Wallabies' task to surf Sea of Red to relevancy
The British and Irish Lions - and an estimated 40,000 supporters - are back in town, 12 years after a one-sided Sydney decider tipped the scales in their favour.
They'll start heavy favourites at a sold-out Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, the Wallabies this week jumping from eighth to sixth in the world after their unconvincing defeat of Fiji earlier this month.
Up 1-0 in 1989, the Wallabies were rocked 19-12 in a violent Brisbane Test, dubbed the "Battle of Ballymore", before losing the Sydney decider.
In 2001 the Wallabies were world champions and, after a Gabba ambush that changed the way Australians supported their team, found another gear to win the series 2-1.
Kurtley Beale slipped attempting the match-winning penalty in Brisbane 12 years later, James Horwill's men prevailing in a similarly tight Melbourne affair before that Sydney boilover.
In 2025 the Wallabies are coming from further behind, two years ago at rock bottom when unable to escape from the World Cup group stage for the first time.
In Brisbane they're missing two of their most important players in the injured Rob Valetini and Will Skelton.
A new halves combination, 22-year-old flyhalf Tom Lynagh in his first Test start and veteran scrumhalf Jake Gordon, is another unknown.
Still, Schmidt has created some optimism following a Spring Tour that featured the arrival of flash new toy Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii from the NRL.
"We've felt a bit of a shift," Schmidt said of the public support.
"There's a bit of a groundswell and the players are conscious you need to earn that every time you lace up.
"We know that in recent times perhaps we haven't earnt that.
"I don't know which is the cart and which is the horse, but we need each other."
The cynic would say there's a reason Rugby Australia have made the historic call to emblazon the Wallabies jerseys with the players' surnames.
But unlikely captain Harry Wilson, who until last year spent seasons in the Test wilderness after surging to a debut as a 20-year-old rookie, wants to take the chance to join John Eales as a Lion tamer.
"It's something a lot of us haven't ever had," the scruffy No.8 explained to the media scrum of the build-up to the game.
"We love seeing rugby being talked about and it's come at a really good time for us."
Thousands of Lions supporters crammed into Brisbane's King George Square on Friday, singing Oasis, Neil Diamond and Queen songs as they waited for their heroes to walk onto stage.
Queues for a beer at the nearby British pub stretched out the door.
It was that Sea of Red that flooded the Gabba in 2001 and forced Rugby Australia to respond with a golden wave in Melbourne.
With plenty to prove, Wilson is adamant his underdogs are up to it and Lions star-turned assistant coach Johnny Sexton isn't surprised.
"We're just trying to put a great performance out there because that's what's going to be needed," he said.
"A great performance, not a good performance, to beat this Australian team."
Schmidt, who's coached with and against most of the Lions players and staff during his time in Ireland is smiling at the challenge ahead.
"We've had one Test match. We've got 15 this year ... we thought we'd ease our way into the year," he grinned.
"That's the magnitude of it, really."
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt knows any of the ground his side's made up with the Australian public can be washed away in 80 minutes by a Brisbane red sea.
The British and Irish Lions - and an estimated 40,000 supporters - are back in town, 12 years after a one-sided Sydney decider tipped the scales in their favour.
They'll start heavy favourites at a sold-out Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, the Wallabies this week jumping from eighth to sixth in the world after their unconvincing defeat of Fiji earlier this month.
Up 1-0 in 1989, the Wallabies were rocked 19-12 in a violent Brisbane Test, dubbed the "Battle of Ballymore", before losing the Sydney decider.
In 2001 the Wallabies were world champions and, after a Gabba ambush that changed the way Australians supported their team, found another gear to win the series 2-1.
Kurtley Beale slipped attempting the match-winning penalty in Brisbane 12 years later, James Horwill's men prevailing in a similarly tight Melbourne affair before that Sydney boilover.
In 2025 the Wallabies are coming from further behind, two years ago at rock bottom when unable to escape from the World Cup group stage for the first time.
In Brisbane they're missing two of their most important players in the injured Rob Valetini and Will Skelton.
