Conor Murray: If Jac Morgan's clear out was foul play, then rugby, as we know it, no longer exists
That was the blueprint on the
Lions tours
in 2013, 2017 and 2021. All three series' were tied at 1-1 after the second Test.
In 2013, we went to Noosa, and spent three days on the piss. In New Zealand, we had a 'recuperation camp' in Queenstown. Four years ago, we rocked up to a vineyard before losing the decider in Cape Town.
A release valve is necessary at the end of a 13-month season. Ever since Hugo Keenan's goose-step settled the series in Melbourne last Saturday, I know the lads have enjoyed themselves.
READ MORE
It is possible for 40-odd players to celebrate into Monday morning, while staying out of trouble, as they made their way from Melbourne to Sydney, and still perform in the third Test.
I have a fair idea how
Andy Farrell
motivated them this week – they are chasing history now.
The last Lions group to go unbeaten on tour were Willie John McBride's 'Invincibles'. The 1974 Lions were only denied a 4-0 whitewash of the Springboks because the referee blew up on 76 minutes for a draw.
It looks like the loss to Argentina in Dublin, before the current Lions set sail, did enormous work in terms of motivation.
Gary Keegan also helped immeasurably. I cannot overemphasise Gary's value to Irish sport going back over 20 years when he worked with Irish boxers at the Olympics.
High-performance coach Gary Keegan. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho
Call it sports psychology, but Gary does not have a rule book. Some 'performance coaches' I've encountered are preaching straight from a university manual. Others bring a wealth of life experience to elite sporting environments.
Gary is in the second category.
Caroline Currid deserves to be mentioned in the same conversation. Gary and Caroline have different approaches, but successive Limerick hurling captains have mentioned Currid's contribution from the steps of the Hogan Stand.
In Munster, we could not understand why the higher-ups parted company with Caroline after she played such a significant role in our 2023 URC success.
Point being, the players are at their physical peak, well able to guzzle a belly-full of schooners before Aled Walters, the Lions and Ireland fitness guru, fine-tunes them for the third Test.
The idea of picking players on sentiment would not have crossed Farrell's mind, which is harsh on those who have performed so well on this tour – Josh van der Flier springs to mind.
Tom Curry and Jac Morgan would not be willing to hand over a Lions jersey simply because the series was settled at the MCG. Farrell will pick his best team for this game.
The players celebrated but – to a man – they would see the importance of reaching their full potential Down Under. And that means a 3-0 whitewash.
On the other side, as recently as Thursday, the Aussie media and Joe Schmidt were still complaining about Morgan's clear out of Carlo Tizzano, leading up to Keenan's try.
[
Owen Doyle: Why Jac Morgan's clear out of Carlo Tizzano was not obvious foul play
Opens in new window
]
Carlo Tizzano of the Wallabies receives medical attention following a contest in the final moments. Photograph: Morgan Hancock/Getty
Tizzano's injury rules him out this week, and that is genuinely unfortunate, but if the match officials decided that Morgan's removal of Tizzano was foul play, then rugby union, as we know it, no longer exists.
We may as well abolish rucks and join the NFL, with big Line Men going toe-to-toe from upright stances.
Watch any game, at any level, and you will find replicas of how Morgan removed Tizzano from the Lions ball. Even World Rugby, through CEO Alan Gilpin, has spoken: it's play on, all day long.
Rugby is a violent sport. Player safety is increasingly prioritised, after decades of it being an afterthought, but from grassroots to the pros, dominance at the breakdown is what differentiates union from American Football and Rugby League.
I was surprised by the amount of ex-Wallabies queuing up to cry foul. Even the great openside flanker Michael Hooper leant towards Morgan 'going off his feet'. We could find dozens of examples of Hooper doing exactly what Morgan did to shunt Richie McCaw or Malcolm Marx off Aussie ball.
The breakdown is a dangerous place. Reffing it will never be an exact science. Morgan had a split second to remove Tizzano – 'the jackler' – before he locked on to the ball.
It was legal. The alternative was to penalise Morgan and the Wallabies would have forced a deciding third Test in Sydney. But we either prioritise sport or entertainment.
