Australia denied the British and Irish Lions a whitewash in wet and wild Sydney on Saturday morning but Andy Farrell’s squad can still celebrate only the sixth series victory after winning the first two Tests. Here, former Scotland captains ANDY NICOL and JASON WHITE join Mail Sport’s deputy chief sports writer CALUM CROWE to have their say on the successes and failures of the trip, whether Farrell should retain the job for New Zealand 2029 and what benefits Scotland can take from this tour.
What were your thoughts on the game? Does the defeat take the shine off the tour?
Calum Crowe: The history books will show that the Lions went to Australia and won the Test series 2-1. So, in that regard, it was a success. But the performance and the defeat on Saturday made it all feel just a little bit hollow.
Andy Farrell, Maro Itoje and so many of the senior players had spoken relentlessly about how they wanted to win the series 3-0. They were hell-bent on a whitewash. They spoke about legacy and wanting to be remembered as the greatest ever Lions. In that regard, they fell short.
Captain Maro Itoje lifts the Lions Series trophy after the third Test defeat in Sydney
Bundee Aki stands alone amid the monsoon weather that caused the game to be delayed
They allowed a bang-average Australia team to come back at them. Let’s not forget that the Lions relied on a refereeing call to win the second Test right at the death. On another day, that could have gone against them and we’d be talking about a series defeat. So, yes, this does take the shine off it. Overall, it’s been a flat tour that won’t live long in the memory.
Andy Nicol: It is hard to describe how bad the conditions were on Saturday night in Sydney. We play in the rain in Scotland, but this was biblical at times. It was so bad, it was like it was snowing as you couldn’t really see the other side of the pitch when it was really hammering down.
The extreme conditions really helped Australia because it was impossible to get any meaningful attack going for the Lions. It became a game of attrition, a game of pick-and-go.
The Lions didn’t get any ruck speed to allow Jamison Gibson-Park to get tempo into his game which meant Finn Russell was playing off slow ball. The collisions were thunderous from both sides but Australia fully deserved their win. The Lions have won the series, only the sixth time in their history so that should not be overlooked. But this was not a vintage Australia side and I think the Lions needed a 3-0 win to be regarded as a great Lions squad.
Jason White: The weather dictated that the game became all about set-piece, kick chase and a battle of desire. It seemed that Australia wanted it a bit more, they added at least a 30 per cent improvement from the first Test.
All credit to Australia, they restored some pride for the country and the jersey. For the Lions players in the immediate aftermath of the final whistle it will have been a regret but that will not have lasted long.
Lions flyhalf Finn Russell puts boot to ball in the Accor Stadium on Saturday
The tour has been a massive success and shows why in the Lions history it is so incredibly hard to achieve a 3-0 win on an away tour.
What has your abiding memory been of this tour? It could be a try, a tackle, a specific incident, something that was said, anything at all…
CC: One of my main memories will be about Will Skelton and just what a monumental impact he had when he was playing. When Skelton was not on the field, the Lions beat Australia 39-22. When Skelton was on the field, Australia beat the Lions 38-24.
For one player to make that kind of difference is pretty incredible. But my one abiding memory of this tour will be of how dull and uninteresting the whole thing felt. The warm-up games were hopelessly uncompetitive. It wasn’t until the Test series started that things finally became interesting. I understand you could say that about a lot of Lions tours, but not to this extent. I believe the tours are too long. The format is outdated and focused on making money. Shorten the tours and throw France into the mix as a Lions destination.
AN: The second Test in Melbourne will live long in the memory. The MCG was incredible; 90,000 fans, the biggest crowd I have ever been a part of; the Lions coming back from 18 points down to win it with a try in the last play of the game. Throw in the clearout from Jac Morgan which added to the drama and the jeopardy, that game had it all.
Giant lock Will Skelton was a star performer for Australia despite their series defeat
Hugo Keenan’s match-winning try in Melbourne will live long in the memory
JW: Hugo Keenan was the story of the tour, seriously ill a few weeks ago at the start and unable to play, then having a huge impact in the second Test. He saved a 50:22 through immaculate timing and the smallest of margins that would have given Australia the line out and likely possession in the Lions 2 metre zone. His final standout act was his goose step and outside break to score the decisive series winning try. Not bad for the Blackrock college U-14 substitute.
Which three players have stood out as the Lions’ players of the series?
