Tourists to dispatch All Blacks-laden team : Planet Rugby

One final hit out for the British and Irish Lions as Andy Farrell’s charges tackle an AUNZ Invitational XV at the Adelaide Oval before the Test series commences.

After stumbling at the first hurdle, against Argentina, the famous touring outfit has made rather light work of the Australian Super Rugby Pacific teams, with just the Waratahs and Brumbies really putting up a fight.

While Farrell and his coaching ticket had a full season’s worth of footage to review to arm their assault on the clubs, that is not the case this time around as they face a Barbarians-esque challenge in the form of the AUNZ Invitational XV filled with Wallabies and All Blacks.

It’s the first time since 1989 that the ANZAC outfit will tackle the Lions, and Farrell will be hoping that his charges produce a far more comprehensive victory than the four-pointer over 30 years ago.

For the first time since arriving Down Under, the tourists have named an entirely fresh-looking starting XV as the coaching staff allow the players one final opportunity to stake their claim.

Where the game will be won

The breakdown has been a real theme of the tour so far, and an area of the game where the Lions coaches will be eager to see a major improvement. They will be aided by Farrell’s decision to essentially select four openside flankers in the loose forward roles, including the bench, but they do face a more carry-heavy threat in the opposing back-row than a pilfering one.

Hoskins Sotutu is known for winning a turnover or two but isn’t really an out-and-out threat over the ball, and the same applies to Pete Samu and Shannon Frizell, who are powerful carriers and relentless tacklers.

Both teams have threatening backlines too, and the pressure will be on one-cap Wallaby Tane Edmed and midfielder David Havili to get some sort of parity in the kicking duel.

But that might be a fool’s errand if the AUNZ XV cannot front up in the set-pieces. It’s always a real challenge for an invitational team to get a functioning lineout or scrum and with the latter, the Lions have thrived.

Scrum penalties for the tourists could keep Les Kiss’ charges comfortably on the back foot, and if the Lions’ lineout finds accuracy, a cricket score could be on the cards.

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Last time they met

What they said

Wallabies coach to be and the man entrusted with leading the AUNZ XV, Les Kiss, has encouraged his team to embrace a ‘most unique opportunity’ when they ran out against the Lions.

It’s just the second time that a team of this kind has been pulled together to take on the men in red and despite the odds being stacked against them and Kiss wanting those selected to make the most of the rare occasion, they are in a confident mood ahead of the clash.

“There’s a lot of interest there at the moment,” Kiss said on Thursday of the Lions’ unbeaten tour.

“But if we got a win, yeah, it would definitely light things up, wouldn’t it, a bit further.

“The win would be great for us but we have already talked about making sure we don’t get lost in that.

“We know that we have the capacity and the type of player to do that. We just need to make sure we do what we do well.

“And if we do that well, why not … a loss to the Lions, that certainly changes the way that the tour looks, for sure.”

He added: “We certainly want them to make sure that they feel it’s their team.

“It’s the most unique opportunity – this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it’s 36 years.

“So we’re not going to let that pass us by in terms of recognising that opportunity.”

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As for the Lions, one player will be making history of his own as Owen Farrell has been included on the bench and is set to enter an exclusive club of players to play on more than three tours joining Alun Wyn Jones and Brian O’Driscoll on four with Willie John McBride and Mike Gibson the only two players who have been on five.

The experienced playmaker has hit the ground running, according to assistant coach and former Lion Johnny Sexton, who hailed the former England captain before match.

“As you’d expect with someone with that experience, he’s fitted straight in,” said the former Ireland fly-half. “He’s hit the ground running, so it’s great to see.

“He must have had the playbook on the plane on the way over because he came in and he’s not missed a beat.

“He’s been on top of things in training and that’s exactly why you pick someone with experience who knows about a Lions tour because it might take someone else 10 days to fit in.”

On what lies ahead, Lions head coach Farrell said: “We are in a great position just over a week out from the First Test.

“The players now have another chance to put in a strong team performance and put a hand up for selection for the Test matches against the Wallabies.

“Les Kiss has assembled a strong squad with lots of international experience and we know that he will have them well organised and they will bring a lot of physicality to the contest.”

Players to watch

Shannon Frizell left a massive void in the All Blacks’ squad when he departed to Japan following the Rugby World Cup, and while the bruiser certainly has his disciplinary issues, if he can stay on the park, he will make his presence felt. He was anonymous against the Springboks when he turned out for the Barbarians in Cape Town, but the AUNZ set-up will be more serious, and so will his performance.

