Andy Farrell has his say over future Lions tour shake-up

Andy Farrell insisted debate over Australia’s future as a British and Irish Lions tour destination was “insulting”.

The Lions are seeking to complete a series whitewash when the rivals clash for the final time in Sydney on Saturday with Farrell making two changes to his starting XV, bringing in lock James Ryan and wing Blair Kinghorn.

Australian rugby is facing significant challenges on and off the field and is the weakest of the three nations visited by the elite of British and Irish rugby, with South Africa and New Zealand completing the 12-year rotation.

Furthermore, there is growing support for the Lions to visit France because of the strength of their national side and club game, as well as the commercial possibilities.

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The Wallabies answered their critics at Melbourne Cricket Ground by taking the second Test to the wire in an all-time classic before falling 2-0 behind in the series when Hugo Keenan struck with 51 seconds left.

When asked if Australia had earned the right to host another tour, Farrell replied: “It was never off the agenda, in my opinion.

“Every single team, country and province have their ups and downs but Australia – the sporting nation that they are – are always going to come back.

“Have a look at the year they’ve got coming up. Come the 2027 World Cup they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with, 100 per cent.

“It would be tragic not to tour here. We’ve had a blast. To me, it’s insulting to talk about it in that kind of way.”

Ryan replaces Ollie Chessum amid praise from Farrell for the “venom” he shows when taking on the unglamorous work up-front, while Kinghorn has been preferred ahead of James Lowe thanks to his “unpredictability” and the strength of his aerial game in what should be wet and windy conditions at Accor Stadium.

But Farrell’s warmest words were reserved for those players who had not participated in the series yet, having fully embraced the task of preparing the Test team to face the Wallabies.

“It actually touches you. It touches you in the sense of how much it means to them,” said Farrell, who by Saturday night will have used 27 players in the three matches against Australia.

“The ones who were celebrating most on Saturday night were the ones who hadn’t put the shirt on. That says it all.

“We all came together from day one and said ‘the only thing that matters is the squad and that’s it, full stop’. So we’ve all been in this together from day one.”

Farrell’s success as Lions head coach – as well as his obvious passion for the concept – makes him overwhelming favourite to lead the next tour to New Zealand, but he is refusing to look beyond attending an Oasis concert at Croke Park upon his return home.

“Would I do this again? Give me a break would you! Let me get through Saturday. I have absolutely loved every single minute and I knew I would because I just love everything that the Lions is about,” he said.

“Thinking about the future is not something that is on my mind until I get home and have a bit of reflection on the whole thing.

“I’m definitely going to Oasis and that’s why I’m going home! I’ll be taking a few friends. There are a few coaches here that are trying to get on the bandwagon.”