The British & Irish Lions are being warned not to lose their heads amid the intensity of the second Test against New Zealand. The touring team are primed for a highly physical all-or-nothing encounter but their fly-half, Johnny Sexton, and the defence coach, Andy Farrell, are also stressing the need for discipline.
Sexton sees some similarities with last November when New Zealand thundered into Ireland in Dublin after losing to the same opponents in Chicago a week earlier. He does not believe, however, the Lions should look to replicate the All Blacks’ approach totally. “I don’t think so because, if we did that, we’d get a couple of red cards,” suggested Sexton, recalled to the starting XV this week, with Owen Farrell moving to inside-centre.
“We need to keep our discipline but we also need to show some intent, show what it means to represent the Lions and not lose as many confrontations and physical battles as we did last week. If we can play to our potential and clean up our discipline and some of the mistakes we made last week, I think we’ll be able to push them a lot closer and get the win.”
Farrell Sr, meanwhile, is calling for his players to respect the fine line between being pumped up and overstepping the mark. “You don’t just win the game by being raging mad. You have to be smart about how you go about these things. We have to make sure we get the balance right and make sure we don’t overplay the emotional card. You can tip people over the edge … so you have to be cute about it.”
Ireland’s famous win in Chicago owed much to Farrell’s aggressive defensive system, which New Zealand subsequently countered with extra physicality in the return fixture at the Aviva Stadium and, again, in the first Lions Test at Eden Park. “It wasn’t rocket science what they came to the Aviva with,” Farrell said. “Obviously physicality and character were at the top of that list. You saw how they performed on the back of that. Whether they played the best rugby that day is to be questioned but we’ve got to have the whole package. It’s not just about brute strength, is it?”
Farrell also says Saturday’s game ranks up there with any he has previously experienced. “We’re playing the best team in the world in their own back yard, they’re 1-0 up and we need to win. It doesn’t get any bigger than that, does it? We’ll see what we’re made of. I wouldn’t say I’m relaxed but there’s an air of confidence in the way we’ve prepared. We’ve been honest about what it is going to take to win the game. There’s no worry; there’s a sense of excitement of seeing how good we can play.”
With Sexton and Farrell Jr starting in tandem for the first time and rain forecast, there is certainly no doubt about the game’s importance. The All Blacks have not lost a series to the Lions since 1971 and are extremely keen to repeat the 3-0 ‘blackwash’ they inflicted on Sir Clive Woodward’s squad in 2005.
In Farrell’s view, though, the Lions are not dead yet: “The underdog has always had his day, hasn’t he? When you get a squad together it’s powerful. I certainly wouldn’t back against us. Everyone understands the size of the task before we came here; how difficult it was going to be. But I just see how the lads are preparing. There is a sense of excitement about what a great game this could be.”
Sexton is also hopeful of a famous result: “It’s a huge challenge but it’s a huge opportunity. You don’t get many opportunities to create history. To turn around a series like this after being 1-0 down would go down as one of the greatest Lions performances. That is the view we are taking. We have got to go and attack them, give it our best and see where that takes us.”
