Wallabies v Lions I
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Wallabies team to play British & Irish Lions at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday July 19 at 7:45pm AEST
- James Slipper (144 Tests) – #843; Bond Pirates
- Matt Faessler (14 Tests) - #969; USQ Saints
- Allan Ala'alatoa (81 Tests) – #896; West Harbour Juniors
- Nick Frost (26 Tests) – #953; Hornsby Lions
- Jeremy Williams (11 Tests) – #973; Wahroonga Tigers
- Nick Champion de Crespigny* - Canberra Grammar School
- Fraser McReight (26 Tests) – #937; Albany Creek Brumbies
- Harry Wilson (c) (23 Tests) – #933; Gunnedah Red Devils
- Jake Gordon (29 Tests) - #925; Canterbury Juniors
- Tom Lynagh (3 Tests) - #977; University of Queensland
- Harry Potter (3 Tests) - #989; Moorabbin Rams
- Len Ikitau (40 Tests) – #944; Tuggeranong Vikings
- Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i (5 Tests) – #988; The Kings School
- Max Jorgensen (8 Tests) – #984; Balmain Wolves
- Tom Wright (38 Tests) – #939; Clovelly Eagles
Substitutes
16. Billy Pollard (7 Tests) – #958; Lindfield Junior Rugby Club
17. Angus Bell (37 Tests) – #940; Hunters Hill Rugby Club
18. Tom Robertson (31 Tests) – #898; Dubbo Junior Rugby Club
19. Tom Hooper (11 Tests) – #964; Bathurst Bulldogs
20. Carlo Tizzano (6 Tests) – #982; University of Western Australia
21. Tate McDermott (42 Tests) – #936; Flinders Rugby Club
22. Ben Donaldson (17 Tests) – #962; Clovelly Eagles
23. Andrew Kellaway (39 Tests) - #943; Hunters Hill Rugby Club*denotes Test debut
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No Tupou, Skelton or Valetini - assuming the latter 2 are still injured.
Lynagh gets the 10 shirt with Gordon at 9.
Potter ahead of Kellaway probably a bit of a surprise for me.
Tom Hooper as the lock reserve while being a halfling - part lock, part flanker - is a bit of a risk but maybe they're looking to put pace on the game in the last quarter with Tizzano there
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@NTA said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Oh and no Porecki so assume his head knock issues are worse than first thought
You'd think so. He's clearly first choice hooker if available.
Missing Skelton will hurt, but not as much as Valetini who wouldn't be astray in a World XV - massive loss.
Tupou is still too unfit and lazy on the field. His absence isn't a loss.
Huge opportunity for Nick Champion de Crespigny - not much better ways to make a debut!
I'm not surprised about Potter - he's had a stellar season.
The thing going for the Wallabies is speed in abundance. Wright in career best form if he doesn't hungus and the platform laid for Sua'ali'i to show why he's worth the premium.
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The Lions team is the same in that leaked yesterday.
https://twitter.com/lionsofficial/status/1945725150701219874?s=46
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@NTA said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Oh and no Porecki so assume his head knock issues are worse than first thought
You'd think so. He's clearly first choice hooker if available.
Missing Skelton will hurt, but not as much as Valetini who wouldn't be astray in a World XV - massive loss.
Tupou is still too unfit and lazy on the field. His absence isn't a loss.
Huge opportunity for Nick Champion de Crespigny - not much better ways to make a debut!
I'm not surprised about Potter - he's had a stellar season.
The thing going for the Wallabies is speed in abundance. Wright in career best form if he doesn't hungus and the platform laid for Sua'ali'i to show why he's worth the premium.
@antipodean said in Wallabies v Lions I:
@NTA said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Oh and no Porecki so assume his head knock issues are worse than first thought
You'd think so. He's clearly first choice hooker if available.
Missing Skelton will hurt, but not as much as Valetini who wouldn't be astray in a World XV - massive loss.
Tupou is still too unfit and lazy on the field. His absence isn't a loss.
Huge opportunity for Nick Champion de Crespigny - not much better ways to make a debut!
I'm not surprised about Potter - he's had a stellar season.
The thing going for the Wallabies is speed in abundance. Wright in career best form if he doesn't hungus and the platform laid for Sua'ali'i to show why he's worth the premium.
That could well be the point of difference. The BILs have picked probably their slowest options at 6, 7 & 8 and have no real cover if a winger goes down. We are second row heavy and back row light.
