We have good news and bad for hopeful Wallabies fans

The much fancied tourists are firm and deserved favourites but far from unbeatable.

Watch all the action from the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Stan Sport, the only place to watch every match live and on demand

An emphasis on breakdown ferocity and sharp defensive line speed was the simple but highly effective formula as Charlie Gamble had a field day with four steals.

But the Lions never looked like losing and if anything the match would have made life easier for Andy Farrell at the selection table.

The team he rolls out against the Brumbies on Wednesday is likely to be a shadow Test team, assuming they do the business in Canberra.

Wallabies players celebrate with the Vuvale Bowl.

The Wallabies, meanwhile, got out of jail in a 21-18 win over Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday.

Harry Wilson saved Joe Schmidt's blushes and surely it is time to take off the training wheels and give the big Queenslander the captaincy on a permanent basis.

Schmidt is outwardly happy to be the underdog but internally his blood will be boiling at a lack of attention to detail from his players.

Joe Schmidt at McDonald Jones Stadium.

The New Zealander was asked whether an Australian team would revel in being written off.

"I'm sure externally it will look like that," he replied.

"We didn't play well enough today for people to have the expectation that we're going to come bowling into Brisbane and knock the Lions over. I'm not sure that expectation was there before today.

"As I said, we're just going to have to build that quiet resolve that inch by inch we can work our way toward that."

Schmidt was then asked directly whether he had confidence the Wallabies could beat the Lions.

"I'm not a really confident sort of person. There's not real confidence, but there's a quiet resolve," he stated.

Joe Schmidt at McDonald Jones Stadium.

"And that quiet resolve, hopefully over the three match series can build to something that will earn us the support of a very interested group."

The first Test is in Brisbane on July 19.

Schmidt also has varying levels of injury concern over key players Rob Valetini, Noah Lolesio, Will Skelton, Jake Gordon and David Porecki.

Noah Lolesio of the Wallabies lies injured.

He piled praise on Fiji while admitting that not all of their focus had been trained on the world's ninth ranked side.

"It is inevitable to a degree. Sometimes you try to talk yourself into something and try to narrow the focus but inevitably we were watching the game last night with the Waratahs playing the Lions. We watched as a team when the Reds played them as well," Schmidt said.

"We've got players from both those teams involved in the squad so there's skin in the game there.

"I've no doubt that that might leak in but I certainly wouldn't be looking to use it as an excuse.

"You've got to be good enough in test match footy to win the moments you need to in the game that's right in front of you."

Schmidt will name a revised squad to play the Lions on Friday while the tourists take on the Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday.