The biggest event on the international rugby calendar for 2013, has arguably been the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia. The interest for this ‘unique’ event has been nothing short of fanatical. The term unique is used in the sense that it is the only occurrence where four nations come as one, be you English, Irish, Welsh, or Scottish, and play under one banner – the ‘Lions’. All rivalry within the home nations are put on hold, till the long blast of the final test match.
The tour takes place every four years with visits to South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, alternatively. Each tour is structured pretty much in the old fashioned way of playing midweek games against Clubs, or provinces, culminating with the main event , and of most significance, three test matches against the host nation. At the end of the day, the success of the tour is judged on the outcome of the test series alone.
I have been an avid fan of the Lions since 1997, when they toured South Africa. Rugby Union had just gone professional, and the Springboks led by Gary Tiechman were still on the ascendency after World Cup glory two years prior. There were two old warhorse Scotsmen at the helm for the visitors. Ian McGeechan was Head Coach, and had the honour of being associated with many a Lions tour as a player and coach on previous occasions. His side kick was Jim Telfer, renown for being a ‘no nonsense’ military type. He was in charge of the forwards. Having lost to what was then Northern Transvaal, the Lions were written off as east meat for the rampaging Springboks. However, a moment of brilliance from Matt Dawson – a shimmy and dummy on the blind side prior to going over by the right corner flag, saw the momentum shift with the tourist holding on to win the first test in Newlands 25-16. Come the second test, the home team threw everything at them. Percy Montgomery made his debut for the Boks, but he had a terrible day with the boot. Had his radar been more accurate, South Africa may have been out of sight and closed the game out. However, the script was to be written differently. Though being largely outplayed, the magical boot of Neil Jenkins kept the touring team within distance as he kept punishing South Africa every time they infringed. The series clincher came in the dying moments of the game. Legendary Irish hooker Keith Woods hacked the ball from within his own half and followed through leaving the South Africans little choice but to the put the ball into touch. Off the ensuing line-out a ruck was set up. Famed centre Jeremy Guscott stood at first receiver and sent over a drop goal that sealed his name in Lions folklore, sealing the series in the process. The Boks restored some pride by winning the final test, but that was of little significance. Martin Johnson was the Skipper of the side. Interesting fact was that he had yet to Captain England at the time. Other players that really stood out were Scott Gibbs, the powerhouse inside centre from Wales, dead-eye Jenkins, Jeremy Davidson, Guscott, Tim Rodber, and Gregor Townsend.
In 2001, the tourist arrived in Australia under the tutelage of Graham Henry, then coach of Wales. The tour was remembered for many ugly reasons outside the quality of rugby dished out. There was a very public outrage by some of the touring members who voiced discontent on how the squad was definably split between a mid-week one and a test squad. There was also a lot of gamesmanship with more than a little suspicion of the home side spying on their training sessions. Closer to the Test series proper, it also seemed apparent that a deliberate attempt was made to ‘rough up’ the Lions in the warm up games. The grotesquely disfigured face of Ronan O’Gara, at the receiving end of sixteen punches from Waratah’s full back Duncan McRae enraptured this ugly hostility to its fullest. The gloves were off so to speak. The first Test kicked off in Brisbane in front of an army of red-clad supporters from all across Britain and Ireland. It was the visitors who took the honours, with Jason Robinson setting the pace after wrong footing a bewildered Chris Latham en route to scoring a fabulous try. Young Brian O’Driscoll who partnered fellow countryman Rob Henderson in midfield announced his ascendancy to stardom with a fabulous solo effort running right through the Wallaby defense. However, come the second test, the Wallabies really increased the intensity. Led by the great John Eales, with star studded cast featuring the likes of Stephen Larkham, Joe Roff, Daniel Herbert, George Smith, and the ever green George Gregan, the green and gold came back hard in Melbourne to record a resounding 35-14 win. In hindsight, it is felt that the Lions made a mistake in making some positional changes in the back row, bringing in Neil Back, and shifting Richard Hill to the blind. But take nothing away from the home side. It was all to play for in Sydney, and with the momentum with them, there was no denying the World champions. Jonny Wilkinson kept the Lions in the hunt. However, the Wallabies were more clinical and managed to close out the game, with Justin Harrison pinching a Lions throw from close to the goal line sealing their fate. A disappointing end to what was an action packed series for the men in Red.
