Third Test Review - Australia 16 - 41 British & Irish Lions

Firstly, I need to make an apology.  Six days to write up the final Lions Test is a pretty poor effort.  But as somebody who attended the game and who is still in Sydney, I can honestly say it’s not my fault.  I was subjected to a brutal night out with an almost aggressive influx of banter from Wallaby supporters, and the truth is I’ve only just recovered.   But now I’ve finally got what little wits I have back about me, I may as well detail what I was privileged to witness last Saturday.

As I was waiting to go inside the ANZ Stadium on Saturday night for the Third Test between the Wallabies and the Lions, I couldn’t help but wish that this wasn’t the end of the Tour, that maybe the game could be delayed by a couple of days.  Why?  Well, after all the build up over the last month, it’s pretty sad knowing that there’s only 2 hours between the present and the end of it all.  My desire for a delayed kick off was also aided the small factor that the queues for beer were so astronomically long that a camping kit would have been a useful asset, but the waits were made more entertaining by the vocal Lions and Wallabies fans standing in the line who seemed intent on spraying as much saliva into their neighbour’s ear as possible whilst belting out various patriotic tunes.

Despite my reluctance for the Third Test to actually take place, there was no withholding of opinion by the press in the build up to the game.  It was all focused around one point – Warren Gatland’s decision not to play Brian O’Driscoll, the Leinster, Ireland and Lions legend who was the only man remaining from the 2001 Tour.  So much was riding on this big call that Gatland had been subjected to abuse before the first whistle had even been sounded – and he would have been aware that there would be no hiding place for him should his gamble not pay off in the Series decider.

But it was apparent, from the first touch, that there was no hiding place for the players either at the ANZ stadium.  From Johnny Sexton’s kick off, Kane Douglas inexplicably moved out of the way at the last second and left a startled Will Genia to make probably his first mistake of the series, knocking on in the first 3 seconds of the game.  From the ensuing scrum, the Lions won a free kick and Tommy Bowe and Alan Wyn Jones made good yardage before the returning Alex Corbisiero took a smart flick from Mike Phillips and wriggled over the line for a try on the one minute line.  Leigh Halfpenny added the extras, and the Lions were in dreamland.

Both sets of fans were stunned and the stall was well and truly set for the rest of the match.  The Wallabies came roaring back from the restart, with Kurtley Beale showing nifty feet before Israel Folau stepped inside George North to bring the hosts inside the Lions 22.  The men in gold had go forward but were halted abruptly when George Smith charged headfirst into Richard Hibbard’s forehead, knocking himself out in the process and being forced off for a concussion test.  Hibbard didn’t seem to notice.  The loss of the evergreen talisman that is Smith seemed to rattle the Wallabies, as did a cracking hit by Dan Lydiate on Christian Leali’ifano that drove the centre backwards and allowed fellow flanker Sean O’Brien to claim a turnover penalty on halfway.  Halfpenny banished the memories of the previous week with a booming kick that gave the tourists a 10 point lead after just 10 minutes.

It didn’t last long, however, as Wyn Jones and Hibbard were penalised from the restart for blocking and Leali’ifano smoothly slotted the 3 points to bring the Wallabies back within 7.  Unfortunately for the hosts though, the Lions scrum was starting to take charge – and by take charge, I mean utterly destroy.  With Adam Jones continuing to do his thing, Alex Corbisiero showed what a superb scrummager he is by dismantling Ben Alexander on the loosehead side, earning two penalties and 6 points from the boot of Leigh Halfpenny.  It was a desperate state of affairs for the Wallabies – down on the scoreboard, smashed in the scrum, trucked in the tackle (with North pulverising Folau once again) and then, to make things worse, one man down, as Alexander was finally sinbinned after yet another scrum offence.  It was 3 further points for the Lions and, after a breathless opening 25 minutes, the score was 19-3 to the tourists.

The noise was coming from the supporters in red.  Even in the Wallaby sections, where I was, it was the pockets of British and Irish fans who were in full voice and belting out the full array of songs, from Bread of Heaven to Fields of Athenry to Swing Low.  I even heard Flower of Scotland at one point.  The hosts’ fans stunned silence was compounded at the sad sight of Folau leaving the pitch with a hamstring injury, to be replaced by debutant Jesse Mogg.

Luckily for the Aussies, Mogg is some talent himself.  With Beale making space in midfield, Mogg hit a gorgeous line to tear through the defence, and had open space in front of him – only to be denied by a sensational tap tackle by the diving Geoff Parling.  The Wallabies may have been denied the try this time, but the 14-men were showing real guts and a desire to claw their way back into the game.  Genia was threatening, James Horwill and Stephen Moore both went close with strong carries, but time after time the home side were denied, with Tommy Bowe, Parling and Faletau all making important tackles.  There was a sense that if there was any chance at all for the Wallabies in this game, they had to score before half time – and with the last throw of the dice, they managed it.

