Lions lose battle but win war and their four Scots are modern greats

On a night when the threat of lightning forced the players off for almost 40 minutes at the start of the second half, the hosts adapted to the downpour, kept it simple and got under the skins of the Lions players.

“Congratulations to Australia, they deserved to win,” said a magnanimous Andy Farrell. “They played the conditions better than us.”

Farrell’s Lions still got to lift the silverware, Maro Itoje hoisting the Qatar Airways trophy. They lost the battle but won the war, defeating the Wallabies by two Tests to one and becoming the first Lions squad to win a series since the tourists of 2013, also 2-1 victors in Australia.

Failed to emulate the ‘Invincibles’

They did not, however, manage to emulate Willie John McBride’s ‘Invincibles’ of 1974 and go unbeaten for the whole tour. The defeat in Sydney followed eight successive wins on Australian soil for Farrell’s squad.

Itoje was able to play only 27 minutes of the final Test and was one of three Lions players to be forced off early after failing head injury assessments. A bloodied Tommy Freeman departed just before half-time and James Ryan just after the break, the latter taking a blow from Skelton’s knee as he tried to tackle the marauding Aussie lock and got it all wrong. Happily, Ryan was able to join the celebrations at full-time.

Also spotted in the happy throng was Darcy Graham whose tour involvement had been all too brief. Called up late as injury cover, the Scotland winger played for 15 minutes in the midweek game against the First Nations & Pasifika XV before succumbing to an ankle injury. He at least had the consolation of scoring a try in the match and was among the Lions players collecting series winners’ medals on the podium in Sydney.

Finn Russell gripes well and truly silenced

For Finn Russell, it was another bauble to add to his burgeoning collection from what has been an annus mirabilis. For all his talent, his lack of silverware has sometimes been cast up as a criticism but such gripes can now be silenced. The Scotland stand-off adds a Lions series triumph to the Premiership and Challenge Cup honours he won this season with Bath. For good measure, Russell also picked up the Lions’ player of the series trophy from the team’s main sponsor, Howden.

The fly-half was one of four Scots to play in the Test series and all can now be considered modern greats of the Scottish game. Russell, Blair Kinghorn, Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu have proven themselves to be winners with their clubs and now with the Lions. The hope now is that their success can rub off on the national team.

Having pushed the Lions so close last weekend in Melbourne, Australia were desperate to salvage something from the series and they looked the hungrier side throughout. They took only seven minutes to score the first of their three tries, through Dylan Pietsch, and they never relinquished their lead. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii played a big part in the score, taking out two Lions defenders with his footwork before playing a no-look pass which put Pietsch away in the corner.

Nic White was going out in style

The conditions were terrible and it didn’t pay to overplay. Australia were winning the battle of the breakdown and celebrating each mini-victory with relish. Skelton in particular was in the ears of his Lions rivals. White, meanwhile, was dictating play, determined to finish with a flourish in what was his final Test appearance.

The players were keeping their footing remarkably well given the volume of rain that was falling but the ball was greasy and even the normally immaculate Russell dropped it at one point. Louis Lynagh nudged the Aussies further ahead with a penalty, with the Lions losing their captain, Itoje, a couple of minutes before that.

Freeman and Ryan followed him soon after, also with head injuries, and it was while the Irishman was receiving treatment that referee Nika Amashukeli took the decision to suspend play. Lightning strikes within a 10-kilometre radius of the Accor Stadium had been reported and the teams returned to the changing rooms while those spectators sitting in the front 19 rows were told to take cover.

Nice career, well done

The players were kept inside for 38 minutes and it gave them the chance to cool off. This match may have been a dead rubber but there was an intensity about the home side’s play which sometimes spilled over into belligerence. White and Skelton were at the vanguard, mixing brilliant play with antagonism as they sought to disrupt the Lions. Taniela Tupou was on top in the scrum and the lineout was also a real cause for concern for the visitors who were making too many mistakes.

The Lions tried to move the ball wide but lacked any zip and Bundee Aki was in front of Kinghorn as received a pass from the Scot. Max Jorgensen took full advantage, collecting the spilt ball and rampaging up the right wing to score Australia’s second try. Ben Donaldson, on for the injured Lynagh, converted to make it 15-0 on 55 minutes, leaving the Lions needing three scores.

White left the field soon after, receiving the acclaim of the Sydney crowd. “Nice career, well done,” said Amashukeli as the scrum-half trotted off.

The Lions needed a spark and Russell provided it with a well judged up-and-under. Hugo Keenan won the aerial duel to put the tourists on the attack and a couple of plays later Jac Morgan dived in low to score from close range, with Russell converting.

They couldn’t build on it. Instead, it was Australia who took back control, forcing the Lions back on to their own tryline. There was a desperation about the visitors’ defending and Amashukeli was losing patience. There were too many offsides and Ronan Kelleher was sent to the sin-bin. Tom Curry limped off at the same time and the Lions couldn’t hold out any longer. Tate McDermott, on for White, darted round a ruck for the Aussies’ third try. Donaldson’s conversion put the contest beyond doubt.

Will Stuart scored from close range for the Lions in the final seconds but the Wallabies were worthy winners.

Teams and scorers

Scorers: Australia: Tries: Pietsch, Jorgensen, McDermott. Cons: Donaldson 2. Pen: Lynagh. Lions: Tries: Morgan, Stuart. Con: Russell.

Yellow card: Kelleher (Lions, 69min)

Australia: T Wright; M Jorgensen (A Kellaway 77), J-A Suaalii, L Ikitau, D Pietsch; T Lynagh (B Donaldson 32), N White (T McDermott 59); J Slipper (A Bell 58), B Pollard (B Paenga-Amosa 72), T Tupou (Z Nonggorr 61), N Frost, W Skelton (J Williams 64), T Hooper (L Gleeson 77), F McReight, H Wilson.

Lions: H Keenan; T Freeman (O Farrell 38), H Jones, B Aki, B Kinghorn; F Russell, J Gibson-Park (A Mitchell 72); A Porter (E Genge 46), D Sheehan (R Kelleher 58), T Furlong (W Stuart 58), M Itoje (O Chessum, 27min), J Ryan (J Morgan 43), T Beirne, T Curry (Sheehan 69), J Conan (B Earl 63).

Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia).

Attendance: 80,312.