Australia v British and Irish Lions: Five storylines to follow including how ‘shattered’ Wallabies bounce back
Can the Wallabies triumph in Nic White's farewell game?
Ahead of the third and final match of the series between the Wallabies and British & Irish Lions, here’s five key storylines to follow in the clash at Accor Stadium.
Wallabies look to respond after heartbreak
It truly was an agonising conclusion for Australia and their supporters last week in Melbourne as their hopes of taking the series to a decider were shattered late on.
The Wallabies had been much improved from the outset in the second Test after a sluggish showing in Brisbane and looked poised to claim a deserved win until Hugo Keenan struck at the death to break their hearts. Ultimately, that wrapped up the series and footage of Wallabies on the field and sideline revealed some rather stunned faces.
Therefore, the task this week for Joe Schmidt and his coaching staff has no doubt been picking up his players and changing disappointment into determination to right the wrongs of last week’s dramatic ending. There were plenty of seeds of positivity at the MCG and now Australia must continue to grow instead of wilting to a 3-0 finish.
Lions opt against fresh legs in 3-0 quest
Leading on from this, a whitewash is all the Lions crave in Sydney on Saturday and it was interesting that Andy Farrell has retained much of the 23 that won last week.
Some had expected wholesale alterations from the head coach in a freshened-up line-up whilst also having a serious crack at completing the sought-after sweep. But indications earlier in the week suggested that Farrell was set to keep the faith with those in the jerseys and so it has proved to be the case as just two tweaks were made to the starting team.
Only time will tell whether familiarity and momentum will pay off on the field in Sydney this weekend or whether an injection of new blood might have been the better option to drive the Lions home. So far Farrell has got every decision spot on so who are we to question this as the Lions look to add the gloss to an unbeaten trip Down Under.
Wallabies legend hopes for winning goodbye
One change the Wallabies have made comes at scrum-half where the veteran Nic White starts in what will be his international swansong, as Jake Gordon makes way at nine.
White has been an incredible servant to Australian rugby and also enjoyed huge success in Europe with Montpellier and Exeter Chiefs before returning to his home country.
However, after 72 appearances thus far, this will be his final Test in the gold jersey and he will be desperate to make it a winning end to his story. Of course White would’ve loved it to have been 1-1 with the series on the line, but even with the dead-rubber scenario expect nothing but his best on Saturday as he attempts to steer the Wallabies to a morale-boosting victory before handing on the baton to others, admitting playing for Australia has been a “privilege I’ve never taken for granted”.
6-2 split from Lions in wet weather clash
One interesting side note from the Lions team selection was their switch to a 6-2 bench split as they load up their replacements with an extra forward. That creates a host of intriguing scenarios ahead of Saturday’s final fixture of the 2025 series, with one being the possibility of Ben Earl featuring at centre should disaster strike in the backline.
A benefit of the 6-2 split also brings us back to the aforementioned fresh legs point earlier in the piece and adding an extra forward is a wise move after two tough weeks.
Another reason might be the weather forecast as rain has been pouring down in Sydney this week and is expected to continue on Saturday so there is no doubt plenty of the battle is likely to be played up front. The Lions’ bench was outstanding last week and it could well provide even more of an impact late on, especially in the forward pack.
Officiating trio look for trouble-free Test
On the whole it’s been a largely controversy-free Lions tour in Australia which has been pleasing to see, particularly after the Rassie Erasmus video debacle of 2021.
Perhaps the two coaches locking horns in 2025 being friends and Schmidt not one to stoke a fire and play mind-games has helped create an air of tranquillity off the field. We’re all for it as it has kept things amicable and while some might view it as taking something away from the series in terms of drama, it has helped avoid unpleasantries.
Bar the Carlo Tizzano decision and fallout thereafter last week, the series’ match officials Nika Amashukeli, Ben O’Keeffe and Andrea Piardi have performed admirably and can hold their heads high. However, they know the job isn’t done with Amashukeli the man in the middle on Saturday, looking to bring down the curtain in positive style.