Brumbies vs British & Irish Lions Prediction: Brumbies no pushovers

The British & Irish Lions will be looking for revenge when they head to GIO Stadium on Wednesday morning (11:00 BST, Sky Sports Action) to face the Brumbies in Canberra.

Below are my Brumbies vs British & Irish Lions predictions, as well as all the essential team news and match odds for the clash in the Australian capital.

Team News

Starting with the hosts, head coach Stephen Larkham has gone with Lington Leli, Lachlan Lonergan and Rhys van Nek in the front row, with Lachie Shaw and Cadeyrn Neville in the second row.

Tom Hooper, Roy Scott and Tuaina Taii Tualima complete the Brumbies’ pack, with skipper Ryan Lonergan and Declan Meredith in the half-backs.

It’s David Feliuai and Ollie Sapsford who start in the centres, with Corey Toole, Ben O’Donnell and Andy Muirhead in the back three.

Rugby Union Odds

As for the Lions, head coach Andy Farrell has named a strong XV, with Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong in the front row.

Skipper Maro Itoje and Joe McCarthy start in the second row, with the back row made up of Ollie Chessum, Tom Curry and Jack Conan.

Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell start in the half-backs, with Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose in the centres.

The Lions go with a back three of James Lowe, Tommy Freeman and Blair Kinghorn.

Brumbies vs British & Irish Lions Odds

The Brumbies are 20/1 to shock the tourists, while the draw is priced at 28/1.

Brumbies +32 handicap @ 20/21

Having suffered a shock 14-12 defeat on their last visit to Canberra in 2013, the Lions will know they can’t take the Brumbies for granted on Wednesday.

Larkham was the assistant coach the last time the Lions were in town, and he will be eyeing another upset here.

This is a strong Lions lineup and features many players who will start the opening Test against the Wallabies on July 19.

With Gibson-Park and Russell pulling the strings in the half-backs, the Lions have more than enough quality to win this one.

However, the Brumbies also have a strong side out, and they reached the semi-finals of the last Super Rugby Pacific season. They can make this game tighter than many might think.

Bundee Aki anytime tryscorer @ 11/10

The battle for the centre spots for the opening Test is hotting up, and the Irish duo of Aki and Ringrose get their chance to impress on Wednesday.

Scottish pair Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones worked well against the Waratahs last time out, and Aki and Ringrose will need to step up.

Aki showed how dangerous he can be when scoring a try against Argentina in the opening game for the Lions in Dublin, and the Connacht star can power over for a try in Canberra.

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