A British and Irish Lions tour of France would be special.
Not at Australia’s expense – spread it over 16 years and four countries. This could enhance the Lions concept, in monetary and rugby terms, if Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and France offer a once-in-a-generation experience.
France ticks so many boxes for the touring players and their families, the fans (and their families), and broadcasters in the northern hemisphere, who would avoid the nine-hour time difference.
Imagine the Lions visiting French rugby hotbeds such as Toulouse, Clermont and Perpignan, with test matches in Barcelona and Paris. Any concerns about it being too parochial could be avoided by cementing Argentina and Fiji into the schedule every four years.
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The current formula works but Lions Inc knows that it cannot stand still – the Lions come under scrutiny whenever the tourists (Australia 2025) or the host nation (New Zealand 2005) threaten to whitewash the series.
Is it do or die for Australia in the second test against the Lions?
Last Saturday’s first Test in Brisbane left nobody in any doubt about the gulf in quality between the teams. The Wallabies are ranked sixth in the world for good reason – the eight-point margin of victory flattered a Joe Schmidt team that lacked what we expect from a Schmidt-coached attack.
There are some non-negotiables if Australia are to set up a third and “final” Test in Sydney next weekend. Getting Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii into the game must be top of their list.
At 24-5, early in the second-half last Saturday, a 40-point win looked inevitable. Instead, the game flatlined, with the Aussie bench making enough impact to avoid a heavy loss. Tate McDermott was so good at scrumhalf that I expected him to start ahead of Jake Gordon.
Schmidt has beefed up the Wallaby pack, to counter the physical dominance of Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne at the breakdown, with Will Skelton and Rob Valetini returning from injuries.
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Honestly, though, I think the series is over. The first half in Brisbane was Australia’s chance to catch the Lions before they found a rhythm. I was shocked by how passive their forwards were in contact. There was no lack of effort, but the raw emotion was absent.
The Lions deserve credit. They stamped out any hint of a contest from kick-off and at the start of the second half with Dan Sheehan’s brilliant try.
Blame can be spread around but it should not be laid at Tom Lynagh’s feet. No outhalf can possibly be ready to control their first international start against a fired-up Lions, in the first test no less. It was strange to see Lynagh retained at 10, especially considering James O’Connor’s impressive Super Rugby campaign at the Canterbury Crusaders.
This would have been an incredibly tough week for the Australian players. Win or lose, there is nowhere to hide when Schmidt is your coach. The sheer amount of specific “work-ons” can overwhelm players who are not at the level.
Others love the detail; there are few greater feelings in a sporting career than executing a Schmidt game plan that you innately understand following months of reps.
The return of Skelton and Valetini should simplify matters for Australia, and give Lynagh some front-foot ball, but Schmidt will have gone into every error from the first Test. For good reason – the Lions were ruthless in the opening 50 minutes. Maro Itoje’s pack and the connection between Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell proved too much for Australia to contain.
It makes you wonder how the Lions would be holding up entering a first Test in Paris having been through the wringer at Stade Marcel-Michelin following some midweek wars in Bayonne and Bordeaux.
There will be an emotional response from Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where 100,000 people might have shown up if they led the series 1-0.
But here we are. Last November, after beating England at Twickenham, it looked like Schmidt would turn Australia into a seriously difficult side to beat.
The problem with a seven-month break is all the group’s momentum is gone. In November 2018 Ireland beat the All Blacks in Dublin to complete our best-ever calendar year. We won the Grand Slam and a series Down Under but, come the 2019 Six Nations, our form dipped against England in Dublin.
That was after a three-month break. And we had five years under Joe Schmidt.
It is hard to recapture so many elements of a winning performance when a group disconnects for any period of time.
The process cannot be forced. Schmidt cannot click his fingers and produce a cohesive attack. He cannot shape a Rugby League star into an outside centre overnight. He cannot turn a young Tom Lynagh into a prime Michael Lynagh.
There are recent examples of a series appearing to be over after the first Test. This tends to happen against the All Blacks in New Zealand. On the 2017 Lions tour, we lost the first test 30-15. Even worse, to the naked eye, was Ireland’s 42-19 defeat at Eden Park in 2022 when New Zealand ran in six tries.
Sometimes a team puts up 40 points and you say ‘fair enough.’ But a ball can go to ground in the All Blacks’ 22 and 10 seconds later you are under your posts watching Jordie Barrett line up a conversion.
In 2017 and 2022, we knew we could win the second Test by sticking to an established plan. Nuts and bolts.
I have never known an Aussie team, in any sport, to roll over. Schmidt will have been harsh on individuals this week. If they can accept his criticism, and execute the basics, a performance will come.
If not, the Lions should whitewash the Wallabies.
