British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has suggested the New South Wales Waratahs may have deliberately over-watered the pitch at Allianz Stadium ahead of the match in which the tourists struggled to a 21-10 win.

British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has questioned why the Sydney surface was so slippery after watching his side struggle to beat the NSW Waratahs.

The controversial injection of Owen Farrell into the British & Irish Lions squad a day before Saturday’s clunky 21-10 win over the Waratahs in Sydney raises the possibility of the now four-time Lions tourist fixing a fundamental problem that is dogging the class of 2025: a dire lack of continuity,