Lions to empty the tank in search of 80-minute performance in last test

The British & Irish Lions will empty the tank in search of the 80 minute performance they have been seeking throughout the tour when they face the Wallabies in their 10th match in Australia, assistant coach John Dalziel said on Friday.

The test series is already sewn up with Lions victories in Brisbane and Melbourne but going into Saturday's tour finale at Sydney's Stadium Australia, the tourists still feel they have not played their best rugby.

Scotland forwards coach Dalziel said the squad were naturally tired after two months on the road but also determined to bid farewell to Australia with a 10th win and an 80-minute performance.

"Well for us it's the only way to end this now, isn't it?" he told reporters at Stadium Australia.

"We don't want anything to derail it. We know it's going to be incredibly hard work. It'll be more wet playing here. So we have just got to find that energy and go again and get that performance that we all want.

"I think that's the key to it – there's still a performance in us. We've had 40 minutes in both of the tests. We want to give our supporters, we want to give everybody watching at home, a full 80 minutes and then show them what the Lions are about."

Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong would have more cause than many to feel fatigued having played in six of the nine matches so far in one of the most demanding positions on the park.

The determination of the Lions to close out the tour in style means the 32-year-old will suit up again on Saturday for his sixth start of the tour, and his last in a Lions shirt.

In doing so, Furlong will match Wales lock Alun Wyn Jones' record of nine consecutive Lions test starts going back to the series opener against the All Blacks in 2017.

"It is a little bit emotional, the Lions have played a massive part in my career," the tighthead told reporters on Thursday.

"It has shaped the way I play the game and think about the game. I know this Lions tour will be me closing the book on the Lions. I don't want it to end. It is a special thing to be a Lion."