Andy Farrell knows what it takes to play for the Lions against Australia
Farrell's introduction to the team was more enjoyable. He made the first of his 34 appearances for Great Britain at Headingley against New Zealand in 1993. He was only 18 years old and he scored on his debut. Let's hope he savoured that moment. His third Great Britain international, in 1994, was an epic. Farrell started in the second row against Australia at Wembley in an arm-wrestle for the ages. This wasn't a run-of-the-mill Australia side. This was one of the all-time greats.
The backline consisted of Brett Mullins at full-back, Andrew Ettingshausen and Wendell Sailor on the wings, with Mal Meninga and Steve Renouf inside them. The half-back partnership was Laurie Daley and Alfie Langer, with Ian Roberts in the pack, Brad Fittler at loose forward, and Ricky Stuart off the bench. There were current and future immortals in green and gold that day.
Midway through the first half, the Great Britain captain Shaun Edwards was sent off. Novice coach Ellery Hanley sacrificed Farrell, substituting him to bring on Bobbie Goulding in Edwards' place. Great Britain won the match 8-4. It was a masterstroke and a lesson in brutal decision-making for Farrell.
Surely if Great Britain could beat Australia with a side including mere mortals such as Alan Hunte, Karl Harrison and Allan Bateman, a glorious career of Ashes triumphs and lifting World Cups lay ahead for the young Farell? Nope. Australia would stop him winning every single international tournament in his career: Ashes, World Cup and Tri-Nations.
As well as Australia, New Zealand and England, Farrell played for the Lions in France, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. He was a loose forward for 16 Tests, in the second row for 15, and even spent the 1997 Ashes series at stand-off alongside Goulding. He was given the captaincy for the 1996 tour and never relinquished it. That trip saw Farrell officially crowned a Lion. For decades, players in both codes had to represent the British Isles in Test matches in the southern hemisphere to be given Lion status. Home matches, or trips to France, did not count, nor did World Cups.
Farrell's first tour in the southern hemisphere, in 1996, was a woeful one for Great Britain. The team started the tour by scraping through a warm-up match against Papua New Guinea, winning 32-30; they finished it by losing all three of their tests in New Zealand. Despite the poor results, Farrell showed real leadership and was made captain by coach Phil Larder.
'As the tour developed, it was obvious he was the leader of the lads,' reflected Larder. 'Andy wasn't who I had identified to be captain but he was the one they all looked up to and he was playing exceptionally well. He became my captain. Faz came through as a natural leader, not only on the pitch but outside as well. Everybody in the squad looked up to him. The thing about Andy is he's got presence. If he walks into a room, he seems to attract people to him. Players latch on to that.'
A poor run of results in the late 1990s – that chastening trip to New Zealand in 1996, defeats to Australia in the Ashes in 1997 and another series loss to the Kiwis in 1998 – did little for the Lions brand. The Australian Rugby League Commission realised New Zealand were now their closest rivals and decided to host a Tri-Nations tournament in 1999 rather than an Ashes tour.
The tournament did not go well for the visitors. Farrell must have assumed his Lions experience had hit rock bottom when the team were torn to shreds by Darren Lockyer, Brett Kimmorley, Matthews Gidley, Johns, Fittler, Sailor and co, hammered 42-6 by Australia at Lang Park. Just 12,511 fans turned up to watch what they had assumed would be a mismatch. They were right.
It was another miserable tour, blighted by cliques: groups of players from Leeds, Wigan and St Helens who had spent all season trying to smash each other just could not kiss and make up. Coach Andy Goodway looked on helplessly, his career irreparably damaged by the experience. Farrell will not repeat that mistake with his Lions this year.
It got worse. Farrell was also a walking punchbag in July 2002 when Great Britain accepted an invitation to face Australia in Sydney for a one-off test in the middle of the season. The Kangaroos, hardened to a flint by Origin, smashed Farrell and his men to pieces. Lote Tuqiri, Lockyer, Willie Mason and Johns had a field day as the Kangaroos romped to a record 64-10 triumph. It was a never-repeated folly, the type that teaches never-forgotten lessons.
What looked like the blackest day in British rugby league history was in fact a blip, albeit one that pounded several nails in the league Lions coffin. After that horror show in Sydney, Farrell led the Lions on a heroic run. They lost just five of their next 10 tests against the Kangaroos and Kiwis, remaining competitive in every game. The Lions won three Tests on the bounce to reach the 2004 Tri-Nations final against Australia at Elland Road on a high. Few saw the 44-4 humbling coming. Throw in England's capitulation at the hands of New Zealand in the semi-final of a home World Cup in 2000 and this was one humiliation too far for a proud man. Lions failure must have precipitated his move to union in 2005.