A new halves combination, 22-year-old flyhalf Tom Lynagh in his first Test start and veteran scrumhalf Jake Gordon, is another unknown.
Still, Schmidt has created some optimism following a Spring Tour that featured the arrival of flash new toy Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii from the NRL.
"We've felt a bit of a shift," Schmidt said of the public support.
"There's a bit of a groundswell and the players are conscious you need to earn that every time you lace up.
"We know that in recent times perhaps we haven't earnt that.
"I don't know which is the cart and which is the horse, but we need each other."
The cynic would say there's a reason Rugby Australia have made the historic call to emblazon the Wallabies jerseys with the players' surnames.
But unlikely captain Harry Wilson, who until last year spent seasons in the Test wilderness after surging to a debut as a 20-year-old rookie, wants to take the chance to join John Eales as a Lion tamer.
"It's something a lot of us haven't ever had," the scruffy No.8 explained to the media scrum of the build-up to the game.
"We love seeing rugby being talked about and it's come at a really good time for us."
Thousands of Lions supporters crammed into Brisbane's King George Square on Friday, singing Oasis, Neil Diamond and Queen songs as they waited for their heroes to walk onto stage.
Queues for a beer at the nearby British pub stretched out the door.
It was that Sea of Red that flooded the Gabba in 2001 and forced Rugby Australia to respond with a golden wave in Melbourne.
With plenty to prove, Wilson is adamant his underdogs are up to it and Lions star-turned assistant coach Johnny Sexton isn't surprised.
"We're just trying to put a great performance out there because that's what's going to be needed," he said.
"A great performance, not a good performance, to beat this Australian team."
Schmidt, who's coached with and against most of the Lions players and staff during his time in Ireland is smiling at the challenge ahead.
"We've had one Test match. We've got 15 this year ... we thought we'd ease our way into the year," he grinned.
"That's the magnitude of it, really."
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt knows any of the ground his side's made up with the Australian public can be washed away in 80 minutes by a Brisbane red sea.
The British and Irish Lions - and an estimated 40,000 supporters - are back in town, 12 years after a one-sided Sydney decider tipped the scales in their favour.
They'll start heavy favourites at a sold-out Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, the Wallabies this week jumping from eighth to sixth in the world after their unconvincing defeat of Fiji earlier this month.
Up 1-0 in 1989, the Wallabies were rocked 19-12 in a violent Brisbane Test, dubbed the "Battle of Ballymore", before losing the Sydney decider.
In 2001 the Wallabies were world champions and, after a Gabba ambush that changed the way Australians supported their team, found another gear to win the series 2-1.
Kurtley Beale slipped attempting the match-winning penalty in Brisbane 12 years later, James Horwill's men prevailing in a similarly tight Melbourne affair before that Sydney boilover.
In 2025 the Wallabies are coming from further behind, two years ago at rock bottom when unable to escape from the World Cup group stage for the first time.
In Brisbane they're missing two of their most important players in the injured Rob Valetini and Will Skelton.
A new halves combination, 22-year-old flyhalf Tom Lynagh in his first Test start and veteran scrumhalf Jake Gordon, is another unknown.
Still, Schmidt has created some optimism following a Spring Tour that featured the arrival of flash new toy Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii from the NRL.
"We've felt a bit of a shift," Schmidt said of the public support.
"There's a bit of a groundswell and the players are conscious you need to earn that every time you lace up.
"We know that in recent times perhaps we haven't earnt that.
"I don't know which is the cart and which is the horse, but we need each other."
The cynic would say there's a reason Rugby Australia have made the historic call to emblazon the Wallabies jerseys with the players' surnames.
But unlikely captain Harry Wilson, who until last year spent seasons in the Test wilderness after surging to a debut as a 20-year-old rookie, wants to take the chance to join John Eales as a Lion tamer.
"It's something a lot of us haven't ever had," the scruffy No.8 explained to the media scrum of the build-up to the game.
"We love seeing rugby being talked about and it's come at a really good time for us."
