B&I Lions v Wallabies, Match Thread, Sat June 22, 1105am

Time to kick-off



B&I LIONS V QANTAS WALLABIES

Date:Saturday June 22
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 8.05pm AEST (11.05am UKST, 10.05 GMT)
Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Craig Joubert (South Africa), Romain Poite (France)

British & Irish Lions: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Jonathan Davies, 11 George North, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Tom Croft, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Alun Wyn Jones, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Alex Corbisiero.

Replacements: 16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Makovina Vunipola, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Geoff Parling, 20 Dan Lydiate, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Sean Maitland.

Australia: 15 Berrick Barnes, 14 Israel Folau, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Christian Leali'ifano, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 James O'Connor, 9 Will Genia, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Ben Mowen, 5 James Horwill (c), 4 Kane Douglas, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.

Replacements: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 James Slipper, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Liam Gill, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Pat McCabe, 23 Kurtley Beale.

After much ado about not nothing, the real Lions series finally begins. So much figurative paper has been used discussing the multitude of combinations, tactics and selections, and finally we are there! And after 80 minutes or so (with 20 minutes for scrum collapses etc) at Suncorp, we will know whether Gats is onto a winner or not.

For the Lions the selection is fairly predictable, with most debate centering around the bench. The merits or lack thereof of Lydiate & Maitland and the omission of Sean O’Brien have caused the most angst on this forum.

For the Wallabies, the main issue is at 10, where JOC is essentially untested at the highest level, and his performance, along with that of the Wallaby tight 5, may well determine his team’s chances.

The Wallabies will have pored over the Lions’ displays to date, and expect them to play a more expansive game than they have done in the last season or 2. Israel Folau with ball in hand can be a thing of beauty.

The Lions will clearly favour their setpiece, particularly at lineout time, and any kickable penalty is likely to be punished by the Leigh-meister, who has been impeccable to date on this tour.

The bench will be important, where the Lions have Vunipola and Parling in particular, while the Wallabies have Gill and Beale.

Look for this to be a closely fought game with a single figure victory to either side.

May the best team win, and may we be insatiated at the end of the game, craving more action in the subsequent weeks to come!