Whereas his friend Jason Robinson became the 14th and probably last dual-code Lion, Farrell switched to union too late to make their tour in 2005 and he was approaching retirement when the squad set off again in 2009. He added eight England caps in union to his nine in league, but it is a disappointment that such a talismanic giant of turn-of-the-century rugby league should have such a frustrating international record.
After his debut win, Farrell played in nine series or tournaments for Great Britain (plus two World Cups for England) and failed to win a single one. Of the test series against the Kangaroos and Kiwis, he lost six and drew the other. Yet Farrell was hugely respected and admired by Australian league players, coaches and pundits.
It's not that he had no success on Australian shores. One of the highlights of his playing career came in Brisbane in 1994, when more than 54,000 fans saw his Wigan team beat the all-conquering Broncos 20-14 to win the World Club title. Three years later the Broncos got their revenge on the same stage, hammering a more prosaic Wigan side 34-0, only a week after Farrell had kicked Wigan to victory over Canterbury Bulldogs at Belmore.
Unlike the players he started his Lions career alongside – Jonathan Davies, Martin Offiah, Edwards, Garry Schofield, Hanley – Farrell was prevented from playing the off-season in the ARL and never took the plunge in the NRL. So Australian fans never saw him dominate games like he did back home in England.
Even when things were not going well for his teams, Farrell stood out. I recall a game at Griffin Park in Brentford when London Broncos appeared to be playing against Farrell on his own, his Wigan teammates missing in action as the emergency prop put in a colossal performance. It would prove to be his last league appearance in London before he emerged around the North Circular at Saracens. By then, Farrell had taken Wigan to another Super League Grand Final but been thrashed at Old Trafford by Leeds. He was dying against rugby league's light. And a month later at Elland Road, those pesky Kangaroos snuffed it out.
Follow No Helmets Required on Facebook
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
16 minutes ago
- BBC News
'2013 was the greatest experience of my career'
We spent a very enjoyable hour this morning with Australia great Will Genia, who started all three Tests against the Lions in reflects on that series and looks ahead to what is coming up in the next few weeks. He reckons whoever wins the first Test will win the series, and says an Australia victory will turbo-charge the atmosphere in the country ahead of the second Test at the 100,000 seater Melbourne Cricket Ground. The 110-cap Wallaby has some sage advice for rookie 10 Tom Lynagh and explains what Australia need to do to upset the odds on Saturday. You can hear from Genia on the latest Rugby Union Weekly podcast, which will be out from around 9am on Thursday.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Wallabies call on Nick Champion de Crespigny for surprise debut in Lions opener
Nick Champion de Crespigny will make a surprise Wallabies debut in the British & Irish Lions opener, while Rob Valetini and Will Skelton were omitted with injuries. The 29-year-old flanker, who played for Castres Olympique in France in recent seasons, slots into the back row next to captain and No 8 Harry Wilson and Fraser McReight. Champion de Crespigny is one of just two uncapped players in Joe Schmidt's match-day squad, and had surged into calculations after injury to pivotal backrower Valetini and the in-form Langi Gleeson. Schmidt has backed 22-year-old Tom Lynagh to steer the ship in a new-look halves combination with Jake Gordon. Ben Donaldson will provide backline backup on the bench, with Schmidt resisting the temptation to recall veteran James O'Connor, who wore the No 10 in all three Tests 12 years ago. Hooker Matt Faessler returns after a last-start hat-trick in gold, having started for the Reds instead of playing against Fiji in his comeback from a hamstring injury. Uncapped Andrew Kellaway has bumped Filipo Daugunu off a new-look bench that includes hooker Billy Pollard, scrumhalf Tate McDermott, prop Tom Robertson and flankers Tom Hooper and Carlo Tizzano. James Slipper will join George Smith as the only Wallabies to feature in back-to-back Lions series in the professional era while Wilson has retained the captaincy. Canberra-raised Champion de Crespigny returned from a Top 14 stint with Castres Olympique to play for the Western Force this season to join the back of a bulging queue of contenders. But, with two-time defending John Eales medallist Valetini and Gleeson on ice – former captain Liam Wright (shoulder) is also out of the picture – he'll be asked to dent a Lions line that has enjoyed five relatively comfortable wins since arriving in the country late last month. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Lynagh hasn't played since the Reds lost their Super Rugby quarter-final in early June, with a broken hand ruling him out of the Fiji Test. The Italy-born, England-raised playmaker finished school and moved to Australia in 2021 and has flourished under Wallabies coach-in-waiting Les Kiss as the Queensland Reds' main man for the last two years. He will make Australian rugby history as the first father-son Wallabies to face the Lions after Michael Lynagh wore the No 10 against the Lions in 1989. 'The whole squad has worked hard as a group to prepare for what's going to be a massive challenge against an in-form Lions team,' Schmidt said. 