Thousands of Lions supporters crammed into Brisbane's King George Square on Friday, singing Oasis, Neil Diamond and Queen songs as they waited for their heroes to walk onto stage.
Queues for a beer at the nearby British pub stretched out the door.
It was that Sea of Red that flooded the Gabba in 2001 and forced Rugby Australia to respond with a golden wave in Melbourne.
With plenty to prove, Wilson is adamant his underdogs are up to it and Lions star-turned assistant coach Johnny Sexton isn't surprised.
"We're just trying to put a great performance out there because that's what's going to be needed," he said.
"A great performance, not a good performance, to beat this Australian team."
Schmidt, who's coached with and against most of the Lions players and staff during his time in Ireland is smiling at the challenge ahead.
"We've had one Test match. We've got 15 this year ... we thought we'd ease our way into the year," he grinned.
"That's the magnitude of it, really."
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ABC News
2 minutes ago
- ABC News
Five quick hits: Wallabies vs British and Irish Lions, third Test from Stadium Australia
The Wallabies have achieved just their seventh Test win over the British and Irish Lions, in a match that finished well beyond its listed time. Lightning stopped a gripping Test match that was physically demanding, and had the biggest and smallest players unafraid to muscle up. Here are the five quick hits from Stadium Australia. Any fears the Wallabies were going to come out of the sheds flat for the third Test, scarred by the heartbreak of last week, were extinguished in the opening minutes. Desperate for a fast start, Australia chanced its arm, showing little regard for the wet and miserable conditions. The up-tempo style of play was working for the Wallabies, who earned a five-metre scrum after driving Lions winger Tommy Freeman into his own in-goal. The Wallabies scrum, put under pressure in Melbourne, held firm at the first time of asking in Sydney. The Wallabies were patient on the Lions' goal line, hammering the defence with runs from the big forwards. When the moment was right, Nic White spun the ball out to the left. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii held the ball as long as he dared, drawing in two defenders, before passing to an unmarked Dylan Pietsch on the wing. With cover defence scampering across, Pietsch held his nerve and scored well, diving for the line and showing terrific ball control despite the conditions. Wallabies scrum half Nic White was allowed to have a farewell Test against rugby's most special team. But the number nine had no interest in exiting Test rugby quietly. White was in the thick of the action from the early moments, being the focal point of two melees. The first came in the 22nd minute when White chose to pick a fight with Lions hooker Dan Sheehan. That skirmish set off a chain reaction, with three spot fires emerging. White was the focus of Lion-fury in the 43rd minute, when Tadhg Beirne took exception to a shove from White. That led to more melees on the pitch, as medics came to the aid of Lions lock James Ryan, left motionless on the ground after copping an accidental knee from Will Skelton. James Ryan's injury early in the second half paused the match for several minutes. But while there was concern for the Irishman on the ground, another problem was forming in the skies. The players and officials walked off with the medical cart, as lightning around Homebush forced play to be suspended. Fans in the first 19 rows of the lower tier were encouraged to seek shelter in the concourse, while the players and coaching staff were thrown into the unknown. Fans around Stadium Australia remained upbeat during the near-45-minute delay, while some took it too far and ran onto the field. Four times, security was forced to enter a paying surface deemed unsafe because of lightning, just to escort patrons who wanted 15 seconds of notoriety from anyone who was watching. How the teams handled the break was different once the match had a restart time. The Wallabies were on the pitch 10 minutes before the resumption, going through warm-ups. The Lions, however, did not emerge from the sheds until five minutes before play resumed. That five-minute difference likely had little impact on the outcome, but served as an interesting point about how each side handled the same problem. The opening minutes of the second half saw Test rugby at its best. Coming off a 45-minute delay for lightning, the Wallabies and Lions waged a battle in the middle of the field. With the Wallabies lead just eight points, whoever could score first in the second half was going to have a tremendous chance of winning. Fortunately for Australia, the Lions blinked first. Trying to pass quickly down the left flank, the Lions were unable to handle the wet ball that went to ground. The ball popped into the arms of Max Jorgensen, who latched onto