It was not a like for like replacement for Daly, who was a starting Lions Test player on the left wing against New Zealand in 2017, was an outside centre four years later against South Africa, and looked to be nailing down the starting full-back berth against the Wallabies later this month before sustaining a fractured forearm against the Queensland Reds last Wednesday in Brisbane. Farrell, 32, had arrived having played his last game for Racing on June 8, when a concussion brought his stint with the Parisians to end after a campaign already disrupted by groin surgery. He will return to Saracens for next season having had his contract in France cut short. Assistant coach Sexton, who toured alongside fellow fly-half Owen in 2013 and 2017, was speaking to the media at GIO Stadium on Tuesday, a day before the Lions face the Brumbies in Canberra. His pitchside briefing had taken place after overseeing goalkicking practice at the match venue and as Farrell was doing shuttle runs behind his former Lions team-mate. While it all seemed a trifle stage managed, there was nothing contrived in Sexton’s strength of conviction as he outlined the four-time tourist’s worth to the current squad and his fellow playmakers in particular. “He’s already up to speed with how he has trained,” Sexton declared. “He came off the plane and knew the plays and everything that was going on. He has trained really well today. “You can see the touches he had and you could see how he was helping the number 10s, because he was at 12 today, in the bibs team, as we call them – the second team. He carved us open a couple of times. "So, we can see the value that he’s going to bring for the rest of the tour. How could you not bring him? He’s a world-class player. “I know he’s had a little bit of injury, but so has Sione (Tuipulotu) and so has Huw Jones – they hadn’t played much in the four or five months before this, just a couple of games. “When the (squad) was picked, there were other players who were picked without a lot of rugby. I remember Sean O’Brien getting picked in 2017 with no rugby behind him and he was played into form on tour. You could say something similar about me in 2017 as well. “Experience is experience. He’s a world-class player. Look at what he’s won. He’s not just a guy who has hung on to the coat tails of other people, he’s the one who has been driving those teams. He’s been fantastic to have in camp and I’m sure he’s going to add loads for the rest of the tour.” Another knock against Owen Farrell had been the potential his arrival would have on fellow 10s Finn Russell, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith but Sexton referenced his own experience of both competing with, and playing alongside the English Test centurion. "Well, I know from playing 10 that if he’s at 12, it’s a dream. It helps you and makes your job easier. He’s another organiser and another playmaker who can control the game. He’s a leader. I could see the excitement on the 10s’ faces when he was picked. "I remember in 2013 when Jonny Wilkinson wasn’t picked and I was disappointed. It wasn’t that I was delighted because it meant I would have a better chance of playing. I wanted him to come. I wanted to see him. I presume that’s what it’s like now for the other guys here. They want to learn from the best. I can see the relationship he has with Finn Russell and it must be from four years ago because they seem to get on really well. I can’t see any negative from bringing him out." The Lions face Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies a week on Saturday, June 19 but their preparations have been hit by fly-half troubles after Rugby Australia announced on Tuesday that first-choice 10 Noah Lolesio had undergone “successful” neck surgery following a serious injury against Fiji last weekend. Lolesio had been initially discharged from hospital in Newcastle, New South Wales, on Sunday night, but was readmitted for surgery on Tuesday following a further medical follow-up. RA said the 25-year-old Brumbies star was expected to make a full recovery but added he “will spend a period of time away from the game during his rehabilitation”.