Lions look to legend ahead of crunch Wallabies clash

Yahoo

5 days ago

While Martin Johnson's 2001 British and Irish Lions series in Australia ultimately fell short, the England great has been called upon to inspire the current troops as they look to wrap up the series in Melbourne.
The two-time Lions captain left Australia empty-handed after losing the Tom Richards Cup in a game-three decider - although he got sweet revenge two years later when he led England to World Cup victory in the final against the Wallabies in Sydney.
The star lock also tasted success with the Lions, leading the four-nations outfit to a series victory against South Africa in 1997.
Ahead of Saturday's match at the MCG, where the tourists can take an unbeatable 2-0 lead after a first Test win in Brisbane, Johnson addressed the Lions and presented them with their jerseys.
Coach Andy Farrell drafted the former England skipper in as surprise guest speaker at a special ceremony before a team dinner.
"Martin speaks nice and calmly. It was a privilege to have him there," scrum coach John Fogarty said on Friday after their final training run at the MCG.
"He talked a bit about the Lions series they won and the Lions series they lost and the difference in both.
"The room was completely quiet for the whole time he spoke. There were guys just staring up at him. Maro (captain Maro Itoje) asked him a question or two and then he handed out the jerseys.
"There was a bit of contemplation and reflection after he talked, which is a good thing. It was a quiet room because they wanted to listen to a guy they see as an icon."
While the Lions will start huge favourites, Australia have been bolstered by the return of heavyweight forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini, who missed game one through injury.
With a crowd of more than 90,000 expected, Johnson told the troops to embrace the moment but not let their emotions control their actions.
"Martin said it is the smallest of margins in the biggest of games. He talked about being able to get back to neutral and about being in the moment," Fogarty said.
"All that stuff is difficult when you're playing in front of 95,000 people in a stadium as iconic as the MCG.
"When you're under pressure or applying pressure your emotions can go up and down, so being able to get back to neutral or find a way to get clarity back in your mind in the shortest of times is difficult for players.
"That's really important for us in this game. We are not going to get everything our own way and we know it's going to be a game of small margins, so it was good advice."