the footy like it was his most cherished possession. Once he had the ball in his arms, Jorgensen made the Lions pay. He broke one tackle and then was sprinting down the sideline, never to be caught. His try gave the Wallabies a 15-point lead and had Australian fans believing in a win. It was the second time in this series that Jorgensen's brilliance caught the Lions off guard. The winger scored Australia's opening try in the first Test, snatching a ball out of the air and sprinting away for the score. That try gave Australians hope in the first Test, and his try in Sydney put the Wallabies on the cusp of victory. Queensland Reds player Tate McDermott came off the bench in all three Tests, but was one of the Wallabies' best in the series. His introduction into the first Test sparked the Wallabies' fightback. He held his own for 60 minutes in Melbourne as a makeshift winger, after Harry Potter succumbed to a hamstring injury. With the match on the line in Sydney, it was McDermott again who made his presence felt. Jac Morgan's try in the 62nd minute reduced the Wallabies' lead back to eight points, hoping to spark another comeback like they did seven days earlier. But the Wallabies were not going to let another potential win slip through their grasp. Camped on the Lions' goal line for five minutes, the Wallabies battled and toiled against a dogged defence. Repeated infringements led to the Lions being reduced to 14- men when reserve hooker Ronan Kelleher was sent to the sin bin in the 69th minute. Two attempted driving mauls had been stopped. More than 10 drives from around the breakdown had been repelled. But amid the big forwards hammering away, it was one of the smallest men on the pitch to break through. McDertmott saw tired defenders next to the breakdown, so darted from the back and ducked under their arms. The scrum half then reached out and slammed the ball on the ground, sending the large contingent of Wallabies fans into hysteria. The Wallabies had a 15-point lead again and they were not going to give it up. History had been achieved for a side so often written off.
The Advertiser
32 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
'Utter rubbish': Lions slam lightning delay criticism
British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has slammed any suggestions of player complacency as "completely, utter rubbish" in the aftermath of a "bittersweet" third-Test loss to the Wallabies. While Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt had been alert to the possibility of a lightning break and said they had a "plan", television broadcast showed Lions players on their phones in the change rooms during a 38-minute delay of the eventual 22-12 defeat in Sydney. Players had been ordered off the field due to lightning striking near Accor Stadium early in the second half, when the Lions were trailing 8-0. Both sides were given 10 minutes to warm up, with the Wallabies shooting out to a 15-0 lead shortly after play resumed. Grilled by the critical British press to clarify the procedures surrounding the lightning delay, Farrell disputed any suggestions his players had failed to use the time seriously. "That's completely utter rubbish. Utter rubbish," Farrell said. "You don't know until you know, and when you do know, then you have to agree that the warm-up time allocated is going to be acceptable to both teams. "We agreed on 10 minutes for the warm-up, and through our advice from our experts in that field, we only made the call to come out five minutes before and stay there so that we'd be ready to go." Farrell's Wallabies counterpart Schmidt said he had wanted his players to remain connected during the delay. "We had been warned that there might be lightning, so we had a little bit of a plan," Schmidt said. "We wanted to make sure that players kept moving, so we had different guys rotating on the bikes. "We had four balls in the change room that we were just throwing around, just so they could stay connected." The Wallabies emerged the better side following the delay, with Farrell labelling winger Max Jorgensen's stunning 50-metre runaway try in the 55th minute as "the try that broke the camel's back". "I suppose what came off the back of that is that Australia hit the ground running and thoroughly deserved their win," Farrell said. "Rigor mortis was setting in at one stage there for the lads. "Anyway, I suppose that's what you come to expect with a schedule like a Lions schedule, so we've seen it all now, haven't we?" A serious head knock to Lions lock James Ryan had soured the opening minutes of the second half, just minutes before the lightning delay. Ryan had to be stretchered off after copping an accidental knee to the head from Will Skelton, but Farrell confirmed the 29-year-old was in "good spirits". "He's up and talking. He was out there for a good few minutes," Farrell said. "But he's back up in good spirits, so hopefully he's going to be fine." Lions lock