- Elliot Daly wants to erase memory of defeat
- First Test against Australia on July 19
Star utility back Elliot Daly says England were ‘humbled’ by the Wallabies last year and is determined to ensure the British and Irish Lions don’t suffer the same fate.
The Lions, made up of the best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, have been installed as hot favourites to defeat Australia in the upcoming three-Test series.
The Wallabies have slipped to eighth in the world rankings and didn’t even make it out of the group stage at the 2023 World Cup.
But Australia have become a much more emboldened unit under master coach Joe Schmidt, their win over England at Twickenham last year evidence of that.
An 84th-minute try to Max Jorgensen lifted the Wallabies to a famous 42-37 win in what proved to be the finest moment under Schmidt’s leadership.
Daly didn’t play against the Wallabies on that fateful day at Twickenham, but he still remembers it well.
Lions star Elliot Daly (pictured) is hoping to erase memories of a painful defeat during the Test series against the Wallabies
The Aussies turned in their best performance under coach Joe Schmidt to beat England in a thriller at Twickenham last November (pictured, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii runs the ball)
‘They humbled us, and watching that game was pretty tough,’ Daly said.
‘It was one where we had control of it and lost it, so it probably hurt a little bit more.
‘They showed the quality of a couple of their players in space and hopefully we can shut that down.
‘The way they are playing the game is exciting and they have got some dangerous players.’
The Lions begin their Australian tour with a match against the Western Force at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.
And Lions players are already on notice after suffering a shock 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin last week.
In the direct aftermath of that loss, Daly had a strong message for his teammates in the group huddle.
‘(There was) disappointment in the group,’ Daly said.
Daly (pictured being tackled in the Lions’ recent loss to Argentina) admitted the Wallabies ‘humbled’ England in their famous 42-37 win
Pictured: England star Marcus Smith – who was named in the Lions touring squad – walks off the field after the defeat
‘I just felt I wanted to say, “Lads, this is our first game together, it wasn’t perfect and there is stuff we can work on, but we need to use this as a stepping stone for when we get out to Australia and get on the front foot”.
‘On this tour, with a game every four days, we need to bounce back quickly and take the positives and go to the next game.’
Daly is on his third Lions tour and he was looking forward to lining up against a familiar face on Saturday – Western Force star Kurtley Beale.
Beale played with Daly at English club Wasps in 2016-17.
But Beale’s hamstring injury at training this week means he won’t get to face the Lions unless he can recover in time to line up for the First Nations and Pasifika side on July 22 in Melbourne.
‘If he didn’t get injured in that semi-final against Leicester in 2017 I think we would have won the title,’ Daly said of his former teammate.
‘He came at a time when we were playing attacking rugby and he slotted in really well.
‘He is such a good lad to have around the group and is one guy you can always go for a beer with or a coffee and end up having a laugh.’