A rare solid scrum – with Sekope Kepu now on permanently for Alexander – gave the much-maligned James O’Connor decent ball, and the fly half stepped inside Sexton and wriggled through O’Brien, Phillips and Jamie Roberts to score by the posts.  It was a world-class finish worthy of a world-class winger – despite the doubts about his credentials as a 10.  Leali’ifano added the extras, and we had a game on our hands.

The tension was building and it was clear it would be critical who scored first after the break.  And it was the Wallabies who showed up stronger after the break, squeezing out 2 penalties at the breakdown to give the faultless Leali’ifano another 6 points with the boots and bring the men in gold back within 3 points with 35 minutes on the clock.  It was a stunning comeback and all of a sudden it was belief rather than despair that seemed to be permeating through fans and players alike.

The Lions needed a change, especially after their lineout faltered in a promising position.  On came Tom Youngs for the otherwise impressive Richard Hibbard, and he had an impact straight away, carrying strongly along with Wyn Jones to give the Lions a scrum in a useful position.  The ritual humiliation of the Wallabies followed, and Halfpenny extended the lead once again.  This was now a real slobber-knocker with both sides looking dangerous and going close – Beale and O’Connor combined beautifully to open up the Lions defence on the left, with Halfpenny coming to the rescue, before a superb chip and chase by Sexton nearly put Jonathan Davies away via a slick offload from North.

It was all jabs, chin-ticklers, with no real knock-out blow – but then the men in red delivered a crushing blow.  Bowe sliced cross field and good hands from Davies put Halfpenny through half a gap, and the Welsh fullback offloaded well inside to the supporting Sexton, allowing the Irishman to touchdown beneath the posts and send the Lions fans into raptures.

It was a stunning try that was only surpassed by another 5 minutes later – a series-sealing beauty that was made in Wales.  A decent kick by Genia didn’t find touch and Halfpenny, instead of kicking like he so often does, took the defence on – and how.  He beat Genia on the outside and surged inside a lethargic Joe Tomane, before feeding North on the outside and allowing the big Welshman to coast in for the try to end the game as a contest.  It was majestic stuff that rightly sealed Halfpenny’s title as Man of the Series.  Disgustingly, however, he missed the conversion.

The Wallabies’ confidence was shot.  Their game went flat, and the belief drained out of them as quickly as the Lions’ points accumulated, and 10 minutes before the end the final nail in the coffin was hammered in as Jamie Roberts, who had been kept quiet all game, hit a beauty of a line off a maul and coasted in through a gap that Matt Dunning could have waddled through.  It was lazy from the Wallabies; it was ecstasy for the Lions.

The final score was 41-16 to the tourists, and as they celebrated their first series win since 1997, it was notable to detect just a hint of sadness amongst all the fans’ cheering and singing.  After so much anticipation, the Lions tour was done, and it would be 4 years until the next one.  But for those who had doubts about the relevance of a Lions Tour in the current era, all questions had been well and truly answered over the last 5 weeks in Australia.  This was a Tour 12 years in the making, and it made memories that will last a lifetime.

Australia Player Ratings

Kurtley Beale – 6 – Made some magic from the back on a couple of occasions but was kept quiet overall by some strong kicking from the Lions.  His kicking, on the other hand, was a little shaky.

Israel Folau – 5 – A disappointing evening for both the talented man himself and both sets of supporters, as Folau was kept well shackled before going off with a strained hamstring.
Adam Ashley-Cooper –6 – Never let anyone down but was unable to join in the game as an attacking force as the Wallabies struggled for fluency.
Christian Lealiifano – 7 – Looks like a natural Test player when he’s not getting knocked out.  His kicking was flawless once again and almost helped the Wallabies get back into the game, although he will be disappointed with his defence for the Lions’ second try.
Joe Tomane – 5 – For the second week in a row the electric Brumbies winger was surprisingly quiet.  He struggled to make an impact with the ball in hand and looked suspect in defence.
James O'Connor – 7 – It’s safe to say the O’Connor experiment at 10 has failed.  This was his best performance of the Series but he still doesn’t bring in others around him, despite scoring a marvellous solo try...but it was a winger’s score, not a fly-half’s.
Will Genia – 8 – Incredible that he still looked so dangerous behind a beaten pack.  Constantly threatened the fringes and kicked superbly as well.
Benn Robinson – 4 – The problems were mainly on the other side of the scrum but he still had problems and was pinged a couple of times.  Carried well once again though.
Stephen Moore – 5 – The lineout was solid once again but we didn’t see him in the loose as much as usual and he was part of a decimated front row.
Ben Alexander – 2 – Probably one of the worst nights of his rugby career.  Utterly destroyed by Corbisiero to the extent that his coach hauled him off before the half before he could be penalised any more.
Kane Douglas – 4 – A real come down after the promising displays over the last couple of weeks.  His mistake at the opening kickoff set the tone for the evening for the Wallabies and was bullied physically.
James Horwill – 6 – Toiled manfully but was thoroughly outperformed by his opposite numbers in terms of physicality and mobility.
Ben Mowen – 7 – Along with Folau, a real success story for the Wallabies, which is one crumb of comfort to take.  A real pain for the tourists around the fringes, he dealt with Mike Phillips well throughout.
George Smith – 5 – The dream comeback was not to materialise.  He took a big bang to the head early on and seemed slightly off the pace when he returned.
Wycliff Palu – 6 – Made some big statements in defence but was unable to generate any decent go forward with the ball in hand.

