Assistant coach of the UK and Ireland Lions, Johnny Sexton hopes that Saturday’s first test will be determined by a small margin, and thinks tourists need a not-good–not-good–to-beat Australia.
The former Irish fly half, who won the first cap of six Lions caps in the opening match of the 2013 Australia Tour at Suncorp Stadium, dismissed the story of Andy Farrell’s team being overwhelmed by the match.
“We don’t pay much attention to Bookie’s odds and what people are saying,” he told reporters Friday. “We are focused on tomorrow and are about to perform well.
“It’s what it takes to beat this Australian team, not great performance, but great performance.
“They are a proud country, they are top teams and are well coached, and we need to get the best version of ourselves there tomorrow,” Sexton said.
The Lions won the 2013 Series 2-1, but only got off to the start of their victory in Brisbane after Australia’s Kurtley Beale skated while attempting a slow penalty kick that gave Wallabies a victory.
– British and Ireland Lions vs. Australia: Andy Farrell denies “overconfidence”
– The first test of the UK and Ireland Lions vs. Australia: Where to watch, kickoff time
– 5 Reasons Why Lions Should Wallop Wallabies – and Why They Maybe Not
“I think the opportunity, the atmosphere, the crowd, that’s what I always live with you,” Sexton said, recalling his Lions debut.
“It obviously missed the euphoria we felt when Kurtley slipped and missed the kick, but again, it shows the margins of professional and top-level sports that we will witness tomorrow.
“It’s going to come down to such a small thing, and hopefully we’ll be on the right side of it.”
Sexton, who played all three Tests in 2013 and all three Tests in a series depicted in New Zealand four years later, said the Lions hope Australia will get fierce on them on Saturday.
“They had been preparing for us over the last few weeks, so they probably had a match against Fiji a few weeks ago,” he said.
“We can talk about all the different ifs and buts and permutations, but in the end, if we step onto the pitch tomorrow, no one will remember that, so we’ll continue the game.”