Sure, the series deserved a grand finale following Australia's forensic dissection of the Lions defence, but Farrell's team earned the series win.
It was exactly what we expected a Joe Schmidt-coached team to do. In the first Test. Turns out they needed tune-ups against Fiji and the Lions after not playing together for seven months.
Jake Gordon of the Wallabies celebrates scoring a try with Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty
They finally got their Rugby League star Joseph Suaalii in space and he ripped up the Lions midfield to create Tom Wright's sensational try.
At 23-5, and a half-hour played, it looked like we had ourselves a classic. But the Aussies were visibly spent. Tom Curry and Huw Jones tries before half-time reminded everyone that the Lions are, by some distance, the better team.
Curry's 55th-minute hit on Suaalii, from behind to loosen the ball, felt like the decisive moment on tour. That 'forced error' led directly to a 14-point momentum swing as Tadhg Beirne crashed over in the corner four minutes after Suaalii's knock-on.
The third test is a dead rubber, but nobody inside the camps will feel this way.
The two coaches who have had the biggest influence on my career use distinctly different methods.
If Schmidt treats his players like PhD students cramming to complete their final dissertation, Farrell sees grown men with the mentality of elite athletes. Joe provides positional instructions that are down to specific blades of grass, whereas Faz empowers the individual to think for themselves.
Neither way is wrong. They dovetailed so effectively as Ireland coaches, cherry-picking from each other's philosophy.
Farrell will have targeted 3-0 as much as Joe will be doing everything in his power to avoid a whitewash.
The result will colour the series.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Owen Doyle: Dan Sheehan should have got a red card and a longer ban for dangerous strike
'Feral' was one word a pundit used to describe what we were watching. The dictionary explains its meaning: 'of, or characteristic of, wild animals; ferocious; brutal'. It is, of course, a dreadful descriptor, but hard to think of a more telling word. The third Test was indeed all of those things, and also troubling to observe. Four failed brain injury assessments, including James Ryan being knocked senseless for several very worrying minutes. It was accidental, but it's another concussion for the stalwart secondrow. There was a very intemperate undercurrent throughout. Both teams wanted desperately to win, and at times nasty stuff surfaced. The leading Australian protagonists were Will Skelton, the biggest man on the pitch, and Nic White, perhaps the smallest. Both have made a career out of rattling their opponents' cage. The Lions responded in kind, particularly Tom Curry and Dan Sheehan : never a backward step. There was constant sledging, faux-grinning and taunting from the start. Owen Farrell's incensed verbal outburst aimed at Joseph Sualli was an awful look. READ MORE Is all of this really what rugby wants to be? The match was a travesty of the sport. It failed miserably to uphold the game's stated values. Respect for the opposition was nowhere in sight. How sad that was to see. The Lions' objective was to win all three Tests, but they played as if the party had started a week early. Perhaps it had. Sheehan, inexcusably, had a real go at the prone Tom Lynagh. It was an unworthy and disgraceful cheap shot. In marked contrast to Jac Morgan last week , the Lions' hooker entered the breakdown late, targeting his opponent with a very dangerous strike to the head. It was not picked up, a negative mark against the TMO, South Africa's Marius Jonker. Owen Farrell's tackling during the third Test between the Lions and Australia was at times questionable. Photograph:The TMO also called the referee's attention to a completely innocuous incident, which Nika Amashukeli took but a moment to dismiss. A typical Farrell shoulder hit also went unseen; it's been his trademark calling card for far too long. Jonker needed to be better. Until recently, Sheehan would have received a straight red card. Under the global trial, it should have gone to the bunker for upgrading (or not) to the correct colour. At times like this we often hear the excuse of what else could the offending player have done. Well, if that was the player's only option, he should have done nothing, and waited for play to develop. He would have been more useful elsewhere. I had the good fortune to share a pitch with Michael Lynagh, father of Tom, on several occasions. Enjoyable evenings too. He has always been the epitome of modest excellence. He must be horrified to see his son on the receiving end of some appalling hits, this time