Sexton credits Schmidt for 'saving' the British & Irish Lions tour

Ireland legend Johnny Sexton has credited his former coach Joe Schmidt with turning around the Wallabies’ fortunes – and saving a once-in-12-years Lions tour from irrelevance.

The British and Irish Lions are set for the toughest test of their tour yet when they take on Australia’s top Super side, the ACT Brumbies, in Canberra on Wednesday night.

Having blown the Queensland Reds and Western Force out of the water before a tussle with the NSW Waratahs, the Brumbies – albeit undermanned – are expected to challenge the tourists.

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It’s a stark change from 18 months ago, when the hapless Wallabies were at rock bottom after their earliest exit from a World Cup and the messy resignation of coach Eddie Jones.

While the Wallabies are by no means favourites to win the three-Test series, New Zealand-born Schmidt has righted the ship and brought belief back to the side.

They have suffered a huge blow with the loss of first-choice flyhalf Noah Lolesio following surgery but Schmidt has backed other playmakers Tom Lynagh and Ben Donaldson.

Although they remain a lowly eighth in the world rankings, the Wallabies showed promise in last year’s tour of the British Isles, beating England and Wales and falling narrowly to Ireland.

Sexton was not surprised Schmidt managed to draw the best out of the Wallabies after guiding his Irish side to the top of the rankings in a stellar stint from 2013 to 2019.

“He’s a smart guy. Obviously, I’ve got a great relationship with him. But he’s doing a great job with Australia, I think,” said Lions assistant coach Sexton.

“You know, 18 months ago, people were worried about this tour, and now it’s all to play for. It’s fantastic for the series.”

Lions head coach Andy Farrell also knows Schmidt’s coaching style inside out, having served as his assistant in the Ireland set-up from 2016 to 2019.

“They got on great off the pitch, you know, they were bouncing off each other; good cop, bad cop,” Sexton said.

“They dovetailed well. Joe was always the bad cop. Andy was sometimes good, sometimes bad, but they were brilliant together.

“They knew how to push the buttons of that team, in particular. You could tell that they were in it together.

“And I’d say Andy learned a lot from Joe, but then at the same time, he’s come in and he’s changed a lot, evolved things.

“And that’s always what you want, isn’t it? Because if you went and tried to imitate Joe, people would see through.”

With Wallabies great Stephen Larkham at the helm, a torrid Brumbies test awaits before the coaching trio’s reunion.

Near-freezing temperatures and dewy conditions are expected on Wednesday night, with the Brumbies likely to use their strong line speed to make it hard for the Lions on the ball, Sexton said.

“They’re a very good team, probably the best Australian franchise,” he said. “They’ve put in a lot of good performances against us in the past, and we expect no different tomorrow.”

The Brumbies are the only Australian Super Rugby team to have beaten the Lions, overcoming a Sexton-less side 14-12 in 2013.