Brian Moore: If Andy Farrell doesn't pick strongest team for last Lions Test, it would disrespect Australia and the fans
The Lions' victory over the Aussies came with a showing of conspicuous resilience and no little nerve. This was the first proper examination of their mettle since landing Down Under, and they managed to find a way to win.
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The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
Wily Schmidt has kept the Wallabies on an upward trajectory
OF COURSE JOE Schmidt had a plan for the lightning break. While the Lions were chilling out on bean bags and checking their phones, the Wallabies had a precise plan to keep their heads in the game. The forecast had suggested there could be lightning during the game, so Schmidt had a routine ready to go. They wanted to keep their players moving, so there were exercise bikes in the changing room, with players rotating on and off them. There were rugby balls at hand, meaning the Wallabies could throw them around and 'stay connected,' in Schmidt's words. There were mini-meetings, with forwards coach Geoff Parling and the other assistants using video footage to discuss specific areas of the game with the players. The Wallabies knew they would be kicking to touch when the game got going again, so they chatted about their plan for the next lineout play, although Schmidt pointed out with a wry smile that it didn't work. Once notice was given that the game would soon be back underway, the Aussies were out of the changing room to warm up, five minutes before the Lions re-emerged. Andy Farrell later said that was the Lions' decision based on the advice of their S&C team, but it was hard not to see it all as the Wallabies being a step ahead of their visitors. That was the overall story of the night as Schmidt's men made a fast start in the third Test and stayed ahead of the Lions all the way through this time. The disappointment of losing this home series will remain for the Wallabies, but they restored some pride last night in Sydney. This was the first time we heard their fans singing Waltzing Matilda, a sure sign the supporters were feeling that pride. In a chaotic game featuring lots of injury carnage and a non-decision going against them when Dan Sheehan seemingly escaped a card for his hit on Tom Lynagh, the Wallabies were more composed, more physical, and more accurate than the Lions. Advertisement The Wallabies celebrate at Accor Stadium. Tom Maher / INPHO Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO 'That's the longest Test match I've ever been involved in with the big hiatus in the 43rd minute,' said Schmidt afterwards. 'But I couldn't be a lot prouder of the way the players rebounded off the last week of that feeling of disappointment that they had. It was deep. 'You almost had to let them feel it and then springboard back.' The Wallabies were excellent for a large part of the second Test, only giving up the lead at the death when Hugo Keenan scored the series-clinching try for the Lions in Melbourne. A big regret will be how long it took the Wallabies to get firing in the first Test. There's no doubt the Aussies were restricted by the brilliance of Farrell's men in the opening 45 minutes of that game in Brisbane, but Schmidt's side took too long to get to the pitch. It's hard not to wonder what might have happened had the Wallabies had more than one game before the Lions Test series. They have a heavy schedule ahead now with the Rugby Championship and then a tour to the Northern Hemisphere in the autumn. Yet you sensed that Schmidt could understand when he was asked if the Wallabies needed one more match before taking on the Lions. 'It just is what it is,' said Schmidt. 'I'm not great at looking back and having regrets. I'm just trying to plan a way forward. 'With the Super Rugby finishing when it did, even then we didn't get the Brumbies back until quite late before we played that Fijian game. 'So yeah, maybe. I'm not really going to look back at maybes. I'm just going to try to take a breath probably and then think about what's next in the Rugby Championship.' While it's easy to question some of Schmidt's selections across this Lions series, going without his best player, Rob Valetini, for all but 40 minutes of the three Tests was crippling. Other key players were injured too. The Wallabies restored pride last night. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO There is still lots of work to do, but Schmidt has lifted the Wallabies out of their lowest ebb following the disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign under Eddie Jones. The Aussies had some encouraging performances in last year's Rugby Championship, then beat England and Wales on their autumn tour, as well as running Ireland very close. There have been disappointments along the way like a hammering at the hands of Argentina and a loss to Scotland, but the improvement has been clear. The Wallabies were disrespected before and during this Lions tour but they have shown that they remain on an upward trajectory. For the many obvious challenges facing Aussie rugby, there is still lots of talent, athleticism, and promise in their game. It has helped hugely to have a wily coach like Schmidt in charge of a clever coaching ticket. Forwards coach Geoff Parling will be a loss as he joins Leicester Tigers, but former All Black Tom Donnelly is coming in to replace him. Schmidt is in the final year of his tenure as the head coach, having agreed to extend his deal until Les Kiss takes over following the Wallabies' games in the Nations Cup in July 2026. Given the Wallabies' growth under him, many would love to see Schmidt staying on but he said it was important for him to be around his family more, with his son, Luke, suffering from severe epilepsy. 'I actually apologised to the players a little while ago, I bit one of their heads off when my son had had a bad day,' said Schmidt. 'I can normally separate the two things, but it does impact me when he's had a bad day and so I know that I have a short enough shelf life and need to be more present at home. 'I haven't been home for two months, so as much as I just think they're a great group of young men, there's other things that I need to make sure I tick off.'
