Andy Farrell has acknowledged his British & Irish Lions “need to be better than that” after a frustrating and error-strewn 21-10 win over the NSW Waratahs. The touring side lacked rhythm and composure and are unlikely to be able to select the head coach’s son, Owen, for their game against the Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday.
The Lions have been told they are wrong to suggest the Waratahs deliberately watered the pitch to make life trickier for the visitors. Despite heavy rain having fallen in Sydney earlier in the week and some evening dew on the grass, Farrell suggested after the game that the Waratahs may have also played a part. “The pitch was very wet,” he said.
While the Lions did manage to hold on for their third successive win in Australia, they coughed up 20 turnovers and registered just one try in the second half against a side who finished eighth in this year’s Super Rugby. “There’s a bit of frustration,” said Farrell. “We’re disappointed enough given the amount of possession and territory we had and how we dealt with certain situations.
“When you have 70% territory, 60% possession and 20 turnovers, that’s by far not clinical enough. We have to put our hands up and say that amount of turnover ball is credit to them but not good enough for us.”
Farrell was also critical of the Lions’ relative lack of impact at the breakdown, a potential worry with the Test series against the Wallabies looming. “We know that all Australian sides put pressure on the ball. Not just this year but across the history of the game that’s what it’s always been about.
“We need to be better than that. [And] when the ball is slow because of the pressure at the breakdown you can’t keep shovelling ball out wide and expecting to get on the front foot.”
The Lions do not anticipate Owen Farrell being available for the final midweek fixture before the first Test on 19 July. The former England captain, who arrived in Australia on Friday, is recovering from jetlag and has not played for two months. “I don’t honestly know but I would think Wednesday’s too soon,” said Andy Farrell.
If that is the case, then Farrell Jr, jokingly booed by his teammates when his face appeared on the big screen during the match, will have one game – against a combined AUS/NZ Invitational side in Adelaide next Saturday – to stake any kind of claim for Brisbane.
Of the state of the pitch, Farrell said: “I was asking [the Waratahs backs coach] Mike Catt after the game and he was laughing. We’ve seen that [watering the pitch] done plenty of times. I mean, that’s good tactics from them, isn’t it? The ball’s slippy, the breakdown’s ferocious and the line speed from them is high-octane stuff as well.
“We kept on trying to overplay at times, certainly around halfway and putting ourselves back under pressure and keeping them in the game.”
The Waratahs head coach, Dan McKellar, flatly denied responsibility, suggesting Farrell was not factoring in the significant amount of rain that fell on Tuesday. “He was probably sunning himself in Brisbane,” McKellar said, crisply. “I’d too much to think about to be worried about watering the pitch.”
A slippery ball may also be a factor against the Brumbies in Canberra in midweek, but Farrell acknowledged his side needed to adjust to all conditions. “It looks like there could be a bit of rain, which is good for us. We need to play in that as well, but we also know they are the top side in the Australian division [of Super Rugby]. We also know what happened to the Lions in 2013 [the tourists lost 14-12]. So it’s a big day on Wednesday for us all.”
