Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions Test lineup will become clearer this week, according to Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt.
The Lions boss has chopped and changed his matchday squads in their first three games of the tour, as well as the clash against Argentina.
The interesting selection
Recent call-up Owen Farrell is the only player yet to earn an appearance during this tour, and while pundits and fans alike ponder who the front runners are for a starting place in the Tests, Schmidt believes that the picture will be clearer this week.
“I am interested to see who plays against the Brumbies on Wednesday,” the Wallabies boss stated after Australia’s narrow victory over Fiji.
“Shaking down to the Test matches, that will give us a bit more prediction on who will be where, and that will give us an indication of what might best help us to put pressure on them.”
Lions boss Farrell stated that it was unlikely that his son, and injury replacement for Elliot Daly, Owen Farrell, is unlikely to face the Brumbies as he overcomes jetlag.
Owen Farrell’s call-up
Asked for his opinion on Owen’s call-up to the squad, Schmidt admitted that he was not sure what kind of form the ex-England captain was in, having seen very little of his performances at Racing 92.
“That’s something that I have no idea about,” he remarked.
“I watch a fair bit of the Top 14, mainly just Clermont because they are my own club. But I haven’t really tracked Owen or his performance or spoken to Andy about him. I know him as an outstanding competitor.
“I have got enough tough decisions myself without looking at what Andy is deciding.”
The Wallabies head coach will be making those decisions soon as he finalises his own squad following a disappointing performance, albeit a winning one, against Fiji.
Schmidt confirmed that the squad selected was for the one-off game in Newcastle and that he would name the men who will be tasked with tackling the B&I Lions in due course.
He will have injury concerns, however, with fly-half Noah Lolesio leaving the pitch on a go-kart after a nasty-looking whiplash. The coach confirmed that the playmaker was in good spirits after the match and hopes that it won’t be another long-term lay-off.
Commenting on the Wallabies’ performance, he rued his side’s inability to control the match after going into a 14-point lead, only to allow Fiji to fight their way back into the game before Harry Wilson spared Australia’s blushes.
“That’s more of the frustration, that we could have had more control over the game in that first half, and in the second half, we were chasing them a lot of the time,” he said.
“We didn’t really have the same opportunities. We know that a game is going to ebb and flow, and we have to make the most of the opportunities when they come our way.”
READ MORE: Joe Schmidt’s brutally honest take on Wallabies’ chances of ‘bowling over’ the B&I Lions