The MCG, a stadium of mythical status, the repository of Shane Warne dreams, a special place in the heart of all Aussies. It will need to be all of these things, a catalyst, a colosseum of intimidatory fear, a 16th man from first whistle to last, a thunderous, awe-inspiring backdrop, a seething mass of Australian support, if the Lions are to be denied a series win next Saturday. Tread carefully Lions, for you are stepping on the dreams of thousands.
The British and Irish Lions will be fully aware of the pitfalls and pratfalls that potentially await. Melbourne has bushwhacked them before. Twice in recent Lions history. In 2001, as the Graham Henry tour splintered and Nathan Grey’s elbow did for Richard Hill, the Lions somehow contrived to let slip their dominant half-time position in the second Test to give the put-upon Wallabies an escape route. They took it and duly finished off matters in Sydney a week later via a Justin Harrison late lineout steal. To this day, Martin Johnson cites the manner of that series loss as his greatest regret in rugby. There may have been less of an abrupt about-turn in fortunes 12 years later at the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne but once again Australia prevailed to level the series.
Despite a late Australian rally, the British and Irish Lions ran out comfortable victors in Brisbane (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
The Lions, then, need to be on their mettle. However, any objective assessment of events at the Suncorp would have them as even heavier favourites to do the business at the MCG than they were going into that first Test. It beggars belief, really, the Wallabies managed to close the score to a respectable-looking eight-point deficit. And, yes, having Will Skelton and Rob Valetini possibly back in the ranks will give some much-needed heft to their game.
But even so, the manner of the Lions’ opening 50 minutes tells you they have far superior weaponry, far better cohesion and fluency to offer and far more accomplished game controllers in play at half-back. Throw in Superman Tom Curry on the flank (with Tadhg Beirne a worthy superhero understudy) and you have a pretty attractive package in play. And, yes, they too can improve on their performance. Big time. They butchered at least four decent chances. And also went to the bench too early, perhaps as a measure of self-preservation with Curry and others carrying knocks.
It all made for a rather odd feeling at the final whistle. A worrying one, too. For Lions series ought to be full of grandeur and majesty, to be heroic and uplifting on both sides of the halfway line. It had been exactly like that in all three previous full tours to Australia in the modern era – in 1989 with the Battle of Ballymore second Test, in 2001 with all the above-mentioned and again 12 years later as Dricogate set up a third Test rout for the Lions.
It was underwhelming. Rather flat and unsatisfactory, humdrum rather than operatic. And that should never be the case.
And, yet, despite the Wallaby comeback on the scoreboard at the Suncorp, the sense of having witnessed a sporting epic was simply not there. It was underwhelming. Rather flat and unsatisfactory, humdrum rather than operatic. And that should never be the case. The soul was not lit up, senses were not teased and seduced, and no-one was forced to edge forward in their seats for fear of missing out.
The MCG has to be more than a vaudeville act on Saturday, a token tourist setting to be ticked off. Give me some sort of ramshackle venue if you could guarantee a contest that had fierceness and fury at its heart, a reprise of Ballymore or the second Test in Pretoria of 2009. That is what we want from our Lions and from our hosts: bare-knuckle, cerebral as well as physical, gung-ho, last man standing, drama and jeopardy. All of these.
The Suncorp did not give us that. Oh, yes, for sure, there was a crackle in the air as the Lions got stuck into things from the off, playing with gusto and cleverness, stringing together sequences we had not really seen on the tour so far. There were a few blemishes but there was far greater fluency and punch about all they did to the point where there was a little knot of anxiety forming as to whether this was going to be too much of a romp, too easy, unworthy of a true Lions experience.
Tom Curry delivered a colossal performance on the openside flank (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
You wonder if Huw Jones’ score in the 19th minute had not been chalked off as to whether the flood gates might have opened. It looked a suspect score to the naked eye although replays suggest it was a marginal call as Max Jorgensen had scarcely completed the tackle before slipping off it.
The Lions are all too aware they need to fine-tune that clinical edge to their game. James Lowe will not enjoy seeing replays of his myopic effort when hanging on to the ball with men outside. Likewise, this, that and the other scoring opportunities. If the scoreboard had ticked over more regularly in the first half then there would have been no second-half mess and muddle.
There is a case for shuffling the back three if Blair Kinghorn and Mack Hansen are fit. However, Andy Farrell would have to make a good case to himself and so to the squad if he were to make changes. The squad have registered an important victory, with a certain ease too. They have done what they were selected to do. Lowe has a lot in the bank with Farrell and if he were to give way to Duhan van der Merwe than Farrell has to be 100% certain the Scotland wing will not go walkabout in defence. Lowe gets my nod. Hansen over Tommy Freeman? That’s a tighter call, so too Kinghorn at the rear. Keenan had a couple of blots in his copybook, notably for the Jorgensen try, but slotted in well at other times.
Tuesday’s match against the First Nations and Pasifika XV has become a joke with the Lions blocking one of the opposition from playing while in the same breath summoning a support cast of their own.
There are question marks surrounding the bench to resolve. Owen Farrell comes into consideration if Andy wants to opt for a 6-2 split to deal with the expected Skelton-Valetini boost to the Wallaby line-up. There certainly needs to be a change at back-up hooker where Ronan Kelleher had a nightmare appearance. Henry Pollock would also add energy.
Tuesday’s match against the First Nations and Pasifika XV has become a joke with the Lions blocking one of the opposition from playing while in the same breath summoning a support cast of their own. It is a blemish on the historic schedules of Lions tours. Somehow, it fits the mood of the trip.
It’s time then for many elements to be redressed, for the Wallabies in particular to bring fight and skill to the party, to sustain their second-half challenge into something meaningful and memorable. Only then will we be able to recall the 2025 Lions as something truly special. Over to you, the MCG.