Sio: Lions are in for a shock

SCOTT Sio is backing the Wallabies to give the Lions a fright next summer after their recent upturn under Joe Schmidt.

- MARK STEVENS

They suffered a record defeat to Argentina three weeks ago but bounced back to push New Zealand close in two hard-fought Bledisloe Cup Tests.

Exeter Chiefs prop Sio has been encouraged by their recent form and expects his countrymen to pose a creditable threat to the tourists once they arrive Down Under.

“I think there’s a lot of promise, a lot of guys stepping up to the arena, who were quite young a couple of years ago, but who have kind of grown into it now,” added Sio, who has won 74 Test caps for Australia.

“The Lions will have a lot of very talented individuals, but I think it will be tough for them to gel very quickly. That’s the real challenge for them, how quickly can they get up to speed and produce performances.”