Lions one win from ending wait – 5 things we learned from first Test
Now finish the job
The sense of anticlimax at the final whistle contrasted starkly with the pre-match buzz around Suncorp Stadium. A gulf in class between the rivals had been exposed during the 42 minutes it took the Lions to canter out of sight and now anything other than an emphatic series whitewash will be seen as failure.
Andy Farrell's men were able to butcher a host of chances and take their foot off the gas after Dan Sheehan crossed early in the second half, yet still be streets ahead. A long couple of weeks awaits the Wallabies.
Huw Jones dive over to score a try that was ruled out (David Davies/PA)
Test match animal
The term coined by Sir Ian McGeechan to describe a special breed of player who rises to the occasion on the biggest stage was typified by Tom Curry, the full-throttle England flanker who terrorised Australia in contact and at the breakdown.
Described as a 'machine' by Andy Farrell, Curry shrugged off his indifferent form in previous tour matches to set the physical tone from the moment he pulverised James Slipper in the opening seconds.
Just a fraction behind him were Tadhg Beirne and Tadhg Furlong, who also fully justified why they were picked on reputation.
Russell shines
For periods of the first half, Finn Russell cast a spell on the home defence. His range of passing released team-mates, created openings and set-up tries to leave former Lions fly-halves Dan Biggar and Ronan O'Gara purring in the commentary box.
If Australia had a plan to take him out of the game, it clearly did not work as the Scotland ringmaster cut loose behind a dominant pack.
Fresh from steering Bath to the treble, Russell is operating at the peak of his powers and, on current form, is the best 10 in the game.
Marcus Smith kicks a penalty (David Davies/PA)
Farrell's wing woes
Apart from the failure to crush the Wallabies, thereby breaking their spirits heading into the second Test, Farrell will be most concerned about his wings.
James Lowe continued the dismal form he has shown all tour while Tommy Freeman made too many wrong decisions game and both would be fretting over keeping their places if there were strong alternatives.
However, Mack Hansen is struggling with a foot injury and Duhan van Merwe's defensive shortcomings have been exposed repeatedly ever since the curtain raiser against Argentina.
Blair Kinghorn was seen as the first-choice full-back but with Hugo Keenan proving solid enough in the first Test, the Scot could be picked on the wing if he recovers from his knee injury.
Lions captain Maro Itoje is tackled by Australia's Harry Wilson (David Davies/PA)
Skelton and Valetini
The return of powerful forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini cannot come soon enough for Australia. Having missed the first Test with calf injuries, they have been given the all-clear for the attempt to level the series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Skelton's sheer physical presence will prevent the Wallabies from being bullied in quite the same way, while Valetini provides a destructive carrying option.
It is upon their availability and the fight shown in the final 30 minutes at Suncorp Stadium that Australia's hopes rest.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
24 minutes ago
- Telegraph
It was so amateurish in 1997, English players had to face Australia after third Lions Test
The Lions' victory, pipping Australia at the post, in Saturday's second Test in Melbourne was just magnificent. I have exchanged a couple of texts with Andy Farrell this week. The dream lives on! What the Lions are; it just gets better... The tourists this week will aim for the first 3-0 whitewash of the professional era and are seeking to complete the first unbeaten tour on foreign soil since I was part of the playing squad in South Africa in 1974 – although, we did win 3-0 in a four-Test series – and the first Test clean sweep since 1927 in Argentina. Farrell and his coaches have made clear their ambition to go and win the series 3-0. They will not rest on their laurels with the series in the bag and, if achieved, it would be very special to this group of players and coaches. For the Lions, winning the series is always the No 1 priority. The uniqueness of Lions tours is that each one has its own characteristics; in terms of the context before travelling and how the journey then evolves. No two tours are ever the same; each one is different. Every tour is a different challenge. Sometimes, it is impossible to recognise that unless you have been in it. Everything is quite personal to the specific playing group and it reflects their approach. This year, the Lions have not had the same calibre of opposition coming right through the tour but, as Australia nearly proved in the second Test, if the tourists are not on their game, they will not win the third Test. They have to go to Sydney with a renewed focus of intent. That was how we approached it in 1997. Even though we lost that third Test in Johannesburg, there was a real ambition to go and win the series 3-0. Even if we had been able to celebrate for a week, we wouldn't have. We celebrated well on the night of the second Test in Durban. Some of the players spent most of the night on the braais (barbecues) in the car park with the South Africans. Some slept on the beach so they only got back to the hotel for breakfast. They had a good celebration. But one of the reasons why comparisons between Lions tours is difficult is that the scheduling is so different. Even with hindsight, I would not change much about that week. We had given the Test XV as much rest and recovery as possible, but the injuries meant that there were players who would be playing two games in that final week. With one training day under our belts, four days later we were in the Test arena once again, for the third Test. In the end South Africa's desperation not to lose every Test gave them the edge, but there was huge satisfaction for all of us in the Lions' group when Martin Johnson raised the Test trophy