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto will co-captain the side in a match that will hold much more weight than simply the final result as he continues to journey back to the Wallabies squad. He was overlooked by Joe Schmidt after injuries during the back-end of the Super Rugby Pacific season, but could be parachuted back in after facing the Lions twice. Salakaia-Loto was a regular fixture in Schmidt’s squad last year and was surely just left out of the game against Fiji in order to work his way back to being fit and firing on all cylinders. A threat at the lineout, on defence and with ball in hand, the abrasive back-five forward can really turn the screws on the Lions and force Schmidt’s hand to reach for the phone.

The AUNZ team is bursting with quality internationals, even if they are past their prime, but the burly figures of Marika Koroibete and Ngani Laumape in the backline remain huge threats. They provide two heavyweight ball carriers in an otherwise free-flowing backline. If the former can punch holes through the defence, the latter will carve up out wide. This will be the first time that Koroibete faces the Lions but if he manages to impress, and considering his pedigree, he could well be in the Wallabies mix again.

Onto the Lions, and there may not be a player with more of a point to prove than full-back Hugo Keenan, whose tour has been hampered by injury and illness. He gets the opportunity to lock-in the number 15 jumper with Blair Kinghorn sidelined and looking to make a rapid recovery for the first Test, but the Lions do have other options. A multi-skilled and one of the most well-rounded full-backs in the game, Keenan has the ability to be a star in the Test series, but needs to hit top form now.

Staying in the starting lineup and Henry Pollock gets yet another opportunity to lay down a marker. The youngest member of the squad was a true bolter and has really impressed when given a chance to strut his stuff. With the Test series on the horizon, he can go from an England U20s star to an England international to a Test Lion in the space of seven months – insane.

It would be remiss not to mention the big name on the bench. Owen Farrell. It will be the ex-England captain’s first game of any kind since Racing 92’s Challenge Cup exit in May, which brought an end to an underwhelming stint in France. Farrell has proven pedigree but has struggled to really impose himself since stepping away from the international game. Perhaps this break and the opportunity to get back to full fitness before entering the Lions fray has done the job because if he is on top of his game against AUNZ, then he is surely a must in the three games against the Wallabies. Only time will tell.

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Main head-to-head

There is no shortage of tasty head-to-heads in this one but perhaps the most eye-catching is the one in the number 12 jerseys between David Havili and Sione Tuipulotu.

Two gifted players with wide-ranging skillsets in fine fettle go toe-to-toe with Havili co-captaining his team and Tuipulotu out to seal a Test start.

The New Zealander has been overlooked by All Blacks boss Scott Robertson for the French series despite really hitting top form in the latter stages of the Crusaders’ Super Rugby Pacific title success, captaining his club to victory. Havili really has it all, kick, run, pass and leadership, all of which will be crucial if they are to overcome the daunting task of slaying the Lions.

Tuipulotu might not have as much of a cultured boot as his opposing centre, but he does have a physicality advantage and is paired with his club and country midfield partner, Huw Jones. He dictates matters in attack and unlocks even the tightest defensive structures in the game.

A lot of the match will be decided up front, but if it is on a knife’s edge, the number 12s are bound to have their say in the final outcome.

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Prediction

This is bound to be an emotionally driven clash as on the one hand, we have an invitational team with the opportunity to write their names in the history books, while on the other, there is a collection of players bidding for their place in the Test squad, but with the knowledge that they have to do so in an unselfish manner.

Preparation plays a massive role in this, though, as the Lions have now been together for several weeks, and while this exact team won’t have played much together, the combinations have had a lot more time to gain some cohesion in comparison to their opponents.

This gives the Lions a big advantage, with the major threat being that the tourists will be over-eager and error-strewn again. But even then, it’s difficult to see the Lions winning by anything less than 20 points as the tourists dispatch the invitational team and gather pace ahead of the Test series.

Previous results

1989: British and Irish Lions won 19-15 at Ballymore

The teams

AUNZ Invitational XV: 15 Shaun Stevenson, 14 AJ Lam, 13 Ngani Laumape, 12 David Havili (cc), 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Tane Edmed, 9 Folau Fakatava, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Pete Samu, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (cc), 4 Angus Blyth, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa,

1 Aidan Ross

Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Joshua Fusitu’a, 18 George Dyer, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Joe Brial, 21 Kalani Thomas, 22 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 23 Jock Campbell

British and Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Ben White, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Henry Pollock, 5 Tadhg Beirne (c), 4 James Ryan, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Pierre Schoeman

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Owen Farrell

Date: Saturday, July 12

Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

Kick-off: 20:00 AEST (11:00 BST, 10:00 GMT)

Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)

Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (GRU), Pierre Brousset (FFR)

TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)

FPRO: Marius Jonker (SARU)

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