Before the British and Irish Lions’ third game against the New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday evening in Sydney, the local bars near the stadium are having a major identity crisis.
The majority of pubs are still proudly displaying the sky blue colour of the NSW rugby league selection who will take on bitter rivals Queensland in the deciding third game of the wildly popular State of Origin series next Wednesday. A smaller selection of pubs are sheepishly announcing that the Lions are coming to the harbour city.
The publicans’ enthusiasm for the series is a quick litmus test to see where the visit of the Lions ranks in the Australian sports fan’s imagination. The Lions’ emphatic defeats of the Force in Perth and the Reds in Brisbane have not helped matters in a country that prizes winning in sport above most things.
Both warm-up games were similar to watching a schoolyard fight, where the smaller opponent gamely starts throwing wild punches, slightly bloodying the nose of the bigger, tougher and more experienced opponent.
READ MORE
The Reds and the Force had energy and enthusiasm, and both shocked the Lions with early tries. Ultimately and inevitably, both were eventually outmuscled with heavy and inevitable defeats as the Lions emptied their ample stocks of quality players from the bench.
On Saturday, the Lions will face an out-of-form Waratahs side, shorn of frontline players such as former rugby league sensation Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who is in Wallabies camp preparing to play Fiji on Sunday.
Not long after arriving in Australia, Lions chief executive Ben Calveley pressurised Joe Schmidt to release players from national camp to their Super Rugby sides. There was always going to be an intention from Rugby Australia to do so and so it has transpired, but only in dribs and drabs.
Out of all of the Super Rugby teams that the Lions face in advance of the Test series, the famous name of the Waratahs will probably provide the weakest exam. In their starting line-up, only right wing Andrew Kellaway and tighthead prop Taniela Tupou are regular representatives for the Wallabies. The bookmakers were willing to pay out $17 for a Reds or a Force win, but one is now willing to pay $55 if the Waratahs can cause a shock.
By necessity, Schmidt has had to move his slim selection of chess pieces around the table, juggling getting his squad game-time before meeting the Lions with the realisation that he is desperately low on elite stocks in select positions, particularly centre, outhalves and props.
There is a sad and strong possibility that the Lions will put more than 60 points past their opponents on Saturday, but things will be far tougher on Wednesday and Saturday when they take on the strongest sides they will have met on the tour so far: the Brumbies in Canberra and an Australian and New Zealand combined selection in Adelaide.
Thankfully, the entrées served up to the paying public in the stands in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney are not a fair reflection of what can expected from the Test series. Schmidt arrived last March to officially take on the role of Wallabies head coach and has painstakingly built a competitive squad, giving debuts to 19 new players. Some, such as lock Jeremy Williams, have become critical parts of his game plan.
The warm-up games against the Super Rugby teams provide some clues as to how the Lions will play, but ultimately, the gulf in class between the Wallabies and those left behind with their clubs is significant.
A competitive Test series for the Wallabies against the Lions is not just essential for the game’s financial future, it is also vital for its ability to capture the imagination of a country once reared on Mark Ella, John Eales and Michael Lynagh.
Today, rival codes of rugby league and, to a lesser extent, Aussie Rules are fighting not only for the best athletes in the country, but fans who are willing to support their teams. The slow burn to the Test series Down Under is just that. We will only see the true success for this tour when the Wallabies collide finally with the Lions.
