- Gorden Tallis caught up with Lions coach ahead of first Test
- Warned Andy Farrell that Wallabies will love being underdogs
- Pointed to Queensland often being outsiders during Origin
A chance meeting with footy legend Gorden Tallis in a Brisbane street this week has British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell on edge ahead of the first Test against the Wallabies on Saturday night.
Joe Schmidt’s men are widely expected to be outclassed due to a raft of injuries and their formidable opposition.
Tallis warned Farrell – a former rugby league star with Wigan – that Australia will embrace the underdog tag.
‘I actually met Gorden Tallis today and we were reminiscing on a few things,’ Farrell, who is also Ireland’s head coach, told reporters on Friday.
‘The 1994 World Club Challenge final (which Wigan won against the Brisbane Broncos) was huge.
‘(But) this seems a little bit bigger. This is huge. This would mean the world to me (beating the Wallabies).
A chance meeting with footy legend Gorden Tallis (pictured) in a Brisbane street this week has British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell on edge ahead of the first Test against the Wallabies
Tallis warned Farrell – a former rugby league star with Wigan – that Australia will embrace the underdog tag against the Lions
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has handed Tom Lynagh (pictured) his first Test start in the No.10 jersey – 36 years after his famous father Michael also took on the Lions
‘I actually saw him in the street, walking down the street. I went, ‘Gordie, what are you doing here?’
‘So we had a good 20 minutes (chat). It was great to catch up again.
‘He used to say that everyone used to talk about Queensland being underdogs (during each Origin series).
‘He said ‘we never, ever saw it that way,’ and Australia will be exactly the same.’
Lions tyro Henry Pollock has boldly declared the series will be a 3-0 whitewash – but Farrell knows the Wallabies will be ready to silence their critics.
‘You guys (reporters) have pointed out to me that they are underdogs for this series,’ he said.
‘I’m sure that they’ll want to prove a point in regards to that type of thinking. They’ll be fighting tooth and nail, won’t they?’
Meanwhile, for the first time in Wallabies history, players will wear their surnames on the back of their jerseys on Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium.
They are echoing Test cricket’s lead of moving with the times to make the sport more accessible to viewers.
Schmidt has handed Tom Lynagh his first Test start in the No.10 jersey – 36 years after his famous father Michael also took on the Lions.
The visitors won the series 2-1 on their last tour to Australia in 2013, avenging a 2-1 series loss to the Wallabies in 2001.
