British & Irish Lions

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Lions head coach Andy Farrell says debate over whether Australia should continue as a destination for the touring side is "insulting".

The Lions have won all eight matches so far down under, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series before the third Test in Sydney on Saturday.

South Africa and New Zealand, the other two nations the Lions visit on rotation, have offered a significantly stiffer challenge in recent years.

"It was never off the agenda, in my opinion," said Farrell.

"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%.

"It would be tragic not to tour here. We've had a blast. To me its insulting to talk about it in that kind of way."

Farrell also said he would only consider the possibility of leading the Lions in New Zealand in four years time once he had returned home.

"Would I do this again? Give me a break would you! Let me get through Saturday," he said.

"I have absolutely loved every single minute and I knew I would because I just love everything that the Lions is about."

Lauren Jenkins
BBC Sport in Australia

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Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt says flanker Carlo Tizzano has been the target of online abuse following the controversial clear-out which decided the series in Melbourne.

''He's had a really tough week," said Schmidt. "He's copped a lot of online abuse. We've advised Carlo to stay away from the media full stop and the opinions that are out there because we've tried to just deal in the facts.

Tizzano had been accused of diving in the aftermath of the Jac Morgan clear-out, with ex-players such as James Haskell and Sam Warburton criticising that sort of behaviour in rugby. But Schmidt dismissed the claims.

''We're all aware of Newton's third law. For every action there's an opposite reaction. When that force hits him and the speed of his head is collapsing down, he recoiled out of the back of the ruck. I don't think he wanted to recoil like that but it's the nature of force.''

Despite being fit to be selected and not suffering concussion, Tizzano has been left out of the team for the third Test in Sydney.

''There were just over 54 G's of force, direct force that went through the neck, along with almost 2200 rads [radians] of rotational force, which is enough to cause a serious injury, not to a rugby player who's as well conditioned as Carlo, but he's probably best just left to take a deep breath and sit this one out," said Schmidt.

Schmidt confirmed any findings of the review conducted by World Rugby would remain private.

Chris Jones
Rugby union Correspondent in Sydney

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Former Australia captain Michael Hooper says the Wallabies have to move on from the controversial end to last weekend's decisive second Test, and hopes their performance in Melbourne can act as a line in the sand ahead of a home World Cup in 2027.

Speaking to the Rugby Union Weekly podcast in Sydney, Hooper reflected on the call from the officials not to penalise Jac Morgan ahead of Hugo Keenan's winning try.

"It's the game right. But these things happen and if being a player teaches you anything it's that you have to move on," he said.

"I hope the Wallabies have had a couple of days just to grieve, get it over with, and to get mentally prepared to bring it this week."

Despite the series defeat by the Lions, Hooper hopes the Wallabies can start to get the Australian sporting public back in love with the national side.

"We are fair weather fans in this country. We love a winner and we love teams that show up with what we see as being Australian, which is showing up with a bit of grit and being competitive," he added.

"What we want to see in the next two years [before the World Cup] is just a consistent improvement, a trend upwards, and you don't see these valleys and troughs we have seen over the past decade and a bit.

"You are a very lucky player if you get to have a home World Cup, and these guys are going to get to do that."

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British and Irish Lions centre Huw Jones says Garry Ringrose, who he replaced in the second Test starting line-up at late notice after the Ireland midfield man suffered lingering concussion symptoms, would have been "unbelievable" had he been fit to play in Melbourne.

"It was a pretty mental week. I had the initial disappointment of not being in the squad on the Tuesday," Jones said.

"I had a chat with Andy and I was gutted. I got over that and was ready to get behind the boys.

"And then on Thursday we trained and Garry - to be fair to him - said his head just wasn't right. I think he may have got a knock in the session and went to the doctor.

"That's brave. And pulling yourself out as well. It was at the end of training, I had no idea that he was struggling,

"I was gutted for him because he deserved to play and I know he would have been unbelievable. Sometimes that's rugby and that's sport."

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Lions captain Maro Itoje and prop Tadhg Furlong will win their ninth Test caps for the Lions if selected for Saturday's finale.

