‘The job isn’t done’ says coach as British and Irish Lions target a whitewash

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The British and Irish Lions are aiming to sign off their Australia tour in style by delivering a series whitewash through their most complete performance of the three Tests.

Andy Farrell’s team took an unassailable 2-0 lead against the Wallabies after edging a classic encounter in Melbourne last weekend and are heavy favourites to prevail again when the rivals meet for the final time on Saturday.

Victory would see them become the first Lions team since Willie John McBride’s ‘Invincibles’ of 1974 to go unbeaten for the whole tour and the first to win every Test since 1927.

And they want to dispatch Australia for a third consecutive weekend by matching the quality shown in the first half in Brisbane and the second 80 minutes at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“The job isn’t done in any shape or form. We’ve got a really motivated group that have set their stall out,” forwards coach John Dalziel said.

“There’s only one way that we want this to end and that’s to go unbeaten and to try and win 3-0. We don’t want anything to derail it.

“We know it is going to be incredibly hard work and Australia showed that last week. They are a good side and they are going to be good again. They are going to be motivated playing here.

“We’ve got to find that energy and go again, getting that performance that we all want.

“There is still a performance in us. We’ve had 40 minutes in both of the Tests so we want to give our supporters and everyone watching at home a full 80 minutes and show what the Lions are about.”

Wing Tommy Freeman missed Friday’s eve-of-match training run at Accor Stadium due to his overall workload for the tour, but Dalziel stressed there is no concern over his fitness.

Pulling the strings for the climax to the tour is Finn Russell, the Scotland fly-half who has forged an effective creative alliance alongside Ireland’s Jamison Gibson-Park while also providing the generalship needed by his team.

“Finn’s maturing all the time,” said Dalziel of his fellow Scot, who has developed a more rounded game since his early days as a maverick.

“A lot of players like him get criticism for not being able to play different styles. But here, where we are pulling four nations together, he has delivered a gameplan while also being himself. That’s why he was picked and why he’s world class.

“There have been the moments when he has been driving the team around the park but also the moments when he has seen and put others into space, which is outstanding.”

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