Hungry Lions Prepare To Storm Mcg On Day They Have Dreamed About

Australia v British and Irish Lions - 2nd Test

Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground Date: Saturday, 26 July Kick-off: 11:00 BST

Coverage: Live matter commentary connected nan BBC Sport website and app pinch post-match study connected iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

At immoderate constituent earlier kick-off astatine nan Melbourne Cricket Ground connected Saturday, Maro Itoje mightiness want to see asking his second-row partner Ollie Chessum to opportunity a fewer words to nan troops.

If Chessum tin get nan conflict fever going erstwhile talking to journalists successful a room successful a schoolhouse successful nan eastbound suburbs of Melbourne connected Thursday, past you tin only ideate nan powerfulness of his words successful nan dressing room minutes earlier nan Lions tally retired into nan MCG successful beforehand of an expected crowd of 90,000.

"This is everything world rugby is each about," said Chessum of nan Lions' bid to triumph nan bid connected Saturday.

"Physicality goes up done nan roof, nan strength goes up done nan roof, nan velocity of nan crippled goes up done nan tile and you person to locomotion towards it because if you don't, you'll get recovered retired beautiful quickly.

"So I'm not rather fresh and raring to go, evidently we're a mates of days out, but I'm chomping astatine nan spot to get into it."

And he went on: "You person to [embrace nan magnitude of nan occasion] because this is everything you person ever dreamt of. You'd beryllium kicking yourself years down nan statement if you didn't.

"This is wherever - and I can't speak for everyone, though I'm reasonably judge I tin - everyone wants to beryllium connected nan biggest shape pinch nan chance to triumph a Lions bid astatine an arena for illustration nan MCG successful beforehand of our families. There's thing better. I'm decently looking guardant to it."

That is it, correct there. Chessum nailed it. These are nan days of their lives, nan biggest infinitesimal for astir of those who person not already been astir nan Lions block.

On Thursday, Andy Farrell over-reached a tad, but you knew wherever he was coming from. The coach said that his boys were bidding for history connected Saturday arsenic nan only Lions squad to triumph back-to-back bid successful nan aforesaid country, 2013 and perchance 2025. He was wrong. It has been done before, but it is not common.

A amended measurement of presenting it is that they are bidding to go only nan 2nd Lions squad to spell 2-0 up successful a bid successful 28 years, only nan 3rd to do it successful 51 years and only nan seventh ever since this glorious point started successful 1888.

The 'Everest' circuit of 1997 was nan astir caller clip nan Lions won nan first 2 Tests of a series. Maybe it was a coincidence but nan skipper then, Martin Johnson, presented nan jerseys to nan squad connected Thursday evening successful Melbourne.

Four of Farrell's starting line-up connected Saturday were not calved backmost past (Chessum, Tom Curry, Tommy Freeman and Dan Sheehan), 2 of them were a twelvemonth aged (Andrew Porter and Hugo Keenan), Itoje was two, Huw Jones was three, Finn Russell was 4 and a fistful of them were five. Bundee Aki was nan oldest; he was seven.

So, 1997 is an alien world to them. Since then, aft 2 Tests it has been 1-1 against Australia, 2-0 to nan All Blacks, 2-0 to nan Springboks, 1-1 against nan Wallabies, 1-1 against New Zealand and 1-1 against South Africa.

At nan MCG, if nan Lions unrecorded up to their billing of screeching basking favourites, we will beryllium heading into terrain we person not been crossed successful adjacent to 3 decades.

There is simply a elephantine caveat successful each of this. If we are examining nan standard of nan accomplishment if nan Lions were to propulsion it disconnected past you person to measurement nan value of nan opponent.

Unless nan Wallabies tin operation themselves successful an almighty way, they are successful mortal threat of going down arsenic nan 1 of nan worst crews nan Lions person faced successful nan modern era - aliases beautiful overmuch immoderate different era.

The lawsuit for nan Wallabies, then.

Their backs are very firmly against nan wall. They person spent nan week proceeding really their forwards were bullied for 50 minutes successful Brisbane. Presumably, they are a proud bunch pinch a monolithic constituent to prove. Unless they are utterly dormant inside, location has to beryllium an betterment successful aggression.

To that end, they person brought backmost fastener Will Skelton, an unfeasibly ample human, and backmost statement Rob Valetini, their champion subordinate complete nan past 2 years. Hooker Dave Porecki is besides in. Their line-out ought to amended arsenic a consequence.

But for each constituent you mightiness make astir really nan Wallabies could push nan Lions each nan way, location is simply a counterpoint which says they will not.

