Lions won’t be ‘under-cooked’ for first test, assures O’Brien
The Lions stretched their unbeaten record to four from four starts when they brushed aside a team of part-timers and Super Rugby fringe players from the rural areas of Queensland and New South Wales in Newcastle yesterday.
Warren Gatland’s latest selection ran in 10 tries in a 64-0 win at Hunter Stadium, the third time in four games so far in which they have topped 50 points. Only the Queensland Reds, last Saturday in Brisbane, gave the Lions the sort of exacting test the tourists could do with. But with just 10 days to go before the first Test, O’Brien, one of nine different try scorers yesterday, believes there has been plenty of intensity on the training ground and there is more to come against the New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday.
“I don’t think there is a fear of us being under-cooked,” O’Brien said. “We have to bring that intensity to training; we have to train at a higher intensity than it would be for a Test game. That’s the pressure we’re trying to put ourselves under in training.
“The Reds game showed us what to expect; in the first 20 minutes of that game there was massive intensity so that’s what we’ll expect come the first Test.”
Even if the Combined Country could not offer the required intensity as opponents, O’Brien said the Lions kept up their end of the bargain, at least for the first half.
“We’re trying to replicate a certain intensity but at times tonight it was very good,” he said. “Our intensity was good, everyone was on the move. I’m not saying our intensity isn’t good when it comes to games.”
The game in Sydney against Michael Cheika’s Waratahs, however, promises to offer a similar challenge as the Reds served up last weekend, particularly with the opening Test against the Wallabies following seven days later.
“We’re getting closer and closer to the Test games and teams are going to try and come at us a little bit harder, and they’ll be no different,” O’Brien said of next Saturday’s opposition.
“It’s going to be a very tough game and whatever side is picked for the Lions we’re going to have our hands full at the start of the game again. They’re really going to come at us out of the blocks and try and hurt us a little bit so it’s going to be massively intense again.
“I know Cheika very well with him being at Leinster. He’s an animated character as well so I’m sure he’ll have them fired up and wanting to be really aggressive and come hard at us.”
O’Brien put in another good shift for the Lions, showing his versatility by switching across the back row from blindside to openside and, he said, forging an understanding with Welsh No.7 Justin Tipuric.
“I know Tips is a very, very smart player and a good link man as well and he’s a good trapper so if you’re near him you’re looking for a poach and you try and get in with him.
“I was happy enough with my own performance. I dropped a ball in the second half in their 22 but other than that I was happy enough. I did what I had to do job-wise and kept working to the very end.
“I think lads know it’s coming closer and closer to the Tests and that gets you excited and keeps you on your toes. You’re trying to push on and we’re trying to develop and improve every week.
“We set ourselves a standard from the first game and moved on to the second one and the Reds game and so on and so on. We’re trying to build and build to get the complete package.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
