Talking points as Lions Test team begins to take shape

BBC News

4 days ago

Fans gathered from mid-afternoon in the pubs of Caxton Street close to the Suncorp Stadium, familiar accents at every turn, reminders of home.Long after the Lions had put away the Queensland Reds 52-12 - notching up eight tries and a half-century of points for the second game in succession - these same fans were back where they started, with an eyeful of rugby and a skinful of pints. Lions jerseys everywhere. The first real stirrings of a proper red army in the land of the green and the gold.With two games played in Australia and three played in total, we're beginning to see a picture forming, not complete but with more detail than before, some players coming up in rich colour and others beginning to fade to grey as the Lions build towards the first Test at this same stadium on 19 July.
The curious situation at full-back
A statistic did the rounds during the week, inspired by rugby statistician @topofthemoonGW,, external that fairly knocked everyone to the ground. Elliot Daly had featured in 10 Lions matchday squads in a row before his run 'ended' in Brisbane against the Reds.Only, it didn't end. Hugo Keenan dropped out through illness and Daly stepped back in to make it 11 in a row. It's a number that would have had the old boys saluting him, the Lions of the late 1800s and early 1900s who ran themselves into the ground in so many games that half of them lost about two inches off their trouser leg.But Daly didn't last the course, and we're now back to where we were this time last week, sweating on an injured Lion. Tomos Williams had to go home, cut down in peak form, and the hope is that Daly, playing fantastically, doesn't suffer the same fate after going off in the second half. As sporting heartbreak goes, it would be beyond cruel.What a strange situation there is at full-back now. Not a crisis by any means, but curious. Daly is nursing an injury to his arm, Keenan hasn't played since the end of May, and Blair Kinghorn only just landed in the country the other day.Head coach Andy Farrell was asked if he was worried. "No, we've lots of full-backs," he said.And he's right. Kinghorn and Keenan will get up to speed soon enough and, in reserve, he has Marcus Smith (admittedly not everyone's cup of tea at 15, but an option) and the versatility of Huw Jones who revived his international career when playing well at full-back for half a season with Harlequins before returning to Glasgow.Everybody wants good news on Daly, but if it's bad there is a cavalry coming over the hill in the shape of Kinghorn and Keenan and a cast of others. Meanwhile, it might be an idea to alert Tom Jordan, in New Zealand with Scotland, just in case.
Itoje's timely reminder of his excellence
Lions captain Maro Itoje was asked on Monday about the high number of minutes he has played this season for club and country and whether he felt tired at all.On the contrary, he said. He felt revived and energised by the Lions around him - and in Brisbane he proved it. One try, 10 carries, 18 tackles - he was an absolute pest just as soon as the Lions settled down after their initial ropey period.He wasn't so hot against the Pumas, but this was Itoje beginning to crank through the gears."I think the whole point of these tours is you're with great players, and you see great players performing well, and it gives you extra motivation to perform well," he said, later."I guess despite my role as captain, I know that if I'm not playing well, it doesn't matter if I'm captain or not, I won't be in the team. So I need to make sure that my performance is where it needs to be."
Can Freeman break up the Irish wing duopoly?
When Farrell singled out Mack Hansen for praise after the Western Force game last weekend, Tommy Freeman might have gulped hard. The coach of Ireland bigging up an Ireland wing?It can't have been easy listening for Freeman or for Duhan van der Merwe as they attempt to break up the Irish pair for the Test team.Van der Merwe, a sensational broken field runner, has lost too much ground on the other three at this point. He was good and bad on Wednesday, but he's clearly fourth of the four wings. His game just didn't fit with what Farrell wants from his wings.Freeman delivered a fine performance, scored two tries and kept himself in the hunt. He's a wonderful player who is competing against the odds given Farrell's familiarity with Hansen and James Lowe, but he did everything that could be expected of him.
Farrell seeking clarity on some scrum calls
In their two games in Australia the Lions have encountered some bumps on the road - desperation and a high penalty count in the first half in Perth, some restart issues, a few unconvincing scrums - but they're clever players and capable of coming up with solutions on the hoof.The scrum was penalised too often for comfort in Brisbane. It didn't cost them, but the Lions don't want to get a reputation for being ill-disciplined."I think we'll look back on some of the decisions and get some clarity on a few," said Farrell. "I suppose that's how it always is, isn't it? It's hard to referee at the best of times. But I obviously know that we've got a world-class front row."When you hear a coach saying that he will seek "clarity" on scrum interpretation it normally means he didn't agree with the interpretation. There was a strange kind of spikiness around this one."I'm saying we need some clarity on bits, because that's what you'd always want to do, so you can fix things if you need to fix them," he said.But were they harsh calls? "I'm not saying that," said Farrell. "I said we need some clarity."
Lions Test squad begins to crystallise
Jac Morgan needed a big game - and he delivered. His energy levels were tremendous, his aggression in the tackle, his subtle touches and, of course, his try were of the highest quality.Morgan rose up the ranks while Tom Curry fell down. He has lost his mojo at the wrong time. Close to a Test certainty during the season, Curry will now be lucky if he makes the 23. It's all beginning to look very cut-throat.Will Stuart had a chance to propel himself into the box-seat at tighthead but he got done in defence and gave away three penalties. It wasn't the audition he wanted.Against all odds, Finlay Bealham, not even in the original squad, might just be favourite for a Test spot because the great Tadhg Furlong still hasn't stirred in the way Furlong can.Offering up sweet thoughts for Daly's fitness, there's a Test 23 beginning to emerge through the fog of uncertainty. Skin and hair will fly in protest, but…Kinghorn (Daly), Hansen, Ringrose, Tuipulotu, Lowe, Russell (F Smith), Gibson-Park (Mitchell); Genge (Schoeman), Sheehan (Cowan-Dickie), Bealham (Furlong), Itoje, McCarthy, Chessum (Beirne), Van der Flier, Conan (Pollock).How's that for a Lions Test match squad?Such is the nature of this trek, what happened in Brisbane will be an after-thought later on Thursday when Farrell names the team to face the Waratahs. So much build-up and yet the Lions have to move on from it in a relative instant.To Sydney, then…