Tadhg Beirne, named player of the series, could only describe the loss as a "bittersweet moment". "We lost tonight, which is obviously a bit crap for us," Beirne said. "But as 'Faz' says, we'll get over that because at the end of the day, we still won the series. "It's the last time we'll be in that change room together as a group, and I suppose that's the bitter part, that we won't get that moment again." British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has slammed any suggestions of player complacency as "completely, utter rubbish" in the aftermath of a "bittersweet" third-Test loss to the Wallabies. While Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt had been alert to the possibility of a lightning break and said they had a "plan", television broadcast showed Lions players on their phones in the change rooms during a 38-minute delay of the eventual 22-12 defeat in Sydney. Players had been ordered off the field due to lightning striking near Accor Stadium early in the second half, when the Lions were trailing 8-0. Both sides were given 10 minutes to warm up, with the Wallabies shooting out to a 15-0 lead shortly after play resumed. Grilled by the critical British press to clarify the procedures surrounding the lightning delay, Farrell disputed any suggestions his players had failed to use the time seriously. "That's completely utter rubbish. Utter rubbish," Farrell said. "You don't know until you know, and when you do know, then you have to agree that the warm-up time allocated is going to be acceptable to both teams. "We agreed on 10 minutes for the warm-up, and through our advice from our experts in that field, we only made the call to come out five minutes before and stay there so that we'd be ready to go." Farrell's Wallabies counterpart Schmidt said he had wanted his players to remain connected during the delay. "We had been warned that there might be lightning, so we had a little bit of a plan," Schmidt said. "We wanted to make sure that players kept moving, so we had different guys rotating on the bikes. "We had four balls in the change room that we were just throwing around, just so they could stay connected." The Wallabies emerged the better side following the delay, with Farrell labelling winger Max Jorgensen's stunning 50-metre runaway try in the 55th minute as "the try that broke the camel's back". "I suppose what came off the back of that is that Australia hit the ground running and thoroughly deserved their win," Farrell said. "Rigor mortis was setting in at one stage there for the lads. "Anyway, I suppose that's what you come to expect with a schedule like a Lions schedule, so we've seen it all now, haven't we?" A serious head knock to Lions lock James Ryan had soured the opening minutes of the second half, just minutes before the lightning delay. Ryan had to be stretchered off after copping an accidental knee to the head from Will Skelton, but Farrell confirmed the 29-year-old was in "good spirits". "He's up and talking. He was out there for a good few minutes," Farrell said. "But he's back up in good spirits, so hopefully he's going to be fine." Lions lock Tadhg Beirne, named player of the series, could only describe the loss as a "bittersweet moment". "We lost tonight, which is obviously a bit crap for us," Beirne said. "But as 'Faz' says, we'll get over that because at the end of the day, we still won the series. "It's the last time we'll be in that change room together as a group, and I suppose that's the bitter part, that we won't get that moment again." British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has slammed any suggestions of player complacency as "completely, utter rubbish" in the aftermath of a "bittersweet" third-Test loss to the Wallabies. While Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt had been alert to the possibility of a lightning break and said they had a "plan", television broadcast showed Lions players on their phones in the change rooms during a 38-minute delay of the eventual 22-12 defeat in Sydney. Players had been ordered off the field due to lightning striking near Accor Stadium early in the second half, when the Lions were trailing 8-0. Both sides were given 10 minutes to warm up, with the Wallabies shooting out to a 15-0 lead shortly after play resumed. Grilled by the critical British press to clarify the procedures surrounding the lightning delay, Farrell disputed any suggestions his players had failed to use the time seriously. "That's completely utter rubbish. Utter rubbish," Farrell said. "You don't know until you know, and when you do know, then you have to agree that the warm-up time allocated is going to be acceptable to both teams. "We agreed on 10 minutes for the warm-up, and through our advice from our experts in that field, we only made the call to come out five minutes before and stay there so that we'd be ready to go." Farrell's Wallabies counterpart Schmidt said he had wanted his