Young Rebel Tom English is ready to make the most of his opportunity against the Lions
Photo: Stuart Walmsley

by Paul Cook in Melbourne –

In terms of mental preparation, tonight’s clash between the Melbourne Rebels and the British & Irish Lions serves as perhaps an unwanted distraction for the tourists as they focus their attention towards winning Saturday’s second test and claiming their first series win since 1997 in the process.

After the emotional highs of the last gasp victory in Brisbane, and the extra levels of desire and intensity they will need to go to in four days time in order to thwart a smarting Wallabies and achieve their goal, this game looms as something of a come down in between – a relative hill between two peaks. For that reason alone, it also looms as a potential banana skin, should those donning red fail to heed the lessons of last week’s reversal in Canberra.

Of course, for those players involved it means absolutely everything, as it serves as their final shot at forcing their way into Warren Gatland’s test team reckoning, particularly given the fragile physical state the Lions suddenly find themselves in. The confirmation of Paul O’Connell’s permanent omission with a fractured arm and the potential end of Alex Corbisiero’s tour with a troublesome calf, has opened the door for the midweek ‘dirt-trackers’ to prove their worth and nab a bench spot at the very least.

A good performance from Ian Evans against the Rebels should see him cement a place in the matchday 23 for the second test – Photo: photae.com.au

“The squad have all been told there are a lot of opportunities to be involved at the weekend,” Lions assistant coach Graham Rowntree confirmed. “I’m sure there will be a handful of guys from this team who take the field on Saturday.”

Geoff Parling, who was to captain the Lions this evening, has been withdrawn, presumably to allow him to replace O’Connell at the weekend. The England lock has impressed with his game time so far and is probably deserving of his chance but he is not a like-for-like replacement for the warrior that is O’Connell, then again, who is?

The closest thing the Lions have is the fiery and physical Ian Evans, but the Welshman has yet to reproduce his Six Nations form on this tour and he also has a suspect temperament, not something Gatland and co. will want to be worrying about in the heat of Saturday’s battle.

Evans now starts against the Rebels and a good performance should see him nail down the test bench spot behind Parling, although Richie Gray’s demotion baffles, as the towering Scot has also been largely blemish free thus far.

Mako Vunipola will jump into Corbisiero’s shoes as starting loosehead for the test, a position he feels he should have had anyway given his form, which means Ryan Grant, effectively fifth choice no.1 behind the injured Cian Healy, Gethin Jenkins, Vunipola and Corbisiero, is now virtually guaranteed some game time off the bench against the Wallabies. Given the almost catastrophic effect that the Lions’ second string front row had on proceedings in the first test, this may set alarm bells ringing for scrum coach Rowntree.

The golden carrot of a test spot should ensure no hints of complacency against the Rebels, just as well as the Melburnians have picked their strongest side available for what they see as a landmark moment for rugby in the state of Victoria. Australia’s fifth and newest Super Rugby franchise, the Rebels have built a relatively small but loyal following in their three years in existence but a win over the Lions would be a massive shot in the arm for a sport relegated to the fringes of Melbourne’s sporting mad population behind Australian Rules, football and rugby league.

“I am very proud of the way Melbourne has embraced the Rebels, and we hope to repay that with a record attendance at AAMI Park, and a historical moment in Victorian sporting history,” says Rebels head coach Damien Hill.

“We’ve got a number of players on this team who are aspiring players for the Wallabies in the next couple of years and there’s no better arena to be in to test those skills than against the Lions. We want to test ourselves against the best and this is a great opportunity to do that.”

Luke Burgess’ experience with the national side will come in handy for the inexperienced Rebels

The Rebels young but talented side will be boosted by the addition of former Wallaby scrumhalf Luke Burgess. The 29–year-old has returned from a stint in France with Toulouse and the qualities and sheer nous that he brings to the table cannot be underestimated.

“Having Luke Burgess this week adds to our experience at this level of football,” admits Hill. “He’ll bring a degree of composure to the team and with his experience, he knows exactly what he’s going to come up against. He’s played in Europe and there’ll be no surprises for him and that calmness and experience will provide some assuredness to the younger members of our squad.”

Burgess’ last run out on Australian soil was almost two years ago to the day, and the veteran of 37 tests admitted that the lure of a shot at the Lions was one of the key reasons for his return home.

“Every rugby player’s dream is to have the opportunity to play the British & Irish Lions in their home country, and I am very honoured to have been selected to start for the Rebels and get a chance to play them,” he said. “Having been in Melbourne a couple of weeks now, I have built some solid combinations with this young playing group, and have enjoyed working alongside Nic Stirzaker in the halfback role. Together, we have both been able to apply a game plan that will look to challenge the Lions, and it is something we are both looking forward to.”

For Graham Rowntree, the 14-12 defeat by the Brumbies in Canberra a week ago still rankles as its stands as their only tour defeat. A repeat display againt the Rebels is simply unacceptable. “That didn’t go down very well that loss,” he grimaced “there were some stern words at half time and afterwards as well. A lot of the guys playing the Rebels were involved in that and this is their chance to right those wrongs.”

They have been warned.

Melbourne Rebels: 1. Nic Henderson; 2. Ged Robinson; 3. Laurie Weeks; 4. Cadeyrn Neville; 5. Hugh Pyle; 6. Jarrod Saffy; 7. Scott Fuglistaller; 8. Gareth Delve (c); 9. Luke Burgess; 10. Bryce Hegarty; 11. Tom English; 12. Mitch  Inman; 13. Rory Sidey; 14. Lachie Mitchell; 15. Jason Woodward

Replacements: Pat Leafa; Cruze Ah-Nau; Paul Alo-Emile; Luke Jones; Jordy Reid; Nic Stirzaker; Angus Roberts; Cooper Vuna.

British & Irish Lions: 1. Ryan Grant; 2. Richard Hibbard; 3. Dan Cole; 4. Richie Gray; 5. Ian Evans; 6. Dan Lydiate (c); 7. Sean O’Brien; 8. Toby Faletau; 9. Conor Murray; 10. Owen Farrell; 11. Sean Maitland; 12. Manu Tuilagi; 13. Brad Barritt; 14. Simon Zebo; 15. Rob Kearney

Replacements: Rory Best; Tom Court; Matt Stevens; Tom Croft; Justin Tipuric; Ben Youngs; Billy Twelvetrees; Stuart Hogg