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Andy Farrell ‘wants to see how they deal with pressure’ as he challenges Lions to ‘take their chance’ vs Western Force

ANDY FARRELL cranked up the pressure on his Lions to beat Western Force today.

Farrell has made 13 changes from the side that flopped against Argentina in Dublin and urged the new-boys to seize their opportunity.

With three weeks to go until the First Test in Brisbane, the Lions must start the Australian trip with a bang.

And anything less than a sound beating of a side who finished ninth out of 11 in Super Rugby would be a massive setback.

Boss Farrell said: “They’ve got to take responsibility and grab a hold of their chance to make sure they take this team forward.

“We’ll see how we respond. The guys taking the field this weekend are a little bit fortunate in the sense that they understand how we want to get better.

“Part of the whole package is dealing with their own expectation and the pressure we put on ourselves. That’s why we were disappointed last week.

“I put a lot on them because I want to see how they deal with the pressure.”

Force have scrum-half Nic White — described by Eddie Jones as the “biggest niggler” in rugby — leading the side after he was released by the Wallabies.

Farrell added: “It’s a great side full of Australians who are in the here and now and people with the ambition to be future Australian Test players.”

20 June 2025; British & Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell before the Lions 1888 Cup match between the British & Irish Lions and Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Andy Farrell wants to see how the Lions respond against the Western Force
Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

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