players to remain connected during the delay. "We had been warned that there might be lightning, so we had a little bit of a plan," Schmidt said. "We wanted to make sure that players kept moving, so we had different guys rotating on the bikes. "We had four balls in the change room that we were just throwing around, just so they could stay connected." The Wallabies emerged the better side following the delay, with Farrell labelling winger Max Jorgensen's stunning 50-metre runaway try in the 55th minute as "the try that broke the camel's back". "I suppose what came off the back of that is that Australia hit the ground running and thoroughly deserved their win," Farrell said. "Rigor mortis was setting in at one stage there for the lads. "Anyway, I suppose that's what you come to expect with a schedule like a Lions schedule, so we've seen it all now, haven't we?" A serious head knock to Lions lock James Ryan had soured the opening minutes of the second half, just minutes before the lightning delay. Ryan had to be stretchered off after copping an accidental knee to the head from Will Skelton, but Farrell confirmed the 29-year-old was in "good spirits". "He's up and talking. He was out there for a good few minutes," Farrell said. "But he's back up in good spirits, so hopefully he's going to be fine." Lions lock Tadhg Beirne, named player of the series, could only describe the loss as a "bittersweet moment". "We lost tonight, which is obviously a bit crap for us," Beirne said. "But as 'Faz' says, we'll get over that because at the end of the day, we still won the series. "It's the last time we'll be in that change room together as a group, and I suppose that's the bitter part, that we won't get that moment again."
Perth Now
32 minutes ago
- Perth Now
'Utter rubbish': Lions slam lightning delay criticism
British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has slammed any suggestions of player complacency as "completely, utter rubbish" in the aftermath of a "bittersweet" third-Test loss to the Wallabies. While Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt had been alert to the possibility of a lightning break and said they had a "plan", television broadcast showed Lions players on their phones in the change rooms during a 38-minute delay of the eventual 22-12 defeat in Sydney. Players had been ordered off the field due to lightning striking near Accor Stadium early in the second half, when the Lions were trailing 8-0. Both sides were given 10 minutes to warm up, with the Wallabies shooting out to a 15-0 lead shortly after play resumed. Grilled by the critical British press to clarify the procedures surrounding the lightning delay, Farrell disputed any suggestions his players had failed to use the time seriously. "That's completely utter rubbish. Utter rubbish," Farrell said. "You don't know until you know, and when you do know, then you have to agree that the warm-up time allocated is going to be acceptable to both teams. "We agreed on 10 minutes for the warm-up, and through our advice from our experts in that field, we only made the call to come out five minutes before and stay there so that we'd be ready to go." Farrell's Wallabies counterpart Schmidt said he had wanted his players to remain connected during the delay. "We had been warned that there might be lightning, so we had a little bit of a plan," Schmidt said. "We wanted to make sure that players kept moving, so we had different guys rotating on the bikes. "We had four balls in the change room that we were just throwing around, just so they could stay connected." The Wallabies emerged the better side following the delay, with Farrell labelling winger Max Jorgensen's stunning 50-metre runaway try in the 55th minute as "the try that broke the camel's back". "I suppose what came off the back of that is that Australia hit the ground running and thoroughly deserved their win," Farrell said. "Rigor mortis was setting in at one stage there for the lads. "Anyway, I suppose that's what you come to expect with a schedule like a Lions schedule, so we've seen it all now, haven't we?" A serious head knock to Lions lock James Ryan had soured the opening minutes of the second half, just minutes before the lightning delay. Ryan had to be stretchered off after copping an accidental knee to the head from Will Skelton, but Farrell confirmed the 29-year-old was in "good spirits". "He's up and talking. He was out there for a good few minutes," Farrell said. "But he's back up in good spirits, so hopefully he's going to be fine." Lions lock Tadhg Beirne, named player of the series, could only describe the loss as a "bittersweet moment". "We lost tonight, which is obviously a bit crap for us," Beirne said. "But as 'Faz' says, we'll get over that because at the end of the day, we still won the series. "It's the last time we'll be in that change room together as a group, and I suppose that's the bitter part, that we won't get that moment again."
