The Lions’ incredible comeback to win the second Test against Australia and clinch the 2025 series will live long in the memory of all who watched it. Here, former Scotland captains ANDY NICOL and JASON WHITE join Mail Sport’s deputy chief sports writer CALUM CROWE to discuss Australia’s future as a Lions destination, Finn Russell’s place in the pantheon of Scottish rugby greats, and what we can expect from Andy Farrell’s selection for the third and final Test in Sydney on Saturday.
Q – What a comeback. What a Test match. What are your overall thoughts on how it panned out?
Calum Crowe: The Lions were miles off it in the opening stages. They were shocked by the vast improvement in Australia’s performance and physicality from last week. Maybe that comes down to a slight element of complacency, but they needed to wake up. In Will Skelton and Rob Valetini, Australia had two absolute monsters in their pack who were making some thunderous carries and punching huge holes in the Lions’ defensive line. Thankfully for the Lions, neither was fully fit and couldn’t last much more than half the game. It could have been a very different game had they been able to last longer, and the Lions would have been glad to see the back of them. It was Huw Jones’ try right before half-time that really swung the momentum in the Lions’ favour. Facing an 18-point deficit after such a poor start, they had their backs to the wall and came out swinging.
Hugo Keenan is held aloft by his Lions team-mates after his dramatic late try won the series
The Australians produced a much improved performance but still ended up on losing side
Andy Nicol: Wow! That was a proper Test match. Australia really turned up this week and took the game to the Lions. They were excellent in the first 30 minutes at the things they did very poorly last week; physicality, directness, attitude and hunger. The Lions were powerless to do anything in the first 20 minutes. This Wallabies team played so well, I’m not sure any international team could have lived with them. Skelton and Valetini were so dynamic and powerful in helping them smash over the gain line. What was good about the Lions is they didn’t panic, they found a way back into the game before winning it with the last play. Just an epic Test match in an epic stadium and a real privilege to be there.
Jason White: That was the Test match we’d all been waiting for to ignite the tour. Australia came to play direct, physical rugby from the start and were fully deserving of their lead in the first half. They won the gainline and physical battle and, despite scoring the first try, it felt for a period like the Lions couldn’t live with their physicality. Skelton and Valetini were immense. Who knows how it might have played out if they’d stayed on longer? To their credit, the Lions stayed calm. The final 10 minutes were absolutely edge-of-your-seat viewing. It will go down as one of the best Test matches we’ve seen and a game that fitted the occasion and venue.
Q – How much did Australia need a classic Test like this? Could it have saved their future as a Lions destination?
CC: This will rank as one of the all-time classic Lions Test matches. Their biggest comeback ever. The first half was a feast of tries and the second half made for compelling, nerve-shredding drama. None of that felt possible prior to Saturday. It had been a desperately flat and dull tour, not helped by the fact so many of the warm-up games were uncompetitive and uninteresting. I don’t think Australia are out of the woods just yet. If the Lions make it a 3-0 series whitewash next weekend, which I suspect they will, fresh questions will be asked about Australia’s viability as a future destination. I reckon France could well enter the equation to be added into the mix. A lot of the French clubs would present a much stiffer examination in the warm-ups than what we’ve seen in Australia, and, at Test level, Les Bleus are a serious force. As always with the Lions, it will all come down to money. But it’s time France was considered as a serious option for future tours.
Hugo Keenan stretches over the line for the crucial try which gave Lions 2-0 lead in series
It’s a magic moment for the British and Irish Lions after second straight win over Wallabies
AN: This kind of close game with real quality and atmosphere was essential and gives Australia a chance of a future with the Lions. There is just not the depth in Australian rugby to really test the Lions in the tour games before the Test series gets started. This is a good Lions team but I didn’t know how they would react to being down on the scoreline, because it’s not happened in any of the previous games including the first Test. They responded really well and won the game from being 18 points down which takes some doing. There’s no doubt Australia is a brilliant destination for the Lions with great cities that can cope with the amount of travelling fans, great stadia with big capacities and lots of things to do between matches. The quality of the rugby is their only issue.
JW: The level of competition in the run-up to the Tests has not been where it needed to be, alongside the Australian team arriving for the first Test under prepared. If the Lions tour Australia again, that definitely needs to be addressed. The level of performance we saw in this Test match is what a Lions tour is all about. In a way, Australia sneaking the fixture and setting up a decider in the last match would have been the best case for Australian sport. They were close in this game but just not quite strong enough for the full 80 minutes.
Q – What about Finn Russell? After winning a Treble with Bath, and now leading the Lions to glory in Australia, is this the single greatest season from any Scottish player?