Subs Used

Saia Faianga – 5 – Struggled in the scrum but at least upped his sides energy levels at the breakdown.
James Slipper – No time to have an impact.
Sekope Kepu – 6 – The big prop was an improvement in the scrum but was still under a huge amount of pressure from Corbisiero and yielded a couple of penalties.
Rob Simmons – 5 – Unable to break the waves of Lions carriers that were hurtling in his direction.
Michael Hooper – 6 – His energy may have helped the Wallabies at half time but by the time he arrived the decline had well and truly started.
Ben McCalman – 4 – Was he on the field?  Invisible upon his introduction.
Nick Phipps – No time to have an impact.
Jesse Mogg – 6 – Showed some promising touches on his debut, with one scything break in particular in the first half nearly leading to a score.
 

Lions Player Ratings

Leigh Halfpenny – 10 – Magnificent stuff.  Kicked like a dream once again, was defensively superb and we saw some attacking spark to make him the full package.  A wonderful display, that would have earned a man of the match award was it not for the work of someone in the front row...
Tommy Bowe – 7 – Another solid display from Bowe, who proved his worth as an intelligent footballer despite not getting his hands on the ball quite as much as he would have liked.
Jonathan Davies – 8 – A class display from the outside centre.  Helped set up a try and kicked well throughout, completing a very impressive tour for the Welshman.
Jamie Roberts – 7 – Quietly effective from the big man.  He didn’t make too many yards but he straightened the line when required and then hit a dream line off a set move that put the cherry on top of the cake for the tourists.
George North – 7 – Was well shackled on the whole but one big hit on Folau ensured he finished that battle on top and then finished well for the Lions’ third try.
Jonathan Sexton – 8 – Probably the Lions’ unsung hero in the backline.  Was calm and authoritative throughout the game and deserved his try after a good support line.
Mike Phillips – 6 – Didn’t have the best of games but got the job done.  His service was better this time and he didn’t get caught around the fringes as much, but his box kicking was still very poor.
Alex Corbisiero – 10 – An unbelievable performance.  You cannot ask for anything more from a prop.  He made his fair share of tackles, carried hard, scored a try and earned the Lions 12 points with penalties.  Showed England what they are missing.  Man of the Match.
Richard Hibbard – 7 – The lineout was pretty solid on the whole and, although he wasn’t as prominent as usual in the loose, he was part of a destructive front row effort.
Adam Jones – 8 – Dominated his side of the scrum and that was critical for the Lions, but he didn’t show up around the park anywhere near as much as his fellow prop.
Alun-Wyn Jones – 9 – Relentlessly physical and inspirational performance from the stand in skipper.  Led a fired up pack and never took a backwards step.  Hit hard throughout.
Geoff Parling – 8 –The Aussies will know who he is now.  Incredible workrate and the definition of the word ‘graft’, but one superb tap tackle on Mogg finally earned him some deserved spotlight. 
Dan Lydiate – 7 – Defensively massive once again.  I’d still like to see him be more effective with the ball in hand but when you win penalties by chopping players down, it’s a minor criticism.
Sean O’Brien – 8 – Phenomenal workrate that was only let down by one defensive lapse in the closing stages of the first half.  Carried with real purpose and showed skill and poise over the ball as well.
Toby Faletau – 8 – Has really kicked on in the latter half of the tour.  His work rate was sensational once again and how he tops the carrying and tackling charts simultaneously is seriously impressive.

Subs used:

Tom Youngs – 7 – The scrum did not loose any power with his introduction and his energetic carries helped the Lions kick on when the Wallabies were closing in.

Mako Vunipola – 6 – The game was won by the time he was introduced but carried with typical energy when he did get onto the field.
Dan Cole – 7 – Destructive in the scrum upon his introduction and will be pleased he finished the Tour on a positive after the criticism he received in the First Test.
Richie Gray – 6 – Finally a Scotsman got onto the field and he made himself busy in defence when he came on.
Justin Tipuric – 7 – Provided energy at the breakdown and snaffled himself a turnover in the short time he was on the pitch.
Conor Murray – 6 – Maintained the team’s fluency with some crisp service which was made easier by the dominant pack in front of him.
Owen Farrell – 7 – Has grown in stature during the Tour and maintained his attacking mentality with some smart kicks and smooth passes upon his introduction.
Manu Tuilagi – No time to have an impact.