
Farrell 'open-minded' over Lions selection
British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has vowed to be "open-minded" in his team selection for the Australia series.
The Lions play against ACT Brumbies on Wednesday, with Farrell having made 14 changes from the side that he put out against NSW Waratahs on Saturday.
After facing the Brumbies, the Lions will take on an Australia and New Zealand invitational XV in their final match before three Tests against the Wallabies, the first of which takes place on July 19.
But Farrell is open to fringe players forcing their way into his thinking.
"The truth of the matter is we have got a good side that’s going to take the field on Wednesday and I will tell you what I said to the team,
"There’s always going to be speculation, but it’s up to people to put their best foot forward for a Test spot from now on, with regards to the chance they have got on Wednesday and on Saturday.
"Players can play themselves in and players can play themselves out, but we are looking for a cohesive team performance and that is what we are trying to achieve.
"There has to be movement in selection. The nature of the format of these two games allows for us to be open-minded.
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"We play on Saturday after this and have four weeks' worth of training, so you have to stay open-minded. A closed book is not good for anyone.
"I wouldn’t call it a blank slate, you have always got ideas, but you need to leave wriggle room for things to unfold and make a judgement on what you see over the next couple of games."
Farrell was left unimpressed by the Lions' display on Saturday, even though they saw off the Waratahs in order to claim a third straight win.
He also knows that the Brumbies, who were the only provincial team to beat the Lions back in their last tour of Australia 12 years ago, will pose a real test.
"There is a real sense of excitement because there’s a lot of history that goes with this fixture," he said.
"The last two occasions we have played the Brumbies there have been four points in it, for and against. We know the challenge ahead and it's something we have been looking forward to.
"I have heard reports of how enthusiastic and good training has been for the Brumbies as you would expect when the Lions are coming to town."