Schmidt factor gives hosts Australia hope

Bringing cohesion a tough task for Lions

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The British and Irish Lions have often set off on tour with confidence but it is rare that they arrive in the Southern Hemisphere as heavily favoured as they are to beat Australia in their Test series in late July and August.

Australian rugby has been in varying stages of crisis for the last decade and the Wallabies, World Cup winners in 1991 and 1999, are currently ranked eighth in the world beneath three of the four nations that contribute to the Lions.

The band of Irish, English, Scottish and Welshmen who arrived in Perth with captain Maro Itoje and coach Andy Farrell at the weekend are therefore expected to emulate the tourists of 1989 and 2013 by triumphing Down Under.

The expectations of a one-sided series were so high last year that former England scrum-half Ben Youngs questioned whether Australia still deserved their place in the quadrennial Lions touring cycle along with South Africa and New Zealand.

His comments came after Australia had been thumped 67-27 by Argentina in the Rugby Championship, but signs that progress was being made under wily coach Joe Schmidt came when the Wallabies beat England 42-37 at Twickenham in November.