FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Western Force v British and Irish Lions - Optus Stadium, Perth, Australia - June 28, 2025 Lions' Henry Pollock applauds the fans after the match Richard Wainwright/AAP Image via REUTERS/File Photo
SYDNEY (Reuters) - British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell said Henry Pollock's withdrawal before kickoff was precautionary and reported a clean bill of health for the rest of his side after their win over the New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday.
Pollock, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise this year, was named at blindside flanker for his third Lions match but was a late withdrawal from the Sydney Football Stadium clash.
"It was just a bit of an awareness on a calf strain that was tight enough this morning so, knowing what we knew, there was no need to risk him," Farrell told reporters after the unconvincing 21-10 victory.
The Lions have lost players for the remainder of the tour in their first two matches in Australia, scrumhalf Tomos Williams suffering a hamstring injury and Elliot Daly breaking his arm.
Farrell said his team had come through Saturday's match unscathed.
"That's a good positive at this stage," he said.
He was less impressed with the error-prone performance of his side and suggested the Waratahs might have watered the pitch before the match to make the conditions tougher.
"I mean, that's good tactics from them, isn't it? That the ball's slippy, the breakdown's ferocious enough and the line speed is high octane stuff from them as well," he said.
"We kept on trying to overplay at times, certainly around halfway, and putting ourselves back under pressure and keeping them in the game.
"And that amount of turnover ball is credit to them, obviously, but not good enough from us."
Farrell brought his son Owen into the squad as an injury replacement for but said Wednesday's match against the ACT Brumbies would probably be too early for him.
The Brumbies beat the Lions on their last tour of Australia 12 years ago.
"It looks like there could be a bit of rain so that's good for us, we need to play in that as well," Farrell said.
"But we also know that they're top side in the Australian division, and we also know what happened as far as the Lions is concerned in 2013, so we know it's a big day on Wednesday for us all."
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Ed Osmond)