above his head at the end of the game. And could you have imagined me telling Johnno that he needed a rest ahead of that third Test? I would not have been able to stop him from playing – he would have put a jersey on no matter what. It's so different to how it works now. Player welfare and recovery has moved on for the better but one challenge that Farrell has had has been, with fewer matches and less preparation time, allowing combinations and partnerships from different nations to mature and grow. He has had to do what we did but at ultra-speed. Players need time to grow in a Lions environment; to build relationships – on and off the field – and that takes time. It shows what a good job Farrell has done, in building that core togetherness, which is critical to Lions success. Another issue that hovered in the background of the final week in South Africa was the fact that after the third Test a good number of England players had to be on a plane on the Sunday morning to fly to Australia for a Test against the Wallabies. An incredible request from the Rugby Football Union. That's how amateurish some of the thinking was at the time. Our players had given everything in that Test series. Tim Stimpson, Nick Beal, John Bentley, Mike Catt, Matt Dawson, Graham Rowntree, Mark Regan, Nigel Redman, Shaw, Richard Hill, Lawrence Dallaglio and Tim Rodber – all Lions and a week later they were starting for England in Sydney. Interestingly, the bookmakers had strong odds on a 3-0 Test win for South Africa. Amazingly, the initial contracts for the players said that they'd only get a bonus for winning all three Tests. Fran Cotton, the tour manager, managed to persuade the committee men that the challenge was to win the series and that's where the value was. The committee structures of rugby still at that time still had an amateur viewpoint. Thankfully, Fran succeeded. Andrew Goodman, one of Farrell's assistant coaches, this week cited the 1974 tour as the last time a side went through a Test series unbeaten and how the current crop were hoping to replicate that. That tour was so different – as is the sport – to anything the players have to take on now, but we never really spoke about a clean sweep in 1974. The third Test was the hardest game of rugby I ever played in my life, but the whole thing on that tour was that no one wanted to be wearing the jersey in the first losing team on that trip. That was the intention the whole way through, and over the four Tests there were only two changes to the starting XV, something that stayed with me; the Lions' environment is made by the non-Test players, they are special Lions indeed. While comparisons are futile, that is one parallel which the Lions can channel in Sydney this weekend. To go nine games unbeaten in Australia would be an achievement of which we could all be proud.
Leader Live
35 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Maro Itoje eager to preserve ‘history and tradition' of Lions tours
The Lions currently visit Australia, New Zealand and South Africa on rotation, but there has been growing support for rugby-loving France to join them because of the strength of their Test team and club game, as well as the commercial opportunities. But three days after leading Andy Farrell's men to a series-clinching victory over the Wallabies, with Saturday's final Test in Sydney still to play, Itoje revealed his preference is for the Lions' heritage to be preserved. 'I thought about this at the beginning of the tour. My answer is, with the three nations that the Lions tour, there's a strong sense of history and tradition,' Itoje said. 'Perhaps the Lions is the last of the traditional organisations in the modern era. Part of me is keen for it to continue to rotate among the three countries it does. But, that being said, you have to stay relatively open-minded. 'As it stands, the three nations it tours is pretty good. Also it wouldn't feel the same if we took a short-haul flight. It needs a long-haul flight.' The Lions' passage through Australia had been something of a procession until they reached Melbourne, where they were pushed to the brink first by the First Nations and Pasifika XV and then the Wallabies. The 29-26 triumph in the second Test, made possible by overturning an 18-point deficit, will go down as one of the greatest games in their history and has provided validation for the entire 2025 expedition. Furthermore, with a record crowd for a Lions match in attendance at Melbourne Cricket Ground, it was a reminder of their pulling power, with Itoje insisting the institution described by manager Ieuan Evans as a 'glorious anachronism' is here to stay. What a night! 🙌🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 28, 2025 'It's been without a shadow of a doubt one of the highlights of my career,' said Itoje, who was also part of the 2017 and 2021 tours. 'When I am old and grey these occasions and these tours are going to be one of the experiences I look back on with extreme fondness. 'It's the aspiration of every British and Irish rugby player. I'd be surprised if you can find a British and Irish rugby player who says they don't want to be a Lion or they don't want to play for the Lions. 'This is something the players want and the players will continue to want for decades and for as long as rugby is being played. And it's something world rugby wants. 'It adds an extra bit of spice and intrigue to the Six Nations when it's Lions year. So I am struggling to see the negatives. It's a great occasion, it's a great event and long may it continue.' If the Lions prevail at Accor Stadium on Saturday, they will become the first team to whitewash the hosts in a Test series since 1927. 'We still have a job to do. We want to be part of something very special,' Itoje said. 'Winning a Lions series is obviously extremely special, but what would be an absolute dream would be to go out there and perform to the level that we think we can perform and win the third game. 'That's the exciting for us – we want to chase down the performance we have been searching for.'
Leader Live
35 minutes ago
- Leader Live
World Rugby rebuffs Joe Schmidt's safety claim over Lions' match-winning try
Hugo Keenan touched down with 51 seconds left at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but the match-winning try was only given after the TMO had reviewed Morgan's contact with Carlo Tizzano in the preceding ruck, which was ultimately deemed legal by referee Andrea Piardi. Furious Schmidt, who had seen his Wallabies edged 29-26 to concede the series with one Test to play, insisted it was the wrong call, adding that 'it doesn't really live up to the big player safety push that they (World Rugby) are talking about'. Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh backed Schmidt's view that it was a dangerous clearout and the try should have been disallowed. World Rugby has been conducting a review into the incident in conjunction with Australia, the Lions and the match officials, which will be completed in time for Saturday's final Test between the rivals in Sydney. Chief executive Alan Gilpin, speaking at an event revealing ticketing details for the 2027 World Cup, has hit back at Schmidt. 'It's disappointing when the reaction is one of 'this means player welfare isn't taken seriously' because we have worked really hard on that narrative,' said Gilpjn, who revealed Schmidt will not face disciplinary action for his comments. 'Everyone knows we are putting player welfare, in its broadest sense, at the top of the agenda. 'You can see that from what we are doing with the instrumented mouthguards, all the research, the science, the investigations. 'The way the laws of the game have evolved in the last few years is all about 'how do we have this great physical contest, but make it as safe as possible?'. That part is challenging, in terms of the player welfare statements.' Gilpin insists Piardi and his assistants Ben O'Keeffe and Nika Amashukeli are being supported amid the backlash against the officials in some quarters. And the World Rugby boss invoked Rassie Erasmus' public criticism of Nic Berry during the Lions' tour to South Africa in 2021 and the experiences of retired referee Wayne Barnes, who has spoken of the abuse his family received, to highlight the importance of protecting officials. 'It's just making them realise they're supported and that we are checking in on them. They're a great unit. They've been together on this tour as a team,' Gilpin said. 'You'll recall that in the last Lions series in South Africa, when the match official in the first Test was very heavily criticised…the mental health challenges… 'Wayne Barnes has talked about it. We've got match officials who, when they're criticised publicly, see their families targeted outside the school gates. 'That's not good, that's not fair and that's not right, so we've got to support these guys.' Lions fly-half Finn Russell had accused Tizzano of making the most of the challenge, stating that he 'obviously holds his head and tried to get a penalty from it'. But having being relayed Gilpin's comments earlier on Tuesday, Schmidt revealed the extent of the damage sustained by the Wallabies flanker. 'Talking about the instrumental mouthguards, with Carlo when he was hit, I feel sorry for him because he's copping a lot of flak, but that impact was almost double what they determine as a high magnitude impact,' Schmidt told Stan Sports. 'So that's the degree of force that he had to wear. And that in itself is enough to force someone to recoil as he did. So those are some of the things that we get actual readings on. 'He's had a pretty sore neck for the last 24-48 hours. But he's back, he's resilient and he's back looking forward to the weekend.' Australia 2027 has released details of its ticketing plan for the next World Cup, with fans able to register to access the presale from Tuesday.