failing his brain injury assessment. Given the number of times Lynagh gets thumped illegally – at least twice in these three Tests – it's impossible not to think that the replacement red card is involved. Playing just an extra 10 minutes reduced to 14 players is a small price to pay if it gets rid of a key opponent. Sheehan was correctly cited, although he didn't think it was correct or that he had even committed an act of foul play. That viewpoint is as nonsensical as his dangerous action. His non-acceptance of the charge resulted in a lost week of mitigation, and, subject to him completing a coaching intervention course, he will serve a meagre three-match ban , instead of a paltry two. Imagine the furore if Finn Russell had been forced off in similar circumstances, and the perpetrator denied any wrongdoing. The uproar would have been totally justified; as is Australian anger on this occasion. The suspension is once again too light. How often is it necessary to repeat the words – sub-concussive head knocks, concussion, dementia, chronic traumatic encephalopathy – before those sitting at the high table decide that deterrent-level sentences are necessary. Referee Nika Amashukeli has a word with Australia's Will Skelton after the player clashed with James Ryan of the Lions during the third Test. Photograph:It would be good to hear from World Rugby . So far, chief executive Alan Gilpin has indicated their support for Andrea Piardi in the second Test, but hasn't told us whether Morgan's clear out was judged correctly. It would be ridiculous if World Rugby got involved publicly in every controversial decision, but on this one we could all learn a lot if the silence was broken. On a general point, there is a distinct difference in how breakdown side-entry is refereed on either side of the equator. Down south a sanction is as rare as a hen's tooth, while in this neck of the woods the clear and obvious ones are rightly meant to be sanctioned. We saw it across the three tests: Piardi and Amashukeli actually refereed the area, while New Zealander Ben O'Keeffe's approach was very laissez-faire. World Rugby needs to sort it out, it's an extremely unhealthy divide. Amashukeli was a very good choice for the final match of the tour. He is a strong operator, unflappable too. His calm assuredness was essential when dealing with the various flare-ups, and for giving necessary warnings, which he did even-handedly. In all the prevailing circumstances, including horrendous rain, and the stoppage for lightning, it's unlikely that anyone could have done better. In a match that came with a very high degree of difficulty, he can be quietly pleased with his performance. And what of those who were avidly watching this 'feral' match? There is a very serious, existential debate among parents, sometimes in the same household. The motion: 'Is rugby is a suitable sport for my kids?' This match will have spoken very emphatically for those against the motion. At the same time it will have done nothing for those in favour. Absolutely nothing.
Irish Examiner
18 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
‘It's been life-changing': Ben Earl takes Lions lessons back home
After the British & Irish Lions failed to complete the clean sweep they were seeking in Sydney, the head coach, Andy Farrell, conceded it might take one or two beers before his players felt a sense of pride in their achievements. For Ben Earl, you sense it did not take as long as that. Earl gave a glowing endorsement of his first Lions tour – he appeared as a replacement in the first and third Tests – passionately expressing the hope he features on the next one and explaining why he returns to Saracens and England a much-improved player. The key, according to the 27-year-old back-rower, is essentially to go with the flow. He cites as an example that on the way to the stadium last Saturday the door on the team bus became jammed and as a result the Lions had to decamp to another. In other, more highly strung environments, disruption like that can have a derailing effect, but Earl's eyes have been opened to a world where not everything has to be perfect or prescriptive. To that end, it was instructive to hear he has spoken to England colleagues about bringing a similar attitude when they reconvene in October. 'Just get out of your own way,' he says. 'You can overthink this sport so much but when you've got a game on Saturday, then you've got to play again on Tuesday or Wednesday, you're not going to be able to do every rep, review everything opposition. Get out of your own way and just play rugby. Read More Four match ban for Lions hooker Dan Sheehan 'It's almost like you get to the pinnacle of our sport – this is what it is – and you're back playing under-12s on a Sunday morning. There's no preparation, you just go out, you have a plan, you try to implement it, you express yourself in a way Andy and the rest of the coaching staff have allowed us to do and I've loved every minute of it. 'It's been a life-changing experience, the highlight of my life, certainly my rugby-playing life. I've made friends for life, memories for life. It showed me something completely different in terms of the rugby side of things. I've loved it. It has been completely transformative for me and I'm a far better player because of it. 'I've spoken to fellow Englishmen that there's some cool stuff we can bring back to camp and that's sort of the whole point, isn't it? We can come back and say, 'there are some bits we've done here that work when we have time away or during campaigns'. 'I'm almost excited to get going again. I need my time off, but I'm almost excited to get back into certain environments to be like, 'have you thought about this?'.' Earl is equally effusive about Farrell's coaching style. The Ireland head coach led the Lions to a first series win in 12 years on his first tour in the top job. 'He has made me fully believe in how good I am,' says Earl. 'Every time he talks to the group, I'm like, I'll do anything for that man, I'm ready to play. Even when I'm not playing. Every time he spoke to the group, I'm like, when the time comes, I'm ready to play for this bloke.' What of Farrell junior's England future? In the second Test, in Melbourne, Owen won his first international cap since the 2023 World Cup and having returned to join Earl at Saracens he is eligible to play for England again. 'I love playing with him, every time I take the pitch with Owen, I think 'we're going to win',' says Earl. 'That's his best quality. 'It's not up to me [if he plays for England again]. There are too many moving parts for me to comment on that. The more times I can take the field with that bloke, the better, let me put it that way.' Guardian
Irish Times
20 hours ago
- Irish Times
Lions tour player-by-player ratings: How the Irish players rated
Hugo Keenan From a debilitating 12-day stomach bug which led to a delayed and off-colour Lions debut in game four against the Waratahs, Keenan was more like his old self against the AUNZ XV. Although brilliantly beaten in the air by Max Jorgensen for the latter's try in the first Test, Keenan performed to his usually consistency in the series and, of course, provided the moment of the tour in Melbourne. (First tour, 5 games, 365 mins, 1 try) Rating: 8 Blair Kinghorn READ MORE Being part of Toulouse's bouclier de brennus win delayed his tour until game four against the Waratahs, and he then suffered a knee injury against the Brumbies. But Kinghorn showed why Andy Farrell was prepared to wait and give him time to recover, with his strong carrying off the bench key in the second Test comeback. (First tour, 5 games, 284 minutes). Rating: 7 Tommy Freeman A brave, strong, elusive runner, he looked in prime form against Argentina and like he was going to tear it up when scoring twice against the Reds. But although he started all three Tests he was never quite involved enough nor did he scale the heights expected of him. (First tour, 6 games, 428 minutes, 2 tries) Rating: 7 Mack Hansen Hansen did play in four games in his homeland after a cameo against Argentina, and was the star attraction in Canberra when visiting his family and playing against the Brumbies. But after a typically inventive, hard-working display in the 48-0 win over AUNZ XV in Adelaide, a foot injury sidelined him for the series. (First tour, 5 games, 277 mins) Rating: 7 Jamie Osborne A late call-up as outside backs cover, the 23-year-old acquitted himself more than adequately against the Pasifika XV when scoring two tries, one from centre and the other on the wing. His versatility ensured he stayed as cover and for training, and the experience can only benefit him and Ireland come next year's trek to Oz and RWC 2027. (First tour, 1 game, 80 mins, 2 tries) Rating: 6 Huw Jones The knee injury which plagued his season delayed his try-scoring Lions debut until the third game against the Reds. Backed that up with a well-taken brace against the Waratahs and ultimately started all three Tests, scoring sharply in the second. He gave the Lions some real attacking impetus, while impressive and articulate off the pitch. (First tour, 7 games, 455 minutes, 4 tries) Rating: 8 Lions' Garry Ringrose (centre) carries the ball forward during the Qatar Airways Lions Tour 2025 match at GIO Stadium Canberra, Australia. Photograph: Robbie Stephenson/PA Wire Garry Ringrose Probably the biggest hard luck story of all. Finally named in his first tour, he scored on his debut against the Force, again against the Reds and added a cracker against the Brumbies before self-diagnosing concussion symptoms the day after Pasifika XV. Picked for his Test debut in Melbourne, those symptoms returned after the Thursday training. Gets bonus point for his selfless example. (First tour, 4 games, 212 minutes. 3 tries. Rating: 8 Bundee Aki He remains a huge fans favourite and is now a two-time Lion and significant contributor to a series win, who provided the Lions with a rare level of physicality. On foot of becoming a father for the fifth time earlier that day , he made a big impact off the bench in the first Test, saving a try, and made a huge break in the build-up to the match-winning try in second Test. His third wasn't the best but he's a true winner, who truly loves winning. (Second tour, 6 games, 387 mins, 1 try) Rating: 8 Sione Tuipulotu Scored against the Invitational XV and in the first Test. So it must have disappointed him hugely that his tour involvement ended in his home city of Melbourne when Aki was chosen ahead of him for the second Test and then retained for the third. But Tuipulotu seemed to wear it well and had a good tour. (First tour, 5 games, 378 minutes, 2 tries) Rating: 7 Owen Farrell After a late, but merited, call-up for a fourth tour, he looked rejuvenated and like he had a ball too. There were a couple of lovely try assists as captain for the first time against the Pasifika, the left-footed chip for Osborne and the dummy and pass for van der Merwe. Then brought his experience and smashed rucks in the second Test comeback before a 23rd Lions appearance in the finale. (Fourth tour, 4 games, 172 minutes) Rating: 7 James Lowe His finishing wasn't at his best, otherwise would have scored more than one try, and Kinghorn deserved call-up for third Test. But Lowe was much better than generally perceived. Good in the air, strong in contact, and still had X-factor. Offloaded 11 times and also had three try assists which should have been four. (First tour, 4 games, 284 mins, 1 try) Rating: 7 Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland) Another tour that panned out largely as expected for the South African-born Scot. There was no doubting his finishing ability, even if some of his five tries were walk-ins, and some of his strong, elusive carrying was excellent, but defensive and footballing limitations were exposed. (Second tour, 5 games, 329 minutes, 5 tries). Rating: 5 Finn Russell kicks the ball under pressure from Nic White. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Finn Russell Like many 10s before him, the gifted Scot has added shrewder kicking and man management to his game, and is playing his best rugby in his 30s. Carried his confidence from guiding Bath to two trophies into his third tour. Was superb in first Test and though his goal-kicking was awry in the second, his calmness was key in engineering that comeback. Tackled too. (Third tour, 6 games, 419 minutes, 46 points) Rating: 9 Fin Smith The 23-year-old never threw down the challenge expected of him, his lack of experience showing in comparison to Fin Russell, while the versatility of Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell meant he missed out on the Tests. Still, he should benefit from this tour. Defended well and had three try assists. (First tour, 5 games, 291 minutes. Points: 21). Rating: 6 Marcus Smith His ability to play fullback justified his selection but after starting the pre-tour game against Argentina at 15, his subsequent six appearances were all off the bench, including the first Test. Some of his running and passing was good, and there were also two try assists, but at 26 his career seems to be at something of a crossroads. (Second tour, 7 games, 225 minutes, 1 try, 16 points) Rating: 6 Jamison Gibson‑Park of the British and Irish Lions kicks the ball against Australia. Photograph: Matt King/Getty Jamison Gibson-Park Few players drew more admiration from the Ronan O'Gara-Dan Biggar double act than impish, indefatigable Gibson-Park. His capacity to explore the blindside, or spring off the base – invariably picking the right option – remained undimmed and his box kicking was on the money and hung for an age. The heartbeat of the Test team. (First tour, 5 games, 347 mins) Rating: 9 Alex Mitchell Nowhere were the demarcation lines clearer than at 9. Mitchell would have played in every game had he not remained on the bench for 80 minutes against the Pasifika XV and in the second Test. Furthermore after starting against Argentina he wore 9 only once in Australia, against the Waratahs. (First tour, 8 games, 211 minutes) Rating: 7 Ben White A late call-up for the unfortunate Tomos Williams, who tore his hamstring in the act of scoring his second try against the Force, White