British and Irish Lions coach reveals ‘great advice’ from three-tour legend that left team ‘silent’
British and Irish Lions players (front left) with an inset of Martin Johnson
The British and Irish Lions head into the biggest cauldron they will experience so far on tour this weekend, but not before having some words of wisdom from former captain Martin Johnson.
Andy Farrell’s current crop of tourists are set to march into the world-famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in front of an astonishing 95,000-strong crowd, as they seek to clinch a series victory.
The Lions currently hold a 1-0 advantage heading into Saturday’s second Test, after beating the Wallabies 27-19 last weekend.
‘It was good advice’
England and Lions legend Johnson, who captained the famous touring side in 1997 and 2001, was drafted in to present the shirts for the upcoming Test in Melbourne, and scrum coach John Fogarty revealed he also offered the current squad some valuable insight from his own experiences on Lions tours.
“Martin speaks nice and calmly. It was a privilege to have him here,” he told Sky Sports.
“He talked about the Lions series they won, the Lions series they lost and the differences between them. The room was silent the whole time he spoke.
“There were guys just staring up at him. Maro asked him a question or two and then he handed out the jerseys.
“There was some contemplation and reflection after he talked, which is a good thing. It was a quiet room because they wanted to listen to a guy they see as an icon.”
Going deeper into the advice Johnson offered, Fogarty said: “Martin said it is the smallest of margins in the biggest of games. He talked about being able to get back to neutral and talking about being in the moment.
“All that stuff is difficult when you’re playing in front of 95,000 people in a stadium as iconic as the MCG.
“Whether you’re under pressure or applying it, your emotions go up and down, so being able to find a way to get clarity back in your mind in the shortest of times is difficult for players.
“That’s really important for us in this game. We are not going to get everything our own way, and we know it’s going to be a game of small margins. It was good advice.”
Head coach Farrell has rolled the dice ahead of the Test at the MCG, with eight changes to his wider 23-man squad. Andrew Porter, Ollie Chessum and Bundee Aki all come into the starting XV, with Ellis Genge, James Ryan, Jac Morgan, Owen Farrell and Blair Kinghorn named on the bench.