Mike Phillips scores against the Barbarians; Alun Wyn Jones claims a lineout against the Western Force (Photo: photoae.com.au) & Tommy Bowe on the charge against the Queensland Reds

by Paul Cook in Sydney –

The 2013 British & Irish Lions tour reached it’s climax on Saturday with a comprehensive 41-16 victory sealing the Lions first series win since 1997. Around 35,000 travelling fans celebrated the triumph as the final whistle brought down the curtain on a tour that was 12 years in the making but only five short weeks in existence.

Starting – controversially – in the sweltering concrete jungle of Hong Kong, the tour has traversed its way across this great Australian land, taking in six cities and nine more matches, pulling in record numbers at both the stadiums themselves and also on television. The ARU have already hailed it a success, it having easily met their projected budget and then some, while the invading hordes – the ‘Sea of Red’ – have undoubtedly enjoyed their time Down Under and made their mark on the Australian sporting landscape for many years to come.

But as far as the actual rugby goes, has it been everything the Lions would have hoped for when they crossed the white line? Victory on Saturday obviously went a very long way to answering that question but the lead up games and midweek contests that have formed a part of this rugby extravaganza were also an integral part of the preparation for eventual success.

Craig Chalmers donning the famous red jersey back in 1989 and (inset) now

Capped 60 times for Scotland, former Lion Craig Chalmers was a fresh faced 20-year-old back in 1989, when he featured in the first test against the Wallabies at the Sydney Football Stadium, as well as playing a starring role in several of the midweek matches.

Back in Australia to follow the test series as a fan, catch up with a few ex-team mates and opponents along the way and get involved in some of the off-field activities that form a large part of the Lions phenomenon, the former flyhalf/centre followed every game of the tour with great interest.

Rugby News caught up with him this week to look back at the tour as it progressed and at some of the stories and events that shaped it, culminating in Saturday’s triumph.

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Game 1: Hong Kong – British & Irish Lions 59 Barbarians 12

Rugby News: There’s been some criticism on both sides of the fence that this game took place at all given that the Lions are supposed to be touring Australia, what were your thoughts on it?

“I didn’t really agree with the fixture in Hong Kong, it was more of a commercial thing than anything else. I’d have much preferred the Lions had come straight to Australia and maybe played a full strength Western Force in the first game, which would have been ideal. It was a decent outing, it wasn’t spectacular and it was against a poorly organised Barbarians team for my liking but I thought the Lions played respectably well and they did the job.”

RN: The Lions copped some heat for some of the average ball handling on display but conditions in HK weren’t necessarily conducive to running rugby were they?

“Conditions over there were just crazy by all accounts, the heat and humidity were unbelievable, so yes, there was a lot of dropped ball but when you saw the conditions it was understandable. I’ve played there before at the Sevens and that’s bad enough. You saw how tough it was at times, just the slackness of some of the passes, the ball was slipping out of their hands as the sweat was dripping down their forearms onto their palms and it’s hard enough playing in the rain, let alone that. I think one or two of the big boys lost four or five pounds so it was a tough afternoon for them but they got through the game pretty well.”

Jamie Roberts wins a mid air collision with Joe Rokocoko as the Lions run out 59-12 winners

RN: Owen Farrell got first shot at staking a claim for a start in the test side but he didn’t have his best 80 minutes in international rugby and also came in for some criticism. Was that fair?

“I think it was fair. Owen has probably come up a little bit short in one or two of the big pressure games that he’s played for Saracens – against Toulon in the Heineken Cup semi-final and the semi-final of the Premiership as well – and his temperament’s been tested but he’s a young kid, he’s going to make mistakes. I think he’s very aggressive in the way he goes about things and one thing he learned from that game hopefully was don’t hold an opposition hooker at the ruck because you’ll get a smack in the face!

“I think he has to mix his game up a bit, he lies quite deep and he needs to attack the line a bit more. When you play at ten it’s about getting the balance right between playing flat and recognising the right type of ball to play off and when to sit deep in the pocket and put the ball in the right areas of the field and I think that’s one thing he will have learned on this tour.”

RN: You were only 20-years-old yourself when you toured back in 1989, can you identify with the situation Farrell’s in?