'With the short runway leading up to such a big test match, we know we must adapt fast and improve quickly, from the performance we had against Fiji recently. We're very much aware of the occasion and conscious of earning the support from the public through the effort they see on the field.' The Lions will name their side later on Thursday, when it's expected coach Andy Farrell will confirm son and four-time tourist Owen will not be part of the match-day 23. Wallabies: James Slipper, Matt Faessler, Allan Alaalatoa, Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (c), Jake Gordon, Tom Lynagh, Harry Potter, Len Ikitau, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Max Jorgensen, Tom Wright. Bench: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, Tom Robertson, Tom Hooper, Carlo Tizzano, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Andrew Kellaway.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Who is Tom Lynagh? Son of Australian great Michael given surprise start for Wallabies against British and Irish Lions
Being a Wallabies fly half hopeful with his surname has seen plenty of pressure already put upon his slender shoulders, but for Tom Lynagh, the twin burdens of hope and expectation are about to be ladened like never before. 36 years since father Michael seized the first match of British and Irish Lions series with a display of fly half mastery, his son will take on the tourists after earning an unlikely election to No 10. It is hard to describe this as anything other than an exceptionally gutsy call by Joe Schmidt, the Australia head coach, for the opening Test in Brisbane. Of course, these circumstances have rather been forced upon him: Noah Lolesio's desperately disappointing injury against Fiji has ruled him out of the series, while Carter Gordon, made king by a previous regime ahead of the 2023 World Cup, has swapped codes to the NRL. But the safer play from the Wallabies boss surely would have been to turn to Ben Donaldson after a strong Super Rugby Pacific campaign, or to James O'Connor after his surprise recall – the veteran has experience of being a surprise choice at fly half in a Lions series from 2013. But Schmidt has perhaps recognised that this is a time to gamble. And gamble he has. Lynagh is just 22; he has worn Wallaby green and gold at international level for exactly one hour, and did not even travel on the European tour in November. He has not had a hit-out at all since 6 June, an encounter with the Crusaders that ended prematurely after concussion. Yet in a series that may prove crucial to the future of Australian rugby, Schmidt has placed a bet on pedigree and potential. The head coach is a noted schemer but it would be fair to say that he has looked like a mathematician searching for a solution to an equation he has not fully grasped in the two weeks since Lolesio's injury. O'Connor – who probably should have been in the initial squad for the Fiji game – was scrambled in at short notice and informed of his selection after a chance encounter with a group of squadmates in Brisbane, while the failure to give Lynagh a run in any of the pre-Test series matches looks a major misstep in retrospect. But there is much in the make-up of the young playmaker to suggest that he might just rise to the challenge in front of him. The progeny of many a sporting great have had a golden path paved for them – consciously or unconsciously – by their parent but Lynagh has fought to forge his own journey. Like brother Louis, the Italy wing, Tom was born near Treviso, where their father had spent five years as a player and met their mother, Isabella. The family soon relocated to England, where the elder two of three sons took up the game in the minis section at Richmond RFC, with Tom going on to Epsom College and the Harlequins academy. Where most would have been content to remain on a travelator to the top in leafy southwest London, a then 17-year-old Tom had other ideas, declaring an ambition to move in with his grandparents in Queensland to pursue an Australian dream in the depths of the pandemic. In a different world, perhaps he might have remained at Quins and been jostling for position behind Marcus Smith; now, with the English fly half expected to be named on the Lions' bench, the pair could come into direct opposition. In a way, the move away from London has perhaps helped temper certain expectations that might have been placed on Lynagh within an English game that can build a fly half up just as quickly as it can dress them down. Despite the famous name, the Australian public will not necessarily have been monitoring his progress that closely – until now. He will at least have familiarity with Suncorp Stadium, if not overwhelmingly so with those around him. It is a slight surprise to see scrum half Jake Gordon preferred to Lynagh's fellow Red Tate McDermott after an injury hit season; connecting quickly with Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii will be key. Up front, Rob Valetini is a significant injury absentee with debutant Nick Champion de Crespigny completing the back row alongside Fraser McReight and Harry Wilson, while Will Skelton misses out entirely. A fast start is surely a must for the Wallabies as the curtain comes up in Brisbane – and after a surprise casting in the starring role, the spotlight will fix on one man. Wallabies XV to face the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane (Saturday 19 July, 11am BST): 1 James Slipper, 2 Matt Faessler, 3 Allan Alaalatoa; 4 Nick Frost, 5 Jeremy Williams; 6 Nick Champion de Crespigny, 7 Fraser McReight, 8 Harry Wilson (capt.); 9 Jake Gordon, 10 Tom Lynagh; 11 Harry Potter, 12 Len Ikitau, 13 Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii, 14 Max Jorgensen; 15 Tom Wright.