went the full in impressive outings against the AUNZ XV, scoring a sharply taken try, and against the Pasifika XV. (First tour, 3 games, 169 minutes, 1 try). Rating: 6 Andrew Porter As ever, he put in a typically big shift over the course of the tour, if having to adapt to an unusual impact role in four of his six games. Still, after injury denied him four years ago, Porter deservedly reaped his rewards on this tour, the high point being the starting loosehead in a dominant Lions scrum in the second Test. (First tour, 6 games, 242 mins, 1 try) Rating: 8 Ellis Genge Set the tone for his tour with that huge rumble against the Pumas and remained a strong carrying and scrummaging force for the remainder of the tour. A little unlucky to drop to the bench for the second Test, he responded by making a significant impact in that comeback. (First tour, 7 games, 278 minutes) Rating: 7 Pierre Schoeman A popular squad man and the Lions poet in residence. The South African-born loosehead started four of the tour wins against the Force, the Waratahs, the AUNZ XV and the Pasifika XV, thus making it a solid dirt-tracker's tour, which was more or less what was expected of him. (First tour, 5 games, 271 minutes) Rating: 5 Dan Sheehan Confirmed his world-class status in taking to Lions touring like a duck to water. His lineout throwing was superb until Nick Frost and co worked out the Lions' calling by the third Test, and his tackling, carrying and finishing, whether close-in or on the edges, are of a different level – witness 17 tries in 20 games over a season that started in January! (First tour, 6 games, 349 mins, 6 tries) Rating: 8 Ronan Kelleher Must have been a slightly testing tour for Kelleher given all his appearances, bar his strong performance against the Reds, were off the bench. Still, it must have been a hell of a lot better than just being brought along as a training extra for a tour behind closed doors. Defended superbly, as ever, and his yellow card in the third Test was for the sins of the team. (First tour, 8 games, 207 minutes, 1 try) Rating: 7 Luke Cowan-Dickie His Test hopes receded after the opening night against Argentina, and he was restricted to just three more tour appearances and two more starts before a head knock before half-time against the AUNZ XV effectively ended his tour. (Second tour, 4 games, 165 minutes) Rating: 6 Jamie George Called up the week before the first Test as cover for Cowan-Dickie while touring with England in Argentina, the 34-year-old hooker thus made his third tour to lend his experience to the cause. Played 74 minutes against the Pasifika XV which does again underline the value of at least one midweek game during the series. (Third tour, 1 game, 74 minutes). Rating: 6 Tadhg Furlong of the Lions runs with the ball during the second Test. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Tadhg Furlong Something about the Lions jersey brings out the best in him. Had little form or game time this season but Andy Farrell appreciates what a Test match animal he is. Knowing this was probably his last Lions tour, Furlong rose to the challenge and, sharpened by four tour outings, delivered in the series with his amalgam of scrum power, physicality and deft handling. A contender for player of the series in his third tour. (Third tour, 7 games, 328 minutes) Rating: 9 Will Stuart Ultimately he made a good impact in the second Test off the bench, including one big carry, and scored in the third, and generally he tackled well and worked hard. That said, he made little impression on the ball with just 22 carries and three passes in his seven games in what was a low-key tour. (First tour, 7 games, 221 minutes, 1 try) Rating: 7 Finlay Bealham Added to his increasingly impressive, late developing CV when called up as a late replacement for the unlucky Xander Ferguson and more than justified it with solid scrummaging and defending in three starts, notably against Argentina, but had limited impact with the ball and form faded. Still no doubt he remained a positive and good-humoured tourist, which is important as not all in his position have done. (First tour, 5 games, 222 minutes). Rating: 5 Thomas Clarkson His call-up capped a breakthrough season for the 25-year-old. Scrummed well in his half-hour off the bench and made eight tackles, missing none. A skilful tighthead, he and Ireland should only benefit next summer and at RWC 2027 (First tour, 1 game, 29 mins) Rating: 6 Maro Itoje Looked to be struggling before being hauled off against the Pumas, although then played strongly in his try-scoring performance against the Reds. Was part of his pack's dominant first half in the first Test and most impressive of all was responding to an undistinguished first period in the second with