SYDNEY :British & Irish Lions players welcomed the imminent arrival of Owen Farrell on Friday as they prepared for their third tour game against the New South Wales Waratahs at Sydney Football Stadium this weekend.
Farrell was called up for his fourth Lions tour as an injury replacement for Elliot Daly by his coach and father Andy on Thursday in a decision that was always going to divide opinion among fans.
Tadhg Beirne, who will captain the Lions against the Waratahs on Saturday while tour skipper Maro Itoje is rested, said the inclusion of such an experienced player could only be a boost for the squad.
“Yeah, great, really excited to see him,” the Ireland lock told reporters at training on Friday.
“Someone of his quality, and his fourth Lions tour, he’s only going to bring some serious quality to the squad. So we’re looking forward to inviting him in and getting to hang out with him.
“Any type of leadership is only going to enhance the squad. And playing with him four years ago, I’ve seen all that leadership qualities that he brings and the quality of his talent as well.”
While Beirne played with Farrell in two tests on the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa, his compatriot and second-row partner for Saturday, James Ryan, said he had never been in the same side as the 118-cap England playmaker.
“He’s one of those guys that’s sort of done it all,” he said.
“So to have him come in camp will be cool, and hopefully you might be able to pick up a few things off him.”
Ryan won his first Lions cap off the bench in the 52-12 win over Queensland Reds on Wednesday, a second big win in Australia after they opened their account with a 54-7 victory over Western Force.
‘FIGHTING CHANCE’
Beirne said the team would be looking to take another step up against the Waratahs as the Lions players press for inclusion in the test side.
“That’s the ultimate goal, isn’t it?” he said. “For everyone here, they want to play in those tests, and the only way to do that is to play well in all these games leading up to it.
“If you’re not producing in these games, you’re not giving yourself a fighting chance.”
The Waratahs have given prop Taniela Tupou a chance to promote his claim for a spot in the Australia test side but high-profile centre Joseph Suaalii has been retained in the Wallabies squad.
“We are playing a high-quality test team but they’ve got two arms and two legs, and you just have to put them under pressure,” said Waratahs coach Dan McKellar.
Lions: 15–Hugo Keenan, 14–Mack Hansen, 13–Huw Jones, 12–Sione Tuipulotu, 11–Blair Kinghorn, 10–Fin Smith, 9–Alex Mitchell, 8–Ben Earl, 7–Josh van der Flier, 6–Henry Pollock, 5–James Ryan, 4–Tadhg Beirne (captain), 3–Finlay Bealham, 2–Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1–Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: 16–Dan Sheehan, 17–Ellis Genge, 18–Tadhg Furlong, 19–Joe McCarthy, 20–Scott Cummings, 21–Jac Morgan, 22–Ben White, 23–Marcus Smith.
Waratahs: 15–Lawson Creighton, 14–Andrew Kellaway, 13–Lalakai Foketi, 12–Joey Walton, 11–Darby Lancaster, 10–Jack Bowen, 9–Teddy Wilson, 8–Hugh Sinclair (captain), 7–Charlie Gamble, 6–Rob Leota, 5–Miles Amatosero, 4–Fergus Lee-Warner, 3–Taniela Tupou, 2–Ethan Dobbins, 1–Tom Lambert.
Replacements: 16–Mahe Vailanu, 17–Jack Barrett, 18–Daniel Botha, 19–Matt Philip, 20–Jamie Adamson, 21–Jack Grant, 22–Tane Edmed, 23–Henry O’Donnell.