New Zealand was the next port of call for the class of 2005. World Cup winning coach, Sir Clive Woodward, was entrusted with masterminding the downfall of the All Blacks – arguably the greatest flock to wear the black jersey. His first step was to take over a touring party of over fifty players. By all accounts, the series tuned out to be an unprecedented disaster, on and off the field. Having lost to New Zealand Maori, fielding what was his likely test match combination, no one game them a laughing chance to match the might of the All Blacks. Skipper Brian O’Driscoll, arguably the most potent weapon in the Lions armory was dispensed with inside the first minute of the opening test, courtesy of a horrendous ‘spear’ tackle by his vis-a-vis Tana Umaga, and Keven Mealamu. The Irish star was sidelined for over six months with extensive damage done to his collar bone and shoulder. How the offending duo escaped sanctioning from the governing body remains a mystery to this day. However, in terms of the quality of rugby on the pitch, the hosts faced little opposition in disposing of the Lions with 3-0 white wash. Dan Carter was at the peak of his powers, pulling the strings in wave after wave of attack. The series also saw the emergence of Conrad Smith as a new era creative midfielder. The ageing, English-dominated test side simply had no answers and left the shores of the land of the great white cloud with their metaphysical tales between their legs.
After the mauling in New Zealand, many questioned the sustainability of a ‘Lions tour’ in this professional era. This put added pressure on the group of 2009, who arrived in South Africa, hoping to repeat the marvels of their predecessors in 1997. ‘Lion Man’ McGeechan was at the helm once again, and Paul O’Connell was his selection as Skipper. Undoubtedly, ‘Geechs’ was looking for a leader in the same mold as Martin Johnson. The series in itself was one of the most enthralling, physical, and tense test series I have ever witnessed. The Lions were made to pay for a slow start in the first test as their scrum was decimated by the Bok front row. It was first blood to the hosts as they prevailed 26-21. The second test was a different affair, with the Lions going all guns blazing from the kick off. It was the lions calling the shots in the scrums with the echo of ‘Lions, Lions’ ringing out loud from the throng of supporters who made the trip over. The Boks returned fire with fire with the likes of Pierre Spies, enforcer Bakkies Botha, and Bryan Habana in fine fettle. Morne Styen was kicking extremely well during the series. It was 25 apiece going into the dying moments of the game, with no quarter asked, and none given. Unfortunately for the team in red, replacement fly half had a rush of blood to the head and decided to tackle Habana whilst he was in the air attempting to take a high ball. That left Steyn with a 45 meter kick, though the angle was a friendly one. Steyn duly obliged to give his side an unassailable 2-0 lead, leaving the Lions shattered once again. Though in effect a dead rubber, there was still plenty to play for in the final test. The Boks felt aggrieved by some injustice following the citations and subsequent suspensions of Schalk Burger and Botha for eye gouging and dangerous play respectively. For the visitors, as McGeechan put it in his now famous pre-match team talk, they had to leave something for the next batch of players to pick up from. And they were left to do that with a battled and bruised side and featuring many new faces that had to be drafted in. Ugo Monye, Shane Williams, Riki Flutey were some of the mid-week tourists entrusted with finishing the tour on a high. It was some sort of retribution that they did just that, rather convincingly winning 28-9, scoring some fine tries in the process.
Many were of the view, that finally, the famous touring side would have their way this year. Gatland picked a squad that ticked all the right boxes – pace, power, creativity, and a fine balance between experience and youth. Squad captain Warburton also had the likes of two ex-skippers in the form of O’Connell and O’Driscoll to rely on. The Aussies had worries of their own. Injuries to key players, the exile of Quade Cooper, and the fact that they would have no warm-up prior to the tests were all factors stacked against them. The first test in Melbourne went the way of the tourists as it did twelve years ago, albeit in somewhat fortuitous fashions. New sensation Israel Folau scored twice for the hosts in what was a fine display by the debutant. The Lions scored two tries of their own with winger George North and Alex Cuthbert going over. However, the red scrum disintegrated considerably in the latter part of the game. With two minutes left, the Wallabies won a penalty around 45 meters out after a collapsed scrum. All eyes were on Kurtley Beale to secure victory. However, poor choice in footwear saw his supporting foot give way just as he was making contact with the ball, sending the kick astray. Scenes of joy mixed with relief ensued, with the Lions going one up. The performance in Melbourne a couple of days ago saw better control being exerted by the Lions despite a shaky start with the scrums. There were no tries till the last quarter, but Warburton’s men looked very much in control at 15-9 up. However, the skipper himself had to leave the field with the troubled hamstring and from then on, it seemed like they were just playing for the final whistle. It did come, but not before Adam Ashley-Cooper scored by the left corner flank after a sustained onslaught in the Lions 22. Christian Lealifano, who only savoured forty five seconds of his debut the previous week, added the extras to take a slender 16-15 lead. For the second week running the outcome of the result was to be decided by a last minute penalty. However, the distance proved to be just beyond the reach of the Halfpenny, and it was the Lions turn to be pondering what could have been.
It’s down to a winner takes all in Sydney next week, a perfect scenario for the neutral fan tuning in the world over. However, it’s a bit too close for comfort if you’re watching through red tinged classes. Gatland will have some big calls to make, and find a formula to break the Wallabies down. They badly need an ‘X’ factor in their game. Do not be surprised if you see the likes of Messrs.’ Tuilagi or Roberts being penned in for the match day side. May the better team prevail. One thing’s certain – there will be very little in it.
