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Had the British & Irish Lions been offered their current position a month ago, they would have jumped at it. One-nil up in the series with two to play and the chance to seal the deal in one of the world’s greatest sporting arenas? For anyone raised on the mythical deeds of past Lions tours this should be as good as it gets.
So why was the mood so pancake-flat at the final whistle after the 27-19 first Test win in Brisbane? Primarily because the best sport requires at least a hint of jeopardy. From an early stage at the Suncorp Stadium, sadly, there was absolutely no doubt which side was going to win. For the first time in living memory, a Lions Test victory had become a foregone conclusion.
The boot has occasionally been on the other foot, notably in 2005 when it swiftly became clear the All Blacks were a class above Sir Clive Woodward’s squad. There is no massive shame when that happens, and to witness Dan Carter twinkling in the second Test was a privilege. But Saturday was different: playing against distinctly moderate opposition, the Lions were so far in front after 42 minutes that everything else became irrelevant.
This is not remotely to diminish the excellence of Tom Curry, Finn Russell, Tadhg Beirne and Huw Jones, among others. The Lions can beat only whatever is put in front of them. If England’s cricketers come over later this year and take a big early lead in the Ashes series they are not going to waste time worrying about the shaky state of Australia’s top order. But, goodness, it has made the second Test this Saturday a bellwether fixture. Here’s hoping the Wallabies, for the sake of all concerned, will emerge a lot quicker from the blocks this time.
They should have Rob Valetini and Will Skelton back, and Angus Bell, among others, could be promoted from the bench. What the hosts cannot afford to be is as deeply mediocre as they were made to look in the first half in Brisbane. Because another one-sided contest would do more than just bruise Australian pride. If the gap cannot be narrowed it risks undermining everything this series is meant to be about. The Lions’ unique appeal is based squarely on the four‑yearly crackle of pre-game anticipation. It also has to make onlookers feel they are watching something genuinely special. In that regard, the game on Saturday fell short of the levels required.
In certain quarters, of course, this is a minor problem. The father of one high-profile Lions player, over a beer on the eve of the game, told me how sick he was of hearing about the need for a closely contested series to lure more neutral eyeballs. His view is that winning every Test convincingly and grinding the Wallabies into the dirt is all that matters. Lions series are about winning: they do not arrange open-top bus parades for plucky losers. On a basic sporting level he is, of course, correct. But when sold-out stadiums fall quiet and even rugby diehards at home start channel-hopping to find more gripping viewing, something is not quite right. If the Lions return home having barely been run close in a single competitive game in Australia it will be a desperately sad state of affairs.
So, for everyone’s sake, one of two things now has to happen. Either Australia must boomerang their way back into the series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as a matter of urgency, or the Lions need to give a statement performance that will stand the test of time. Listening to Australia’s head coach, Joe Schmidt, suggesting after the game that the experience of this Lions series would benefit his younger players in the forthcoming Rugby Championship is to suspect the second option is the more likely.
Either way, Andy Farrell will surely be stressing the need to dial things up at the MCG. He will have been frustrated by the lack of bench impact in Brisbane and may be tempted to inject some fresh energy. Henry Pollock, Jac Morgan, Josh van der Flier, Owen Farrell, Blair Kinghorn and Jamie George could all enter the conversation, while Joe McCarthy’s injury may prompt a modest forward reshuffle. Might Beirne and Ollie Chessum both start? One of them will probably have to feature in the second row.
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Whoever plays, this feels like the 2025 Lions’ defining moment. Farrell rightly hailed the big-match temperaments of Curry, Beirne, Russell and Jamison Gibson‑Park but will now be seeking an all‑court, 80-minute performance similar to the final Test in Sydney in 2013 when the Lions stood up magnificently with the series on the line. He will want James Lowe and Tommy Freeman to show they can finish as sharply as Australia’s Max Jorgensen, for Jones and Sione Tuipulotu to dovetail sweetly once again, and for the Lions to generally be more ruthless in their opponents’ 22. He will want more ball claimed in the air and even more pressure heaped on the Wallabies’ playmakers.
Above all else, perhaps, he will want his chosen ones to show that, even if they were facing the All Blacks or the Springboks, they possess the requisite class and composure. That the thousands of fans who have made the long pilgrimage here have invested shrewdly. And that, emotionally, the Lions are still capable of stirring feelings other teams cannot.
If, alternatively, they allow Australia back into the series – or, heaven forbid, lose the last two Tests – they will regret it for the rest of their days.
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