Wallabies vow to put bodies on line in crunch second Lions Test

Skipper Harry Wilson vowed Friday the Wallabies will “throw their bodies around” to physically dominate the British and Irish Lions with everything on the line in the crunch second Test.

Australia need victory at the cavernous Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday to keep the three-Test series alive after losing the opener in Brisbane 27-19.

They were outgunned in that game around the collision areas but have muscled up with hard-working flanker Rob Valetini and giant lock Will Skelton both back from injuries to beef up the pack.

Hooker Dave Porecki, who suffered a concussion in a warm-up Test against Fiji, also returns, with his lineout throwing skills sorely missed in Brisbane.

Coach Joe Schmidt has also opted for a 6-2 bench split, rather than their usual 5-3, in anticipation of a bruising and wet contest, with six forwards among the replacements.

“We want to go out there and impose ourselves physically,” said Wilson.

“We want to back our skills, start fast and with a 6-2 bench it means another person gets to go off the field.

“So more reason start fast, throw your body around knowing there’s some quality bench players coming to finish.”

Australia need look no further than the tactics employed by a hastily-assembled First Nations and Pasifika XV to see how they can stifle Andy Farrell’s men.

They took the game to the Lions on Tuesday with some bone-crunching tackles and plenty of niggle, unsettling the tourists who hung on for a tense 24-19 win.

“A lot of us were there watching and just seeing the way Pasifika went after them, the line speed, the big hits in defence, it was a great blueprint there about how to really try and physically dominate them,” said Wilson.

His words echoed Schmidt on Thursday who said the Wallabies “don’t want to be nice, and we don’t want to be submissive”.

Wilson said the squad have had good preparation this week and after slumping 24-5 behind in Brisbane took confidence from how they were able to get back into the game.

“We do feel like we’re improving each week this year,” he said.

“Obviously we came together and really had to try and fast-track a lot of our relationships in the team to be able to go out there on the field and play well.

“And I guess Fiji, we got away with that one, and then we didn’t start too well in that first Test (against the Lions).

“But in that second-half, once we got a bit of possession, a bit of territory, and started playing our sort of footy, we take a lot of confidence from that.”

Lions boss treats son Farrell like any other player, says coach: The familial bond between head coach Andy Farrell and playmaker son Owen looms large over the British & Irish Lions as they prepare for the second Test.

However, the dynamic between the pair has been strictly professional since Owen’s late call-up into his father’s squad, according to Lions scrum coach John Fogarty.

Owen Farrell missed out on selection for the first Test win in Brisbane but the former England captain has been named in the reserves for the clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Farrell and his father have shared plenty of change-rooms, including during the Lions’ 2013 tour of Australia, when Andy was defence coach and Owen came off the bench to help the tourists win the third Test decider in Sydney.

The family ties make for an interesting sub-plot as the pair could celebrate another series win at the MCG on Saturday.

In the team environment, though, their special relationship is virtually imperceptible, said Fogarty.

“When we’re training or when we’re in a rugby setting, there’s no difference between any player and Owen,” Fogarty told reporters on Friday.

“It’s just the same relationship as any player and coach. If you didn’t know it was his son, you wouldn’t really get it.

“You wouldn’t really think he was his son. He doesn’t treat him in any way differently.

“They’re two professionals.”

The coach’s decision to call up Owen as a replacement for injured fullback Elliot Daly proved polarising despite the flyhalf/centre’s leadership and experience of three previous Lions tours.

Farrell had, after all, not played a test for England since 2023 and endured an injury-blighted season with French club Racing 92.

Agencies