The British and Irish Lions coach, Andy Farrell, has stated that his team is not overconfident, despite being the favorites to win the upcoming series of matches against Australia.
Farrell has already revealed the lineup for the first match in Brisbane this Saturday. Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones will form the center pairing, while the contested back row will be composed of Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, and Tom Curry.
There is no place in the team for English stars Owen Farrell and Henry Pollock.
Pollock had mentioned that a 3-0 series victory was “definitely possible” for the Lions, but Farrell insisted that there is no risk of overconfidence in the team ahead of the series.
Farrell’s star-studded team and Australia’s inconsistent performance have positioned the Lions as favorites before the series. When asked if he wanted his team to accept this label, Farrell replied: “100%. Why not? They ask you these kinds of questions, but internally, you just dedicate yourself to building your own belief, your own confidence as a team, and this applies to both sides.” Farrell continued: “Today, speaking with [Australian rugby league legend] Gordon Tallis, he said that everyone used to talk about Queensland as the underdogs.” According to Farrell, Tallis stated: “We never saw it that way”, and Australia will be exactly the same. It’s about your preparation and how you get down to doing what really matters.There is an awareness of what it is and what it means [to be a Lion] and how privileged we are. But that, again, doesn’t get in the way of how we prepare to make sure we allow ourselves to be the best version of ourselves.
Andy Farrell
