One of the greatest spectacles in rugby (apart from the Rugby World Cup) is finally upon us as the British & Irish Lions begin their Australian Tour on Wednesday evening against the Western Force in Perth. One of the only true tours in existence, the Lions are comprised of the best players from Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland. Led by Sam Warburton, the Welsh Skipper and coached by Warren Gatland (Wales), Rob Howley (Wales), Graham Rowntree (England), Andy Farrell (England) and Neil Jenkins (Wales), the Lions are a formidable unit and have selected one of the strongest touring parties in recent memory. After losing to Australia in 2001 (2-1), the Lions come with revenge on their minds, especially after falling to South Africa 2-1 in 2009 and 3-0 to New Zealand, four years before that. The Lions will play nine matches in Australia, including three test matches against the Wallabies in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
Last week the Lions kicked off their tour in emphatic fashion after a steamrolling victory over the Barbarians in Hong Kong (59-8). The Barbarians are in invitational side that featured no less than 19 players with international experience including household rugby names such as Sergio Parisse (Italy), Joe Rokocoko (New Zealand), Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy) and Mike Tindall (England) just to name a few. The Lion’s management have announced a whole new team to play the Force, with a number of these players to play the first test match in Brisbane. Players like Leigh Halfpenny who has missed one tackle from fullback in the last two years of the 6 Nations competition, three-time lion and captain, Brian O’Driscoll, and Englishmen Manu Tuilagi and Tom Croft will all run out at NIB stadium and will be hell-bent on putting in a good performance.
The Wallabies squad has been compounded with injuries in recent weeks with a number of first choice walk-ins already ruled out of the tour. I have no doubt that they will front up as not many international players get to experience the accolade of playing against the Lions. The Lions tour has been the focus since the end of the Rugby World Cup in 2011, and a victory here for the Wallabies would sound an ominous warning to the All Blacks, Springboks and Argentinians ahead of the Rugby Championship. But for me, their squad is looking thin and with the Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale sagas continuing to make headlines, all is not well in camp Wallaby.
Looking at Wednesday night’s game, the Force have named a weakened side to play the Lions, with no less than nine first choice starters rested. I find this quite appalling to be honest and only plays into the Lions hands to assist them with some momentum building before the first test in Brisbane in just over a fortnights time. The Force have been inconsistent at best this year and despite managing to topple the Reds on two occasions, the Lions are a whole new kettle of fish. They are outmatched in every position and with the weather in Perth looking conducive to running rugby and the Lions wanting to make a statement early on in Australia, the result can only go one way.
This is as good a time as any for the Lions to reign supreme and for that reason, my best tour bet is for the men from the north not to lose a match on tour. They have class in every position with the luxury of selecting from four nations. Their forwards combine brute strength, sound technical skills and genuine mongrel and undoubtedly they will overpower the Wallabies at scrum time. Their backs are skilful and speedy and will produce a number or scintillating tries over the next month, so sit back, relax and enjoy the series and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@S15_TheProfits) for game coverage, expert insight or just for a chat.
Tour Bets: British and Irish Lions not to lose a match @ $6.00 – Sportsbet
Best Bet: Lions -31.5 vs. Force @ $1.90 – Sportsbet