I am concerned.
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- Genge - England
- Sheehan - Ireland
- Furlong - Ireland
- Itoje - England (c)
- McCartney - Ireland
- Beirne - Ireland
- Curry - England
- Conan - Ireland
- Gibson-Park - Ireland
- Russell - Scotland
- Lowe - Ireland
- Tuipulotu - Scotland
- Jones - Scotland
- Freeman - England
- Kennan - Ireland
- Kelleher - Ireland
- Porter - Ireland
- Stuart - England
- Chessum - England
- Earl - England
- Mitchell - England
- M. Smith - England
- Aki - Ireland
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Why would you start Harry Potter (normally a right winger) on the left wing and Jorgenson (normally a left winger) on the right? Pollard, Bell and McDermott should be starting all day long and the obvious loss of Valetini is massive.
Lions by plenty.
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Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i is probably the only Aussie noticeably better than his opposite. Superstar in the making.
Gutted for DVDM and Kinghorn.
@MiketheSnow hope you can support them despite no Welshmen in there.
Lions by about 30 I reckon.
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Why would you start Harry Potter (normally a right winger) on the left wing and Jorgenson (normally a left winger) on the right? Pollard, Bell and McDermott should be starting all day long and the obvious loss of Valetini is massive.
Lions by plenty.
@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:
McDermott should be starting all day long
Yeah no. His kicking game ain't good enough. Best suited to the bench
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@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:
McDermott should be starting all day long
Yeah no. His kicking game ain't good enough. Best suited to the bench
@KiwiMurph said in Wallabies v Lions I:
@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:
McDermott should be starting all day long
Yeah no. His kicking game ain't good enough. Best suited to the bench
Disagree, he's been the best halfback in Aus by some distance this year IMO, I thought his kicking improved quite a lot this year compared to previous seasons. Him starting alongside Lynagh who is a rookie in such a big test would have been the better way to go. Gordon is very hit and miss.
Overall, I think the Wallabies look very disjointed. Pollard and Bell should be starting, and I'd argue Skelton's size in the pack would have helped them muscle up. I just can't see them winning but hopefully I'm proven wrong.
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@KiwiMurph said in Wallabies v Lions I:
@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:
McDermott should be starting all day long
Yeah no. His kicking game ain't good enough. Best suited to the bench
Disagree, he's been the best halfback in Aus by some distance this year IMO, I thought his kicking improved quite a lot this year compared to previous seasons. Him starting alongside Lynagh who is a rookie in such a big test would have been the better way to go. Gordon is very hit and miss.
Overall, I think the Wallabies look very disjointed. Pollard and Bell should be starting, and I'd argue Skelton's size in the pack would have helped them muscle up. I just can't see them winning but hopefully I'm proven wrong.
@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:
@KiwiMurph said in Wallabies v Lions I:
@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:
McDermott should be starting all day long
Yeah no. His kicking game ain't good enough. Best suited to the bench
Disagree, he's been the best halfback in Aus by some distance this year IMO, I thought his kicking improved quite a lot this year compared to previous seasons. Him starting alongside Lynagh who is a rookie in such a big test would have been the better way to go. Gordon is very hit and miss.
Overall, I think the Wallabies look very disjointed. Pollard and Bell should be starting, and I'd argue Skelton's size in the pack would have helped them muscle up. I just can't see them winning but hopefully I'm proven wrong.
They probably want Gordon to control the game with his boot like Roigard did in the first half last week.
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Friends who went said it was a great evening with a tremendous atmosphere
Farrell totally vindicated with his selections of Beirne and Curry in the back row
Beirne got MOTM but I would have given it to Curry
Excellent, dominant first half from the Lions and should have kicked on to give the Wallabies a real pasting in the second half
But personnel changes gave the Aussies a sniff and they were like 50 year olds at the Oasis reunion gigs, didn’t need a second invitation to have a go
There is no way on God’s Green Earth that Earl had arms in that tackle
Should have been Penalty (possibly Penalty Try) and YC
12-24 with Earl in the bin from the 60th - 70th minutes is a very different game
Lowe, Keenan, and Freeman the only realistic changes for the second test
With possibly Morgan or Pollock on the bench instead of Earl
If Schmidt has his thinking cap on this week and the Italian ref wants to penalise the Lions offsides and repeated killing of the ball in their own 22 it could be a very interesting second match
