The three-time British & Irish Lions tourist has had his say after Andy Farrell’s side claimed victory in the first Test in Brisbane
Dallaglio has claimed the Wallabies ‘haven’t got the necessary tools’ to make the Lions series a contest(Image: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)
Former England and British & Irish Lions star Lawrence Dallaglio has praised Andy Farrell for his team selection after the tourists claimed victory over Australia in the first Test in Brisbane, saying the coach was right to trust his instincts and leave Jac Morgan out of the matchday squad.
The Lions drew first blood in the three-game series as a dominant first-half display saw them lead 17-5 at the break through tries from Sione Tuipulotu and Tom Curry. While a poorer second-half performance saw the Wallabies hit back with two more scores of their own, Dan Sheehan’s try helped to secure a 19-27 win for Farrell’s side.
Admittedly, the hosts were poor, with Dallaglio – who toured with the Lions in 1997, 2001 and 2005 – saying they looked “nervous and naive” as they struggled with the tourists’ power and dominance over the gainline, and claiming that they “haven’t got the necessary tools to make it a contest”.
While he went on to say that the Lions “saved their best 40 minutes of the tour so far” for the first half in Brisbane, the former back rower admitted that Farrell’s men have not been overly challenged by any of the opponents they have faced since arriving Down Under last month. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
“There was a huge gulf in class… even if the winning margin was only eight points,” said Dallaglio as he reviewed the opening Test in his column for The Times. “That has been the case in every match since they touched down in Australia.
“In fact, the most competition they’ve had has probably been in their own training sessions and that is when most of the selection pointers will have been highlighted.
“From the games we’ve seen, you could have picked any XV from this squad and that’s largely the problem when it comes to touring Australia with the Lions,” he added.
“Every match in New Zealand and South Africa is very tough, but that simply hasn’t been the case this year.”
It is largely for this reason that Dallaglio believes Farrell was right to leave Wales star Morgan out of the matchday 23 for the opening Test, and go with England back row Curry instead.
Much was made of the omission ahead of kick-off, with it being the first time that a Lions side has gone into a Test match without a Welshman since 1896, and it following a series of impressive performances from the Ospreys man in the warm-up matches on the tour so far.
Morgan was left out of the Lions’ matchday squad for the first Test against Australia
Farrell claimed that Morgan was “as close as you could imagine” to securing a spot in the Test squad, but was ultimately rewarded for his selection choices as Curry delivered an exceptional performance that saw him dominate collisions with eight strong carries, as well as make 11 tackles and get on the scoresheet before half-time.
The outstanding display is a big blow to Morgan’s hopes of starting the next Test, but in the meantime, Dallaglio believes Farrell deserves credit for basing his team selection on more than what he has seen on tour so far. Join WalesOnline Rugby’s WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
“Anyone who has questioned or criticised Andy Farrell and his coaches on this tour should be eating humble pie after the first Test,” he wrote. “His team selection was absolutely spot on.
“There is no doubting the quality of the performances of some of those fringe players such as Jac Morgan and Henry Pollock in the warm-up matches, but the performances of Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne in particular highlighted why Farrell got it so right when so many other people got it so wrong.
“You could have made an argument for any one of three players – Curry, Morgan or Josh Van der Flier – to be picked at No7 but, given the lack of genuine opposition throughout the tour, Farrell went with his instincts and probably even what he saw before the tour.
“Curry rewarded him with eight carries, 11 tackles, a try and, in a brilliant passage of play shortly after half-time, a clever lineout steal and smart offload to send Dan Sheehan across the line. Beirne, his fellow flanker, was named man of the match.”
As for the rest of the tour, Dallaglio “fully expects” the tourists to go on and win the series, and called on fans who “believe in the Lions and its future” to “stop moaning about Farrell and selection and start getting behind him and this entire group”.
“Regardless of selection and who they are playing, they deserve our full support,” he added. “The future of the Lions depends on it.”