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I met up for a coffee with Wallabies winger Andrew Kellaway in Melbourne on Friday. We are mates from our Northampton days and we had a pretty honest conversation.
I told him the Lions wouldn’t have been scared of the team Australia named last week. You need a fear factor. That often stems from the forwards but for me the half-backs was the biggest difference.
Tom Lynagh has been put in the real deep end in the green and gold. A young No10, making his first Test start, going up against one of the best combinations in the world in Finn Russell and Jamison Gibson-Park.
There was a gulf in class. How accurate those two players were compared to their counterparts was the biggest difference when the Lions ran away in the first 25 minutes.
The Lions’ half-backs were the difference against Australia last week – Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell showed a real gulf in class
The Lions will not have been scared of the Australia lineup from last week
When you’re up against it and your team are a bit underfired, your half-backs need to be especially accurate. Jake Gordon was named as the Wallabies scrum-half for his game management and kicking.
The Lions won that battle, getting into the game through contestable kicks. They used them as a weapon because of their accuracy, while the Wallabies used it as a pressure release.
Speaking to a few of the Wallaby boys through the week, they haven’t seen Tom Wright have as quiet a game as that for 18 months.
The reason the Lions were so much better than the Australians was their physicality. If your 9 and 10 are accurate, the rest of your team flows. If they’re not, then the game is a bit stickier.
Is the team Joe Schmidt has named this week good enough to bridge the gap? I’m not sure but I guarantee you the Lions won’t be as confident when they see the names of Dave Porecki, Rob Valetini and Will Skelton.
They will be more physical but they can’t afford to go 15 points down again. Are those three big enough to turn the result on its head? I’m not sure they are.
Owen Farrell has been drafted in on the bench to add to the Lions’ depth and experience
Owen is not a silver bullet who can rescue the Lions from their second-half woes, but has valuable game understanding
Russell was imperious last week and if he stays fit then I think he will stay on the pitch for the full 80. He provided so much accuracy. I get the change in dynamic on the bench, with Owen Farrell replacing Marcus Smith because they now have Blair Kinghorn’s versatility.
A lot of people have been saying Owen is a silver bullet if the Lions have a second-half blip. I don’t think it’s that simple. Name me a game on tour when the Lions haven’t had that blip. There’s been a bit of a slower period in every game, even the game on Tuesday when Owen was captain.
He’s not a magic fix but that game understanding and experience is good to bring on when you’re going through those spells. A bit of normality and knowing not to overplay your hand.
Ultimately, the Lions have always found a way through it and I think they will do exactly the same this weekend.
Dan Biggar flew to Australia with Qatar Airways, the world’s best airline. For more information visit www.qatarairways.com
