Andy Farrell Says Lions In ‘a Fantastic Place’ To Clinch Test Series With A Week To Spare

Andy Farrell believes nan Lions tin push connected and clinch nan bid pinch a week to spare pursuing their first Test triumph complete Australia successful Brisbane. It is nan caput coach’s position that nan unit is now firmly connected nan Wallabies and that his squad besides person plentifulness of betterment still successful them.

While nan Lions mislaid immoderate momentum successful nan 2nd half of their 27-19 victory astatine Suncorp Stadium, they were 24-5 up aft 41 minutes and Farrell says they will beryllium moreover harder to hit successful Melbourne adjacent Saturday. “There is truthful overmuch much successful us,” said Farrell, suggesting nan Lions were now successful “a awesome place” successful position of nan series.

“To get disconnected to a winning commencement is huge. I thought we started very well, our crippled power was fantabulous passim and nan backmost statement were immense throughout. I thought we did nan garment proud and really we attacked nan game, particularly successful nan first half, was very pleasing.

“That puts nan unit connected for adjacent week. The Wallabies would person been hopeless for it today. We cognize what coming to Suncorp intends to Australia truthful they would person been targeting this. We’re delighted to travel distant pinch this triumph … but we expect ourselves to beryllium amended again.”

Farrell did admit that nan Wallabies would beryllium hopeless to enactment successful nan bid and that nan Lions would request to tighten up successful definite areas. “I thought we fto them backmost into nan game. Our deficiency of subject gave them a spot of a sniff,” he said. “Our physicality was spot connected successful nan first half, but successful nan 2nd we were a spot loose. We will beryllium dealing pinch a wounded animal 2nd up. We expect a different crippled adjacent week but we expect much of ourselves arsenic well.”

The forwards Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne and nan half-backs Finn Russell and Jamison Gibson-Park were besides singled retired for praise by Farrell, who had selected Curry up of respective different imaginable contenders. “For those who cognize him and cognize his character, that was ever going to happen. We talked during nan week astir big-game players and Tom massively fits into that bracket.”

‘I thought we did nan garment proud and really we attacked nan game, particularly successful nan first half, was very pleasing,’ says Andy Farrell. Photograph: Albert Perez/Getty Images

Maro Itoje besides made clear nan Lions would not beryllium easing up pinch a first Lions bid triumph since 2013 now wrong reach. “It puts america successful a bully position but we decidedly aren’t complacent aliases comfortable,” said nan Lions captain. “I deliberation we were a spot inaccurate pinch our determination making and erstwhile you do that against a bully squad you thin to put yourself nether pressure.

“Today was a high-intensity crippled but adjacent week will beryllium a higher-intensity game, truthful nan situation for america is to raise our crippled and capacity because we cognize Australia decidedly will. We want to triumph nan Test bid and we will only do that by getting better.”

The Lions will now relocate to Melbourne earlier Tuesday’s crippled against a First Nations & Pasifika XV and are awaiting an wounded update connected nan fastener Joe McCarthy. The Irish guardant is suffering from plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of nan heel, and was withdrawn astatine nan commencement of nan 2nd half. “It was niggling distant astatine him; hopefully we sewage him disconnected successful time,” said Farrell.

Blair Kinghorn and Garry Ringrose, however, are making advancement and could beryllium disposable for some Tuesday’s crippled and nan 2nd Test.

The Wallabies caput coach, Joe Schmidt, meanwhile, admitted it was now a lawsuit of each aliases thing for his side. “We’ve sewage to deed nan crushed moving different it’ll beryllium a dormant rubber successful Sydney,” he acknowledged. “We’ll person a look successful nan acold ray of time but I’m very proud of nan measurement nan players fought their measurement back. This clip past twelvemonth we astir apt would person melted. I felt nan chair added worth erstwhile they came on.”