British & Irish Lions vs Australia 1st Test Tips
Andy Farrell's British & Irish Lions begin the serious stuff of facing Australia on Saturday morning with the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, the setting for the first of three Tests.
The action begins in Brisbane at 11:00am on Saturday and Farrell has joined opposite number Joe Schmidt in confirming their respective line-ups.
The Lions are captained by Maro Itoje, one of four Englishmen, while Farrell leans on eight starters from his Ireland squad alongside an historic first ever Lions all-Scottish fly-half and centre trio made up of Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones.
With Jac Morgan overlooked for the matchday 23, the Lions are without any Welsh representation for a clash with Australia, New Zealand or South Africa for the first time in 129 years.
The Wallabies have called on fly-half Tom Lynagh – son of Aussie legend Michael – to start at ten as he earns just his fourth cap.
The exciting Champion de Crespigny makes his debut on the flank, while former Rugby League star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is another young ace in gold and he partners Len Ikitau in midfield as former Ireland boss Schmidt makes four changes from the starting XV that edged past Fiji 21-18 recently.
Tip 1 – British & Irish Lions -9.5 points @ 9/10
The Lions have looked good since landing Down Under, demonstrating huge power and physicality in their challenges against the likes of the Queensland Reds (52-12) and Western Force (54-7), running in plenty of tries and being very stubborn.
The Wallabies, for their part, didn't overly impress when defeating Fiji by three points recently and that game led Schmidt to warn that his side won't come 'bowling into Brisbane and knock the Lions over'.
It would be hard to disagree with the experienced Kiwi coach, who knows Farrell from their time together with Ireland.
Australian rugby is at a low ebb on the back of a bitterly disappointing 2023 World Cup. The last time the Lions were in Australia the series ended with a 25-point win for the tourists and they look extremely well set up to gain a commanding early advantage in this exchange with a transitional Wallabies outfit.
Schmidt's side are likely to pile on some pressure at some point in the three Tests, but it may require patience and the Lions can start by landing a convincing success.
Tip 2 – Dan Sheehan anytime tryscorer @ 6/4
There were many difficult choices for Farrell as he had to settle on his starting XV for the opening Test, but picking Dan Sheehan at No.2 wasn't one of them.
The Ireland hooker is a truly world class operator and his manager knows his game inside out. The 26-year-old has scored 15 tries in a green jersey, including five in this year's Six Nations.
Sheehan is capable of making a massive impact both at set-piece time and in open play and could well mark his Lions' Test bow by crossing over as his side bids to impose itself physically.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation