Wayne Barnes re-referees the most brutal match in Lions history

Telegraph

08-07-2025

The second Test of the British and Irish Lions' 1989 tour to Australia has gone down in folklore and infamy. As the Lions attempted to turn around their fortunes after defeat in the first Test in Sydney, the second instalment would eventually be dubbed the 'Battle of Ballymore' owing to the brutal physicality – both legal and illegal – on display at the famous stadium.
The Lions, coached by Sir Ian McGeechan and captained by Finlay Calder, arrived in Brisbane determined not to take a backward step, which resulted in the 20,000 inside Ballymore witnessing one of the most brutish and beastly Tests in the history of the famous touring side. Spare a thought for the French referee, the late René Hourquet.
Naturally, in 1989, Hourquet did not have the benefit of the television match official and, in those days, the assistant referees were nothing of the sort; they were touch judges whose remit included white paint and little else.
The Lions would go onto triumph at Ballymore and then clinch a series win with a one-point victory back in Sydney a week later, on what was the first Australia-only tour since 1899. The Lions' triumph on Australian soil was their first series win in 15 years and it is tough to believe they have only won two since.
But that series is remembered above all for the 'Battle of Ballymore'. Here, Telegraph Sport revisits some of the more notorious incidents from that Test, with former referee and our columnist Wayne Barnes casting his eye over some of the behaviour – and adjudicating accordingly.
The first fight
This slobberknocker is one of the most iconic in Lions history. It looks suspiciously like Lions scrum-half Robert Jones steps on the foot of his opposite number, Nick Farr-Jones, as the Australian captain goes to put the ball into the scrum.
That was the catalyst to Farr-Jones giving his opposite number a bit of a shove, Jones replying in kind, both men grappling, and then full-fist-windmill chaos ensues.
Keep an eye on Hourquet, too, who was clearly keen to be as close to the action as possible. Barnes, he admits, would have been a touch more standoffish – but, sensibly, there would have been cards where in reality there were none.
High shot
Barnes's fellow Telegraph Sport columnist, Brian Moore, started all three Tests in the victorious 1989 series and it will come as no surprise to those who remember his rampaging days as a hooker that he features heavily in these clips.
Here, the Lions wrap around the front of the line-out and Moore is caught in the head by the shoulder of Farr-Jones. No wrap, no mitigation – except a small, late dip – but back then such an action was barely even a penalty.
Barnes would have been reaching for the cards. Kudos to Moore for, as expected, playing on and not making a meal of it.
Another high tackle
It is Moore again. Here, our columnist wears another shoulder to the head – this time, specifically, the face – from Australian flanker Scott Gourley.
Barnes marvels at how Moore looks after possession and offloads to Jones before wiping blood away from his nose. On this occasion, Barnes thinks Gourley would have been in trouble in the bunker. Yellow minimum, perhaps red.
Stamp leads to another fight
This one is nasty and notorious. Dai Young, the Wales tighthead and future Wasps coach, on his first of three Lions tours as a 22-year-old whipper-snapper, decides that the savagery dial needs turning up to 11, and so decides inexplicably to stamp on the head of Wallabies lock Steve Cutler.
Tom Lawton, Australia's hooker, does not take too kindly to such skulduggery and chaos ensues again. 'Goodness,' says Barnes. The game has changed a lot since those days – Young himself might squirm a little when watching this back. Moore is in the thick of it again, too.
Offside tackle
It was refreshing to be able to observe a technical offence, here, rather than outright violence. And Barnes agrees with the partisan Australian commentators, as well as referee Hourquet, and believes that Mike Teague – christened 'Iron Mike' after his strong displays on this tour – was offside at the scrum.
However, Barnes believes that the Lions could feel aggrieved that they were not rewarded further at the set piece. The visitors should have been awarded a scrum penalty.
Poignantly, reviewing this footage – with the mayhem and madness – serves as a reminder of the tough task facing grass-roots referees when they take the pitch every Saturday and Sunday.
As Barnes highlights, there is no TMO or bunker available to the sport's voluntary officials and, just like Hourquet, they rely on trusting their eyes and refereeing instinct.
Incidents will be missed, that is human nature, but this footage serves as a reminder of just how difficult a sport rugby is to referee when you are a one-man or one-woman band. It also underlines just how far the sport has come in its attempts to clean up its act.