Kiss’ message for Reds halves before Gibson-Park and Russell challenge

With at least 47,000 fans watching on at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday, young halves Kalani Thomas and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips will have the opportunity of a lifetime after being included in the starting side to face the British & Irish Lions.

With Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss naming 23-year-old Thomas at halfback and 21-year-old McLaughlin-Phillips in the First XV, the playmakers are now set to come up against Ireland scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park and Scotland’s Finn Russell.

Gibson-Park will debut for the Lions on Wednesday, with many tipping the New Zealand-born No. 9 to eventually start for the Test team against the Wallabies, potentially with Russell also featuring in the run-on side in that series.

Les Kiss & Matt Faessler Reds presser

Les Kiss & Matt Faessler Reds presser

Russell once described himself to football icon Lionel Messi in Netflix’s Six Nations: Full Contact, and while that playful comparison captured sporting headlines around the world, many consider the Scotsman to be one of the best 10s in rugby

After recently guiding Bath to the title in the English Premiership, Russell put on a clinic in last weekend’s 54-7 win over the Western Force in Perth. With a world-class pairing set to take the field for the Lions this week, Kiss has called on the Reds’ young halves to embrace it.

“You look at Gibson-Park and Finn Russell against Kalani Thomas and Harry McLaughlin-Phillps, what a wonderful opportunity. That’s the way we’re looking at it,” Kiss told reporters.

“It’s a challenge, but it’s an opportunity as well to test yourself against the best.

“When you look at the pack they’ve picked, they certainly mean business, so it’s important our pack can do a job enough for our boys to be able to show a bit of their skill sets as well.

“To play against Finn Russell and Gibson-Park, how cool.”

Russell is the only member of last Saturday’s First XV who has retained their place, with coach Andy Farrell making 14 changes to the run-on side. Tour captain Maro Itoje returns to lead a group which, alongside Gibson-Park, features another two debutants.

Ireland’s Hugo Keenan will become a Lion in Brisbane after being named at fullback, while lock James Ryan is in line to debut after being named on the bench. It’s a team that features a heavy mix of Irish and English players.

After a shock loss to Argentina in Dublin, the Lions bounce back with that dominant win over the Force, and they’re now set for their third match as a group. They’ve already shown in their first two matches that when things click, this Lions squad is hard to stop.

“I know the games they’ve probably had not the flow they’d like but when they’ve got flow, it’s bloody dangerous,” Kiss reflected.

“We are under no illusions about what’s going to be thrown up against us.

“Finn Russell playing again, obviously means a lot, him with Gibson-Park will be trying to find that combo, whether they want to use that into the Test arena so they’ll have a chance to look at that.

“They’ll have a chance to look at Fin Smith… they’re looking for their combinations but I’ve seen enough in their games as it’s coming through, you can see the Irish influence, definitely, particularly in their pods and how they attack.

“There’s a lot to learn from just watching even the Irish games that we’ve had a look at as well.”