After plenty of good, and a little bit of bad, the ugly arrived for the British and Irish Lions in the third Test. On a wretched night, it was a wretched performance, the tourists beaten in just about every area by an Australian side better adjusting to conditions of a kind that few involved had ever seen.
And so a golden opportunity has been missed – confirming many of the assumed truths about this Lions crop. Andy Farrell had set the lofty goal of going unbeaten in Australia and completing the first series sweep since 1927, a scenario that looked likely after edging the second Test at the MCG. But Lions tours are tough. The Wallabies have plenty of talent and showed real fighting spirit. By contrast, Farrell’s men looked tired at times, while the easing of the stakes with a series secure may have been a factor. “I hope not,” Farrell said on that front. “Otherwise we are not being true to ourselves in everything we talked about this week. I certainly hope not. Subconsciously I guess I will never know the answer to that question.”
