from a desperately tight second Test with a series victory. Now they are determined to take their place in the Lions pantheon by ending their Australia expedition with a 100 per cent record. No Lions team have won every Test since the 1927 visit to Argentina, while the 1974 'Invincibles' who took on South Africa were the last side to complete an unbeaten tour.
A post shared by The British & Irish Lions (@britishandirishlions)
The series may already have been won, but no mercy is being shown to Australia in selection. Rather than rotating in fresh legs to reward deserving squad members who just missed the cut, the established 23 have been retained with the hard grafting James Ryan and unpredictable Blair Kinghorn the only new starters. The selection for the Sydney Olympic Park clash reflects how much the Lions value the clean sweep and by Saturday night only 27 players will have been used in the Tests.
A post shared by The British & Irish Lions (@britishandirishlions)
Farrell has been reluctant to say if he wanted to take charge of the next Lions tour to New Zealand in 2029, but after masterminding Australia's demise with a game to spare, the job would be his to turn down. Apart from the success on the field, the Ireland boss has created a harmonious squad environment and is revered by his players and coaching staff. When the tourists talk about a united squad effort, they mean it. 'I just love everything that the Lions is about' said Farrell on Thursday and there is no better champion for the institution described by manager Ieuan Evans as a 'glorious anachronism'.
Tadhg Furlong reaches a special milestone on Saturday by making his ninth successive start for the Lions, becoming only the seventh player to do so but the first in the professional era. For three consecutive tours the remarkable Ireland tighthead prop has acted as the cornerstone of the scrum, as well proving his quality in every other department of the game. Adding to the achievement is that he has kept his place in the Lions' front row despite his season being ravaged by calf and hamstring injuries. When he returns home, it will be as a Lions great.
Our team. Your team 🦘#Wallabies #LionsTour2025 pic.twitter.com/yGJ2G82aNA
— Wallabies (@wallabies) July 31, 2025
Australia shot down critics questioning their place among the Lions' tour destinations by going within 51 seconds of winning a captivating second Test. It was the performance needed from the Wallabies to validate the tour but the question now is how much they have left in the tank after rising to the occasion so manfully in Melbourne. Star forward Rob Valetini has been ruled out by his calf problem, but offsetting that major blow is that Will Skelton is able to continue in the second row despite his recent calf injury. The Wallabies are underdogs, but avoiding a whitewash is all the motivation they need to cause an upset.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
Australia survive chaos and carnage as Lions clean sweep dreams washed away
If last week's second Test at the MCG was an epic occasion of grand proportions, this was a rugby experience quite unlike just about anything that had gone before in a very different way. It was tough to make sense of all that unfolded over 80 minutes – and more – of chaos and carnage: a series of worrying head injuries, brawls breaking out all over the place and a 40-minute delay as lightning brought a halt to messy proceedings early in the second half. And, at the end of it all, Australia emerged from a night of incident and accident having avoided the ignominy of a 3-0 whitewash. There was to be no glorious farewell for a British and Irish Lions side that had thought of themselves as history-makers; it was the Wallabies with a golden goodbye. The tourists had spoken of finishing the job properly, gathering together for one last push to go where no Lions team had since 1927 – but a combination of misfortune and mishaps left a dispirited group to celebrate series victory on the back of a defeat. Even a meticulous planner like Andy Farrell would surely not have scenario planned for all that unfolded in Sydney. The Lions lost their captain, Maro Itoje, to injury half-an-hour in and 12 minutes later his second-row partner, James Ryan, in a sickening clash of knee on head. The withdrawal of Tommy Freeman meant a forward-heavy bench split backfired, while the long weather delay seemed to aid Australia, who re-emerged with greater purpose. But the Lions had been short of their best before all of that, and the hosts were more than worthy winners. Had Farrell's squad finally felt the exertions of a long season and tour? Or did they take their eye off the ball ever so slightly with the series secure? Both would be plausible but hugely frustrate Farrell and his squad given a clean sweep had been so squarely their aim. The Wallabies may rue their first half no-show in the first Test, and that Will Skelton was not able to feature in Brisbane – when the mighty lock has been on the field, they have had the superiority in this series. It had been wet all week in Sydney but this was a night to leave Noah fretting about the readiness of his ark. Down the rain tumbled in alternating bands of heavy and torrential, soaking most of those gathered. Just as a week ago, there was plenty of needle and niggle with the Wallabies amongst things early, Skelton once again making his sizeable presence known with brusque re-introductions to familiar foes. Nic White was unsurprisingly in the thick of things, too, the scrum half playing for the final time in Wallabies colours after a career in which he had established himself as a moustachioed menace to rugby society. He has been a fine controlling nine for nights like these, too, and Australia got to the grips with the challenging conditions rather better. The Lions' ambition and intricacy in phase play has been a theme of their trip but this was not a night for overly extravagant touches, and it took time for them to adjust. Even Finn Russell, who had played this tour with the easy air of a man with a pipe and smoking jacket, was struggling, shelling a simple pass and then finding his lower vertebrae re-arranged by a Skelton thump. The one real moment of first half quality came from the men in gold. A canny kick had pinned the Lions in with Hugo Keenan forced back over his line and the pressure built from there. