Waratahs v British & Irish Lions preview: Andy Farrell’s side to have ‘too much firepower’ as another convincing victory secured
Waratahs openside flanker Charlie Gamble and British & Irish Lions counterpart Josh van der Flier.
The British & Irish Lions will be determined to build on a promising start to their Australian tour when they take on the Waratahs in Sydney on Saturday.
Confidence is high in the famous touring team’s ranks after they notched a half century of points in successive encounters against the Western Force and Reds, and a similar result against the Sydneysiders will be a statement of intent ahead of the upcoming three-Test series with the Wallabies.
Those impressive results, against the Force (54-7) and Reds (52-12), put the Lions‘ tour back on track after they kicked off their 2025 campaign on a negative note courtesy of a 28-24 defeat against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium.
That result was a significant one as it was their first Lions defeat in a tour opener since 1971 but they did not panic and, as the scorelines suggest, they dominated proceedings in the next two fixtures.
Despite those huge triumphs, things have not gone entirely to plan as injuries have also had an impact on their tour as they lost the services of Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams (torn hamstring) and England utility back Elliott Daly (fractured arm) in those respective wins over the Force and Reds.
They have been replaced by Scotland’s Ben White and former England star Owen Farrell, with the former set to make his Lions debut if he comes off the replacements bench in this clash.
For the Waratahs, like all Australian players, the opportunity of taking on the Lions, who visit their country once every 12 years, is an enticing one and the home side will not be lacking in motivation for this clash.
Although several of the Sydneysiders’ players have been called up to the Wallabies squad, they have seven internationals in their matchday squad while their head coach, Dan McKellar, is an experienced mentor who was also involved at Test level with Australia’s national team as an assistant coach and had a stint in charge at Leicester Tigers in the 2023/24 season.
Waratahs fans will be hoping McKellar’s experience in the northern hemisphere will come in handy in this fixture against the Lions.
Where the game will be won
Although the Lions have started their tour of Australia with convincing victories, they took some time to take control of proceedings in both encounters and we expect a similar story to unfold against the Waratahs. Like most rugby matches, the forward exchanges will be crucial especially at the set-pieces and the Lions will be hoping to dominate up front and if that happens it should set a good platform for their backs to launch attacks.
That is easier said than done of course and they can expect a tough challenge from their opponents who will be determined to be the first Australian side to claim the Lions scalp on this tour. With the visitors clinching huge victories in those first two matches on Australian soil, don’t be surprised if the Waratahs place a big emphasis on their defence and if they are disciplined in that department for the full 80 minutes, they could spring a surprise although their opponents should have little trouble in wreaking havoc if their forwards are dominant.
Last time they met
What they said
At the team announcement, head coach Andy Farrell congratulated Tadhg Beirne, who will be captaining the Lions for the first time, as well as White and Hugo Keenan who are set to make their debuts for the tourists against the Waratahs.
“Congratulations to Tadhg who will lead the side on Saturday night – and also to Blair, Hugo and Ben who will all make their Lions debuts,” he said.
“The games are coming thick and fast now as we face a Waratahs side who will want to make their mark.”
After seeing the Lions cruise to huge victories over the Force and Reds, Waratahs head coach McKellar is preparing his charges for a monumental challenge against the tourists.
“You just have to put them under pressure. They’re a quality side, and as I’ve said to the players all week… this is a Test match,” he said.
“We are not playing Super Rugby or anything else. We are playing a high-quality Test team.
“But they’ve got two arms and two legs, and you just have to put them under pressure.
“The Force and the Reds, they have done that … being able to do it and sustain it for long periods of time is the challenge.
“They bring on eight high quality Test players off the bench… it’s a fair challenge.
“But as has been proven in the past, it’s certainly doable. You just have to be very good.”
Players to watch
If the Waratahs want to cause an upset in this fixture, their Wallabies contingent will have to be at their best and the Sydneysiders received a timely boost earlier this week when two seasoned internationals in Andrew Kellaway and Taniela Tupou were released from Australia head coach Joe Schmidt’s squad to participate in this match.
Kellaway, who is equally at home at full-back or on the wing, will wear the number 14 jersey for this encounter and his presence should bring a calming influence to his backline, who are relatively inexperienced with the likes of Jake Gordon, Joseph Suaalii and Max Jorgensen called up to the Wallabies squad. When on song, Kellaway is a brilliant attacker who can tear the tightest defences to shreds and Waratahs fans will be expecting him to do just that against the Lions.
