Live Andy Farrell names Lions team to play ACT Brumbies
Despite beating New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday to keep their 100 per cent win record Down Under intact, the Lions produced an underwhelming display in Sydney.
Speaking following Saturday's match with Waratahs, Farrell said: 'There's a bit of frustration there. It's nice to get a win but I suppose at this stage we're trying to judge the performance a little bit more.
'[I'm] disappointed enough with the amount of possession and territory that we had and how we dealt with certain situations. A different type of game but are we glad that's happened to us? Yeah, we are because there's some good learnings that we need to learn quickly in regards to that type of game.
'It's adjusting to what's been put in front of us on the run and making sure that we're playing the game. That's happening at that moment in time. Let's congratulate the Waratahs as well for the type of game that they had, that they played. When you have 70 per cent territory, 60 per cent possession and I think 20 turnovers, that's by far not clinical enough.'
Farrell is widely expected to ring the changes to his starting XV for the match with Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday morning (UK time).
Arguably their toughest opponents yet, Brumbies will give Farrell an opportunity to field the team he may plan to field against Australia in the first Test a week next Saturday (July 20).
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The backs cover on bench includes Alex Mitchell, who will make his fifth appearance of the tour, plus Marcus Smith and Hansen. Smith has had a curious tour, used as a bits-and-pieces player to fill in gaps. But his selection in this squad could well be a stopgap until Owen Farrell is over his jet lag. If Farrell was on the bench along with Hansen, the Lions would have natural cover for fly half, inside centre and the whole back three. This team has no inside centre cover. Farrell Jr will play against an Australia/New Zealand invitational XV on Saturday. Farrell Sr was speaking in the Binara room at the team hotel, named after a plant with a four-sided stem. The Lions are also four-sided entity, representing England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. However, with Morgan rested, they are down to three. This team to play the Brumbies does not include any Wales players. According to the statistician Russ Petty, this will be the first time since 1889 that the Lions have gone into a game against opposition from Australia, South Africa or New Zealand without a Welshman in the side. That should not matter, for they are all Lions out here. But it comes just days after Wales, who were almost at full strength, lost to a very inexperienced Japan side in Kitakyushu; a dark era for a proud nation, who have provided more Lions to the famous jersey than any other.
