Andy Farrell adds note of caution as Lions arrive in Melbourne for second Test

The British & Irish Lions tour of Australia changes city, changes climate and changes tone in the pivotal second week of the Test series which culminates in front of a 90,000-plus crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next Saturday. As both sides set up in Melbourne for the week, the Wallabies are in do-or-die mode and the Lions are in killer mode.

Both Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell have selection issues ahead of Thursday’s team announcements. The former Irish head coach has confirmed that Rob Valetini and Will Skelton will both bring their power games to the second Test. The flanker Langi Gleeson will be back in the mix too.

In echoes of the series in 2013, there have been calls for the more experienced James O’Connor to be reinstated at outhalf after his contribution to the Crusaders’ Super Rugby Pacific title. But the likelihood is that Schmidt will retain faith in Tom Lynagh rather than jettison him after his full Test debut in the Lions’ 27-19 win in Brisbane last Saturday.

Both squads moved on to Melbourne within 24 hours of the first Test ahead of the Lions’ match against a Toutai Kefu-coached Pasifika XV in Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, which is likely to include another major figure from the 2013 series, Kurtley Beale.

Also, in keeping with recent tours, this final midweek game is again assuming an irrelevance at best, and nuisance value at worst. Admittedly, that won’t apply to the players chosen for what in most instances will be their last outing in a Lions jersey on this tour and perhaps ever again.

The Lions have called up another Scottish player who featured in their win over Samoa in Auckland last Friday, with lock Gregor Brown travelling with team-mates Rory Sutherland and Ewan Ashman to arrive in Melbourne on Sunday.

In further increasing the travelling squad to 45 players from its original make-up of 38, this underlines the Lions management’s concern over Joe McCarthy’s availability for the second Test.

Joe McCarthy is a doubt for the second Test after coming off in the 43rd minute of the first Test due to plantar fasciitis issues. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

McCarthy was taken off in the 43rd minute of Saturday’s win and afterwards Farrell confirmed that the 24-year-old Leinster and Ireland lock is suffering from “plantar fasciitis”, which is a painful inflammation to the sole on the foot.

“It was niggling away at him there. We got him off. Hopefully we got him off in time,” added Farrell. The clear signals are that McCarthy will not be able to train this coming week, and whether or not he can play through the pain barrier for another 40 or so minutes next Saturday and/or the week after, ultimately he will need rest and recuperation, and possibly an operation.

Otherwise, it’s hard to see Farrell making any alterations to the Lions’ starting pack which imposed themselves on the Wallabies for the first 45 minutes or so in Brisbane. The halfback hub of the team, Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell, who departed due to a little “cramping”, will obviously remain, although the midfield, back three and a bench which didn’t have the impact of their Australian counterparts could all return to the mix.

This is also because Blair Kinghorn, Garry Ringrose and Mack Hansen could all come into consideration after being ruled out last week.

If Kinghorn returns, that could open up the possibility of a 6-2 bench, while there will also be serious consideration of the benefits in bringing Owen Farrell’s experience and winning mentality to drive the team on in the final quarter, more than was the case last Saturday.

There are some shorter-, and longer-term, weather forecasts suggesting heavy rain for both of the Lions’ games in Melbourne, although at least the venue for Tuesday’s match has a retractable roof.

Dan Sheehan in action for the Lions against Australia in the first Test. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho

If Brisbane is something of a lucky charm for the Lions – last Saturday was their ninth win out of nine Tests against the Wallabies going back to 1899 – then less so Melbourne, where they have lost on both previous visits, in 2001 and 2013. What’s more, on both occasions Australia levelled the series after losing the first Test in Brisbane.

Those who ignore the lessons of history are apt to repeat them and, of course, Farrell was an assistant coach on that 2013 tour, which remains the only Lions series win since 1997.

Andy Farrell said that the Lions would take encouragement from their performance last Saturday, before adding: “But at the same time we know what is coming and we know what happened in the second half and how much more there is in us.

“So we roll on to the second game knowing full well what happened in 2013 when an Australia team becomes desperate, it is difficult to handle so we expect a different game next week. But having said that we expect more of ourselves as well.”

The Lions’ fans appeared to outnumber those clad in gold by about three to two in the 52,000-plus crowd in Suncorp Stadium, but that imbalance in favour of the tourists is likely to be redressed next Saturday. The attendance at the 100,000-capacity MCG is expected to be above 90,000, if a little shy, as things stand, of the record attendance of 95,000 for a Lions match for the first Test against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1955, when the Lions drew the series 2-2.

This is going to be huge.

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