The Lions v Australia - First Test guide

Where the First Test will be won or lost - and which team holds the advantage
21 June 2013

Three key areas

1 Kick chase

The Lions believe they can expose the inexperience of former AFL and League star Israel Folau by peppering the Wallaby wing with kicks that will force the big man to turn and deal with the danger. The key to this tactic is the chase and that is why it is comforting to have George North (above) opposite Folau as his pace will allow him to pressure the rookie — even if the kick doesn’t have enough air time. It won’t make for exciting viewing, but as a battle within the battle, it will be crucial in making the debutant feel uncomfortable and keep him on the defensive.

2 Break down

The tourists failed to deal with this vital area against the Brumbies by allowing their ball carrier to become isolated. Both teams will be desperate to isolate the ball carrier from his support and to get hands on the ball as the referees have shown a willingness to award penalties to the defending team. The Lions have to boss the break down by blasting the Wallabies out of the way and then getting hands on opposition ball, slowing down delivery when they are defending.

3 Line out

The Wallabies believe they can pressure the Lions in this area and that is why the selection of England’s Tom Croft (above) is so important. He is the Lions most agile jumper, a ball winner on their own throw and a ball stealer on the opposition’s. It takes the pressure off and keeps the opposition guessing. Croft moves up and down the line and will be used to secure ball at the front when the Lions are inside their own 22.

Three key clashes

1 George North v Israel Folau

The Welsh wing has recovered from a hamstring injury with the Lions medical team claiming his tendons are longer than any other player they have ever seen! Powerful, quick and eager for work, North is the spearhead of the Lions attack and if he gets plenty of ball then they will win this First Test. Debutant Folau is great under the high ball and the Wallabies will want to use Folau in the same way the Lions are aiming to unleash North. It is going to be an amazing clash.

2 Mike Phillips v Will Genia

This is a classic little (Genia) versus large (Phillips) and there are many Lions fans who are hoping the famously combative Welsh scrum-half decides to really get stuck into the wonderfully gifted Wallaby. If nothing else, it will put Genia off his game and the Lions need something out of leftfield to shackle the most dangerous player in the opposition ranks. Genia is arguably the best No9 in the world while Phillips is getting back to the form that made him so important to the Lions in 2009.

3 Sam Warburton v Michael Hooper

The battle of the No7’s will go some way to deciding the result of the match. The contest for the ball on the ground will be viciously fought, requiring total commitment and a disregard for safety that will have fans wincing at every break down. Warburton is the bigger man but Hooper gets lower to the ground and is difficult to shift from his crab-like stance over the ball. The Lions will attempt to pummel him into submission.

The referee

New Zealand’s Chris Pollock takes charge tomorrow. Official stats show that while England’s Wayne Barnes awards, on average, 26 penalties per match, Pollard hands out only 17 which is not great news if you want Leigh Halfpenny to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in