
Lions legend Gavin Hastings has warned Andy Farrell that Marcus Smith cannot be risked at full-back in next weekend's First Test. The former Lions full-back, who wore the No 15 shirt in all three Tests against Australia in 1989, fears the Wallabies will target Smith if he is brought on at the back in Brisbane.
While Ireland's Hugo Keenan is set to start the First Test at full-back after injuries to Elliot Daly and Blair Kinghorn, Hastings is concerned that the Lions will be inviting trouble if they opt to use Smith as his bench back-up.
"If Hugo was to get injured in the first five minutes and Marcus was to come on at full-back I think Australia would be pretty happy about that and would really look to exploit it," he said.
"Marcus Smith is a great footballer - no-one's knocking him in that regard - but I think the Australians would exploit his lack of game time at full-back and his lack of physique and stature. He can't do anything about that but that's just the way it is.
"It's certainly something that may exercise the Lions' coaches in terms of who they may pick on the bench.
"Tommy Freeman has played a little bit of full-back. I wouldn't be surprised if Marcus is not on the bench and maybe Freeman is lined up to replace Hugo if anything happened."
At 6ft 3in and 16st, Freeman is six inches taller and four stones heavier than Smith. But while the England wing has started 14 games at full-back for Northampton - and played there for the national side against the Barbarians in 2022 - his most recent appearance in the No 15 jersey was almost three years ago for the Saints against Exeter.
Leinster's Jamie Osborne is another alternative but he only arrived in Australia yesterday (SAT) and is officially there only to provide "additional training cover" while Kinghorn is nursed back to health after damaging his knee in midweek against the Brumbies.
There are big selection calls to be made ahead of the First Test but the key one of who will be the Lions' playmaker is not up for debate with Finn Russell nailed on to direct operations at No 10 after an impressive tour so far.
"It was only a question of time before people realised just how talented a player Finn is. He's proved it in the games he has played so far," said Hastings, the Lions captain in 1993.
"He has just had a real authority, a real presence and his goalkicking has been terrific as well. It looks as if he's enjoying himself and it looks as if people around him are enjoying playing with him so that's very encouraging from a Lions' point of view."
The Lions will start as favourites against a Wallabies side that lost their first-choice No 10 for the series, Noah Lolesio, in scraping past Fiji last weekend but Hastings believes Brisbane will be critical.
While his 1989 tourists came back from losing the First Test to win the series, they remain the only Lions side in history to do so.
"They need to win two Test matches and it's a damn sight easier to do that if you win the first one," he said. "It's a big match for both teams. There's a hell of a lot at stake; a lot of pressure on both sides. All roads lead to Saturday."
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