Inevitably, Joe Schmidt has sought to re-energise his Wallabies team with the return of big bad Will Skelton and Rob Valetini among three changes to the Wallabies pack for Saturday’s pivotal second Test in the MCG. But far from resting on his laurels, in seeking the improvement he believes the Lions will need to take a decisive 2-0 series lead, Andy Farrell has sought to do the same.
One of Farrell’s three changes was enforced, with Ollie Chessum replacing the injured Joe McCarthy, but the other two – Andrew Porter swapping starting and finishing roles with Ellis Genge and Bundee Aki also being promoted from the bench ahead of Sione Tuipulotu – were voluntary. And, of course, there was to have been a fourth change until Garry Ringrose reported concussion symptoms at the end of the Wednesday session in a sunny Xavier College overlooking downtown Melbourne.
That was both testimony to Ringrose’s honesty and selflessness, which Farrell and team-mates applauded. His wife Ellen, baby son Freddy (who turns one on Saturday), parents Niall and Ann, brothers Karl and Jack are all in Melbourne, and this development must also worrying be for him and them.
Is it do or die for Australia in the second test against the Lions?
Ringrose had stood down for 10 days and missed the first Test due to the concussive symptoms he reported the day after the Brumbies game a fortnight ago as he had suffered concussion in Ireland’s Six Nations win over Scotland.
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Farrell is also seeking more oomph from his bench. As well as promoting James Ryan as a like for like lock to Chessum among the replacements, the sole Welsh player in the squad, Jac Morgan, a little surprisingly replaces Ben Earl on the bench. More predictably, Farrell named his son Owen among the replacements for what would be his 22nd Lions match in his fourth tour, as well as Blair Kinghorn.
Farrell jnr has looked rejuvenated and reborn since being added as a late replacement, and will undoubtedly bring energy as well as experience to a bench that didn’t make the impact of their Australian counterparts in the first Test.
“It was a number of things and a dip in focus is probably what goes with that,” said Farrell snr on foot of his rejigged team being announced. “The intent drops off a little bit and what that looks like to us might look something different to another team. We know the game we want to play we just need to keep understanding what it takes to get better.”
This is a very Andy Farrell-like selection, for Aki will bring more punch than Tuipulotu, if not as much subtlety. Aki is also a big-game player who invariably performs for Farrell, and then there is Farrell jnr to see it home.
It will be a big ask for Farrell snr and the occasion to inspire Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry to the same heights as last week, but the coach is able to emotionally inspire players, especially those of his own ilk, like Aki and the aforementioned duo. The outside three hold on but will need to play better, and probably will do.
It would have been so easy for Farrell to reward, where possible, last week’s starting XV and replacements, and it tells us much that he declined not to do so in what he admitted was another difficult selection.
“They are all difficult and that is exactly how it should be. They all matter because it is such a huge game, I honestly believe this is one of the biggest, if not the biggest game we have all been involved with so selection always matters in that regard until we get to the next one.
Amid all of this, it should be a cause of celebration that after supplying a record eight to a Lions’ starting XV in a Test last week, this figure has risen to nine for the second Test, and it would have been 10 had Ringrose not been withdrawn of his own volition.
This in turn would have equalled the record 10 Welsh players which Warren Gatland picked for the series-deciding third Test win in Sydney a dozen years ago. As with the then Welsh coach, so the current Irish head coach has placed trust in many of the players he knows best.
It’s also worth noting that Joe McCarthy would assuredly have started again had it not been for his foot issue, and that Mack Hansen was again ruled out with his injury. As it is, Ronan Kelleher and Ryan take Ireland’s representation in the match-day squad to 11, of whom nine are Leinster players.
Opposing them, of course, is the one-time head coach of Leinster, Ireland and Farrell. There’s little doubt that the return from injury of a trio of Australian forwards, hooker David Porecki, Skelton and especially such a dynamic ball-carrier as Valetini, as well as Langi Gleeson among a 6-2 bench, gives the Wallabies a much stronger appearance.
They expect to be better than last week and Farrell accepts that the Lions will need to be as well.
“During victory you get an opportunity to be unbelievably honest and show each other just how much you can improve and there has been nothing but that this week as far as honesty is concerned, about where we can get to. We certainly feel we left a few things out there, most aspects of our game will need to be better but it is proving to ourselves it can be better as well.”
Lions v Australia: Hugo Keenan (Ireland), Tommy Freeman (England), Huw Jones (Scotland), Bundee Aki (Ireland), James Lowe (Ireland), Finn Russell (Scotland), Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland); Andrew Porter (Ireland), Dan Sheehan (Ireland), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Maro Itoje (England, capt), Ollie Chessum (England), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Tom Curry (England), Jack Conan (Ireland).
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher (Ireland), Ellis Genge (England), Will Stuart (England), James Ryan (Ireland), Jac Morgan (Wales), Alex Mitchell (England), Owen Farrell (England), Blair Kinghorn (Scotland).
Australia v Lions: Tom Wright; Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Harry Potter, Tom Lynagh, Jake Gordon; James Slipper, David Porecki, Allan Alaalatoa; Nick Frost, Will Skelton; Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson.
Replacements: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, Tom Robertson, Jeremy Williams, Langi Gleeson, Carlo Tizzano, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson.
