Lions had special moments but lacked consistency needed to be ranked among greats

The Guardian

7 hours ago

How best to describe the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour? Even before the final Test was interrupted by lightning, it was a strange old series. To the Lions the spoils but it was Australia who led for all but 60 seconds of the last two Tests. Just a solitary point divided the teams over three games and it was only courtesy of Will Stuart's late consolation that the visitors collected 10 tries compared to the Wallabies' nine.
What would have happened had Joe Schmidt's side had an extra warmup fixture or made a faster start in Brisbane? Had Will Skelton been fit for the pivotal opening game, or Rob Valetini and Taniela Tupou featured for more than 40 and 60 minutes in the series respectively? If Australia had not lost their first-choice fly-half on the eve of the series, or protected their 23-5 lead in Melbourne?
Not forgetting, of course, the hairline margins in the final minute of the second Test as the match officials sought to establish whether or not Jac Morgan's clearout on Carlo Tizzano was permissible. As they sip their winners' champagne on the long flight home the Lions will be aware their 2-1 series victory was way too close for comfort.
At which point there are two schools of thought. The first is that winning is the only currency worth discussing, particularly on this kind of tour. This is only the second victorious Lions series since 1997, which makes it a pretty rare achievement. Losing a dead rubber at the end of another absurdly long season should not overshadow everything that has gone before.
The evidence of the past two months, however, has been rather less black and white. When you publicly set your stall out to smash your hosts by a whopping 3-0 margin it subsequently becomes difficult to claim sporting immortality if you scrape over the line against a team recently ranked eighth in the world. The Lions have still not won a series in South Africa or New Zealand this century.
There can also be no glossing over one or two other uncomfortable facts. Remember the pre-departure Argentina game in Dublin when the Pumas fully deserved their 28-24 victory? Give or take the sheeting rain on Saturday night, there were similarities in the way the Wallabies expertly seized their opportunities and also looked the more energetic side.
And how often, as Andy Farrell himself has acknowledged, did his squad really click into top gear, even against weakened Super Rugby opposition? The honest answer is not often enough given the resources, financial and personnel-wise, at their disposal. Aside from the estimable Morgan and Tadhg Beirne, how many Lions finished the tour visibly in better form than they started it?
Part of that could simply be individuals easing off slightly with the series already decided. But Farrell and Maro Itoje had repeatedly stressed that their players remained highly motivated by the possibility of a clean sweep. More pertinent was the excessive amount of rugby played by several of these Lions this season and, consequently, the accumulated wear and tear.
The Wallabies' sharp improvement also has to be taken into account. They are a particular threat with turnover ball in hand, never took a backward step and appear to be turning a corner under Schmidt. That said, the acid test of their resurrection still awaits. Their next two Tests against the world champions, South Africa, in Johannesburg and Cape Town this month will be instructive, particularly if they can get all their best players on the pitch at the same time.
And maybe that caveat also sums up the slightly contradictory 2025 Lions? When Itoje, Dan Sheehan, Beirne, Jamison Gibson‑Park and the supreme Finn Russell were all out on the field together, with Tom Curry and Morgan riding shotgun, they looked a serious team. Beirne won the medal for player of the series and Russell picked up the prize awarded by the tour sponsor Howden.
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In the final analysis, however, they perhaps needed a couple more world-class performers to elevate the squad to the pantheon. While Farrell's Lions had their special moments they did not ultimately show the consistency to demand inclusion among the truly great British & Irish squads of yesteryear.
What was never in dispute, though, was the touring team's collective bond. Elliot Daly and Tomos Williams may have left early with injuries but both still loved the experience. Itoje was a respected leader while Farrell Sr's man management continues to be a strength. The only sadness was that, media access-wise, the Lions comms strategy made the Kremlin press office look relaxed and open-minded.
Such blinkered thinking grows even more self-defeating as rugby desperately seeks to market itself more effectively. The good news is that this tour should have helped to boost the sport's profile across Australia before the 2027 Rugby World Cup. As the tour manager Ieuan Evans rightly put it: 'If you weren't captured by the drama of that second Test at the MCG then, quite frankly, you haven't got a soul.'
Plenty of good work is also going on behind the scenes at Rugby Australia, although Schmidt is still due to depart his post next year. It will be fascinating to see how the Wallabies fare when they go to Europe to play England, Italy, Ireland and France in November, by which time Farrell will be back in an Ireland tracksuit and Itoje will be wearing white again. Being part of a winning Lions series, however, remains a privilege and the shared dressing room memories will live for ever.