AN: It has to be. He has been brilliant and it’s great to hear other countries’ fans talk about Finn in such glowing terms. In Scotland, we have known how good he is but the national team have not been good enough to give Finn a platform to win things. Bath gave him that and he has shown his class by guiding them to the Premiership. He has been sublime all tour and is now a Test series-winning fly-half for the Lions. He didn’t have his best game on Saturday, he threw a couple of stray passes and kicked one out on the full. What he does so well is not let any mistakes affect him, he moves on and plays the next moment. Total class all tour.
Finn Russell is hugged by Andy Farrell after the Lions’ 29-26 triumph in Melbourne
Delighted head coach Farrell celebrates with son Owen and Sione Tuipulotu
JW: Finn has been outstanding on this tour and arguably the difference between the teams. He has produced a level of performance and maturity to his play that has elevated his game. With my Scottish hat on, next season will be an opportunity for his axis with Sione Tuipulotu and Jones to deliver the season Scotland fans have been waiting for and finally win some silverware with the national team.
CC: Some of Russell’s goal kicking on Saturday was a bit ropey, but his kicking from hand was sensational at times. In the first half, he took a quick penalty and lasered one deep into the Wallabies’ 22 to help create the Huw Jones’ try. Russell has had an excellent tour. He is operating at the peak of his powers and is currently the best fly-half in world rugby. To win a clean sweep of trophies with Bath, and now masterminding a Lions series victory, it’s hard to look past this as being the greatest single season from any Scottish player in history. Is he Scotland’s greatest player of all-time? No, I would stop short of that. In order to take that kind of acclaim, he would need to lead the national team to silverware in the Six Nations.
Q – What about the Aussies’ furious claims the winning try should have been disallowed for a dangerous clearout by Jac Morgan?
JW: The referee made the right call. Morgan went in aggressively but fairly under the rules. It was reviewed thoroughly and deemed okay. Speaking as a back-rower, I would have been bitterly disappointed if a referee had penalised me for that kind of thing. It was hard, aggressive, but fair. That’s exactly what we want.
CC: When I saw the incident live, I didn’t see any foul play – and nothing I saw on the replays changed my mind. Sometimes when you see these clearouts, they make you gasp with your initial reaction and you can see straight away there might be a problem. But I didn’t get that feeling at all. I understand there’s a need to protect players, but we also need to remember rugby is a contact sport. You are allowed to compete to win the ball – and that’s exactly what Morgan did. He went in as low as he could, made a good clearout, and competed to win the ball. The reaction from Carlo Tizzano was a bit desperate and theatrical. Joe Schmidt felt aggrieved, as any coach would have in his position. But he would also have been furious had it gone against him. More then anything, it was sour grapes.
Aussie Harry Wilson claims there was a dangerous Lions clearout in build up to winning try
Carlo Tizzano receives treatment following the clearout by the LIons’ Jac Morgan
AN: It was a textbook clearout by Jac Morgan. He executed the skill that he’s been coached to do and did it very well. If that had been penalised then we would have had to seriously look at how we referee rugby going forward. Rugby is a really physical game and this means sometimes there will be contact made with the head. Player safety is paramount but this was a classic rugby incident and I was delighted the officials saw it like this as well. If the incident had happened in the first minute rather than the last, the Aussies would not have said anything.
Q – Will Andy Farrell rotate next weekend to give fringe players a chance, or do the Lions go all out for a series whitewash? What changes would you make?
CC: I don’t expect there will be any slacking off. The Lions have come too far now to take any needless risks with team selection that could jeopardise a whitewash. I expect them to go in pretty much fully loaded once again. Joe McCarthy might come back in at lock if he recovers from a foot issue and I’d maybe consider deploying Duhan van der Merwe on the wing. With the Wallabies beaten and demoralised, Van der Merwe could have a field day against their defence if the Lions get on top and start to dominate. I’d also have Blair Kinghorn ahead of Hugo Keenan at full-back. Keenan was having a poor game before scoring the winning try at the death.
Tadhg Beirne was one of the Lions heroes, including this superb try against Wallabies
Finn Russell celebrates glorious win and is now looking to clinch a 3-0 series whitewash
AN: The Lions have never whitewashed a series. The Invincibles in 1974 won three tests but drew the last so there is history to be made in Sydney. Farrell should go full bore and select the team as if it was 1-1 and not make any sentimental changes just because the series is won. There will probably be knocks and this is where he might make changes if someone is not 100 per cent fit. Kinghorn did enough for the time he was on the pitch to get a starting berth but I don’t foresee many changes.
JW: Farrell will be desperate to win the series 3-0. He’ll likely make some changes, but not to give fringe players a game just for the fact the series has been won. I would make a few changes but keep key partnerships together. Kinghorn would start on one wing, he looked sharp and dangerous when he was on. McCarthy would come back in to the pack to nullify Skelton’s impact and possibly some fresh legs coming into the back row. Morgan starting at 7 would be an option and Henry Pollock on the bench.