CC: Finn Russell was quietly excellent. Nothing overly flashy or flamboyant, just maturity and control. On current form, the Scotland man is the best fly-half on the planet. I’ve said this consistently over the past 18 months or so – Russell is not the ‘maverick’ type of figure he once was. To describe him in those terms is lazy and outdated. It does him a disservice. He’s in the form of his life and was superb for the Lions over the course of the tour. Tadhg Beirne was also magnificent. With Ireland, he doesn’t get the same headlines as the likes of Caelan Doris or Josh van der Flier. But Beirne has become such an important cog in the green machine and his talents really shone through with the Lions.
You also have to give Hugo Keenan a huge amount of credit after battling back from illness earlier in the tour to then scoring the winning try in the second Test in Melbourne.
Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne was named player of the series after impressing against the Aussies
AN: Tadhg Beirne was player of the Test series which was fully deserved. He played every second and was outstanding throughout. Dan Sheehan was outstanding as well and confirmed his position as the best hooker in the world.
Over the whole tour, Finn Russell was class. He was in complete control of his game and how the Lions wanted to play and showed the rugby world, what many of us in Scotland had seen for years, that he is a stand-off of the ages.
JW: It is hard to only go for three players, definitely Tadhg Beirne, his impact at key points was very impressive. Tom Curry was non stop and his ability to push to the highest levels again was key. In the backs, Finn and Hugo stood out for me in the backs. Finn’s decision making under pressure is up there with the best in the world, the way he kept calm in the run up to Hugo’s try stood out for me. Hugo has the plaudits from the try that will see his try played for years to come and rightly see his name go down as a Lions legend.
Finn Russell chats to head coach Andy Farrell before the third Test in Sydney
What about the next tour to New Zealand in four years time? Would you have Andy Farrell in charge again or someone else?
CC: The Lions usually don’t like to change a winning formula, so it’s probably Farrell’s job if he wants it. But what about Gregor Townsend? Is he ever going to get a crack at it? As a player, he had a much richer history with the Lions than Farrell and has surely served his apprenticeship as a head coach.
As regular readers of Mail Sport will know, I believe Townsend has run his race as Scotland head coach and should be moved on when his contract expires next year. But that’s not to say I don’t think he could do a fine job with the Lions if given the opportunity. It’s a very different experience and I believe his skillset might actually be well-suited to the job of bringing all these players together and imposing a brand of rugby. At their best, the Lions are a team who are supposed to thrill and excite. For all I think he’s a spent force with Scotland, I could see Townsend as a successful Lions head coach. Especially with the next tour being in New Zealand, the All Blacks going up against a Lions team coached by the attack-minded Townsend would be hugely appealing.
AN: With the Lions winning in Australia, if Andy Farrell wants to be in charge again, it is his job. He got most of the big selections right, even although I didn’t agree with some of them and I think he will view a Lions tour to New Zealand as a greater challenge than the one he has just completed. If Farrell doesn’t fancy the job, I wonder if we could get a situation where the Lions coach is not a current coach of a national team? This would remove the national bias that always exists, Warren Gatland with Wales previously and now Farrell in 2025, as they rely on players they know the best. Coaching the Lions is a tough job and they should be allowed to pick who they want and who they know the best, so I think it would be good if the next coach didn’t have that national bias.
JW: I see no reason to look anywhere else than Andy Farrell. He is a proven winner with Ireland and the Lions and also against Southern Hemisphere teams. You never know what the future will hold in his personal life but he would get my vote.
Looking ahead to the autumn and next year’s Six Nations, what benefit can Scotland take from this Lions tour?
CC: Given how relentlessly successful Ireland have been over recent years, you can only hope that the Scotland boys picked up the odd little nugget in terms of how they go about things.
Scotland centre Huw Jones started all three Tests in Australia
In Finn Russell, we have the best fly-half on the planet right now. With Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones outside him, you could well argue that Scotland actually have the best midfield trio in world rugby. That has to count for something in terms of us finally winning silverware or at least showing an ability to do so. Duhan van der Merwe will also have some big areas to improve upon given how his defensive frailties have been exposed on this tour. He was nowhere near the Test team and could have no complaints given some of the mistakes he made earlier on the tour.
AN: All the players will have improved as players from the experience from the Lions. We had four players play in the Test series and play well. The others will have learned a huge amount from being around some real quality players and should bring this back into the Scotland environment. John Dalziel, the forwards coach, will have gained a huge amount from his experience of coaching the Lions which will have improved him as a coach as well.
JW: We should go into it full of confidence that our players are up there with the best in the UK and the world.
Our backline would not have looked out of place as the Lions test starters, we know that if our forwards can produce quick ball we have the x-factor to score tries. We need to be confident and start the Six Nations with two victories to stay in the competition at the business end when the trophies winners are decided.
