Blair Kinghorn can cross as the Lions complete a series whitewash over Australia on Saturday morning – that's according to Jon Newcombe, who has the best bets.
Rugby union betting tips: Australia v Lions
2pts Lions (-13) on the handicap at 9/4 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair)
2pts over 45.5 match points at 6/4 (Sky Bet; 7/5 Paddy Power, Betfair)
1pt Blair Kinghorn anytime try-scorer at 9/4 (Unibet, BetMGM)
1pt Dylan Pietsch anytime try-scorer at 3/1 (General)
Australia looked emotionally spent when the final whistle blew at the MCG to signal the end of last week’s second Test. Picking them up for this final game will be tough – as big a motivational test as Joe Schmidt has faced in his long and illustrious coaching career. Spirits must’ve been lower than Jac Morgan’s controversial clearout when Hugo Keenan scored in the last minute to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
The nature of last week’s loss was gut-wrenching. The Wallabies had emptied the tank in an attempt to stay in the series but came up just short. In the 40 minutes he was on the pitch, Wallaby back-rower Rob Valetini was the best player by a country mile, and his absence this Saturday will be keenly felt. However, the return of tight-head Taniela Tupou is a plus in the ball-carrying stakes.
Andy Farrell has resisted the temptation to reward some of the squad players with a Lions cap by picking his strongest available side. From the word go, the Lions have made no secret of the fact that they’re gunning for a 3-0 series win. Having been 6/5 for the clean sweep when we tipped them on the eve of the Test series, the Lions are now 3/10. So far, so good. But if they want to be remembered as one of the greatest touring teams, they need an 80-minute performance.
The Lions were brilliant in the first half of the 27-19 first Test win and clicked for a golden five-minute spell just before half-time in last week’s second match, which gave them the momentum they needed to go on and win, 29-26. As yet, they haven’t put it all together for the full duration of a match, but that could change in Sydney.
It still irks me that the Lions didn’t cover the handicap at the Suncorp in the first Test, having conceded a late score. But I’m confident they will deliver this time around and sign off in style, possibly winning by as many as 16-20 points in a game which could be the highest-scoring of the lot if it descends into an end-of-tour free-for-all.
With that in mind we'll play one of the bigger handicaps and back them to win by 13.5 points or more at upwards of 2/1, while you can get 6/4 for 46 or more points and again, going beyond the standard over/under lines for bigger prices is preferred.
Playing wing rather than full-back enhances the chances of BLAIR KINGHORN scoring a try slightly. The Scotsman manages to see and exploit gaps others don’t, and this could be a perfect game for him to end a stop-start tour on a high if play does break up.
Also wearing 11, in green and gold, is recalled Wallaby winger DYLAN PIETSCH.
Pietsch was really impressive for the Force earlier in the tour and is a hard man to put down. He’s been left out in the cold since the Autumn Nations Series opener against England and will be desperate to make a favourable impression by marking his return with a try.
He’s already attracted a bit of interest but the general 3/1 still represents value and he can cross in a losing cause.
Posted at 0915 BST on 01/08/25
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