Skelton has played nary rugby since 7 June, Valetini has not played since 14 June. Porecki has played 27 minutes since nan extremity of May.

Joe Schmidt looks to person made a superior correction by wrapping nan remainder of his Test players successful fabric wool since nan Lions landed. Precious fewer of them person faced nan Lions. Precious fewer were battle-hardened successful Brisbane. Many of them had not played, aliases had played once, successful galore weeks. They were truthful undercooked, they were reddish raw. Schmidt judged it poorly.

Of Australia's past 12 games, 8 person been lost. Three of nan victories (Argentina, England and Fiji) person been by 5 points aliases fewer. Scotland hit them by 14, New Zealand by 20, South Africa by 18 and 26 and Argentina by 40.

There is simply a 95% chance of rainfall connected Saturday nighttime successful Melbourne. If nan conditions are arsenic predicted it could make it tighter, but if it goes down to a slugfest you would still slope connected nan Lions forwards winning it.

This is simply a bully Lions team. The pity is that they are not playing South Africa aliases New Zealand conscionable truthful we could get a due gauge connected really bully they really are. On nan ground of nan first 50 against nan Wallabies, they are formidable. On nan ground of nan last 30, erstwhile they mislaid nan tally of themselves pinch specified a large lead, little than formidable.

Will nan existent Lions guidelines up for 70 aliases 80 minutes connected Saturday? If they do, it could get disfigured retired there.

Of people location has been tons of worldly going connected successful nan preamble.

The Garry Ringrose communicative is simply a sickener. How selfless and mature of nan centre, who has been rather brilliant, to return himself retired of nan squad connected Thursday aft emotion nan effects of a encephalon injury.

A akin encephalon wounded astir apt costs him a spot successful nan first Test. It is wholly chilling that Ringrose, having passed each his HIA tests crossed 12 days, having travel done a crippled connected Tuesday and betterment connected Wednesday, did not consciousness correct again connected Thursday.

Concussion moves successful nan astir sinister of ways. It tin hit immoderate test. It tin deceive immoderate doctor. Only nan subordinate knows if he is OK aliases not and Ringrose called it successful nan knowledge that he whitethorn ne'er again get a chance to play a Test for nan Lions.

Next Saturday must beryllium a doubt. He is 30 - young capable to still beryllium world people successful 4 years' clip but pinch a grounds of caput injuries, you person to wonder.

So, Huw Jones, having been dropped, was abruptly backmost in. Will it harm his assurance knowing that he came truthful adjacent to losing his spot? Hardly. These guys do not needfully deliberation that way. He will conscionable beryllium fired up to nan precocious heavens because of it, you fancy.

No specified reprieve for Sione Tuipulotu, who was bizarrely and unfairly dropped erstwhile nan squad was named internally connected Wednesday and who past suffered a tight hamstring connected Thursday.

Aki and Jones is not nan business that Farrell would person wanted but it is still strong, albeit pinch only 1 crippled together connected tour.

If things get sticky, Farrell has immoderate musculus connected nan bench. The replacements did not do a full batch past weekend, but Ellis Genge, James Ryan (Scott Cummings mightiness consciousness aggrieved) and Jac Morgan are each tin of upping nan ante pinch their attrition.

Blair Kinghorn has nan people and Owen Farrell has nan activity and nan savvy. Whether you deliberation he should beryllium location aliases not is simply a moot constituent now. He is successful nan squad and he has to deliver.

They each do. This is not conscionable astir winning connected Saturday, it is besides astir winning connected Saturday week and making it 3-0. Emphatic arsenic you like. Historic.

There is simply a large occupation to beryllium done astatine nan MCG earlier they commencement reasoning astir landslides and pantheons, though.

If nan Lions are each that they tin be, past they will triumph and should triumph well, sloppy of immoderate occurrence and brimstone mightiness beryllium thrown astatine them.

"These games are nan logic why you want to play rugby," said Itoje. "You want to beryllium a portion of these immense occasions pinch a small spot of jeopardy connected nan line. The opportunity to do thing special, nan opportunity to do thing that lives agelong successful nan memory.

"Given nan magnitude of nan game, location is simply a higher level of focus. As a master athlete, location is ever attraction to what you do, but not each games are equal. Not each games mean nan aforesaid thing. And this game, past week, these games are not adjacent to normal games of rugby."

The MCG awaits. The grandest shape successful nan onshore and nan biggest crowd successful Lions history.

Chessum added: "Maro said to america that what we produced past Saturday will not beryllium bully capable this Saturday. There's a full different beast coming down nan roadworthy and we'll person to beforehand up and tackle it."

If Chessum is thing to spell by, nan Lions are fresh to decorativeness what they started.