The Lions head coach was pleased to get off to a victorious start in Brisbane after a 27-19
Andy Farrell warned his British & Irish Lions team they will have to improve if they want to wrap up the series at the first opportunity against a wounded Wallabies in Melbourne next week.
Farrell’s men went 1-0 up with a 27-19 triumph in Brisbane but they let Joe Schmidt’s side back into the contest after taking a 24-5 lead early in the second half.
Tadhg Beirne and Tom Curry were outstanding in the back row while half-backs Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell ran the show superbly for the tourists who face the First Nations & Pasifika XV on Tuesday before the second Test next Saturday.
Farrell said: “To get off to a winning start is huge. Obviously, that puts the pressure on for next week (for them) and it keeps us in the tour certainly up until the last game, that is guaranteed. Absolutely delighted, big occasion, big game, we know what coming to Suncorp means to Australia so they would have been targeting this, so delighted to come away with this victory.”
Farrell was an assistant coach on these shores in 2013 when the Lions lost the second Test 16-15 after taking the first and is hoping history won’t repeat itself.
“We know what is coming and we know what happened in the second half and how much more there is in us so we roll onto the second game knowing full well what happened in 2013 when an Australia team becomes desperate, it is difficult to handle so we expect a different game next week. But having said that we expect more of ourselves as well.
“Part of it is a realisation of what is coming next week. Not only is that Australia’s second game and they’ll be much better because of that, but also because of what it means to them and how proud they are. It’ll mean the world to them. We need to make sure we are ready for them to be at their best. I suppose it will take a better performance than what we’ve shown today to make sure we get a win next week.”
Australia will be buoyed by the return to fitness of destructive forward duo Rob Valetini and Will Skelton as their carrying presence was sorely missed. However, they still face an uphill battle in what is expected to be a record crowd that could touch 100,000 at the MCG.
Farrell confirmed Russell was substituted after experiencing cramps and explained that Joe McCarthy only lasted three minutes into the second half due to a plantar fascia foot issue.
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