Andy Farrell believes Waratahs intentionally watered pitch to disrupt the Lions

Irish Daily Mirror

2 days ago

Andy Farrell hinted that the Allianz Stadium pitch may have been deliberately watered to give the New South Wales Waratahs an advantage, as his British and Irish Lions laboured to a scrappy 21-10 win.
The Lions delivered their poorest display of the tour so far, just two weeks out from the opening Test against the Wallabies. Tries from Huw Jones—who crossed twice—and a crucial score by Alex Mitchell were rare bright spots in an otherwise lacklustre showing.
Although Sydney had been battered by a 'bomb cyclone' earlier in the week, bringing heavy rain and strong winds, Farrell suggested the Waratahs may have taken matters into their own hands to level the playing field.
And a conversation with Mike Catt, one of Farrell's coaching lieutenants with Ireland who is now in charge of the Waratahs' attack, appeared to confirm his suspicions.
'The pitch was very wet and I was asking Mike Catt after the game and he was laughing,' head coach Farrell said.
'I mean, that's good tactics from them isn't it? The ball's slippy, the breakdown's ferocious enough and the line speed is high octane stuff as well from them.
'I mean, he just laughed. Catty just laughed. We've seen that done plenty of times. I don't know whether the pitch needed watering.'
When it was put to Farrell that Sydney had been hit by storms until Wednesday, he replied: 'We know all that, but we have been here for two days now and it has been glorious. The pitch was OK and we are not complaining.
'It is good, isn't it? That is what you would do if you are waiting for this type of game to come – it's huge for all the clubs.
'We know what is coming and we have got to be ready for anything and able to adapt.'
The Waratahs laughed off Farrell's concerns about the pitch, with captain Hugh Sinclair declaring: 'See the weather on Tuesday? That sucked.'
Waratahs coach Dan McKellar added: 'No, no, no. I'd too much to think about to be worried about watering the pitch. Andy was probably sunning himself in Brisbane on Tuesday.'
For all his gripes about the pitch, Farrell was quick to admit the Lions' error-ridden performance against a side that fought hard in the air and on the floor was a bad day at the office.
'There's a bit of frustration there. It's nice to get a win but at this stage we're trying to judge the performance a little bit more,' said Farrell, who had seen his tourists compile big wins against Western Force and Queensland Reds.
'We are disappointed enough with the amount of possession and territory that we had and how we dealt with certain situations.
'A different type of game but are we glad that's happened to us? Yes we are because there are some good learnings that we need to learn quickly in regards to that type of game.'
The Lions head to Canberra on Monday where they will play the ACT Brumbies – Australia's strongest Super Rugby franchise – two days later.
Farrell revealed that his son Owen Farrell is unlikely to be considered for selection until Saturday's match against an AUNZ Invitational XV because of jet lag having only arrived into camp on Friday.
The 33-year-old can start training right away having passed all return to play protocols for the concussion he sustained on Racing 92 duty on May 4.