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Whatever unfolds over the next three Saturdays this British & Irish Lions series will resonate more than its predecessor. Simply to see visiting fans in red jerseys wandering down Queen Street in central Brisbane is to be thankful the whole enterprise has a beating heart once again, in contrast to South Africa four years ago when a Covid-disrupted, spectator-free experience sapped everyone’s spirits.
Because a Lions tour is nothing without a human element, enticed back every four years by the fabled steepness of the challenge. “This is our Everest, boys,” growled Jim Telfer back in 1997 and, as usual, the master coach was right. On only three occasions in the past 50 years has a Lions squad returned home triumphant and, for now, a series win remains the holy grail for the professional egg chasers of England, Ireland, Scotland and, if selected, Wales.
As expectancy levels rise again, though, there is one nagging caveat which grows increasingly hard to sidestep. The Wallabies are currently languishing down at sixth in the World Rugby rankings and, consequently, nobody can recall a Lions squad being shorter-odds favourites anywhere, anytime. Beating Australia right now, some argue, would be less a case of scaling Everest than taking a leisurely amble along Bondi Beach.
Even the Lions have been talking aloud about gunning for a 3-0 clean sweep and, in the process, creating a chunky slice of history. All their three series wins from their past 12 attempts have been by a margin of 2-1; it is necessary to scroll right back to 1974 to find a properly rampant Lions side who, in a four-Test series against South Africa, won three Tests and drew the last.
All of which makes Saturday’s first Test particularly significant. If the Lions romp to a 30-point victory, it will inevitably stoke the debate about whether they should look at touring elsewhere in 12 years’ time. If, on the other hand, the Wallabies replicate their Twickenham boilover at England’s expense in November, fresh existential questions may start to be asked about the Lions themselves: are they now an overblown vanity project whose raison d’être, in the fast-changing modern world, is fraying?
So, no pressure. If a Lions series really is the pinnacle of the sport then, bluntly, the quality of the on-field action needs to justify the billing. The Lions may have shrugged off their pre-departure defeat to Argentina in Dublin but that result has been thrown into sharp relief by England’s recent 2-0 away series win over the Pumas. Similarly, the Wallabies were on the brink of going down to Fiji earlier this month.
Assessing the Lions’ tour games in Australia so far has been equally tricky: five wins from five outings, 32 tries scored, nine against, top-drawer opposition conspicuously absent. There have been flashes of excellence but not quite enough to guarantee a happy ending once the real stuff kicks off at the atmospheric Suncorp Stadium.
It leaves both teams holding out for a hero. And if there is one showman equipped to dominate the stage it is surely Finn Russell, the Bath and Scotland fly-half now auditioning to be the Lions wizard in Oz. Some great 10s have worn the red jersey down the years and Russell has his chance to join the fly-half pantheon.
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Four years ago he was a late addition in South Africa, featuring only as a replacement in the final Test. Since then he has become a catalyst who regularly shapes games to his personal will. Operating flat to the gainline, seeing space no one else can, fizzing out wide passes, dinking on the money cross-kicks to his wingers … the 32-year-old has become the complete package. To the point where if he was wearing gold this weekend the bookies’ odds would be much less definitive.
And if that heaps still more pressure on the shoulders of the 22-year-old Tom Lynagh, making his first start for the land of his distinguished father, that is the harsh reality of elite Test rugby. Give Russell some quick ball, with his Scotland teammates Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones at his elbow, and the Lions really could ask some penetrating questions, with Tommy Freeman and James Lowe both ready to apply the finishing gloss.
The Wallabies’ biggest challenge, then, will be to cut the supply lines to both Russell and Jamison Gibson-Park, his equally sharp partner in crime at half-back. And the longer they can do so, the more they will fancy their chances. It is no point pretending the loss of the injured Rob Valetini, Will Skelton et al is not a blow but Joe Schmidt is invariably a man with a plan and the presence on the bench of some potentially lively impact replacements is no coincidence.
The Lions’ selection has been slightly more conservative, with the emphasis placed squarely on a forceful, physical start. History would suggest they need one; on their past three tours the widest margin either way in a Lions first Test has been five points. You also have to go back to 2001 and Jason Robinson sensationally skinning Chris Latham on the outside in this very city inside the opening three minutes for an example of a Lions team cutting loose from the outset.
This one could be another slow burner unless, say, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii can jump high to steal an early restart and set the tone for a more frenetic kind of contest. The Lions defence has been well organised so far but Suaalii’s aerial ability is in another dimension.
The Wallabies have also picked Jake Gordon at scrum-half for his tactical acumen while the new cap Nick Champion de Crespigny will be bursting to impress on the flank. If he goes well and Australia get over the line, brace yourself for the “Champion the Wonder Horse” headlines.
It all lends this first Test a distinctly series-shaping feel. In South Africa the Lions won the opener only to surrender the remaining two, a pattern that feels unlikely this time around. The onus, accordingly, is on Australia to channel the power and the passion of Midnight Oil at their finest and make one or two Lions eat their confident words. In that event all those bullish pre-series predictions will be blown away like so many discarded pie wrappers. Farewell to Bondi and welcome back to Everest the hard way.
More likely is a tense initial tussle, at least for the first hour. But what if Farrell’s team have been holding back their best? Or if the Wallabies cannot lay a glove on the artful Russell? Win the first Test well and, at the very least, the travelling sea of red will be up and roaring. At which point the idea of a 3-0 series outcome will morph from banter into a serious possibility.
English (US)