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Lions chief executive says Andy Farrell in ‘strong position' to return as coach for 2029 New Zealand tour
Farrell has steered the Lions to their first series triumph since 2013 with Saturday's 22-12 defeat by the Wallabies in Sydney the only loss of their nine-fixture visit to Australia. Even if their march towards the whitewash was conclusively halted at the final hurdle, the 50-year-old Ireland boss has presided over a successful tour notable for its results, squad cohesion, commitment to playing rugby and the character shown to win the second Test in the dying seconds. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Planning for 2029 is already underway with Calveley promising a similar structure and number of games to the itinerary just completed, although the final midweek fixture will be looked at closely because of the disruption it causes to Test preparations. Farrell is the favourite to lead that expedition and Calveley suggests that the most coveted post in British and Irish rugby is currently his to lose. 'Andy's done an incredible job and I have really enjoyed working with him,' Calveley said. 'I go right back to when I first met him to offer him the role. You could see right then that we had made the right decision in appointing Andy. 'Since he has started full time back in December, he has brought a real focus to the operation which has ultimately resulted in success on the field of play. We will now give him a bit of time off. 'When it comes to our appointments for future tours, we will start the process in about two years and I don't think it would be right to comment on where it ends up. But certainly he has put himself in a very strong position, let's put it that way.' We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Australia entered the series ranked eighth in the world and their credibility as an ongoing Lions tour destination was at stake before the Suncorp Stadium opener. Their thumping in Brisbane was an inauspicious start, but at Melbourne Cricket Ground they went within 51 seconds of levelling the series before emerging emphatic winners on Saturday. ADVERTISEMENT The Lions won the series by an aggregate score of just 68-67 and their opponents led for more time across the three Tests. Factor in profits that are 'significantly higher than anything we've seen in the past' and it is clear that the Wallabies will continue to be adversaries for the elite of British and Irish rugby. 'I would absolutely envisage returning to Australia. I know there's been loads of speculation about whether that would be the case or not, but we've had a wonderful tour here,' Calveley said. Our relationship with the professional game is better than it has ever been Ben Calveley 'It's 100 per cent our ambition to return and we would want the next one to be bigger and better than this one.' The Lions are seen as potentially being vulnerable to the proposed new breakaway franchise league R360, but Calveley insists their pulling power remains as strong as ever. 'You have seen these quotes come from players at every stage throughout the tour is that they remain absolutely committed to the Lions,' he said. 'We all know that we have our place in the calendar baked into regulation 9 and I wouldn't see that changing in the future. 'Our relationship with the professional game is better than it has ever been and I would see that continuing in the future.'
