Only bench places up for grabs

Melbourne Rebels 0 British & Irish Lions 35

As well as they played in dispatching the Rebels at AAMI Park yesterday, British & Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland will not rush to parachute any of his fringe players into the starting side for Saturday’s second Test against Australia.

That was made clear when, despite a five-try whitewash of Melbourne’s Super Rugby franchise, Gatland offered hope to the players who achieved victory, before suggesting he would not veer too far from the matchday squad of 23 that achieved a narrow win over the Wallabies in Brisbane last Saturday when he names his second-Test line-up for this weekend’s game at Etihad Stadium.