“For me, the Lions tour was a massive learning curve as a 20-year-old and I think it’s exactly the same for the likes of Farrell and Stuart Hogg. I was two months younger than Hogg when I toured in ’89 and I only had four caps for Scotland at the time so touring Australia for eight weeks was a good experience for me and these guys can learn so much from the players with experience that they have been in and around every day, the O’Driscoll’s and the Roberts’s. Farrell’s also had his Dad around to put him right as well!”

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Game 2: Perth – British & Irish Lions 69 Western Force 17

RN: If the Lions didn’t quite get the contest they were looking for against the Barbarians, this match didn’t do them many favours either as Western Force coach Michael Foley named a weakened side with a view to the Super Rugby game four days later against the NSW Waratahs. Rightly or wrongly, this wasn’t the challenge the tourists were hoping for?

“No, the tour always starts in Perth and the last time the Lions were there 12 years ago, they scored 116pts so it’s not a great game and not a great test for any touring side. It’s obviously disappointing that Michael Foley put out that team, especially given the fact that they were well beaten by the Waratahs anyway. I think it was more a personal thing for him as well, the Waratahs were his old team from last year so he would have liked to have won that one but to be fair, it ended up working out pretty badly for him and he looked a bit stupid if you ask me. To deprive these guys of the chance of playing against the Lions, a chance they won’t get again unless they’re very, very young, was a poor decision.”

Leigh Halfpenny slotted an astounding 11 kicks from 11 attempts.
More than half of them were from the sideline – Photo: photae.com.au

RN: Given the comparative paucity of the opposition, although those in blue shirts certainly didn’t leave anything out on the park in terms of effort – the Lions were pretty methodical in the way they went about their business but showed a couple of defensive lapses didn’t they?

“I thought the Lions did ok again, it was a decent match with some decent individual performances but it wasn’t the greatest test for them. It was a game where the ball was thrown about a bit all over the shop, there was no real structure to it at times but when the Force did hold onto the ball, they were able to score two soft tries. It was a wake-up call to get tighter in those areas and I think you saw an improvement in the next game against Queensland against a much better Reds attack. They defended similar situations far better so they’d obviously looked at what happened in Perth and rectified it.”

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Game 3: Brisbane – British & Irish Lions 22 Queensland Reds 12

RN: There was never any question that the Reds were going to take this game lightly with wannabe nationalcoach Ewen McKenzie and Wallaby outcast Quade Cooper both out to prove a point, and it proved to be a thrilling occasion and just the challenge the Lions had been looking for didn’t it?

“It was good, it was great the way the Reds approached the game. The Lions got asked one or two questions in the backs by them, the Reds stretched them and when they picked the tempo up, the Lions looked a little bit vulnerable at times. They obviously started when the weather was dry and that suited them, Quade Cooper’s passing was phenomenal off both hands, the accuracy was superb and they caught the Lions on the hop a little bit. I don’t think they were expecting the Reds to be that adventurous on their own line.

“It was really pleasing to see the Reds give the Lions a test, they needed that and it was a good test of their defence and of their character because they could have conceded one or two more tries there but there was some impressive defensive work from the Lions that kept them out. I was really impressed with Luke Morahan, that was a fantastic try that he scored but you’ve got to look at the other side of the coin as well, he made two fantastic try saving tackles on the Lions. It was a good game of rugby to watch, it’s just a pity it was spoilt a little bit by the rain that came down.

“I think that was a testament to Ewen McKenzie as well in the way that he prepared the team. I played against Ewen many years ago and he’s done a good job there and I just thought it was a good coaching performance as well as a good playing performance.”

The game at Suncorp was Quade Cooper’s last audition for a place in the Wallaby squad and he showed a lot of his best and a few of his worst attributes on the night

RN: Do you think the Wallabies should have picked Cooper?

“Definitely, he’s the best flyhalf in Australia by a country mile. He made one or two mistakes in this game but he’s one of those players that you can afford that with because he creates so much that you’ve just got to mark him. He can be a little bit vulnerable in defence at times but his tackling’s improved and I think Robbie Deans should have swallowed his pride and picked him.”

RN: The Lions seemed to take the Reds best shots in the 1st half then slow the game down in the rain after the break and control the tempo, limit Cooper’s potential to damage and played the smarter footy in the end?

“I think the Lions can play in both conditions but when the rain came down, it definitely helped them, they became more composed and played in the right areas. The Reds had decided to play a certain way that paid off when it was dry but didn’t work in the wet conditions and they didn’t change their approach.”

Next up: Newcastle to Canberra…