Things boiled over in brutal fashion during the Lions’ latest clash as Maro Itoje and Aussie enforcer Will Skelton locked horns in an explosive bust-up — but it’s what Itoje said after that has lit up social media.
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In the middle of the melee, cameras caught the Lions captain seemingly saying to the referee: “He started it, Sir!” — and fans have been ruthless in their reaction.
Many took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out the England star, branding the schoolyard-style protest as “embarrassing.”
“Itoje. ‘He started it, Sir!’ Back at school!! 😂,” one fan wrote.
Another added: “The whole ‘he started it, Sir’ type bullshit from Itoje is so embarrassing. It’s not school, mate.”
“He started it Sir” — embarrassing from Itoje,” echoed a third.
A fourth simply posted: “Itoje ‘He started it Sir’ 😬😬😬”
It’s not the first time Itoje’s on-field chat has come under fire — but this one has fans asking if the Lions skipper should let his rugby do the talking.
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“3/10!” – Four Lions Stars Who Flopped in Second Test (And Who Should Take Their Place)
It’s the first time since 1997 that the Lions have wrapped up a series in the opening two Tests—but not everyone covered themselves in glory. Here are four players who flopped in Melbourne and should make way for the final Test.
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#1. JAMES LOWE
Despite a classy offload for Beirne’s try and some composed moments, Lowe was error-prone under the high ball and defensively vulnerable once again. A mixed bag leaning heavily toward underperformance.
BALLS 5/10: “One good flicked offload to Gibson-Park. Spilled a high ball, early in the second half. Composed take and footwork, on 57 minutes. Great step and offload for Beirne’s try. His best, and last, contribution of the game.”
Telegraph 3/10: “Lovely offload to put Beirne over but was another disappointing display. A liability once again in defence and several handling errors.”
RUCK 4/10: “Lowe has looked off the tempo in both tests and today was another story of that. He never got going and was exposed hugely in defence. In attack he was nothing to fear for the Wallabies apart from his assist for Beirne.”
Replacement: Duhan van der Merwe
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