Weakened Lions must find impact off bench

It’s close now. Once the Test 15s were announced, the Lions 23 retreats into its own bubble and prepares for a searching gut check, one of the most forensic of their rugby lives.

Those of us on the outside kill the time parsing, guessing, analysing. And then analysing some more.

Jamie Roberts and Manu Tuilagi haven’t made it for Brisbane. A big concern. I spent yesterday willing four-legged thoroughbreds to run that bit faster at Royal Ascot; the Lions are shorn of two thoroughbreds in the centre tomorrow against Australia. That’s 34 stone of horsepower taken out of midfield.