The agony, the ecstasy and the comeback that nearly was
But wait! Relief! In that last quarter, just when all seemed lost, the Wallabies steadied, came back and gave it a real go. First Carlo Tizzano went over and then with a minute to go, reserve half-back Tate McDermott went over to close the gap to a more than respectable scoreline. Hence ...
Pride. Go you good things! All up, how great were our blokes in the face of that Lions' onslaught? How wonderful that instead of shutting up shop and just trying to limit the damage, they continued to throw everything at them, backed themselves and never stopped emptying their tanks.
In the backline, Alex Jorgensen tested the defence with every touch, as did McDermott when he came on in the last quarter. The colossi in the middle of our forwards were our back-rowers, Fraser McReight who proved himself, once again, world class; Nick Champion de Crespigny who made a fabulous debut which included pulling off a team-high nineteen tackles; and skipper Harry Wilson. (Told yers.)
As the second half went on, the pride grew because our blokes started to believe in themselves more than ever.
They grew in confidence, even as the Lions started to doubt the result enough that when presented with a kickable penalty with ten minutes to go, they took it in an attempt to ensure the win. That was how far the Wallabies had come in the course of the match, from us fearing being on the wrong end of a 50–0 pizzling.
Frustration. Can we get the bloody line-outs to work, as in every time? Particularly in the first half, just when we had clawed back some momentum to threaten them, we threw the ball in . . . and they came away with it. One time, they scored because of our wayward throw.
And can we use Joseph Aukuso Suaalii more effectively? Against England at Twickenham last year, the Gifted One showed himself to be something new in the world of rugby – a back who could humiliate an entire forward pack again and again by soaring high above the lot of them at kick-offs and tapping the ball back to our own rampaging forwards.
Despite that, in this Test that was tried only once and it didn't work. And instead of kicking it short for him, or at least long to the corners, we kicked it to the No Man's Land of the Lions' 22 – beyond the reach of any of our blokes to put real pressure on, but perfectly suited for them to comfortably gather in and then roof it downfield. Why? Why? Do it short or do it long to the corner, but stop giving it to them in the very spot they most want it! I repeat: if you were the Lions captain, where would you want the ball to go? Short and be hammered, long and be cornered, or betwixt and between so you can belt it downfield and relieve all pressure. Well stop bloody kicking it there!
And the other part of the frustration was what-might-have-been. On three occasions the Wallabies went within a Lions' whisker of scoring tries when skipper Harry Wilson and Suaalii both went over and appeared to have scored only to be called back, and then winger Harry Potter was only denied a try because the ball rolled out at the last instant. If only those line-ball tries had gone our way, we really might have snatched it.
Hope. See all of the above. I won't say the Wallabies will win next week, but they really might win. They performed creditably well against the best team in the world right now, rose to the occasion and showed every sign of rising still further.
Bravo, the lot of them.

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News.com.au
32 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Wallabies intent on avoiding losing series 3-0 to the British and Irish Lions
Barbs that the Wallabies were unworthy opponents for the British and Irish Lions have the Australians desperate to avoid losing a series 3-0 to the tourists for the first time since 1904. Pride will well and truly be on the line in Sydney on Saturday night when the Wallabies attempt to prevent the Lions going home with wins in all three Tests after victories in Brisbane and Melbourne. That hasn't happened since it occurred 121 years go when the Lions, then called British Isles, won two Tests in Sydney and one in Brisbane, and restricted Australia to just three points for the entire series. If that's not enough motivation for the Wallabies to win at Accor Stadium, there is also the hurt of the second Test loss at the MCG, where Australia led for almost the entire match only be beaten 29-26 via a last-minute try that came after a controversial decision not to award the hosts a penalty for an alleged infringement by Lions forward Jac Morgan, who seemed to illegally strike Wallabies replacement Carlo Tizzano in the back of the net. It hurts but your support means everything ðŸ'›ðŸ'š We can’t wait to play for you again in Sydney. #Wallabies #ACheerAndAHalf #LionsTour2025 — Wallabies (@wallabies) July 27, 2025 Also driving the Wallabies to win in Sydney will be the pre-series talk that Lions should have toured South Africa to face the world champions rather than meet a weak Australia. 'It's another thing to add into the pot for things to get up for the game,' Wallabies lock Nick Frost said. 'We're definitely keen to rip in. Going out there, playing in front of your friends, for your family and for your nation, and on top of that, playing against the Lions – it's a massive game. 'We know there are so many things that we've got to improve on, but there are some really good parts to our game, and we're really looking forward to it. 'We're starting to play a better brand of rugby and a more attacking brand of rugby that suits some of our skilled players. 'The more games we can put together for longer periods of time, we're going to start to see some improvements on the scoreboard, and some more wins. It is a process.' Winger Max Jorgensen said while the Wallabies were 'gutted' to loss at the MCG, attention had switched to winning the final Test of the series. 'We put in such a big effort – it's a tough pill to swallow,' Jorgensen said. 'Everyone knows that, but there's a big focus on this weekend now and winning this game on Saturday.' The Wallabies have added prop Aidan Ross to their extended squad ahead of Saturday's clash, while winger Harry Potter has remained in Melbourne after injuring his hamstring in the weekend loss.


Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
More to Lions loss than referee call, say Wallabies
Wallabies lock Nick Frost won't waste time pondering countless "what if?" scenarios, saying the last-gasp loss to the British and Irish Lions shouldn't have come down to a controversial refereeing decision. The Wallabies were in a position to level the series after taking an 18-point lead in the second Test at the MCG on Saturday. But the home side were unable to seal the deal, allowing the Lions back into the game before fullback Hugo Keenan scored the match-winning try with 45 seconds left on the clock. Wallabies flanker Carlo Tizzano appeared to have been cleaned out illegally with a shoulder to the neck in the build-up, but Keenan's try stood after a review. It meant Australia suffered a 29-26 loss, with the Lions taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series ahead of the final Test in Sydney on Saturday night. Whether the last-minute try should or should not have been awarded, Frost said there was a bigger picture surrounding their defeat. "There were so many moments up until that where we could have capitalised," Frost said on Monday. "We had a pretty decent lead in that first half, and we gave away a few tries. "It doesn't always come down to the refs ... At the end of the day, you can't really rely right at the end for a decision there. "If you're relying on that, you probably haven't done enough work throughout the game." Tizzano has been accused by UK media and ex-players of staging, to try to win the penalty, but Frost defended his tough teammate and said the Wallabies didn't listen to the "outside noise". The Wallabies will have pride, and unwanted history, to play for at Accor Stadium. If they lose on Saturday, the tourists will have claimed their first three-Test series whitewash on Australian soil since 1904. While starting prop James Slipper has become just the second Wallabies player to appear in two Lions series, Frost said the third Test presented another rare opportunity for all, with the tours held only every 12 years. "There is something to lose. It's a Test match," Frost said. "There's a bit of fire in the belly from the last couple of games ... And again, like it's a Lions series, it's our last time - unless you're James Slipper - to play against them." Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt will be forced into changes after Harry Potter suffered a hamstring injury in front of his home crowd at the MCG. Dylan Pietsch or Andrew Kellaway loom as options to fill that spot, joining Max Jorgensen in the starting wing positions. "I've been there before and really feel for him," Jorgensen said of Potter. "It's really tough to see him head out of camp and stay down in Melbourne. Jorgensen agreed there was plenty of motivation for the Wallabies to fire up for the third Test. "All the boys are pretty gutted after that result. We put in such a big effort - we were leading for 79 minutes of the game," the 20-year-old said. "It's a tough pill to swallow. Everyone knows that, but obviously there's a big focus on this weekend now and winning this game this Saturday."

Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Rugby Australia to seek answers from World Rugby over MCG call
Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh has backed Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt over his post-match spray about the controversial decision to not penalise the Lions for foul play before their match-winning try at the MCG, and said RA would be seeking 'a high level of accountability' from World Rugby about the referee's calls this week. Waugh's firm stance came after Schmidt slammed Italian referee Andrea Piardi for not awarding a match-defining penalty in the 79th minute of the Lions' 29-26 win in Melbourne. Lions fullback Hugo Keenan scored in the last minute secure a series-clinching victory, but Schmidt came out swinging over an incident at the previous ruck, where Welsh flanker Jac Morgan cleaned out Carlo Tizzano with a hit on the back of the neck. The Wallabies argued Morgan should have been penalised for breaching Law 9.20, which prohibits contact above the shoulders at a ruck. With the Wallabies leading by two points, a penalty would have likely seen the series go to a decider on Saturday at Accor Stadium. Piardi reviewed the incident but ruled there it was not foul play because both players had arrived at the same time and Morgan had not used a shoulder. Schmidt said Piardi appeared unwilling to make a big call in the last minute, and the decision 'doesn't really live up to the big player safety push that they [World Rugby] are talking about. 'That decision, you only have to look at law 9.20. It's what they're there to enforce. A player who dives off his feet is clearly beaten to the position over the ball, makes neck contact, it was a tough one to take.' World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin and chairman Brett Robinson were guests at the MCG, ahead of 2027 Rugby World Cup events with Waugh and RA this week in Sydney.