The British and Irish Lions Rugby Tour Wrap-Up

 

Game 6 – British & Irish Lions 12, vs. ACT Brumbies 14, Canberra

The Brumbies pulled out a victory. Photo courtesy of Jacob Mulholland via Flickr.

Finally !!  A win for an Aussie team !!  Admittedly, it was against the Lions second string mid-week team, but the Brumbies were also under manned as well, with all their Wallabies off training for the first test.  It was a simple game plan that the Jake White-coached team employed – kick the ball down the Lions end of the field, and then defend, defend, defend, like the troops did in the trenches at Gallipoli.  And it worked.  Well done to the Brumbies !!

Game 7 – British & Irish Lions 23, vs Australia Wallabies 21, Brisbane

Game One of the Test Series kicked off in Brisbane in the cauldron of Suncorp Stadium, and what a thriller it was.  The Lions fans had arrived in force, and it was great to see the sea of red in the stands being countered by the gold jumpers of the Aussie fans.  Debutant Christian Lealiifano was knocked out in the first minute, which means he won’t remember much of his first game in the gold.  And that started a horrific night of injuries for the Wallaby backline, with Berrick Barnes, Pat McCabe and Adam Ashley-Cooper all being invalided out of the game.  As a result, the young open-side flanker Michael Hooper found himself playing in the mid-field out of position towards the end of the game, and found himself being targeted by the Lions backline.  Israel Folau also started in the green and gold for the first time, scoring 2 tries on debut.  It all came down to the wire, with the Wallabies lining up for a penalty after the final whistle.  Kurtley Beale lined up to take what would have been the match winning penalty kick, approached the ball, and SLIPPED, causing the ball to go wide.  Game One to the Lions !

Game 8 – British & Irish Lions 35, vs. Melbourne Rebels 0, Melbourne

The Melbourne Rebels lost in AAMI park. Photo courtesy of Charlie Morton

After the Brumbies great win the previous week, fingers and toes were crossed for the last of the mid-week games.  Alas, it wasn’t to be.  Normal service resumed for the Lions, and although the Rebels tried hard, the Lions racked up 35 unanswered points.

Game 9 – British & Irish Lions 15, vs Australia Wallabies 16, Melbourne

Game Two of the Test Series was another thriller.  Played in the indoor Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, the noise was deafening as the “Lions !!  Lions !!” chant went up around the ground.  The Wallabies played much better against the Lions in game two that they did in the first test, a little bit more match hardened for having the first run out the previous week.  It was staring to look like another win to the Lions until Adam Ashley-Cooper crossed the paint towards the end of the game, with the only try of the match, for the Wallabies to take the lead.  Again it went down to the final whistle, when Lions full-back, the deadly accurate Leigh Halfpenny, lined up for a penalty kick at goal to win the match.  And like a carbon copy of the first test, his kick was short !!  The Wallabies win and tie the test series.  One All.

 Game 10 – British & Irish Lions 41, vs Australia Wallabies 16, Sydney

Over 35,000 fans came to see the final match in Sydney. Photo courtesy of Tristram Biggs via Flickr.

With the Test Series all tied up, the Lions descended on….   Noosa ??  The Lions players all headed off to the beach in Queensland for a 3 day break from the rigours of the tour, whilst 35,000 fans arrived in Sydney for the final game.  When the touring party finally arrived in Sydney later in the week, one of the biggest shocks of the tour was about to erupt – Brian O’Driscoll had been dropped for the final test !!  The talismanic Irish player, capped 133 times for Ireland and on his fourth Lions tour, didn’t even make the bench !!  The uproar from the Emerald Isle could be heard around the world.  Facebook pages were launched, calling for the coach Warren Gatland’s head.  But Gatland stuck to his guns, and when kick-off rolled around, the Lions had a decidedly Welsh look to it, with 10 of the starting 15 players being from Wales.
And it worked.  The Wallabies didn’t look like they were in this game at all, from the very first kick-off (which Will Genia promptly knocked on).  Eighty seconds later, and the prop Alex Corbisiero had crossed for the first try.  From there, it was Lions all the way.  The Wallabies did look like they were pegging the visitors back, with the score being 19-16 to the Lions just after half-time.  But then the Lions just put the hammer down, crossing for 3 more tries in the last 25 minutes of the game.  The Lions fans in the crowd went ballistic as the Lions scored their very first test series win in Australia since 1989, and lifted the Tom Richards cup.

The Wrap-Up

I’m pretty sure those Lions fans will be celebrating for the next four years.  In the aftermath of the third test in Sydney, what do we know?

• That thirty five thousand Lions fans can inject fifty million dollars into the Sydney economy over one weekend.  And I reckon most of that was in the pubs….
• Robbie Deans has been sacked as coach of the Wallabies.  He had held the reins for 74 test matches, but was always going to have his critics, being a Kiwi coaching the Aussie team.  And the thumping that was the third test was the straw the broke the ARU’s camel.  Thanks Robbie, your effort over the last 6 years was much appreciated.
• Warren Gatland dropping Brian O’Driscoll was a coaching masterstroke.  But he may not be getting many Christmas cards from Irish fans for a while….

So another Lions tour comes to an end.  They’ll be off to New Zealand in four years time to face the mighty All Blacks.  I can’t wait.