Sir Ian McGeechan believes the British and Irish Lions can’t afford to carry anybody during the third Test against Australia – and expects to see major changes for the series showdown in Sydney.
talksport
The touring team slipped to a 16-15 defeat in the second Test against the Wallabies having fielded Tommy Bowe, who had just recovered from a broken hand, and, during the encounter, saw Tom Youngs and captain Sam Warburton leave the field with injuries.
And McGeechan claims the second, and back, row could be set for a major overhaul.
“The biggest challenge for the coaches is looking at who is fit,” he told the Weekend Sports Breakfast show. “The 15 players that go out next weekend have to be 100% fit, ready to go and excited about getting out there.
“They’ll be looking at the health of the players and their recovery before they pick a team for next weekend.
“Ian Evans and Richie Gray could be looking at Test starts. Jamie Roberts and Mike Phillips could come back. It could be a completely different Lions team that ends up on the field.
“You need that little bit of excitement and edge that players who are 100% fit bring.”
And McGeechan claims there the players will not dwell on the second Test defeat, which would have sealed the series, going into the final fixture of the tour Down Under.
“Mentally they should be in good shape,” he added. “They’ve played two Test matches and either team could have gone 2-0 up.
“There was three points between them after two matches and both teams will know that there is everything to play for.
“The key thing for a Lions is to have a break. It won’t do them any harm at all to switch off for a couple of days.”