- The British and Irish Lions will take on the Reds in Brisbane on Wednesday
- Jamison Gibson-Park has been cleared to play after recovering from injury
- Finn Russell has also been retained in the starting XI for the match
The Lions are finally set to unleash the ‘all-singing, all-dancing’ double act who they hope can guide them to series glory against the Wallabies – if they can hurriedly establish some creative chemistry.
While Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams was ruled out of the rest of the series – with Scotland’s Ben White called up in his place – Jamison Gibson-Park has recovered from a glute injury and been cleared for his first appearance of the tour when he lines up to face the Queensland Reds.
And Finn Russell has been retained in the starting XV, so that he can begin forming a bond with the half-back partner alongside whom he is almost certain to line up for the opening Test on July 19.
Leinster’s tone-setting scrum-half Gibson-Park, 33, must hit the ground running and click with Scotland’s master conductor. Gibson-Park and Russell, 32, have all the experience and pedigree to run the show for the Lions, but what they do not have is game-time together.
‘I’ve not done that much with him,’ said Gibson-Park, when asked about training with Russell. ‘I’ve thrown a few passes to him here and there, but nothing too crazy at this stage.’
Lions head coach Andy Farrell acknowledged this new half-back combination will need time to connect. Asked what he expects from the combination, he said: ‘All-singing, all-dancing and everything going to plan – but that won’t be the case.
‘It will be the first time they have played together. The first time they have trained together was today and it has only been a walk-through. Allowing them the two days to grab hold of the plan is going to put them in good stead for Wednesday.
‘They understand each others’ traits, they see the game from similar eyes. They have attacking mindsets but they both know how important game control is.’
Russell was imperious in his first tour game, against Western Force on Saturday, picking up where he left off in orchestrating Bath’s historic Treble. Gibson-Park holds him in suitably high regard. ‘Every team he is in, he has a huge impact,’ he said. ‘I can only speak from coming up against him.
‘He plays the game with a smile but in the meeting rooms there is a serious side to him. For all the stuff you see of his ability to break a game open, he’s calculated in the way he manages the game, so it’ll make my job easier.
‘I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing hopefully. Myself and Finn have already had conversations around that, so hopefully we don’t have to change too much.’
When he joined Bath, Russell is said to have set out his stall for how he wanted to dovetail with club captain Ben Spencer by putting the England scrum-half in a playful head-lock and saying that all he needed was to give the Scot the ball. ‘I’ve had something similar,’ said Gibson-Park, before adding: ‘No, I haven’t! He is good. He understands the impact he can have on a team.
‘There is a gelling period with any 9-10 combination but it has been good. We’ve spent some time off the pitch, which is hugely important.’
However difficult it may be to connect quickly with an unfamiliar side-kick, Gibson-Park is glad he has the chance to tackle it. His tour was in the balance when he suffered an injury which ruled him out of the United Rugby Championship Final.
‘It was dicey for a few days,’ he said. ‘I had to get a number of scans to clear up what was going on. Every radiologist in the country was trying to read it to figure out what was going on! I thought I might miss this altogether.’
In his day-job as Ireland’s coach, Farrell has built a tried-and-trusted game plan around Gibson-Park’s ability to ignite the team with tempo and vision. So Farrell was elated to welcome back such a valued player.
‘He is world class,’ said Farrell. ‘His point of difference is his speed of play. He sees things early.
‘Also, he is a calming influence and a different type of leader. He is quiet but when he speaks, it is worth listening because he has done his homework.’
Against the Reds at Suncorp Stadium, then against the Wallabies at the same venue 17 days later, the Lions will need a calming influence, leadership, wise words and game understanding from both half-backs. If both have done their homework and are fully up to speed, Australia will struggle to contain them.
