The British and Irish Lions wrapped up the series with a win over Australia in Melbourne – that came as a result of Hugo Keenan’s last minute try to send the travelling fans into euphoria
Hugo Keenan wrote his name in Lions folklore as Maro Itoje’s men wrapped up the series with a game to play. The Ireland full-back scored in the final minute of the game at the MCG as the tourists won a dramatic game worthy of one of the sport’s greatest venues.
But there was drama even after Keenan had gone over with under 30 seconds left. The Wallabies claimed Jac Morgan had cleared out Carlo Tizzano illegally but ref Andrea Piardo was having none of it.
Keenan’s score gave the Lions the lead for the first time in a match which tested the nerves of their travelling fans but who can now head to Sydney knowing the job is done. In a magnificent Test match that showed the Aussie public rugby union is not dying in this country the Wallabies really turned it on but the Lions got over the lie just about.
With the MCG rocking the Australians had led 23-5 and the game looked dead and buried after just 30 minutes with the Lions playing like they’d never seen a rugby ball.
The Aussies managed to arrive at the ground 25 minutes late. The locals have been banging on about how they expected 90,000 to come to this iconic ground, so much for attention to detail. In fact it was 90,307, a record for the Lions down here, who turned up and they were treated to a game a million times better than the Brisbane bore last weekend.
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The Wallabies might have been late at the ground, but unlike last week, they turned up on the pitch right from the word go. It is not rocket science that when you add 24-odd stone of Will Skelton to your pack and a massive carrier like Rob Valetini you are a different proposition. Former Saracens’ lock Skelton was putting it about from the off and had a ruck with Maro Itoje after he’s cheap shotted Tadhg Furlong.
Skelton was brought in to add bulk and niggle and he did both and with local boy Valetini they got the hosts on the front foot. It was 23-17 at half-time but only after the Lions had fought back with tries before the break from Tom Curry and Huw Jones. For most of the half it was one-way traffic with everything the Australians touched turning to Wallaby gold.
Fly-half Tom Lynagh kicked a couple of early penalties before Dan Sheehan’s tap to himself and dive over made it one point game. Then the Aussies cut loose like Shane Warne going through the England tail here scoring three tries in the blink of an eye.
Lions wing Tommy Freeman was carded for infringing when James Slipper scored the first then, down to 14 men, the tourists completely checked out.
The forwards were sluggish and massive gaps opened up allowing the Australians to run riot with scrum-half Jake Gordon walking through an AWOL defence. Then full-back Tom Wright finished off a move started in their own 22 by Max Jorgensen and carried on by Joseph Suaalii.
The Lions were on the canvas and had hardly thrown a shot but got back up and started punching, finally when Curry and Jones went over. Skelton and Valetini have just come back from injury and were never going to last the pace and both were hauled off early in the second half.
With that pair off Lynagh added his third penalty as the Aussies dug in but Tadhg Beirne pulled off a magnificent finish off James Lowe’s pass and Finn Russell’s touchline conversion made it a two-point game.
Then as if the atmosphere could not get any more raucous Andy Farrell threw son Owen on off the bench on the hour to predictable jeers and cheers from the crowd but the biggest cheer was yet to come. Keenan crashed over, the TMO did his bit and the Wallabies were done, but they had played their part in an epic.