The Waratahs will have their hands full in dealing with a momentum-gaining British & Irish Lions outfit when the sides clash at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday.
Saturday 5 July
To Win
Waratahs | Draw | Lions
Handicap
Waratahs | Lions
Andy Farrell’s men followed up their big win over the Western Force by racking up another half-century of points in a 52-12 defeat of the Reds on Wednesday as the player group look to be steadily building their team chemistry ahead of the Test series.
Although much of the news in the build-up to the Allianz clash has centred around Farrell calling up son Owen as a squad replacement for the injured Elliot Daly, there are plenty of elite combinations named in his actual starting XV that deserve more attention.
Tadhg Beirne will captain the tourists in a side that unleashes the lethal Scotland “Huipulotu” centre pairing of Simone Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, while the Northampton Saints halfbacks, Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith, also crack the nod in a team infused with already-established partnerships.
Freshly minted back-to-back French champion Blair Kinghorn (wing) and Ireland ace Blair Kinghorn (fullback) make their debuts in the famous red jersey, while a loose trio of Henry Pollock, Josh van der Flier and Ben Earl will be out to cause all kinds of havoc on the deck and in broken field.
For the Tahs, who finished eighth in Super Rugby this term and subsequently missed out on the playoffs, the presence of a number of Wallabies will be vital as they seek to become the first Aussie franchise to avoid a Lions pasting. While capped internationals Lalakai Foketi, Darby Lancaster, Rob Leota, Matt Philip and Tane Edmed will all have big roles to play for Dan McKellar, the Tongan Thor Taniela Tupou and speedster Andrew Kellaway will be the go-to men.
Tupou’s scrum battle with Pierre Schoeman will set the tone for the encounter, while Kellaway’s instinctive finishing ability will have to be on point when and if the hosts create try-scoring opportunities for themselves.
Verdict: Lions on the minus
Considering how well Farrell’s men fared against the Reds, they should be too hot for the Waratahs to handle in New South Wales
