‘Those days are gone': Why Waratahs-Lions won't get punchy

Sydney Morning Herald

02-07-2025

I had a back injury before the tour but Graham Henry put a lot of faith in me and said, 'we really want you to come on the tour'. I knew in the back of my mind I would doing well to get a game in.
It was a brutal tour from day one. We started going bone on bone, competing for positions really, really early. In the first session we went to, three blokes got split open and needed stitches. I missed the first three games but eventually played against Australia A, and tore my calf after 40 minutes.
Dan Luger and Phil Greening also got injured that week, so we hired a car and did a roadtrip up to Brisbane. Stupidly they let us follow the tour, they said, 'we've booked your rooms and stuff, so why don't you just keep following'. Lawrence Dallaglio joined us as well. When we got to Byron Bay no-one could decide if we would stay or push on to Brisbane, so we tossed a coin: heads we stay, tails we leave. It was heads. We ended up spending all our tour money. We all would have preferred to stay on the tour and play obviously, but that wasn't to be.
Putting rivalries aside
One of the biggest things I learned on Lions tours is how guys who hated each other become firm friends. The English hated the Scots and vice versa, and being from South Africa, I couldn't understand this hatred and the disdain from both sides. It's a game of rugby, lads. But there was this real hatred, they didn't like each other.
But what I really love, and it's the beauty of our sport, is when they did come together as Lions, the Irish and the English, the Scots, the Welsh, they were all brilliant. Just flipping good people: good guys, hardworking, funny, proper tourists. Working with different guys you have a perception of, or only see when you're playing against them ... then to actually getting to know them and understand them, that was the real eye-opener for me.
The other thing you come to understand in a Lions environment is just the massive challenge of it. You're working with the best of the best, everyone wants to be a Test Lion, and then you have to go to another country and have to quickly get together and become a team. That's tough. It's not easy.
The other big thing that blew me away, especially in 2001, is the support. When we came out to Australia, I reckon the whole of Wales was here. It was the most incredible sight, anywhere you went.
I still remember Brisbane for the first Test. You walked out the stadium, and all you saw was just red, everywhere.
Why the Tahs won't rough up the Lions
It has happened in the past, but there is no talk in the Waratahs camp about trying to bash up the Lions on Saturday.
Everyone remembers the Waratahs-Lions game in 2001 (when Duncan McRae was sent off for repeatedly punching Ronan O'Gara). And midweek games in South Africa, they were pretty old-school. They were some tough, tough games. You just had to survive them. It was a different mentality.
But that's not in the game anymore, to be honest. Those days are gone. It's too fast. You can't get away with it. Which Lions star are you going to rough up anyway? They have so many good players so they don't really rely on one person, do they?
Embrace the challenge
It will be the biggest game in some of the Waratahs players' careers so we have told the boys to savour the experience.
Because it's a Saturday game, the Lions may opt to play their Test team. So it's going to be the best of the best. Waratahs coach Dan McKellar has mentioned a lot to the boys: just embrace it.
Don't miss this opportunity to play your best footy, against the best of the best. Don't think it's just going to happen. It's a special day. You're probably not going to get this opportunity again.
Suaalii and Jorgensen on another level
Having coached them this year, I have been blown away by the talent – and potential – of Joseph Suaalii and Max Jorgensen.
There's been a huge learning for Joseph. A lot of people forget how young he is, and he's had to try and find his feet and adapt to it.
But the beauty with Joseph is that he's brought another level of professionalism. So there's professionalism, that people think is professionalism, and then there's Joseph Suaalii professionalism – as a 21-year-old. It's that real want from an individual to get better. And now. He doesn't want to wait two years, three years down the line. That's the mentality that I saw up north a lot.
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For the youngsters here, having somebody like Joseph come in and show that real drive – that's a great example. He'll make his mark in this Test series, no doubt, just with just his physical presence in a Test match. He's a beast.
Then you have got Max Jorgensen, who I think is proper special. If he keeps himself on the rugby pitch, he's another one that we could be talking about for years and years to come. He's got everything.
Those two will only go to another level. They trust themselves. They believe that they're capable of playing at that level and they're going to go and get it. I love that. I love that mentality.