Six Wallabies who can cause British & Irish Lions issues

Times

8 hours ago

At last, the tour starts for real. The phoney war, with the Lions sounding entitled as if the Empire still existed, is over.
Joe Schmidt's priority is to prepare to win a series, and if that means taking no risks with his elite, good for Joe. With Saturday's match against the Western Force coming three weeks before the first Test, the Australia head coach is keen to see some of his squad in action. So are we.
Before the tour opener, let's consider six opponents the Lions are likely to face at some stage. Five members of the Wallabies squad have stayed with the Force before joining the Australia camp for next Sunday's Test against Fiji. The first pick comes from this quintet.
The second row's stagnated career has reignited, with his lineout skills coming to the fore in Western Australia. The Force have developed a handy habit of stealing lineouts in Super Rugby, with Swain prominent.
The Lions scrummaged superbly against Argentina but their lineout was poor, losing five of their own throws. Swain and his colleagues will target the touring side at this set piece. It's a challenge for the Lions but a great opportunity for individuals to — quite literally — jump into contention for the Test series.
The Force finished ninth of 11 in Super Rugby but their lineout statistics were outstanding, with the Australian lock back to his best since moving west. It is a game everyone expects the Lions to win but the magnifying glasses will be well and truly aimed at the lineout, with Swain at the centre of the action.
The 27 year old was a regular in the Wallabies midfield until an ankle injury eased Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii into rugby's global headlines. Hype or here to stay? Regardless, the Queensland Reds centre Paisami is far too good to be dismissed as a 'former international' at this stage of his career. He has the same hard-carrying aggressive style that Leicester Tigers' Izaia Perese brings to his game.
Released by Schmidt to play against the Lions on Wednesday, he is out of contention for the Test match against Fiji four days later but he'll be looking to remind the Australia coach that the Wallabies have solid as well as sensational options in their back line.
Another Queensland player looking to make a mark. The Fiji-born utility second row and back-row forward — named already as part of the First Nations and Pasifika squad who will face the Lions — has superb hands and is a powerful ball-carrier. There is something of the Leone Nakarawa to him when he is on form.
Under Les Kiss (the man who will succeed Schmidt with Australia) the back-five operator has added breakdown basics to his broken-field brilliance. The Wallabies have a magnificent back row in Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight and Harry Wilson, but if he has shrugged off his injuries, Uru adds impact from the bench.
The Brumbies wing is one of only two uncapped members of Schmidt's initial Australian squad. There are bigger wings than Toole, and there are faster ones as well, but few have the knack of finishing with such muscular determination.
Toole is also an astute, angled runner coming off his wing. His understanding with the Brumbies and Wallabies full back, Tom Wright, could lead to him winning a first cap in the forthcoming series. He has a confident kicking game and a rugged defensive attitude.
If his lack of international experience is a problem, his seasonal form and link play with the superb Wright — the most incisive performer in the Wallabies back line — must be a huge plus. If he misses out on selection for the Fiji match, he could very well be sent back to the Brumbies where he will have an opportunity to prove Schmidt wrong ten days before the first Test in Brisbane.
The 34-year-old was fly half the last time the Lions played Australia, in 2013. A wonderful full back and wing with the most astonishing instinct for the game, he gravitated to No10 and seduced seasoned coaches like the New Zealander Robbie Dean, then in charge of Australia.
Twelve years on and O'Connor, who has recently joined Leicester, has been dividing his fans and naysayers (he's not, never was, and never will be anything like as good a No10 as back-three player). The Australian media have again leapt on the idea that the veteran is the answer to the team's concerns at fly half.
He has been playing — often from the bench — for the Super Rugby champions, the Crusaders. Schmidt let the hype build and then left him out of his 36-man squad. There is still, however, the Invitational Australia and New Zealand team who face the Lions a week before the first Test. O'Connor could yet provide a cameo. Richie Mo'unga, one of the world's best tens, could also feature. The New Zealander Mo'unga versus Finn Russell would be one for the fly half purists.
In 80 minutes against England, I saw a one-man weapon capable of savaging the Lions with his exceptional footwork and extraordinary aerial game. How good, I wondered, would he be with a season of Super Rugby under his belt? Alas, a broken jaw in May has left him short of union know-how after his switch from league. He could be a wing, a centre, a whole new position . . . but he could also be woefully short of union experience.
Playing against the Lions is tough enough; doing so with the weight of a sports-mad country on your back? He could do with 80 minutes of rugby before the series. Hopefully he'll get it against Fiji next Sunday. Lions fans will have to wait.