The hype was huge but the occasion itself was never going to match the hype because the current crop of Wallabies just aren’t good enough to beat a side as strong, in depth, as the British & Irish Lions.
The Springboks walloped the in successive Tests in Australia last season, and played two very different starting XVs in doing so.
The All Blacks won comfortably in Australia and the Wallabies finished the Rugby Championship with one win from six and a record 67-27 defeat against Los Pumas in Argentina.
There was a spirited November tour, when the Australians edged England 45-42 in a thriller at Twickenham, and lost by three points to Ireland in Dublin, but right now there is not the quality across positions for the Wallabies to challenge sides ranked higher than their eighth place.
No Welsh player made the first Test match 23, with coach Andy Farrell picking eight Irish players in his starting XV and 11 in the 23.
Too much of an edge
England and Scotland made up the rest, and the combination always had too much of an edge to be troubled at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
If the Wallabies were to stun the visitors, it had to be at Suncorp Stadium, where they had won 73% of their matches since 1995. It was quickly evident that history and the romance around Suncorp was not going to be enough to give the Wallabies a miracle win.
The Lions’ young loose-forward Henry Pollock, not involved in yesterday’s match, said that a 3-0 series win would make them the greatest Lions team. Ever.
Pollock is just 20 years old. Excuse his lack of education when it comes to who has worn the jersey before those of 2025.
The 1971 Lions to New Zealand, series winners, and the 1974 Lions to South Africa, series winners, were a different class and breed. This is a legacy, not whipping a sub-standard Australian team, whose administration continues to restrict the selection of every player available to Australia.
Brave until the end
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt relied exclusively on those who played in this season’s Super Rugby, and while they were brave until the end, they simply were not good enough, which is a statement given substance when No 8 Harry Wilson booted the ball into touch to end the game, instead of having one last crack at the Lions.
The Wallabies, having trailed 24-5 on the hour mark, had scored two late tries for a 27-19 deficit when Wilson refused to attack from behind his own line. It was a submission and a tap-out that was thoroughly un-Australian.
The Lions were physically dominant in the set piece and the collisions, and they never looked troubled. They led early, and there was never a moment one felt the Wallabies were going to win.
It was not for lack of effort or crowd support. It was just a matter of being second best in every aspect, with the best Australian on display being the one wearing the Lions No 12 jersey, Sione Tuipulotu.
Won against ex-countrymen
Tuipulotu was born, raised and made his professional rugby debut in Australia. He spent the first 23 years in Australia before heading to Scotland four years ago. He now captains Scotland and has won against his former countrymen in the colours of Scotland and of the Lions.
Australians will find comfort that they matched the Lions’ three tries a piece, but on the evidence of yesterday, this will be a series lost 3-0 and the follow-up will be two big defeats against the Springboks in South Africa on August 14 in Johannesburg, and August 23 in Cape Town.
In the earlier match, the All Blacks — with 10 changes to the starting XV — were vulnerable against a French match 23 missing 22 of their Six Nations title-winners.
The All Blacks led 22-19 with five minutes to play, and a late try made the points differential 10, which made for flattering reading and will result in no anxiousness within a Bok squad due to play successive Tests in New Zealand on September 6 and 13.
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