British and Irish Lions captain Maro Itoje insists that their job is not yet done and has demanded that they lift their level for the third Test in Sydney.
The tourists managed to claim a series success in Melbourne on Saturday as they defeated the Wallabies 29-26 at the MCG in a thrilling encounter.
Hugo Keenan’s try won the match for Andy Farrell’s men as they came from 23-5 behind to overcome the hosts at the weekend.
Itoje’s warning
While the Lions have emerged triumphant in both Test matches so far, Itoje has not been entirely happy with their performances and has warned their opponents there is “much more in us” ahead of the next contest.
“The exciting thing – obviously we’re delighted and we’re going to celebrate this win – is that you know and I know we’ve got so much more in us. Next week we have an opportunity to actually bring it all together,” he told Sky Sports.
Itoje captained the Lions to a first series triumph in 12 years and he revealed a sage piece of advice from a relative after their profligacy in the first Test.
“My uncle last week sent me a message saying: ‘Look, you guys aren’t the Harlem Globetrotters, you guys need to make sure you win’. Thank you uncle, that was good advice and luckily we did it,” he added.
While the Lions were dominated by the Wallabies in the opening half, one thing they did improve on was their accuracy with ball in hand.
Unlike in Brisbane, they took the majority of the opportunities that came their way in the second Test and that proved crucial in keeping them in the contest heading into the latter stages.
“Andy, big Faz, was telling us, ‘play big, play big all the time, believe in ourselves’. I give a load of credit to the bench, all the guys who came on made a massive difference,” Itoje said.
“I think we started hitting. It sounds pretty basic to say but we started hitting, our scrum got on top and our decision-makers – Finn [Russell], Faz (Owen Farrell) and Jamma (Jamison Gibson-Park) at nine – started playing really well. We just managed to stay close enough and score in the end.”
Farrell-Itoje combination
Itoje reserved praise for fellow Englishman Farrell after the Ireland head coach led the team to a series success.
“He’s obviously a very talented coach, he’s done loads of good everywhere he’s gone. It’s just been great. Him and all the coaching staff have all been great,” the second-row added.
The Lions lock has also been hailed for how he has led the tourists in Australia, with his captaincy crucial to their win in Melbourne, but he wanted to deflect attention away from his own efforts.
“It’s not about me, it’s about all those guys there and everyone in the stand, all the 90,000 Lions fans who came here and were amazing. I’m just happy for the whole squad, whole four nations – you can celebrate this one,” he said.
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