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 's presence and poise forced Freeman to bite in; Dylan Pietsch, excellent on the left wing throughout, sprawled into the space left vacant to score. Otherwise, it was total carnage, slipping bodies strewn hither and thither amongst the dropped balls and ruck refuse. Skelton and a returning Taniela Tupou – whose absence from the opening two games was proved peculiar – did plenty of damage for Australia both in the loose with surprisingly nimble hands and feet, and at scrum time, where their combined mass sent Andrew Porter skidding back over a slippery surface. It was curious in a game in which points were to be at a premium that Australia turned down one shot at goal to go to the corner unsuccessfully; they soon corrected their error after a Lions ruck infringement to extend their lead. But close combat was taking a toll on all involved. Itoje trudged to the touchline with blood in his mouth and did not return having failed a head injury assessment, while the same disappointing fate befell Tom Lynagh moments after kicking that penalty – with a clearout from Dan Sheehan on the young playmaker perhaps one for the citing commissioner. Freeman's bad back had healed sufficiently for him to feature but he also did not last the half, nose broken, HIA failed, and the Lions depleted again. It got worse: Ryan took Skelton's knee to the temple and hit the deck. He would not move again until being hoisted on a stretcher. One hopes that he has avoided an injury of real severity beyond the obvious immediate impact. Then, almost mercifully, came the lightning with 43 minutes not yet played. Off went the players still standing, returning only after a mandatory half-an-hour following the strikes and resuming after a 10-minute warm-up. Any thought, though, that the break would focus the Lions minds was quickly allayed. Freeman's injury had meant Huw Jones had moved to the wing with Owen Farrell brought on in midfield, and the Englishman got himself in a muddle with three men outside him after a promising possession. After picking the pocket of the troubled tourists, Max Jorgensen made off with the stolen goods. Australia had let an 18-point advantage slip in Melbourne but 15 here felt mightier given the conditions and circumstances in which it had been built. Jac Morgan ploughed in to get the Lions going, avoiding a first nilling since 1983, but they were soon backed against the wall once more. Replacement hooker Ronan Kelleher was shown yellow; a broken Tom Curry, who had given everything across the series, was helped off to enable Sheehan to return and provide appropriate front row cover. Tate McDermott soon found a way through the Lions' 14 men and though a consolation came through Will Stuart, hopes of a Lions clean sweep had long since been washed away.
BBC News
26 minutes ago
- BBC News
Wallabies out-play Lions to avoid series whitewash
Australia (8) 22Tries: Pietsch, Jorgensen, McDermott Cons: Donaldson 2 Pens: LynaghBritish and Irish Lions (0) 14Tries: Morgan, Stuart Con: Russell On a foul night of torrential rain and threats of lightning strikes in Sydney that forced play to be suspended for 40 minutes, the Wallabies shocked the British and Irish Lions and won a riotous victory in the third and final Test at Stadium hosts, and underdogs, were dominant for much of a dramatic evening, outscoring the Lions by three tries to two. They led the Sydney slugfest 8-0 through a Dylan Pietsch try and a Tom Lynagh penalty at the end of an intense first Itoje, Tommy Freeman and Australia's Tom Lynagh all failed head injury assessments in a cruelly physical contest played in horrendous exit came after Dan Sheehan appeared to catch him in the head at a breakdown. Three minutes after the restart, James Ryan was knocked unconscious in a distressing incident where his head crashed into the knee of the giant lock, Will Ryan was being treated, a series of fights broke out around him, then play was suspended after lightning was reported locally. Forty-three minutes had been an absence of half an hour both teams were back on the field for a warm-up. Ten minutes later, play resumed and the Wallabies struck again when the Lions gifted possession to wing Max Jorgensen who ran away to score in the Ben Donaldson's conversion made it 15-0 to Australia. Jac Morgan's try and Finn Russell's conversion narrowed it to an eight-point game, but the Wallabies hit back Ronan Kelleher in the sin-bin, Tate McDermott sniped in for the Wallabies' third try. Donaldson converted and a thumping home win was secured. Will Stuart scored in the last act for the Lions. Too little, too late. Line-ups Australia: Wright; Jorgensen, Suaalii, Ikitau, Pietsch; Lynagh, White; Slipper, Pollard, Tupou, Frost, Skelton, Hooper, McReight, Wilson (capt).Replacements: Paenga-Amosa, Bell, Nonggorr, Williams, Gleeson, McDermott, Donaldson, and Irish Lions: Keenan; Freeman, Jones, Aki, Kinghorn; Russell, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Itoje (capt), Ryan, Beirne, Curry, Kelleher, Genge, Stuart, Chessum, Morgan, Earl, Mitchell, Farrell. Match officials Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)Assistant referees: Ben O'Keeffe (NZ), Andrea Piardi (Ita)TMO: Marius Jonker (SA)Foul play review officer: Richard Kelly (NZ) More to follow.
The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
Australia vs Lions LIVE RESULT: Farrell's side WIN series after a chaotic match suspension and Ryan's horrific injury
THE Lions were unable to complete their series whitewash against Australia after losing a chaotic final match. This thrilling encounter had to be suspended due to lightning striking within 10km of the stadium, which then led to fans invading the pitch. Advertisement Shortly before that, James Ryan had to be stretchered off after suffering a horrific knee to the head. However, the break in play didn't slow down the Aussies, as they ran away with a 22-7 victory. But the Lions still won the series overall with a 2-1 scoreline. MATCH RESULT: Australia 22-12 Lions Australia 22-12 Lions TEST SERIES RESULT: Australia 1-2 Lions Follow ALL of the latest updates from Down Under below... Advertisement
