British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has made only two changes to his starting team for final Test against Australia on Saturday with his sights firmly focused on sealing a 3-0 series sweep.
With the series already won after last week's victory in Melbourne, Farrell resisted the temptation to give squad players a run and said he had selected a team he thought was best able to finish the tour with a third Test win.
“It would mean the world to us, it's something that we promised ourselves that we were going to chase after,” he said on Thursday.
“It's a big ask, but it's something that we're determined to do. This is the best 23 to take the group forward.”
Farrell said one of the most pleasing elements of the tour had been the way all the players had bought into the concept of squad unity, regardless of whether they were selected for the Tests or not.
“It touches you, it really does. It touches you in the sense of how much it means to them. For example, you come in after such a big victory on Saturday night [and] the people that were celebrating the most were the guys that hadn't put the shirt on.”
Blair Kinghorn, who missed the first Test because of a knee injury, replaces James Lowe on the left wing as he did during last week's win in Melbourne, while James Ryan starts in the second row in place of Ollie Chessum.
Chessum drops to the bench, where Ben Earl comes in as back row cover alongside Jac Morgan with Farrell opting for a 6-2 split in favour of the forwards for what is forecast to be a wet weather Test at Stadium Australia.
The starting back row and halfback pairing remain the same for the third consecutive match, while Tadhg Furlong will start his ninth straight Lions Test in the front row.
“It's amazing,” Farrell said of the Irish prop.
“It's been well documented how much he loves playing for the Lions ... and it isn't just the performances that have been through the roof, it's also his manner on a Lions tour as well.
“I've never seen him in such good spirits, so he's ready to go again.”
Captain Maro Itoje will start his eighth straight Lions Test having played the first match of the 2017 series in New Zealand off the bench.
“Look at the quality of player they are,” Farrell said. “Look at the standing that they have with any group that they represent. Those two lads epitomise what it takes to be a top level international player.”
The Wallabies' Rob Valetini will miss the third Test but scrumhalf Nic White has been given a chance to sign off his international career.
Flanker Valetini, who missed the first Test with a calf injury, was outstanding as Australia took an early 23-5 lead in last week's second Test but is being “managed” ahead of two matches against the Springboks in South Africa.
“He's not right this week,” coach Joe Schmidt told a press conference on Thursday. "[The calf] just tightened up so ... it's probably precautionary not playing him this week.”
Valetini will be replaced in the back row by Tom Hooper, one of four changes to the starting line-up from the second Test.
Tighthead Allan Alaalatoa suffered a shoulder injury last week that could rob the Wallabies of one of their leaders for the rest of the season.
Taniela “Tongan Thor” Tupou brings his considerable bulk into the front row in Alaalatoa's place for his first appearance of the series.
White's inclusion at scrumhalf for Jake Gordon was not enforced but gives the 35-year-old a chance to win a 73rd cap before standing down from Test rugby, a decision he announced earlier on Thursday.
“Whitey's got such huge respect inside the squad that it seemed a fitting way for him to finish,” said Schmidt.
“And I'm not a sentimentalist, it's a Test match, and you pick people who are capable of playing that Test match, and we believe that Nick is.”
Schmidt has reverted to a 5-3 split in favour of the forwards on the bench, bringing outside back Andrew Kellaway back into the matchday squad for flanker Carlo Tizzano.
Teams
Australia: 15 — Tom Wright, 14 — Max Jorgensen, 13 — Joseph Suaalii, 12 — Len Ikitau, 11 — Dylan Pietsch, 10 — Tom Lynagh, 9 — Nic White, 8 — Harry Wilson, 7 — Fraser McReight, 6 — Tom Hooper, 5 — Will Skelton, 4 — Nick Frost, 3 — Taniela Tupou, 2 — David Porecki, 1 — James Slipper. Replacements: 16 — Billy Pollard, 17 — Angus Bell, 18 — Zane Nonggorr, 19 — Jeremy Williams, 20 — Langi Gleeson, 21 — Tate McDermott, 22 — Ben Donaldson, 23 — Andrew Kellaway.
B&I Lions: 15 — Hugo Keenan, 14 — Tommy Freeman, 13 — Huw Jones, 12 — Bundee Aki, 11 — Blair Kinghorn, 10 — Finn Russell, 9 — Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 — Jack Conan, 7 — Tom Curry, 6 — Tadhg Beirne, 5 — James Ryan, 4 — Maro Itoje, 3 — Tadhg Furlong, 2 — Dan Sheehan, 1 — Andrew Porter. Replacements: 16 — Ronan Kelleher, 17 — Ellis Genge, 18 — Will Stuart, 19 — Ollie Chessum, 20 — Jac Morgan, 21 — Ben Earl, 22 — Alex Mitchell, 23 — Owen Farrell.
Reuters