Meanwhile, Tupou is a player who has had an up-and-down season as he had fitness issues and played off the bench in several matches during the Waratahs’ recent Super Rugby Pacific campaign. A brilliant ball carrier, who can give his side good momentum when he builds up a head of steam with his barnstorming runs, he will also have to deliver the goods in the execution of his core duties to give his side a chance of causing an upset in this match.
Another Waratahs player who could be influential in the bigger scheme of things is experienced back-rower Rob Leota, who possesses a brilliant all-round skillset. The 28-year-old enjoys the physical aspect of the game and will be hoping to put his side on the front foot with some strong carries while also stopping the Lions in their tracks with some big defensive hits. The Wallaby is set to join Top 14 outfit Bayonne and will be keen to end his stint Waratahs stint on a high with a win over the Lions.
For the Lions, there will be plenty of pressure on England playmaker Fin Smith to deliver a commanding performance as the side’s chief playmaker particularly after Finn Russell shone at fly-half in those fine victories over the Force and Reds respectively. Smith started in the number 10 jersey in the opening loss against Argentina and although he was solid, he did not set the world alight and it was a similar performance when he replaced Russell against the Reds. If he wants to put pressure on the Scotsman for the fly-half role for the Test series, he will have to deliver a much improved display against the Waratahs.
Also keep an eye on young England back-rower Henry Pollock, who has hit the ground running for the British & Irish Lions and although the tour is still in its early stages, he has already put his hand up for a Test spot after delivering two superb displays in his previous appearances against Argentina and the Force. Despite being the youngest player in the squad, the 20-year-old has played with a maturity beyond his years as he brought plenty of energy during a 30-minute stint off the bench against Los Pumas, before catching the eye with a brilliant attacking display at number eight against the Force. He returns to action on the blindside flank on Saturday and if he continues with his fine form, he will be difficult to ignore when the Test side is selected.
Another delivering a solid performance when starting at lock in the Lions’ opening match against Argentina, Ireland utility forward Tadhg Beirne was shifted to the back-row for their second encounter against the Force and caught the eye with an improved display in which he showed his class on either side of the ball. With tour skipper Maro Itoje rested after coming to the fore with an excellent effort in the win over the Reds, Beirne is back in the second-row but with the added responsibility of the captaincy for the Waratahs clash. The 33-year-old is no stranger to the leadership role as he also captains his province, Munster, but it will be interesting to see how he fares as the Lions skipper in Saturday’s fixture.
Main head-to-head
Although there are numerous mouth-watering duels set to take place across the park, the battle for the loose ball between the starting openside flankers should be a good one with the Waratahs’ Charlie Gamble facing off against the Lions’ Josh van der Flier. New Zealand-born Gamble is a fierce competitor, who empties the tank on attack and defence while his groundwork is usually of a high standard.
However, he faces stiff opposition from Van der Flier who was one of the Lions’ star performers in their win over the Force as he delivered an all-action performance on both sides of the ball. The 2022 World Rugby Player of the Year is one of the leading back-rowers in the game who has a high work-rate and is also a brilliant breakdown exponent. Gamble will have to be at his best to get the better of the Irishman.
Prediction
With players jockeying for Tests places, the tourists will – once again – be highly motivated and have too much firepower for their hosts which will see them cruise to another convincing victory. British and Irish Lions to win by 35 points.
Previous results
2013: British & Irish Lions won 47-17 in Sydney
2001: British & Irish Lions won 41-24 in Sydney
The teams
Waratahs: 15 Lawson Creighton, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Lalakai Foketi, 12 Joey Walton, 11 Darby Lancaster, 10 Jack Bowen, 9 Teddy Wilson, 8 Hugh Sinclair (c), 7 Charlie Gamble, 6 Rob Leota, 5 Miles Amatosero, 4 Fergus Lee-Warner, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Ethan Dobbins, 1 Tom Lambert
Replacements: 16 Mahe Vailanu, 17 Jack Barrett, 18 Daniel Botha, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Jamie Adamson, 21 Jack Grant, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Henry O’Donnell
British and Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Blair Kinghorn, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Henry Pollock, 5 James Ryan, 4 Tadhg Beirne (c), 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Joe McCarthy, 20 Scott Cummings, 21 Jac Morgan, 22 Ben White, 23 Marcus Smith
Date: Saturday, July 5
Venue: Allianz Stadium Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 20:00 local (11:00 BST, 10:00 GMT)
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: James Doleman (New Zealand), Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
TMO: Richard Kelly (New Zealand)
FPRO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
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