British & Irish Lions: Our experts have their say on tour to Australia
With the British & Irish Lions kicking off their summer against Argentina on Friday, members of Times Sport's expert rugby team — Sam Warburton, Lawrence Dallaglio, Stephen Jones, Owen Slot and Mark Palmer — assembled in London to whet the appetite for the forthcoming tour to Australia.
They debated all manner of topics, including the battle for the No10 jersey, the balance of the squad and the stars who could be elevated to world-class status. Before the discussion got under way, the Australia legend Matt Giteau appeared on screen to kick things off with a cheeky prediction…
Owen Slot: Sam, what do you think of Matt Giteau's 3-0 to Australia prediction? Let's get stuck into that a little bit.
Sam Warburton: It'll be tougher than people think. I predict a 2-1 Lions win. I remember what Shaun Edwards, the former Lions and Wales defence coach, said to me when I first went down to Australia — he said: 'Mate, it's different down there. It's quicker and it's warmer. It's more humid.' And I remember playing the first Test against Australia. I remember thinking, 'Flipping heck, he was right'.
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