perhaps his best half of all in the comeback. His presence was sorely missed when forced off last Saturday. An ever-present in three successive series and a winning Lions captain. End of. (Third tour, 6 games, 419 minutes, 1 try) Rating: 8 Joe McCarthy It says much about his Lions debut alongside Maro Itoje against the Force that he looked nailed on from that game to be the captain's first Test starting partner from the battalion of locks. Was good too until his Test series was cut cruelly cut short 45 minutes in. Might have reduced Will Skelton's influence in the second and third Tests. At 24, should have more tours. (First tour, 4 games, 209 mins) Rating: 7 James Ryan A slow burner of a tour, Ryan looked like he might be a forgotten man until a strong performance against the Pasifika earned him a call-up to the second Test bench. Put himself about with a big 25-minute shift off the bench on both sides of the ball and earned his start in the third Test until his nasty looking head knock. (First tour, 6 games, 264 mins) Rating: 7 Ollie Chessum A solidly consistent performer, the high point of which was his try-scoring display against the Brumbies at blindside, and which also earned him a place in the Test squad, although he struggled against the Will Skelton-Nick Frost combination when starting the second Test. (First tour, 6 games, 314 minutes, 1 try) Rating: 6 Scott Cummings Possibly the outside bet of all the locks to make the Tests, his chances suffered a setback with a poor outing in his first start against the Force, but earned the respect of many with much improved displays against the Waratahs and Pasifika XV. (First tour, 5 games, 239 minutes, 1 try) Rating: 6 Lions' Tadhg Beirne and Jamie George. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Tadhg Beirne What a rugby player. Had looked a little weary in the warm-ups but, as sure as night followed day, and despite the doubters, he delivered in spades come the Test series, up to and including last Saturday's losing cause. Lineout work, skill on the ball, jackals, finishing, uber efficient tackling, with 83 in total and just eight missed. Hard to dispute player of the series, in which he played every minute. (Second tour, 7 games, 507 minutes, 2 tries) Rating: 9 Tom Curry A significant contributor to a series win in his second tour, Curry more than vindicated his selection for the first Test with a huge 57 minutes when his early tackle on James Slipper drew a line in the sand and he backed it up with another try-scoring 55-minute effort in the second. There were other big carries, turnovers, teak tough tackles and a couple of try assists too. (Second tour, 6 games, 392 minutes, 2 tries) Rating: 7 Jack Conan Underlined how blessed Irish rugby is at number eight by starting every Test for the second series running. Consistently good and especially good in the first Test, Conan's workrate on both sides of the ball never wavered – witness 90 tackles out of 100 and 60 carries, and the floated pass to Tom Curry was the pick of three try assists. A machine and invaluable one too. (Second tour, 6 games, 414 minutes) Rating: 8 Ben Earl Probably needed a huge game against Argentina at number eight given the presence and experience of Conan as a more authentic player in that role, and especially bearing in mind the surfeit of opensides. There were some trademark carries in that game and throughout, notably against the AUNZ XV and in the third Test. (First tour, 7 games, 305 minutes, tries) Rating: 6 Jac Morgan Kept the Welsh flag flying for their travelling thousands after the early loss of Tomos Williams and remained consistently good on the ball, over the ball – winning nine turnovers – and opposing the ball, making 72 tackles and missing just four. And, of course, there was that clear out, which also typified his impact when called up for the second Test. (First tour, 7 games, 312 minutes, 2 tries) Rating: 7 Josh van der Flier Played plenty of minutes yet will come home disappointed to miss out on the series in what will likely be his one Lions tour. Played well against the Force, and statistically was the best openside leading into the series. Yet signs looked ominous after an undistinguished hour against the Brumbies, and again when Jac Morgan was taken off ahead of him against the Pasifika. More than a little unlucky. (First tour, 5 games, 267 minutes). Rating: 6 Henry Pollock Perhaps didn't quite fulfil the promise generated by his blistering end-of-season form although played well off the bench against the Pumas and his best performance of the tour against the Force. Still, it was worth the punt. He's a huge talent and will assuredly tour again more than once if he stay fit and healthy. (First tour, 5 games, 285 minutes). Rating: 6
