Adam Jones in action against the Wallabies in Brisbane last Saturday. Source: AFP
BRITISH and Irish Lions tight-head prop Adam Jones admits the tourists should have lost the first Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane and is bracing himself for a ferocious encounter in the second Test in Melbourne on Saturday.
The Lions hung on to win 23-21, but only after replacement Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale missed two penalty goal attempts in the last five minutes, including one on full-time when he slipped over as he was kicking.
"Australia will come at us," said Jones, who is as well known for his woolly hair as his outstanding scrummaging.
"It was pretty ferocious the first game. It was one of the hardest games I've played Test match-wise.
"We know the Australians are wounded. They probably should have won the Test. I'm going to be biased and say we deserved to win the Test, but Australia probably should have won it with the two kicks.
"We know they are going to come out firing."
If the Lions had lost, it would have been a "balls-up", like two of the three losses Wales suffered on its tour of Australia last year when last minute goalkicks won the series for the Wallabies.
"Last year we lost twice with last-minute kicks and it wasn't a great feeling," Jones said. "I wouldn't say I'm sympathising with the Australian boys, but I know what they're going through.
"It was heart-breaking to come out here, get so close in two Tests and balls up. Stupid things we did. It was very close to being like that on Saturday."
The Lions dominated the scrum for most of the game, including a big shove in the first scrum of the match, so it was ironic that Beale's last penalty attempt resulted from a scrum infringement.
"We've got a good scrum," Jones said. "We've got six props who are excellent scrummagers. We back ourselves, but we were very close to a balls-up.
"We have worked hard to rectify it and hopefully it will be different."
Asked what went wrong in that last scrum, Jones, who had been substituted earlier, said: "Well, I wasn't on the field ... you guys (Wallabies) get written off, especially by the English press after a few games when (Andy) Sheridan played against you.
"We never take the Australian scrum lightly. We knew they had James Slipper and (Sekope) Kepu to come on and how good they would be and they proved that.
"For 50 minutes we were happy with the scrum. We have worked hard this week and we just want to dominate as much as possible."
The battle between Jones and Wallabies loose-head prop Benn Robinson will be one of the most decisive match-ups in the second Test.
Robinson, 28, yesterday re-signed with the ARU and the NSW Waratahs for another three years.
Regarded as one of the best loose-head props in the world, Robinson has played 57 Tests since making his debut against the Springboks in Johannesburg in 2006.
"I've played against Benn long enough to realise how good he is," Jones said. "He's got 60 or 70 caps and plays in the Super 15 against Kiwi props.
"He is technically difficult because of his height and he is quite squat. But he is incredibly powerful and quick off the mark."
While conceding the Lions would miss injured Irish second rower Paul O'Connell's leadership and experience, Jones was confident the set piece would still be effective with English lock Geoff Parling in the pack.
"Paul has been around for years and he is an excellent player, but Geoff plays for Leicester and their game is built around the scrummage and driving maul from the lineout," Jones said.
"He knows the lineout calls. We won't lose anything, but we all know what Paul does around the field and how much of an influence he is as a leader.
"He has captained Ireland and the Lions. He is going to be a big loss, but setpiece-wise it will be a natural handing over of the baton just because of Geoff's setpiece play with Leicester and England."
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