It’s a surprise to see Finn Russell starting two games in four days but it just shows how important seeing certain combinations is to Andy Farrell right now.
We’re likely to see something resembling a Test team for the game against the Invitational AU & NZ a week on Saturday but before then it’s all about building cohesion in smaller units and this will be the opportunity to see Russell alongside Jamison Gibson-Park.
The Ireland scrum-half, who will be making his first appearance of the tour after his strained glute, is the likely Test starter, fitness permitting and his chances have only increased after the injury to the unfortunate Tomos Williams.
Farrell will want to see how he links up with Russell and then the Scotland fly-half surely won’t be seen in the number 10 jersey against the Waratahs and Brumbies, so it’s an important game for both players from that perspective.
In terms of the combinations we saw against Western Force at the weekend, the back three went well, and the Ireland wingers are probably favourites to start the Tests already but Elliot Daly put in one of the standout performances.
A lot of people didn’t have him making the plane but he’s such a classy player and he’d been in my match day 23, with his versatility an added bonus. He’s set the bar and Hugo Keenan first and then Blair Kinghorn probably on Saturday now get their chance to impress.
Henry Pollock, Josh van der Flier and especially Joe McCarthy all put in big individual displays and that puts a bit of pressure on the second rowers and back rowers starting against the Reds on Wednesday.
I don’t think anyone is questioning Maro Itoje’s position as a starter just yet but McCarthy has laid down a marker so he’ll want a big game, as will Ollie Chessum and James Ryan.
I’d expect Jack Conan to be the Test starter at No.8 so it’ll be interesting to see how he goes and if he helps a lineout that struggled against Argentina, that certainly enhances Tom Curry’s prospects.
If there are many more malfunctions at the sideline set piece, though, I think Farrell will opt for Chessum or Tadhg Beirne at blindside so the Leicester man will be looking to stake his claim in Brisbane on his first start of the tour.
The lineout actually went much better against the Force and it was restarts and discipline that caused the Lions problems but it’s inevitable that some areas will go awry as others improve in these early games.
Australia will definitely target restarts as somewhere they can get some joy, especially with the aerial prowess of Joseph Suaalii in their ranks, but it’s an aspect that is more complicated than it looks and one that can be fixed with a bit more time.
It should also be mentioned that Nic White is one of the best restart exponents in world rugby and pretty much every single one was bang on the money but he probably isn’t going to be starting for the Wallabies.
The men in red can only play what’s in front of them but the gulf in quality was plain for all to see as the match wore on in Perth and, while the Reds will provide a step up after they qualified for the Super Rugby play-offs this season, it should still be a bit of a mis-match.
The Wallabies have their own game against Fiji this weekend, with only Matt Faessler and Hunter Paisami available to face the Lions, so anything less than another convincing victory would be a major surprise.
For all the talk about how many players are being released to play for the club sides, Farrell won’t be too concerned about it and will only be focusing on how his players are starting to gel together more effectively.
There are a few players with credit in the bank after the opening couple of games so the pressure is firmly on for others to perform now, as some may only get one more proper shot between now and the first Test.
It’ll be interesting to see how Huw Jones and Bundee Aki combine because Garry Ringrose and Sione Tuipulotu have both done pretty well so far without setting the world alight but I think Jones is definitely competing with Ringrose and Aki with Tuipulotu.
Lowe and Hansen are in the box seat for the starting wing berths, the former’s left boot and deft touches being vital and the latter having already been namechecked by his coach, but Tommy Freeman was outstanding against the Pumas and has scored 15 tries in 13 games for club and country since the start of the Six Nations.
In reality, wing is probably the one position in this squad where you’d be completely comfortable whoever was starting but I expect Duhan van der Merwe to be much-improved against the Reds after he was disappointing in Dublin.
There have been good bits and bad bits in the opening couple of outings, with the good outweighing the bad, but the sight of the likely starting numbers eight, nine and ten in the Tests lining up against the Reds undoubtedly signals that the tour is going up another notch.
We’re unlikely to see Conan, Gibson-Park and Russell in tandem again until the game against the Invitational AU & NZ a week before the first Test so a strong showing from all three and their names will surely be inked into the Test starting XV alongside Dan Sheehan as the race for places hots up.
