Pollock, OK: Farrell Tranquil After Victory Lions vs. Waratahs

Farrell Reports Good News After Lions Victory

British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has confirmed that Henry Pollock’s absence before the start of the match was precautionary and has reported on the good overall health of the team after their victory over the New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday. Pollock, who has had a meteoric rise this year, was initially named as a blindside flanker for his third match with the Lions, but was ultimately withdrawn from the match at Sydney Football Stadium.

It was just a bit of precaution for a strain in the calf that was quite tight this morning, so, knowing what we knew, there was no need to risk it.

Andy Farrell

Farrell made these statements after the 21-10 victory, a result he described as unconvincing. The Lions have suffered significant losses in their first two matches in Australia, with Tomos Williams injured and Elliot Daly with a broken arm. Farrell confirmed that his team came out unscathed from Saturday’s match.

“That’s a good positive aspect at this stage,” he commented. The coach was less satisfied with his team’s error-ridden performance and suggested that the Waratahs might have watered the field before the match to make conditions difficult. “I mean, that’s a good tactic on their part, isn’t it? That the ball is slippery, the game is fierce enough and the line speed is high octane on their part as well,” he said. “We keep trying to play too much sometimes, especially in the middle of the field, and we put ourselves under pressure and kept them in the game. And that amount of lost ball is their merit, obviously, but it’s not good enough on our part.” Farrell brought his son Owen into the team as a replacement due to injury, but stated that Wednesday’s match against the ACT Brumbies would likely come too soon for him. The Brumbies defeated the Lions on their last tour of Australia 12 years ago.

It looks like it might rain a little, so that’s good for us, we need to play in those conditions as well. But we also know they are a first division team in the Australian league, and we also know what happened with the Lions in 2013, so we know that Wednesday will be a great day for all of us.

Andy Farrell