Farrell Keeps Us Guessing - Five Lions Talking Points

On Sunday evening, nan Lions swapped nan pleasant ambiance of Western Australia and headed east, into nan rainfall of Brisbane.

Outdoor training was binned and alternatively they had a walk-through indoors astatine their guidelines successful nan grounds of an Anglican religion grammar schoolhouse successful nan metropolis suburbs, nicknamed Churchie.

A fitting venue. Former Wallabies David Pocock and Quade Cooper received portion of their acquisition here. And connected Monday greeting it was wherever Andy Farrell sat down to talk astir his squad action for crippled three, against nan Queensland Reds connected Wednesday, a Lions broadside showing 14 changes from Perth past Saturday. The only changeless successful nan starting line-ups from Perth to Brisbane is Finn Russell.

Saturday's worst fears were confirmed pinch Tomos Williams ruled retired of nan tour, trim down successful his premier pinch a hamstring wounded successful nan enactment of scoring a terrific effort successful an breathtaking capacity against nan Western Force.

"He's going to beryllium medium-to-long-termish, truthful unluckily he's sewage immoderate sad news this greeting and he'll beryllium leaving campy later connected this evening," said Farrell.

Ben White is now connected his way. One in, 1 out. Just for illustration that. Despair and joy. Williams will beryllium 34 erstwhile nan adjacent Lions travel comes around. It's horrible, but his clip has travel and gone successful a blur.

With Scotland successful Whangarei, nan northernmost metropolis successful New Zealand, White is astatine nan different extremity of nan affectional spectrum. He would person been devastated to miss retired connected action successful nan first place, particularly aft specified a good Six Nations. Now he's elated.

He scored against Italy, England and Ireland. His knowing pinch Finn Russell has been telepathic for a number of years now, truthful he's an absorbing customer, afloat of power and ambition. He should fresh successful good pinch nan crippled nan Lions are trying to play.

Jamison Gibson-Park is nan clear favourite for nan 9 Test jersey, but White's knowing pinch Russell will make him a very existent threat to Alex Mitchell for a chair spot.

"He's [got] a spot of a trek, but astatine slightest he's successful our clip zone," said Farrell of White. "He'll beryllium devastated for Tomos, for illustration we each are. But astatine nan aforesaid time, he's super-excited."

In his coaching pinch Ireland, Farrell has ever put ample shop successful cohesion, hence why truthful galore Leinster partnerships move up into nan greenish jersey, almost arsenic a bloc.

He's not doing that successful Australia, peculiarly not successful what is becoming a really fascinating area - nan midfield. There are 2 ready-made combinations pinch years worthy of cohesion - Ireland's Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose and Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones - but Farrell is not putting these guys together. Not yet anyway.

Against nan Pumas he had Aki and Tuipulotu, against nan Force it was Tuipulotu and Ringrose and now it's Aki and Jones. Ringrose is connected nan chair connected Wednesday, truthful possibly we'll yet get to spot a acquainted duo astatine immoderate constituent - Ringrose and Aki. Or possibly there's a Ringrose-Jones axis coming. He's keeping america guessing.

Farrell knows what nan Scots and nan Irish tin do successful their accustomed partnerships. He's now exploring what mightiness hap if you break them up and look for different way.

It intends we're nary nearer successful determining which 1 of these partnerships is going to statesman nan first Test. It's intriguing. This will beryllium Jones' first crippled from nan commencement connected tour, having had immoderate minutes disconnected nan chair connected Saturday successful Perth.

As a Scot, he's won 2 of his 3 Tests against nan Wallabies, scoring 3 tries successful nan process. Through injury, he's only played 2 and a spot games since nan extremity of nan Six Nations, which featured a hat-trick against Italy and a effort against England.

He's a thoroughbred attacker and he needs a large crippled against nan Reds. Ringrose, successful nan words of Tuipulotu, was for illustration a "missile" against nan Force. Tuipulotu was impressed, to opportunity nan least. The conflict for nan midfield spots is getting much compelling pinch each passing game.

The Queensland Reds will person 11 Test players, including 9 Wallabies and 2 All Blacks, successful their squad to look nan Lions.

Coach Les Kiss named his squad connected Monday and there's immoderate prima value successful it. Wallaby hooker Matt Faessler is successful arsenic is his chap Test player, Hunter Paisami, nan centre. Lachie Anderson, nan breathtaking wing, is portion of a backline that could airs plentifulness of threat to nan Lions.

"Excitement is high, that's for sure," said Kiss. "It's a one-off lucifer but we've had a statement of show pinch their games against Argentina and nan Western Force. They are an incredibly bully and talented team. They person taken connected immoderate of nan DNA of nan Irish team.

"They've shown their attacking side, too. We person to meet those challenges but we'll put our marque of rugby retired location arsenic well. We'll support backing ourselves. Why can't we put our champion ft forward, rip successful and spot what happens?"

Fair play to Elliot Daly. He's had a tremendous opening to his circuit and he's piled nan unit connected Hugo Keenan and Blair Kinghorn for nan 15 jersey. It was expected to beryllium a consecutive shootout betwixt nan Irishman and nan Scot, but Daly has fixed his coaches plentifulness to deliberation about. He's been people successful some of his appearances truthful far.

Leinster's Keenan starts astatine 15 against nan Reds. He's not played since nan United Rugby Championship quarter-final successful precocious May, missing nan semi-final and final. A sore 1 for him.

He can't really spend to beryllium rusty and Kinghorn - who was pictured successful Toulouse-branded pants successful nan mixed area connected Saturday nighttime aft winning a 2nd Top 14 successful 2 years - needs to deed nan crushed running, too.

Kinghorn is versatile and has played 5 of his past six games for Toulouse connected nan wing. He's successful fantabulous shape and will get successful Brisbane tired but besides elated. Keenan vs Kinghorn vs Daly is going to beryllium a hellhole of a tussle.

A fewer eyebrows were raised erstwhile nan skipper didn't characteristic successful nan first crippled connected Australian ungraded past weekend, but location was a logic to remainder him. Two reasons, actually.

Farrell needed to spot his different locks, for one, and, for another, Itoje looked arsenic if he needed a remainder erstwhile putting successful a beautiful low-key capacity successful nan conclusion against Argentina. It wouldn't person been a immense daze had Farrell fixed him different remainder time connected Wednesday, but he hasn't.

Itoje has played a immense number of minutes - almost 2,200 - this play for nine and country. That's 1,000 minutes much than Ollie Chessum and Scott Cummings and betwixt 700-800 much than Joe McCarthy and James Ryan.

The skipper is among nan most-played Lions this season, but successful Brisbane he declared himself caller and fresh to rotation again.

"Often erstwhile you talk astir crippled minutes and load, portion of it is nan beingness load, but a batch of it is nan intelligence load," he said.

"Coming into this caller environment, spending clip pinch caller players, caller systems, caller coaches, everything, has been really refreshing for me. In my career, I've had a batch of consistency pinch nine and country, truthful conscionable to person a different stimulus has been great."

In immoderate banter astatine nan apical table, Farrell said that Itoje, 30, looked bully contempt each those minutes played. "Looks great, look astatine nan smile," said nan coach. "No wrinkles, tegument is fresh," replied nan lock. "Botox?" asked Farrell. "No botox," laughed Itoje.

Game number 3 is astir nan corner. More amusement successful nan aftermath and they'll person done their job.