Quest for a Lions clean sweep begins NOW as Andy Farrell's side eye nine out of nine in Australia with plenty at stake in Western Force opener
When the Lions last toured Australia, a dozen years ago, Mack Hansen was sitting in the stand with his family as the Brumbies produced an historic, seismic upset to beat the iconic visitors in Canberra.
So, the Ireland wing knows, from first-hand experience, all about the dangers which lie in wait for the British and Irish tourists over the days and weeks ahead, as they seek to conquer all-comers and establish thunderous momentum for the Test series against the Wallabies. He knows that they will face opponents hell-bent on overcoming a vastly superior, four-nation alliance to earn their place in rugby folklore, by claiming arguably the most prized scalp in the sport.
Starting against Western Force at Optus Stadium on Saturday, the Lions are on a mission for perfection. Having endured a false start to their 2025 crusade by losing the pre-departure money match against Argentina in Dublin, they are targeting a clean-sweep Down Under. 'Faz (Andy Farrell – head coach) set out a challenge for us to win every game,' said Ireland centre Bundee Aki. They slipped up against the Pumas but now they are actually on tour, they want a nine-from-nine return.
The Force will pose a threat to this grand ambition, given the presence of several Australia players in their ranks. They have no intention of being cannon fodder in the manner of their predecessors who lost 69-17 the last time the Lions were here in 2013 and a whopping 116-10 back in 2001. Those were jarring reputational stains for rugby in these parts and the locals are rightly expecting far more of a fight this time, in front of a crowd in excess of 40,000.
But Hansen made no bones about the fact that the Lions should be burdened by expectation here then over on the east coast, for the remaining tour games and Tests. Given the resources at their disposal — the sheer depth of talent available to Farrell across the board, well supported and funded — the tourists have to accept the demand for relentless success.
'If you put the jersey on, we're four of the best teams in the world, so the expectation is to win regardless of who you're playing,' he said. 'If you have some of the best players in the world, you should be winning every time, so every time it's a loss, it just isn't good enough.
'We know that and as disappointed as we were (after the 28-24 defeat against Argentina), we don't want to feel that again. If anything, it's good to feel it early. We know we'll get our heads absolutely chewed off if it happens again, so the plan is to win from here on out. If you get the opportunity to be on this tour and play in the red jersey, you should be winning games.'
The first outing since the Lions arrived here last Sunday will pit them against six Force players who will join up with the Wallabies after this encounter — Nic White, Ben Donaldson, Darcy Swain, Tom Robertson, Dylan Pietsch and Nick Champion de Crespigny. Next up, Farrell's side will travel to Brisbane to take on the Reds, who will also be bolstered by Australia players who have been cleared to represent their franchise team.
This trip started with Lions chief executive Ben Calveley demanding that Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt releases members of his squad to take part in the tour games. Time will tell whether that request — and associated warning about adhering to the tour agreement — comes back to bite him and the Lions. The phrase 'be careful what you wish for' may just spring to mind in due course.
While there is considerable, understandable expectation on the Lions to swat aside these provincial opponents, sometimes that doesn't happen. While upsets are rare, Hansen was present for the last one in this country, as his home-town Brumbies beat Warren Gatland's visitors 14-12. It didn't halt the Lions' charge towards a Test series victory, but it was a result which reverberated nonetheless — earning the victors vast acclaim and, in some cases, international honours.
'On the last Lions tour, I was at the Brumbies game and the Brumbies beat them (Lions),' said Hansen. 'I was with my dad and my brother. We were sitting behind the goalposts watching. It was mad. You don't expect anyone to actually do it but I talked to guys after and they'd been pumped up for the game for weeks.
'They saw it as the be-all and end-all. Also, guys are playing to get into the Wallabies, so there's a lot on the line for a lot of these teams. When you come up against a big team like us, those (opposition) guys will definitely be up for that. They've only got one game then they're on holiday, all these teams, as well.
'I don't think any of the games are going to be easy. Everyone wants to win. We're not playing the Force this week with them saying, 'Alright boys, let's go out and lose by 40'. They'll be coming out thinking: 'We can cause an upset'. Things do happen. We are not taking anyone lightly.'
Frankly, the Lions should win with plenty of room to spare on Saturday, although perhaps not by 40 points. Farrell knows that the home team have proved their resilience, despite a challenging Super Rugby campaign. 'They had nine losing bonus points this year, which says it all really, that they don't go away,' he said.
Dan Sheehan (centre) will skipper the Lions with regular captain Maro Itoje sitting this one out
As ever on these tours, selection sub-plots will ensure there is no shortage of individual motivation for the Lions players, even if there might still be a shortage of collective cohesion. They all know the clock is ticking towards the deadline to make a case for Test inclusion, ahead of the Test series opener in Brisbane on July 19.
The next fixture against the Reds looms as a tough assignment, as does the clash with the Brumbies seven days later. In between, the Waratahs appear more beatable in Sydney and the Australia-New Zealand invitational side cobbled together to face the Lions in Adelaide could struggle to compete.
On that basis, Farrell could be planning to deploy his strongest side for the next two midweek matches, which means the players on duty on Saturday are under pressure to force their way into that rotation. The likes of captain Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Beirne, Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and James Lowe are among those capable of earning that promotional shift.
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