Rugby-Kefu calls on Wallabies forwards to go beserk against Lions
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Wallabies icon Toutai Kefu has called on Australia's forwards to bring fire and fury in the series-opener against the British & Irish Lions and defy the doomsayers tipping a 3-0 whitewash for the hosts.
Joe Schmidt's Wallabies head to Brisbane's Lang Park on Saturday missing key players through injury and face a formidable Lions outfit that has won all five tour matches in the country.
However, former Australia number eight Kefu, who played in the 2-1 series win over the Lions in 2001, says the Wallabies have all the ammunition they need to upset Andy Farrell's team.
"The biggest motivating factor for these players are they are huge underdogs," Kefu told Reuters.
"The Lions haven't been beaten on our soil yet. They've pretty much manhandled most of our teams.
"What bigger motivation as a player, to play one of the most iconic teams in the world who are on a huge roll and everyone's expecting you to lose? What bigger motivation can you have?
"As a player, you would just go crazy and absolutely go mental, wouldn't you?"
The Wallabies are missing their chief enforcer in loose forward Rob Valetini, ruled out with a calf injury.
Uncapped flanker Nick Champion de Crespigny has big shoes to fill in place of Valetini in the back row.
Never one to take a backwards step in his 60-test playing career, Kefu encouraged De Crespigny to live up to the billing of his teammate Fraser McReight, who praised the new boy as a "psycho" in the contest.
"That's what we need," said Kefu.
"We need eight psychos up front, absolute lunatics. That's the way we need to approach the game -- without being too crazy and giving away penalties.
"We need to go a little bit mental."
Kefu will face the Lions from the coach's box on Tuesday when he guides the First Nations-Pasifika XV in a tour match at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium.
Kefu's preparations suffered a late blow with former Wallabies loose forward Pete Samu, who has Samoan heritage, ruled out of the match due to an eligibility problem.
Kefu said the Lions' management had objected to Samu's selection despite representations made by Rugby Australia (RA).
A Lions spokesperson said only eligible players, as agreed by both sides as part of the tour agreement, could play in the game.
An RA spokesperson said the governing body had hoped Samu would play.
The selection wrangle comes a few weeks after Lions chief executive Ben Calveley demanded Australia field their most competitive teams to help the tourists prepare for the Wallabies series, and for "fans, partners and broadcasters".
A disappointed Kefu said he was surprised the Lions would insist on Samu's omission.
"Bloody hell, I thought they would have wanted the strongest competition," added the 51-year-old. "He really wanted to play as well. He would have started for us."
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
15 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Gavin Lee begins Lions reign with Harimau Malaya clash
KUALA LUMPUR: The Causeway derby will mark Gavin Lee's first match in charge of Singapore's national football team. The Lions will meet Malaysia in an international friendly at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Sept 4. Both Harimau Malaya and the Lions will use the match as part of their preparations for the Asian Cup qualifiers. The 34-year-old Gavin, who was appointed interim head coach by the FA of Singapore last month, had reportedly said that the clash will be more than just a regional derby. "This match is a valuable opportunity to prepare ourselves for the Asian Cup double header against India in October," said Gavin, whose side currently top Group C of the qualifiers after a 2-1 win over Bangladesh in June. "Malaysia will be a tough opponent in front of their home fans, and that's exactly the kind of test we need as we shape up for the Asian Cup qualifying matches," said Gavin. This will be Singapore's first visit to Bukit Jalil since the 2024 Asean Cup, where they held Malaysia to a goalless draw.
