The Lions can't win in some people's eyes but they're still a beast

The 42

6 days ago

THE NARRATIVE OF this Lions tour is already set in stone in many people's minds.
If the Lions win this Saturday in Melbourne, the bigger story will be the Wallabies' woes.
If Andy Farrell's men win the series 3-0, the focus on the Australians will become even more heightened.
This weekend's second Test is seen as a foregone conclusion in some quarters. But while the Lions are favourites to win at the MCG, it's too early to call this one. There are two games left in the series. Stranger things have happened in rugby.
The focus on the Wallabies is understandable, of course. We had been used to the Aussies winning World Cups and regularly beating smaller rugby nations such as Ireland. But Ireland haven't been minnows for a while. They're among the nations who have emerged to become contenders. The Aussies have clearly gone backwards over the same period.
With that improvement in Irish rugby has come great expectation. If Ireland don't play well or lose these days, there tends to be a dramatic reaction. Heads are called for and disaster is declared. There seems to be demand for a complete 80-minute performance every single time now. High expectations are good but that's unrealistic.
Those expectations have now transferred onto the Lions.
Farrell's men smashed the Wallabies for large parts of last weekend's Test to earn a deserved, clear-cut victory on an eight-point margin. But it has been framed almost as an underperformance by some, despite it being a classic Farrell performance.
Ireland at their best under Farrell have done this. They have taken teams apart in irresistible flurries of qualities, whirlwinds of excellence when accuracy is at 100% and physicality is through the roof. These souped-up purple patches often last 20 or 30 minutes and then the game is realistically over.
It's human nature to drop off after such heightened blasts of quality. When you know you've got the game won, it is simply natural not to hammer into tackles quite as hard, not to chase at full speed every time, to lose a hint of focus on the basic skills.
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There's arguably no such thing as an 80-minute performance in rugby these days, even if it's a laudable goal. Every coach pushes their team to be at their maximum potential in every moment, but it's rare to get to that sustained level.
All the discussion of the opposition on this Lions tour means that Farrell's men really can't win in some people's eyes, even if they whitewash the series. It will just be written off as victory against a weak opponent.
Lions supporters in Australia. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
The Lions have rarely played one of the traditional giants of the Southern Hemisphere when they're coming out of such a low ebb, but it's also true that the Lions don't win series very often. And that's a history of losing that Farrell has been utterly determined to change this summer.
That's probably why the Lions have come across as distant to the Australian media and maybe even hostile towards the travelling Irish and British press on occasion. Farrell and co. don't care about this stuff, they just care about winning.
One of the curious things about the coverage of this tour from back home is the philosophical discussion about the Lions' future and whether people really care about it anymore.
You definitely have to be here to appreciate that people do still care.
Rugby Australia say that this Saturday's game at the magnificent MCG in Melbourne is on track for a crowd of 90,000. That is a stunning figure for rugby and would be the second highest attendance at a Lions match ever.
Adelaide welcomed a new record crowd for rugby in the city when the Lions played the AUNZ XV, Canberra had its biggest rugby crowd for nearly 20 years for the Brumbies game, and the Waratahs more than doubled their average attendance for their game. Last weekend's first Test at the 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium sold out. So even with the Wallabies working their way back from the Eddie Jones fiasco, there is still huge interest.
The Irish, English, Welsh, and Scottish expats living in Australia are loving having the Lions here, while the masses of travelling supporters are clearly having a brilliant time.
No one back home should be forced to love the Lions. It's fine for people to think it's a joke. But the people who are here certainly aren't thinking like that. The Ireland fans who are here are rightly proud of the huge batch of Irish players and staff who have made it on tour. There might never be similar again, so it's worth enjoying now.
Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo
Every single one of the Lions fans is fully kitted out in official gear and not just the jersey. Hats, scarves, hoodies, zippies, tracksuits. Lions fans seem to have bought the lot. The Lions say they've had a 43% increase on jersey sales compared to the last tour, although it should be pointed out that no fans travelled on that one. Still, the Lions jersey has been a huge seller.
And the official Lions Rugby Travel tours have more than twice the numbers of people with them in Australia than was the case in 2013.
It was telling how big a roar Jac Morgan got last night at Marvel Stadium when his name was read out pre-match. There have been lots of Welsh voices about the place in the last couple of weeks, despite their dire representation in the Lions squad. They'd have hoped for more Welsh players when they were booking, but they're still here as Lions fans.
This tour will generate record profits for the Lions, which is good news for the four unions involved. A new profit-share agreement means players get a bigger bite of the cake this time too, with those who do the full tour earning more than €100,000, with a similar fee going to the clubs who provided each player. Late arriving players' fees are worked out on a pro-rata basis.
And Rugby Australia, as well as the host cities for each game, are in for similarly coffer-enhancing windfalls.
So the Lions are going nowhere. These tours are absolute beasts and will remain so. New Zealand in four years' time already looks exciting.
It may well be that the Lions big wigs look at changing things up or trying to take on new markets. France has been mentioned as one possible destination and while there are obvious challenges like the Top 14 schedule, it would be seriously exciting, a hell of a lot of fun, and undoubtedly highly profitable.
Argentina showed their class against the Lions on a fantastic occasion in Dublin before this tour even started, which must also have been eye-opening for the powers that be. The Pumas would love to become a more regular part of this.
But Australia has been a huge part of the Lions story and it would be a shock if the tourists turn their back on this great country. It is a wonderful place to trek around and while the Wallabies aren't what they once were, this tour and the 2027 World Cup should deliver a foot-up.
On Saturday, Joe Schmidt and his men need to produce an upset that would completely rewrite the script.