British & Irish Lions vs Australia 2nd Test Tips
The Lions are 1-0 up in the series and already dreaming of a clean sweep following their 27-19 win over Australia in Brisbane, but the Wallabies are sure to come back hard in the 2nd Test in Melbourne.
A crowd of over 80,000 is expected to pack the MCG where Australian coach Joe Schmidt is determined his side will make a far better start than they did at Suncorp Stadium.
The Lions have not achieved a whitewash in Australia since 1903 but skipper Maro Itoje and his men - 11/50 to win in Melbourne - are 4/9 to pull that feat off.
Tip 1 - British & Irish Lions to win by 1-12 points @ 6/4
The Lions won by eight points in the 1st Test in Brisbane and there is no reason to think they won't get up by a similar margin in Melbourne. That they are the better team is beyond dispute and there will be no complacency from Andy Farrell's side.
But expect greater resistance from the Aussies, who were outmuscled in the first half last week and trailed 24-5 at half time.
Boss Schmidt has responded to those frailties by beefing up his squad for the 2nd Test.
Into the pack come heavyweight lock Will Skelton and powerhouse flanker Rob Valetini and Schmidt has also gone for extra forwards on the bench with a 6-2 split.
The Kiwi-born coach has improved Australia after inheriting a rabble from Eddie Jones in 2024 and they had three big wins in their last five Tests - including against England at Twickenham - before the first Lions' encounter.
Farrell insists the Lions can improve on their showing from Brisbane but there is too much in the Aussie ranks to expect them to crumble.
Tip 2 - Jack Conan to score a try @ 3/1
The Lions' back row rightly won glowing praise from Farrell after the first Test and it would be reasonable to assume that Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry and Jack Conan will be every bit as influential in Melbourne.
The three of them were fantastic at the breakdown, made some huge runs, doled out some big hits and laid the platform for the backs to shine. Curry grabbed himself a try and Conan can do likewise at the MCG.
The Leinster No.8 enjoyed a sparkling Six Nations with tries against Scotland, Wales and France and will always be a constant try threat at the back of a maul or driving scrum.
Tip 3 - Over 5.5 Tries @ 7/5
Given the magnitude of the stakes and the emphasis on defence, the 1st Test in Brisbane was still an open affair with six tries, three from each team.
There have been at least five tries in each of the eight Lions' matches to date on this tour and there is no obvious reason to think they are going to dry up now.
Australia have a Test to win so will try to be positive while the Lions' runners just invite try-scoring chances. Expect over 5.5 tries once again.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation