‘Never feel we can’t win’: Raging Bull warns Lions about Australian spirit

The league background of Andy Farrell - and a chance meeting in Brisbane with “the Raging Bull” ahead of the first Test - has given the Lions coach a timely warning about the danger waiting for a heavy favourite on the edge of Caxton Street: the Suncorp Stadium ambush.

The Wallabies were already underdogs to beat the Lions but injuries to key men have seen them pushed to massive outsiders, with bookies now rating them only a $4 chance to get the win over a star-laden opposition in the opening Test of the series on Saturday.

The Wallabies have a total Test cap count of 641, while the Lions have a combined 1172 Test caps experience. Few are tipping Australia to win.

It’s all familiar territory in Queensland ahead of a State of Origin series, and Farrell said he was reminded of the mentality that the hosts will carry into the game after bumping into former league rival Gorden Tallis in Brisbane’s CBD on Thursday.

Farrell and Tallis faced off in the 13-man code several times between 1997 and 2000, when the now-Lions rugby coach was captain of the Great Britain Lions rugby league side. Farrell had a 13-year, 44-Test career in league before making a career in rugby union, and ranks a 1994 win with Wigan over the Broncos at Lang Park as one of his career highlights.

“I actually saw him [on] the street. I went, ‘Gordie’, he said, ‘flipping heck’. So we had a good 20 minutes in the street, and it was good to catch up with him,” Farrell said.

Andy Farrell, the British & Irish Lions head coach.Credit: Getty Images

“He used to say everyone used to talk about Queensland being underdogs. He said we never, ever saw it that way. And Australia will be exactly the same.”

Tallis later told this masthead he’d given Farrell an insight into the Australian mentality when written off - not just Queensland - and said he believed the Wallabies would summon the same spirit at Suncorp.

Gordon Tallis on the charge at Suncorp Stadium.Credit: ALLSPORT AUSTRALI

“We were talking about underdogs and I said ‘mate look at origin, I never once ran out on the field and felt like an underdog’. Never. I was just talking about being an Aussie and that we never feel we can’t win. No Aussie will ever feel like that.

“We are diggers. There is a coat of arms on our chest with an emu and a kangaroo, and the reason they’re on our chest is they never take a backward step. That’s where the Wallabies are going to be at. This is the biggest thing in Australian rugby for a long, long time.

“They have the whole nation behind them, in this moment.”

The message was heard by Farrell, who said he had been very wary of how the Wallabies would build a desperate mindset in a series played once every 12 years.

“It’s something that we’ve talked about from day one. If you’re in a position where it comes down to this every 12 years, and you get to pull the shirt on for the Wallabies and the privilege that goes with that, representing your country, they’ll be fighting tooth and nail, won’t they?” he said.

The Wallabies pose for a team photo at Suncorp Stadium.Credit: Getty Images

The Wallabies regard Suncorp Stadium as their unofficial home ground, and have scored most of their major wins there in the past 16 years, including three wins against New Zealand and six against the Springboks.

Lions rookie Henry Pollock earlier revealed the tourists were aiming to whitewash the Wallabies in the Test series.

Harry Wilson addresses a large media contingent at Suncorp.Credit: Getty Images

But speaking after the Wallabies’ final session at Suncorp Stadium on Friday - where the side unveiled jerseys with names on the back for the first time - captain Harry Wilson said the team was not listening to outside opinions.

“There’s so much chatter about rugby at the moment, and everyone’s got an opinion. There’s thousands of people over here who will have their prediction, so that’s just another one for us, and the only thing we can control is what we’ve done during the week and what we’re going to go out and do tomorrow night,” Wilson said.

“We are very confident, we have had a very good week of preparation and done everything we wanted to do, so we feel like we are in a really good place.”

Though he’s maroon-blooded Queensland fan, Wilson said the Wallabies hadn’t drawn particular inspiration from their ability to pull off consistent upsets.

“For us, as I said before, it’s been about getting our preparation right and we have done everything right to prepare to get a result,” he said.

“As a young footballer, these are the situations you want to be in. Versus the British Irish Lions, at your home track, it’s amazing, and I just can’t wait to enjoy the moment.

All matches of The British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia are live & on demand on Stan Sport, with Wallabies Tests in 4K. All Test matches live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now.