Australia 19 Lions 27
Harry Potter of the Wallabies is tackled by Tadhg Beirne and Tommy Freeman of the Lions during game one of the Test series at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Rúaidhrí O’Connor in Brisbane
Yesterday at 06:30
The Wallabies have a man on the wing called Harry Potter, but it was the magician in their coaches’ box we were relying on to weave a spell in Brisbane.
When he wrote his book, Joe Schmidt insisted on the title Ordinary Joe — and even when he achieved extraordinary things at the helm of Leinster and Ireland, he was never one to claim the credit. The players, he said, were the ones who deserved the praise. Perhaps this first Test showed us as much.