The British & Irish Lions will settle down to the serious business on Saturday morning as they face Australia in the first of three Tests and here are our betting tips, as well as the best betting sites to use for the Rugby match and the free bets they have available.
The Lions head for Brisbane in confident mood to face a Wallabies side that hasn’t been having things easy. The opening Test is set for an 11:00 BST start, with live coverage on Sky Sports Main Event as Andy Farrell sends his troops into battle for the opening Test.
Australia vs British & Irish Lions betting sites & free bets
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Australia vs British & Irish Lions Betting tips
Andy Farrell has gone with eight starters from his Irish squad, supplemented by four from England and a trio of Scots that includes an all-Scottish fly-half and centre trio for the first time in Lions history as Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones all get the nod.
Jamison Gibson-Park partners Russell at half-back, while the full-back spot goes to Hugo Keenan, with the in-form Tommy Freeman and James Lowe on the wing.
Tom Curry edged out Josh van der Flier and Jac Morgan at No.7, while Tadhg Beirne starts at blindside flanker.
The front row is made up of Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong combining with Joe McCarthy and captain Maro Itoje behind them.
The Wallabies have named fly-half Tom Lynagh as he emulates his father, Michael, on the occasion of his fourth Test cap.
With key forward Rob Valetini missing with a calf problem, Champion de Crespigny makes his debut at blindside with Harry Wilson captaining from number eight for Joe Schmidt’s side.
Ex-Rugby League star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is joined by Len Ikitau in the midfield, while the experienced James Slipper gets the nod at loose-head prop.
- British & Irish Lions -9.5 points @ 10/11 with Sky Bet
- Dan Sheehan to score the first try @ 8/1 with bet365
Lions to roar in Brisbane
Australia edged past Fiji 21-18 recently and, afterwards, Schmidt confessed that: “We didn’t play well enough for people to have the expectation that we’re going to come bowling into Brisbane and knock the Lions over.”
The former Ireland boss knows Farrell inside out, but it’s hard to see how Schmidt will go about halting the tourists.
The last time the Lions were in Australia, the series was decided by a 25-point win for the northern hemisphere selection and something similar could unfold now.
An explosive attack has helped the Lions dish out hefty defeats in their warm-up game against the likes of the Queensland Reds and the Western Force.
The experience and guile of Russell, in contrast to the raw potential of the promising Lynagh could be telling in the narrative of this contest.
The Wallabies can get competitive over three Tests at some point but the Lions can start with a confident first-time-out success at Suncorp Stadium and do so by at least 10 points.
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Hooker Sheehan a decisive force
Dan Sheehan at hooker was likely one of the easier selections for Farrell coming into this first Test.
They have worked extensively together with Ireland and Sheehan is a truly world class operator in the No.2 jersey.
The 26-year-old has 15 tries in a green jersey and given his massive impact both at set-piece time and in open play, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if he marks his Lions Test bow with the opening try as the tourists will attempt to impose their physicality in Brisbane.
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