MELBOURNE: Mindful of a wounded Australia backlash but intoxicated by the whiff of a rare series victory, the British and Irish Lions will aim to ramp up the intensity in tomorrow’s crunch second Test in Melbourne even as both sides recover from the bruising opener.
The Lions stumbled over the line at a heaving Lang Park for tomorrow’s heart-stopping 23-21 win, aided by the wayward boot of Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale, that exacted a huge physical toll on both sides.
Now another 80 minutes of gut-busting punishment looms under the closed roof of Docklands Stadium where coach Warren Gatland has demanded the tourists finish the job and win their first series since 1997.
“This is a do-or-die match for Australia. It’s going to be a real battle out there,” the New Zealander told reporters.
“We can win this series by winning on Saturday, that’s what our whole focus needs to be. The last thing we want to do is think about going and being 1-1 and having to go and play another game in Sydney.”
Australia’s backline was torn asunder in the Brisbane thriller, with three taken from the ground by stretcher, but the hosts showed enormous grit to claw their way back.
A business-as-usual attitude has pervaded the Wallabies camp, with the coaching staff re-assembling another backline dripping with glittering talent.
Robbie Deans may well be coaching for his job at Docklands Stadium, and again at Sydney should the Wallabies survive, but remains as unfazed as ever, having long stared down the axe.
“I thought the boys did incredibly well under the circumstances (last week), particularly as it was a domino effect that went from there to the extent where we had to play a forward in the backline,” he told reporters.
“Clearly this week we’ve had the benefit of some more preparation and hopefully we’ll have a lit bit more fluency in our game.”
Australia head into game two with history as inspiration, having come back from a match down to overhaul the Lions in 2001 and 1989.
They will be mindful that the John Eales-captained side dropped the opener in Brisbane but levelled the 2001 series at the same venue before closing it out in Sydney. REUTERS
