Depth in British and Irish side tested to the limits after a bruising tour.
Prop Alex Corbisiero and centre Jamie Roberts will be working hard in training this week to prove their fitness for the deciding third Test against the Wallabies, according to British and Irish Lions assistant coach Andy Farrell.
The tourists have headed to Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast for a break after going down 16-15 to the Wallabies in last Saturday’s gruelling second Test in Melbourne to level the series.
Corbisiero was called up as a replacement loosehead prop and distinguished himself in the front row on his Lions Test debut in the Brisbane victory before a calf injury that ruled him out of the second Test.
Roberts injured his hamstring in the big win over the New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney two weeks ago and has not played since.
But both men are fighting to be fit for consideration when the Lions team is named on Wednesday.
“There are a few boys training on Monday and the rest of the squad have a couple of days off and we’ll train Wednesday and Thursday,” Farrell said
“Alex Corbisiero and Jamie Roberts will go hard on Monday and, hopefully, will be right for full training on Wednesday.”
Farrell said skipper Sam Warburton was upset to come off late in Saturday’s second Test with a hamstring injury and he is battling to be be fit for the series decider.
“You want to be there for your team-mates and lead from the front, especially in the last dying minutes of the game,” Farrell said.
“He is disappointed about that, but he is in good spirits because he knows we have a big week ahead of us and a Test match series to win. He was in good spirits with the rest of his playing group and he eagerly awaits his (scan) results.”
Farrell said he doesn’t believe the Wallabies’ one-point victory will give them the edge going into the decider.
“There is still a little bit of emotion there with the enormity of the game and what was at stake. But the reality is it’s 1-1, there are two good teams going hammer and tongs and we’re both still in the race,” said Farrell.
“I’m proud of the way we stuck at it, especially in defence when we were under pressure in those last 20 minutes.
“We were lucky in the first game to get away with a win and, in the second game, we could have won. I suppose you could say after those two games 1-1 is a fair way to look at it. Now it’s all on for the last one.”
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