It was wet, it was wild and, most importantly, it was a win. The Wallabies have scored one of their bravest victories in recent memory by beating the British and Irish Lions in the third Test in Sydney,avoiding a series whitewash.
In a bizarre game that saw cyclonic conditions and the game even stop for 40 minutes during the second half due to lightning in the area, the Wallabies were immense in turning an 8-0 halftime lead into a 22-12 win, salvaging pride and respect, and a 2-1 series finish.
Max Jorgensen of the Wallabies breaks with the ball to score a tryCredit: Getty Images
Derided by many in the last year as not even worthy of playing the Lions, the Wallabies muscled up and dominated the game, defending with power and aggression and winning battles all across the field.
Leading 15-0 with 25 minutes remaining, the Lions made a brief comeback by scoring but a late try to Tate McDermott sealed the courageous win.
Will Skelton was a colossus, and in his final Test before retirement, halfback Nic White also turned in one of his best performances in the wet and slippery conditions. Superb performances were found all across the team, however, with Tom Hooper awarded man of the match and Nick Frost also strong.
The win was all the more impressive given the Wallabies lost five-eighth Tom Lynagh after 33 minutes to an elbow to the head by Dan Sheehan at a ruck, which red card worthy but was unacceptably missed by the TMO Marius Jonker.
Taniela Tupou makes a breakCredit: Getty Images
The Wallabies led 8-0 at halftime after a strong opening 40 minutes that saw them dominate territory and possession. And given the atrocious conditions, both were invaluable.
Things started wobbily for the hosts when they lost their first lineout, in the Lions’ half, and it would remain a hit-and-miss set piece for the half.
The Wallabies kept up the attack however, and after a series of pick-and-go charges near the line, they won an advantage and tried their hand to the left edge.
Nice hands found Dylan Pietsch with a short run to the line and the big winger dived over for an opening try.
The Wallabies’ defence was equally good early, and they repelled the Lions from their own line soon after the try.
The rest of the half then turned into an arm-wrestle, with lots of tactical kicking and one-out runs to build pressure. The gigantic presence of Will Skelton, and the boot of halfback Nic White, came to the fore – particularly with Skelton providing an aggressive attitude when skirmishes broke out.
There was no backward steps taken and the soaked crowd loved it.
Dylan Pietsch of the Wallabies celebrates after scoring a tryCredit: Getty Images
The Wallabies turned down an easy three in the 26th minute in search of a try, but after some failed attempts, Lynagh eventually banged over a three-pointer in the 33rd minute.
Lynagh was taken off for an HIA – which he failed – and the red-card worthy foul play that created it was completely missed by the referees.
Lions hooker charged into Lynagh at a ruck with his arm tucked and hit him in the head.
The Wallabies defended their line again superbly before the break, with Hooper making a vital turnover, denying the Lions a late comeback before the break.
Play resumed for eight minutes and the Lions lost their second starting lock to concussion, with James Ryan stretechered off.
In bizarre scenes, the players then left the field for 30 minutes due to a lightning strike in the area, and after ten more minutes of warm-up, the game finally resumed.
The break worked in Australia’s favour, with Skelton given a rest and the Wallabies kept up the pressure upon resumption.’
Using a blitz defence for the first time, the Wallabies harrassed the Lions repeatedly into mistakes and one provided a second try in the 55th minute.
A dropped pass under pressure from Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii saw Bundee Aki spill the ball, and Max Jorgensen scoop it up near the halfway line and sprint down the sideline to score. The score was 15-0 and the championship minutes were ahead.
Ill-discipline saw the Wallabies come under pressure, however, and the Lions made them pay, with a burrowing try to Jac Morgan in the 62nd minute, bring the score back to 15-7.