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Lions CEO says Andy Farrell in 'very strong position' to lead tourists to New Zealand in 2029
British & Irish Lions CEO Ben Calveley believes Andy Farrell is 'in a very strong position' to lead the famous touring side to New Zealand in 2029 following the 2-1 series victory over Australia this summer. The Lions touring party began their departure from Sydney on Sunday following the previous night's lightning-interrupted third and final Test defeat to the Wallabies, having taken a 2-0 lead in the series with back-to-back victories in Brisbane and Melbourne. Head coach Farrell, whose current IRFU contract as Ireland boss runs to the end of the 2027 World Cup, has thus delivered a first series victory for the Lions since 2013 and on Saturday in his post-match media conference he outlined his affinity with the concept of the 137-year-old touring tradition every four years to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in rotation. 'I love everything that the Lions is about and I've thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed the last eight weeks,' Farrell said. 'There's always ups and there's always downs but the inner circle is a special place to be.' Read More Ireland to compete in inaugural Rugby Nations Championship in Australia in 2026 Asked if he would like to return for second tour as head coach, the Ireland boss said: 'Well, read into that what you want but I suppose four years, there's a long time between drinks isn't there?' The Lions chief executive on Sunday said the appointment process for the New Zealand tour would not start until two years out but made it clear that Farrell was the frontrunner to take charge. 'Andy's done an incredible job and I have really enjoyed working with him,' Calveley said. 'I go right back to when I first met him to offer him the role. You could see right then that we had made the right decision in appointing Andy. 'Since he has started full time back in December, he has brought a real focus to the operation which has ultimately resulted in success on the field of play. He has done a great job and I have really enjoyed working with him. I think we will now give him a bit of time off. 'He can go back to Dublin and decompress a little bit and then he can start building for the autumn internationals in Ireland and building towards the World Cup in 2027. We wish him all the success with that. 'When it comes to our appointments for future tours, so you mentioned 2029, we will start the process in about two years and I don't think it would be right to comment on where it ends up, let's see. But, certainly you're right, he has put himself in a very strong position hasn't he, let's put it that way.' Farrell also received an influential endorsement from current tour manager and chair of the Lions board Ieuan Evans. 'Leading coaches are cultural architects. The best coaches in the world are elite at that,' former Wales and Lions wing Evans said. 'The evidence is very much there that is the case (with Farrell's stewardship of the Lions). It was a healthy competitive culture around the whole tour party, from the playing and coaching staff to the backroom staff to the medics and S&C. That was exceptional. 'These tours are not designed to be easy to win and compete in. Winning Lions teams are supposed to be really challenging, really exceptionally challenging. You have to have the right culture in order to succeed as well as the talent and the hard work. 'You expect that talent and hard work to come to the fore because of the players of this sort of quality do not get to where they are without it. But you need the culture to allow that to come to the fore and Andy Farrell is exceptional at that.' Calveley said discussions were continuing with New Zealand Rugby over the 2029 Tour Agreement, which outlines the schedule, competition rules and distribution of revenues when the Lions will return for the first time since the drawn series with the All Blacks in 2017. 'That is going very well and that will continue throughout the remainder of this year and into next year. We are making really good progress. We expect it to have a very similar footprint to the one we have just delivered here in Australia.' Where there may be changes to the Lions schedule could be in the pre-Test series window. The Lions played the Barbarians in Hong Kong en route to Australia in 2013, faced Japan in Edinburgh ahead of the 2021 tour and welcomed Argentina to Dublin's Aviva Stadium for a sold-out game last June 20 on the eve of departure Down Under. Calveley would like to see similar games against international opposition ahead of and during future Lions tours. The Lions game in Dublin really caught the imagination of supporters seven weeks ago, and a pre-tour game was a 'central piece in tour preparations now,' the CEO said. 'Could you see us being interested in doing something with the French or in north America, for example? The answer is yes. We will look to capitalise on that in the future. 'Not necessarily always at home. We like the idea of it being at home. But if there is a compelling reason to do it en route to New Zealand in 2029 or at some time in the future.'