The Sun
18 hours ago
- The Sun
Lions' Dan Sheehan cited for foul play in Wallabies Test clash
BRITISH and Irish Lions hooker Dan Sheehan was cited Sunday for foul play over an incident in the third Test against Australia that flattened Wallabies playmaker Tom Lynagh. The Irish hooker charged into the breakdown during the first half of the clash in Sydney that the hosts won 22-12, appearing to elbow Lynagh in the head. The incident was missed by the referee and television match official (TMO), despite Lynagh leaving the field for a head injury assessment which he failed. World Rugby confirmed the citing, stating, 'British and Irish Lions player Dan Sheehan will have a citing complaint reviewed by an Independent Foul Play Review Committee after being cited by the independent citing commissioner Adrien Menez for an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.20 (a).' Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt admitted he initially missed the incident. 'We didn't see Tom's incident, and it was probably a little bit later that we got a glimpse of it, and that's all I've seen so far,' he said. Schmidt acknowledged the challenges for officials, adding, 'There's always a difficulty for a TMO. He's watching the main TV broadcast, and then if he doesn't pick it up there, then he doesn't access the other angles because everything's happening so quickly.' The Sydney Test was played in difficult weather conditions, with Lions skipper Maro Itoje failing a concussion test and lock James Ryan being knocked out during a tackle. – AFP
The Star
19 hours ago
- The Star
Rugby-Farrell's Lions fall short of greatness after conquering Australia
SYDNEY (Reuters) -The British & Irish Lions had already done enough to assure their legacy before their dream of a 3-0 series triumph was washed away in a maelstrom of lightning, rain and defiant Australians on Saturday night. Lions test series triumphs are rare and the 2025 squad captained by Maro Itoje and coached by Andy Farrell will take their rightful place alongside the esteemed post-war tourists of 1971, 1974, 1989, 1997 and 2013. "I know we're disappointed but we should be unbelievably proud of what we achieved as a group," Farrell said after the 22-12 defeat. "Lions tours are tough and ... upon reflection after tonight, I'm sure we'll be super proud of the achievements. "How we got the job done in that type of theatre will live with us forever. These lads have been an absolute dream to work with. It's been the time of our lives." In fact, had the Lions reproduced their dominance of the first hour of the Brisbane opener and final 50 minutes in Melbourne to take a third test win in Sydney, it might only have diminished their achievement in taking out the series. Starting with Ben Youngs last year, there have been plenty of voices suggesting that Australian rugby has fallen so far that the country no longer deserves the honour of the Lions visit every 12 years. Those voices were noticeably absent from the Lions camp during a series where the two teams were separated by only a single point over the three tests. Lions coach Farrell is convinced his old friend and mentor Joe Schmidt is building something special in Australia and if he is correct, it may be a couple of years before the achievement of his squad is fully appreciated. "Come the 2027 World Cup they're going to be a force to be reckoned with, 100%," Farrell said this week. "It would be tragic not to tour here. We've had a blast." Farrell may have been formed as a player in rugby league but the Englishman has shown over the last eight weeks that few understand the spirit and dynamics of the Lions better. SQUAD COHESION In Itoje, he chose a captain who was an automatic selection in the test team and there was never a hint of the sort of squad divisions that have plagued previous tours once it became clear which players were first choice. "It hasn't felt like there's been any separation in the group whatsoever," New Zealander Andrew Goodman, one of Farrell's assistant coaches, said this week. "A big part of his philosophy as a coach is to make sure everyone's all-in all the time in terms of what we do on the field and off the field. "He's a great man motivator. He's a great man around connecting, not just the playing group, but the wider staff and management group as well. "He's an amazing coach and I'm privileged to work underneath him." Itoje said Farrell's attention to detail had surprised him and thought the way the tour had been organised ensured the players formed genuine bonds with each other. "If we won every game and we absolutely hated one another in some ways. Yes, that's what you're going for, because it's a test series win," the England lock said. "But I think life is more than that." That squad cohesion was vital because it quickly became clear that Farrell, on sabbatical from his job as Ireland coach, was going to rely on a test team with a distinctly Irish tinge. LIONS OOZE CLASS That was most controversial in his back row selections, where the likes of Wales captain Jac Morgan and English youngster Henry Pollock missed out and the trio of Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan and Tom Curry started all three tests. His selection paid off with Beirne named Player of the Series and the energy and power of all three ensuring the Lions were often dominant and never overwhelmed by the Wallabies. Farrell's halfback combination of scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell was also locked in and paid huge dividends with the Scottish flyhalf rivalling Beirne for individual series honours. The tour started with an understrength Lions side losing to an understrength Argentina in Dublin, but once the Lions arrived in Australia they oozed class in all areas of the park. Six wins in six tour matches followed with only the inaugural First & Pasifika XV coming close to claiming a famous upset in Melbourne. Some 450,000 souls, many of them red-clad travelling fans, packed into stadiums around country to watch the nine games and prove the spirit of the Lions was alive and kicking after the COVID-impacted 2021 tour had played out to empty stands. The Lions will be back on the road in 2029 and it would be a huge surprise if Farrell was not asked to repeat his coaching alchemy against the All Blacks in New Zealand. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
