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Is that the best the British & Irish Lions can do? The so-called greatest team assembled in the universe of rugby union. Of such mighty bonds that can bring together the British Isles. The pride of the swarming mass of red jerseys, on their migratory flight to the southern hemisphere.
The Lions may have walked off a damp Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane 27-19 victors, but delve deeper and they were not the only winners. Saturday’s closer-than-it-could-have-been opening Test might have looked ominous for the Wallabies – and Rugby Australia officials – after a one-sided 42 minutes.
Yes, the tourists were dominant in a first half in which they enjoyed almost twice the carries of their opponents, and three times as many metres. At 24-5 early in the second period, the result might have been anything. But by the end of the 80 minutes, the possession percentage – behind only the scoreboard in rugby’s great leaderboard of measures – actually favoured the hosts.
Fans had been warned to expect a relentless storm of red, which only grew in ferocity when those Lions chained to the substitutes’ bench were let loose. Yet the Australians finished the stronger, and almost brought the game to within a single score.
“We actually grew into the game and started to get a little bit of flow in the second half, ending up three tries apiece,” said Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, needling the Lions camp with another measure that overstated Australia’s effectiveness.
In that spirit, it was a gallant display from many in gold, including Max Jorgensen who might be described on this night as Harry Potter-esque for the Wallabies. His magical first-half tackle on Lions’ centre Huw Jones, and help from the languid TMO, froze the opposition’s momentum like a Glacius spell. He might as well have been playing Quidditch when he stole the ball in midair from the Lions’ No 15 Hugo Keenan and raced away to score for the highlight of the match.
Then there is the “real” Harry Potter, the Wallabies’ opposite wing, with a performance like Jason Bourne. One might not always understand what he’s planning, but he always looks dangerous. Overlapping inside, tiptoeing along the touchline, kicking from midfield for the flying Jorgensen in the second half, Potter oozed main character energy. And, boy, was he up for the fight, twice ripping the ball away to prevent tries and at one stage sizing up Jack Conan, a man near twice his size.
Sure, much of the stadium may have been red, but this was occasion viewing for those fascinated by this once-every-12-years circus. A million viewers or more will have tuned into the broadcast, but many of those needed rugby reintegration after a recent lull in Australia’s third-most popular oval-ball code. After league recruit Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, the second face recognised by many fans will have been Michael Lynagh, and he hasn’t played for Australia since 1995.
Rather, it was Michael’s son Tom – reviving the determined gaze and blond flow of his father – doing his best in his run-on debut for the Wallabies at the crucial position of No 10. He has the build of a schoolboy and the facial hair to match, but when Lynagh Jr scurried and swerved, dinked and chipped his way around the field he offered a flashback via his lineage to a different era. Of running rugby and the impetuousness of amateurism. Of, yes, Wallabies World Cup victories. But when young Lynagh was obliterated in mid-air while fielding an up-and-under by the Lions’ brute Tom Curry, all were reminded it was 2025.
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That means AI, Epstein, escalating conflict and a Lions side here to spend five weeks bullying Australia’s best. The Wallabies are clearly a work in progress. Schmidt will hand over the reins to Les Kiss next year to build towards the real prize of the 2027 home World Cup. The dynamic means this group need only show commitment and improvement and they will earn a pass mark from the rugby faithful, as long as they keep each fixture close. “I don’t think we had anything to lose going into this game,” Lynagh Jr admitted.
So while the Lions can enjoy Saturday’s victory, and perhaps the series in as little as seven days, there are certainly more important things for Australian rugby than the result. Yes, of course, the tour’s heavily discussed revenue injection helps Rugby Australia. There is also the fleeting but welcome moment of mainstream attention the Lions, as one of world sport’s oddities, bring. But at the start of Australian rugby’s golden decade, this series also represents a reunion for the sport’s broad and sometimes distant family.
Lynagh, speaking after the match, became choked up when the topic of his London-based father was raised. “He tries not to get involved too much. I saw him for the first time in six months this morning, so it was nice to chat to him,” the 22-year-old said, his voice cracking. “I’m trying not to tear up, he was trying not to tear up this morning and just when I saw him then, so [it’s been] a very, very special moment for us in the family.”
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