Itoje leads Lions on history chase with echoes of former Sydney glories in air

The Guardian

3 days ago

As the 2025 British & Irish Lions prepare for their last hurrah there are distant echoes of former glories in the damp Sydney air. A highly respected English lock forward leading out a history-chasing team in the same stadium which staged the 2003 Rugby World Cup final? It is not the worst of precedents for Maro Itoje as he and his modern-day Lions await their third and final date with destiny.
Itoje and his squad would also dearly love to rekindle memories of another significant contest in this city. The decisive concluding Test of the 2013 Lions series was a classic example of a touring side saving its best until last, with a tiring Wallaby side eventually losing 41-16 after a certain assistant coach called Andy Farrell had urged the players to take their hosts to 'the hurt arena'.
This time around, among other things, Farrell has been invoking the never-say-die ethos of the Irish boxer Katie Taylor, who was asked to record a few motivational words for the Lions. 'Prepare to win by skill but be ready to win by will,' was Taylor's pithy message and, despite the likelihood of wet conditions, Farrell is keen for his team to tick both boxes en route to a 3-0 series whitewash.
Australia will have other ideas, of course, but even their head coach, Joe Schmidt, has acknowledged their agonising near miss in Melbourne last Saturday has been tough for his squad to absorb. The series is already gone, the influential Rob Valetini is sidelined again and they are up against opponents who still have a collective glint in their eyes.
To make matters worse, the Wallabies have also been enduring further disruption on the eve of the game with Brandon Paenga-Amosa called up as emergency cover at hooker following injuries to Dave Porecki and Matt Faessler. When it rains as pours, as has very much been the case in a soaking Sydney over recent days.
Whichever combinations are wearing gold, though, it will not affect the visitors' stated objectives. They want to fly home as the first Lions squad since 1927 to win every game of a multi-Test series, although the legendary 1974 team did famously claim three wins and a draw against the Springboks. There is clearly a debate to be had about whether beating a moderate Wallaby team compares, say, with outclassing South Africa at altitude but, either way, a 3-0 winning margin would stand the test of time.
Emotionally, certainly, there remains much to play for. On the eve of the game, Itoje had his match jersey presented to him by Kate Hardman, who has been diagnosed with incurable breast cancer but is travelling around Australia in a camper van with her husband and three children, seeking to make family memories that will never fade.
If that story doesn't heighten the Lions' desire to create a few last golden moments of their own, nothing will. And the more you think about it, the more a clean sweep would also mean to several squad members who have also had to overcome assorted challenges to reach this point.
Andrew Porter, for example, was 12 when he lost his mother to cancer and subsequently had to battle mental health issues including an eating disorder. Four years ago, having achieved his lifelong dream of being picked for the Lions, he was injured before departure and was unable to tour South Africa. Among the things that have kept him going is a quote written down by his mum before her death. 'Do work you believe in, believe in what you do. Everything else is a waste of time.' For him and his family this tour has been the most heartwarming of postscripts.
Everything is clearly relative but a place in the record books would also be something special for Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan, Tom Curry, Huw Jones and Blair Kinghorn, all of whom have spent periods of the last year battling injuries which tested their resolve. Ditto Hugo Keenan and Tommy Freeman, who was struggling with a back injury on Friday, both late developers not obviously heading for Lions greatness in their teens. And not forgetting Bundee Aki and Jamison Gibson-Park, for whom the notion of wearing a red Lions jersey was never even on their radar.
Sprinkle all these individual plotlines into the same crusading narrative and their shared power has been significant. The Lions could have folded at 23-5 down in Melbourne but, even in their darkest moments, the squad's competitive spirit has never wavered. This is also not a squad who are mentally already on the beach; the hosts may be in for another tough day regardless of the weather.
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Admittedly the Wallabies did raise a smile by turning up for their pre-game team photo in fake moustaches in tribute to their retiring scrum-half Nic White, but it would be no laughing matter should the Lions get ahead early this time and stay there. White's box kicking, though, may prove useful in the conditions while the Exeter-bound Tom Hooper will want to make an impact in Valetini's absence. Hooper hails from Australia's self-proclaimed toughest town (Bathurst, in case you're ever passing) and, along with the colossal Will Skelton, offers a steely physical edge that Australia will definitely require.
Even that, however, may not be sufficient if the Lions still have some collective gas left in the tank. Sheehan, Furlong, Itoje, Curry, Gibson-Park, Tadhg Beirne and Finn Russell would all be candidates for inclusion in a composite matchday 23 drawn from the last three Lions tours and one more command performance could yet elevate a couple more into that category.
It is also increasingly hard to dispute Farrell's credentials as an all-time Lion king, capable of pressing performance buttons that other coaches struggle to reach. Even his captain, who used to attend the same Hertfordshire school as Owen Farrell, has been increasingly fascinated by Farrell Sr's instinct for what makes a rugby player tick. 'I don't know if it is a surprise but it has reaffirmed that he's just an impressive character,' stressed Itoje.
'He's a brilliant orator, he holds the room and is a great motivator of men. He's also quite thoughtful. Probably what has surprised me is how hot on detail he is. He is very particular on detail and how the week flows, which is very good from a players' point of view. I've enjoyed the experience.'
All that remains now is to drag the Wallabies back into the hurt arena one last time.