{"id":21542,"date":"2025-07-25T16:35:23","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T16:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/21542\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T16:35:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T16:35:23","slug":"british-and-irish-lions-sky-sports-pundits-reveal-their-predictions-for-second-test-against-australia-rugby-union-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/21542\/","title":{"rendered":"British and Irish Lions: Sky Sports pundits reveal their predictions for second Test against Australia | Rugby Union News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The teams have been named, the talking is over. It’s almost time for kick-off again between the British and Irish Lions and the Wallabies in Australia.<\/p>\n

Some of Sky Sports’ analysts for this summer’s tour have revealed their predictions for Saturday’s second Test in Melbourne – live on Sky Sports The Lions on Saturday from 9.30am (kick-off 11am).<\/p>\n

Here’s how Dan Biggar, Ronan O’Gara and Will Greenwood think Saturday’s Test at the MCG will go…<\/p>\n

‘Australia will be better, Test will be tighter, but Lions still to win’<\/p>\n

Sky Sports’ Dan Biggar: <\/p>\n

“I looked at the two teams last week and I thought it was very difficult for the Wallabies. I couldn’t see a way they could win.<\/p>\n

“This week with Rob Valetini, Will Skelton and Dave Porecki back, a 6-2 split on the bench with Langi Gleeson, I just feel like there’s a way for them to win if they can match the Lions’ power and physicality.<\/p>\n

“If they can contain the Lions in that first 25 minutes and keep themselves in the game until half-time, I see that there is a way to win. But you’d have to say you still fancy the Lions.<\/p>\n

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n

\"Lions<\/p>\n

Dan Biggar reacts to Andy Farrell’s seven changes to the British and Irish Lions squad ahead of their second Test against Australia<\/p>\n

“There’s a gulf between the two teams, there’s no doubt about it. Whether those few Australia players mentioned will bridge that gap enough to get the Wallabies on the right side of the scoreboard is another question.<\/p>\n

“I think Australia will be better and it will be a little bit tighter as a contest, but I still expect the Lions to win by more than a score.<\/p>\n

“Wallabies scrum-half Jake Gordon needs a big game this weekend to nurture Tom Lynagh through and bring their players into play, because the No 9 and 10 for the Lions do that brilliantly.”<\/p>\n

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n

\"Thumbnail\"<\/p>\n

Andy Farrell explains his three changes to British and Irish Lions’ starting 15 for second Test against Australia<\/p>\n

‘Farrell wants Lions to rip Australia apart – they have the capacity to do so’<\/p>\n

Sky Sports’ Ronan O’Gara: <\/p>\n

“I’ve been asked quite a few times on tour: how does Andy Farrell read the room and speak to his players?<\/p>\n

“I would say he was particularly disappointed with his team’s second-half performance in the first Test from an execution and accuracy point of view. They left an awful lot of tries out there.<\/p>\n

“I think Farrell wants the Lions to rip this Australian team apart and I think they have the ball-skills and capacity to do that.<\/p>\n

“Australia will be all in with Skelton and Valetini, and they’ll be a better team, but the Lions have it all to play for.”<\/p>\n

\"British<\/p>\n

\"Australia<\/p>\n

‘Wet weather won’t help Lions but still back them ‘<\/p>\n

Sky Sports’ Will Greenwood: <\/p>\n

“I think the Lions backs are going to have to be better because I think the Australian forwards will get a little bit more parity this week.<\/p>\n

“The Lions can be better – the wet weather won’t help – but I’m a numbers guy, always have been, and the numbers currently say the Lions are 10-point favourites.<\/p>\n

“Let’s put some weather onto that and make them six-point favourites, and it’s almost a carbon copy of last weekend.<\/p>\n

“The Lions to win 25-19.”<\/p>\n

\"Itoje,<\/p>\n

Image:
\n Captains Maro Itoje and Harry Wilson will again lead their sides out for a critical second Test on Saturday<\/p>\n

Watch the second Australia vs British and Irish Lions Test on Saturday on Sky Sports The Lions & Main Event from 9.30am (kick-off 11am).<\/p>\n

British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Sky Sports<\/a> <\/p>\n

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n

\"Lions<\/p>\n

Watch the British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia exclusively live on Sky Sports this summer<\/p>\n

Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests against the Wallabies and seven warm-up matches to be shown exclusively live.<\/p>\n

British and Irish Lions 2025 tour schedule<\/p>\n

Date
\n Opponent
\n Venue<\/p>\n

Friday, June 20
\n Argentina (L 28-24)
\n Dublin<\/p>\n

Saturday, June 28
\n Western Force (W 54-7)
\n Perth<\/p>\n

Wednesday, July 2
\n Queensland Reds (W 52-12)
\n Brisbane<\/p>\n

Saturday, July 5
\n NSW Waratahs (W 21-10)
\n Sydney<\/p>\n

Wednesday, July 9
\n ACT Brumbies (W 36-24)
\n Canberra<\/p>\n

Saturday, July 12
\n Invitational AU-NZ (W 48-0)
\n Adelaide<\/p>\n

Saturday, July 19
\n AUSTRALIA (first Test)
\n Brisbane<\/p>\n

Tuesday, July 22
\n First Nations & Pasifika XV
\n Melbourne<\/p>\n

Saturday, July 26
\n AUSTRALIA (second Test)
\n Melbourne<\/p>\n

Saturday, August 2
\n AUSTRALIA (third Test)
\n Sydney<\/p>\n

Howden Insurance – proud principal partner and front-of-shirt sponsor of The British & Irish Lions. Find out more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The teams have been named, the talking is over. It’s almost time for kick-off again between the British…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21543,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-21542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}