Brumbies clash puts Lions Test contenders under selection microscope

Lions head coach Andy Farrell said he wants his players to "stay in every single moment of the game" against the Brumbies on Wednesday. 

Andy Farrell said selecting the Lions Test team is not just about picking the best players. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Time and matches are running out for the 38 players in Andy Farrell’s British & Irish Lions squad to prove to their boss they have what it takes to make the team to face Australia in 11 days.

The 15 selected on Monday on arrival in the nation’s capital to face the Brumbies on Wednesday night must be considered the favourites to start that first of three Tests against the Wallabies given this match’s proximity to the series opener and the stern test the hosts possess as the leading Super Rugby franchise on these shores. This Saturday’s meeting with the Australian/New Zealand invitation XV in Adelaide will provide a final opportunity to break through into the Test matchday 23 seven days later but the onus is on Wednesday night’s squad to remove any doubt from Farrell’s mind that they belong in the Test team.

That means turning 50-50 decisions into more favourable odds and the Lions head coach knows exactly what he is looking for.

“You want to see them stay in every single moment of the game,” Farrell explained, “and I know that sounds harsh and almost impossible to do but they understand 100% now, and have done for a week or so, what is expected of them to be the best team-mate that they can possibly be.

“So, that’s what we’re judging them on, the expectation of that and what it takes to be the best version of themselves but also what it takes to be part of this team and they understand that because ultimately that’s what is going to make us successful or not.” 

There is a sense that some players named on Monday to face the Brumbies have already had their names inked in for the Brisbane opener, not least captain Maro Itoje who partners Joe McCarthy, one of eight Irishmen in this putative Test team, in the second row.

The front row of Ellis Genge and Irish duo Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong have emerged as the most settled and yet dynamic and aggressive trio while the half-back pairing of Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell has seemed nailed on to start against Joe Schmidt’s side at Suncorp Stadium since they started together for the first time just a fortnight ago in the same venue against the Queensland Reds.

There appears to be still some convincing to do for this Lions back row of Ollie Chessum, Tom Curry, and Jack Conan as Farrell continues his quest for the right balance for attacking the breakdown while also ensuring the lineout clicks with an extra jumper at the set-piece while in midfield the Lions will air their fifth different partnership in as many matches when the all-Irish pairing of Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose gets the chance to outdo the displays and clear synchronicity put on by Scotland duo Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones last time out against the Waratahs.

Farrell wants a headache by the time he gets to Brisbane, that much is clear, but even better would be for his starting XV to emerge with shining clarity over these next two games.

“Guys will know all along… selection, there’s a feel. It’s not just 100 per cent, ‘he’s the best player and he has to’… it’s combinations and it’s how he makes the team tick and the team feel etc, there’s a lot of different stuff that has to come together in regards to what makes a team play well.

“At the same time if you’re talking about the individuals then if there’s a 50-50 that has to be made, we’ll make it. It might come down to something that they don’t agree with but I always think that selection, if you make it a 60-40 or a 70-30 in your favour then that says it all really.”

BRUMBIES: A Muirhead; B O’Donnell, O Sapsford, D Feliuai, C Toole; D Meredith, R Lonergan – captain; L Ieli, L Lonergan, R van Nek; L Shaw, C Neville; T Hooper, R Scott, T Taii Tualima.

Replacements: L Bowron, C Orr, F Fotuaika, L Hooper, L Reimer, H Goddard, J Debreczini, H Creighton.

BRITISH & IRISH LIONS: B Kinghorn; T Freeman, G Ringrose, B Aki, J Lowe; F Russell, J Gibson-Park; E Genge, D Sheehan, T Furlong; M Itoje – captain, J McCarthy; O Chessum, T Curry, J Conan.

Replacements: R Kelleher, A Porter, W Stuart, J van der Flier, H Pollock, A Mitchell, M Smith, M Hansen.