British and Irish Lions legend Brian O’Driscoll believes that Andy Farrell’s side should have put 40 points on the Wallabies in the first Test.
The tourists were heavy favourites prior to the series and they dominated the opening match in Brisbane without it being truly shown on the scoreboard.
They led 24-5 at one stage but struggled with their discipline in the second period and that allowed Australia to put more respectability on the final result.
Taking their chances
That cutting edge was lacking from the Lions’ game last weekend and O’Driscoll is fascinated by how they will approach the second Test.
“I’m looking at it and going, what mentality will the Lions have? Will they have that cut-throat nature? Will they keep their foot on the throat when it’s necessitated?” he told Off The Ball.
“Australia have nothing after this game. A consolation of a Test match win in a Lions lost series is nothing. Ask the players that were involved in South Africa in 2009.
“They will come with huge intent. Whether they have enough belief installed in them throughout the week and with those changes, which you would anticipate, will that be the difference between bridging that eight-point gap?
“It felt like it should have been 20 points. I just think the Lions, irrespective of their selections or who’s available to them, should have too much.”
Complacency
The Lions are very much expected to wrap up a series triumph in Melbourne on Saturday, but O’Driscoll knows that it is not as simple as just turning up.
“That’s sport and I’ve been stung enough times over the course of my career, and seen it enough in the last 10 years as a pundit, that when you least expect it, it comes back to bite,” he said.
“Any form of complacency or the subconscious switching off, or thinking about what might be as a Lions series winner, and all of those things; you’ll fight human nature as much as you can but that’s going on in the back of some people’s heads, I’m sure.
“They were so significantly better than Australia and they will probably say: ‘We only played for a half, so if we manage to play for two halves, we should pull these apart’.
“It should have been 40 points, we should have scored 40 at the weekend. You think about the [Joe] McCarthy crossfield kick, the Huw Jones missed opportunity – that’s at least 12 points.
“The catalyst that creates confidence and belief, passes then stick and you play with freedom while heads drop, so it works both ways – hyper-confidence and dropping your heads.
“That’s why you get these big scorelines, even in Test match rugby these days.”