Martin Johnson inspires British & Irish Lions ahead of crucial second Test against the Wallabies

The British and Irish Lions will stage their attempt to close out a series victory over Australia inspired by the words of Martin Johnson.

Johnson presented the jerseys to Andy Farrell’s team as a surprise guest speaker at a special ceremony before dinner as part of the build-up to Saturday’s second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The former England lock captained two Lions tours, overseeing a series triumph against South Africa in 1997 and a defeat to Australia four years later, and drew on his experience to outline what will be required against the Wallabies.

“Martin speaks nice and calmly. It was a privilege to have him there,” scrum coach John Fogarty said.

“He talked a bit about the Lions series they won and the Lions series they lost and the difference in both.

“The room was completely quiet for the whole time he spoke. There were guys just staring up at him. Maro asked him a question or two and then he handed out the jerseys.

“There was a bit of contemplation and reflection after he talked, which is a good thing. It was a quiet room because they wanted to listen to a guy they see as an icon.”

Wallabies Fightback

The Lions seized a 1-0 lead in the series by outmuscling Australia 27-19 in Brisbane last Saturday, placing them just 80 minutes away from emulating Johnson’s heroes of 1997.

However, they are braced for a backlash from opponents who finished the opener strongly and who have been reinforced by the return of powerful forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini from injury.

“Martin said it is the smallest of margins in the biggest of games. He talked about being able to get back to neutral and talking about being in the moment,” Fogarty said.

“All that stuff is difficult when you’re playing in front of 95,000 people in a stadium as iconic as the MCG.

“When you’re under pressure or applying pressure your emotions can go up and down, so being able to get back to neutral or find a way to get clarity back in your mind in the shortest of times is difficult for players.

“That’s really important for us in this game. We are not going to get everything our own way and we know it’s going to be a game of small margins. So it was good advice.”

The Lions have confirmed that Ewan Ashman, Gregor Brown, Rory Sutherland and Darcy Graham – all late call-ups from Scotland‘s tour of New Zealand brought in to help with Tuesday’s fixture against the First Nations and Pasifika XV – have returned home.

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