Both men are on their third tours for the Lions and will move into elite territory if they face Australia in Sydney.

Owen Farrell currently has seven caps and will hope to win his eighth this weekend.

Here's a look at the top 10 most-capped Lions players:

17 caps - Willie John McBride

13 caps - Dickie Jeeps

12 caps - Mike Gibson, Graham Price, Alun Wyn Jones

10 caps - Tony O'Reilly, RH Williams, Gareth Edwards

9 caps - Syd Millar, Mako Vunipola

Mantej Mann
BBC Sport Journalist

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The Lions have not won a series whitewash for almost a century.

Victory over Australia in the third Test on Saturday will deliver a first clean sweep since their tour of Argentina in 1927.

The Lions, made up of English and Scottish players, won all four Test matches in somewhat humble beginnings for the Pumas.

According to the Lions website, external, the River Plate Rugby Union – now Union Argentina de Rugby – recognised those four matches as the first official games of the Argentina national team.

Can Maro Itoje become the first Lions captain since Scottish lock David MacMyn to lead the tourists to a series whitewash?

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Several of the British and Irish Lions were sporting some natty home-made neckwear during their celebrations in Melbourne.

Their garlands, made out of chocolate bar wrappers and ribbon, were made and presented by the family of centre Sione Tuipulotu.

Tuipulotu was born in Australia, but his father is Tongan and he spent four years in Tonga as a child. He qualifies for Scotland, and therefore the Lions, through his maternal grandmother who comes from Greenock.

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Former All Black prop Aidan Ross has been called up by Australia as they prepare for Saturday's third Test against the British and Irish Lions in Sydney.

The 29-year-old, who played for New Zealand in two Test defeats by Ireland in 2022, was born in Australia before moving across the Tasman as a child.

Under World Rugby's 'birthright' rules, players can represent a second nation after a three-year stand-down period if they, a parent or a grandparent were born in that second nation.

Ross, who was part of the Chiefs team that lost the Super Rugby final last month, has since moved to the Queensland Reds.

He has already played the Lions twice on their tour, turning out for the Reds and an invitational Australia and New Zealand side.

Elsewhere wing Harry Potter has been ruled out of the tour finale after straining his hamstring in Australia's second Test defeat in Melbourne.

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Wallabies Max Jorgensen and Nick Frost have come out in support of team-mate Carlo Tizzano after the replacement flanker was at the centre of a decisive late call in the British and Irish Lions series-clinching second Test win in Melbourne.

Attempting to win a turnover at the breakdown, Tizzano was cleared out by Jac Morgan in the final ruck before Hugo Keenan's game-winning try.

The incident was reviewed and cleared by the video official and his on-field team, however Australia coach Joe Schmidt claimed, with Tizzano having won the race to the ball, Morgan's solo clear-out above Tizzano's shoulder line, should have been a penalty awarded the Wallabies' way.

Lions fly-half Finn Russell said after the match that Tizzano had "tried to get a penalty" by going down holding his head.

"He's a bloody tough player and he really puts himself in tough positions for us constantly throughout the game and week in, week out," said Jorgensen of Tizzano.

"Carlo's a competitor, like he always is, He's trying to get the ball.. he's there first and he gets hit pretty hard with a full force clean-out," Frost added.

"It is what it is. We can't do anything about a decision…"

Mantej Mann
BBC Sport Journalist

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Jack Conan has revealed that a video message from Irish boxing legend Katie Taylor helped inspire the Lions' memorable comeback in their series-clinching victory over Australia.

Olympic gold medallist and undisputed world super lightweight champion Taylor urged the touring party to dig deep in a good luck message before the second Test in Melbourne.

The Lions took heed of Taylor's encouragement after overturning an 18-point deficit to win 29-26.

"The video was unbelievably poignant and powerful. It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but also being ready to win by will," said Ireland number eight Conan.

"That was something that was massively summed up in the game because we were not at our best at all.

"It's huge because she comes from the town I'm from. I'm incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well.

"She's gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world. To be such a superstar, incredibly humble and driven is something that we leant on as well because we knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it in spades.

"Everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy - it resonated with everyone. It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us."