The British and Irish Lions were defeated in the final game of their tour Down Under on Saturday as a chaotic night played out in a rain-lashed Accor Stadium
At the conclusion of a gruelling tour, the British and Irish Lions found themselves at a loss on a night that was chaotic for several reasons, with Owen Farrell even facing off with security.
Beaten on Saturday night and denied a historic victory which would have seen them win three out of three, the Lions stood disappointed but not crushed. They glanced at each other, recognising a missed opportunity, but soon their disappointment morphed into something else.
For the last time, the squad gather together on the pitch. Jac Morgan, one of just two Welsh stars in the squad, was greeted with smiles and embraces from Ellis Genge and Will Stuart. As the conversation continued, perhaps they all began to realise the significance of Morgan’s clearout the previous week.
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In the stands, an ecstatic Wallabies fan shouted into the small window of the press box, thrilled with the evening’s outcome, reports Wales Online. The stadium scoreboard displayed a 22-14 defeat for the Lions, oblivious to Finn Russell’s botched drop-goal conversion in the final moments. The score remained unchanged.
Two youngsters made their way onto the pitch, each clutching rugby balls, and frolicked around before security escorted them away. Witnessing this, Farrell dashed across, seemingly trying to intervene with security, even appearing ready to gift his boots to the pair.
When he returned to collect his medal, he was left barefoot as the Lions scrambled onto stage. In the centre, next to Genge, with the medal draped around his neck, stood a beaming Morgan. He was handed the trophy, hoisting it briefly before characteristically quickly passing it on for someone else to lift.
Monday’s sunshine in Sydney felt like a distant memory at the Accor Stadium on Saturday. The rain, which started on Wednesday, hardly let up over the week, but it was particularly relentless on Saturday.
About an hour before kick-off, a torrential downpour caused chaos and cleared the pitch entirely. Lions players, who were about to start their warm-up, quickly retreated to the dry refuge under the stands as ‘Raindrops keep falling on my head’ echoed from the loudspeaker.
Even the Qatar sponsor board was removed from the pitch – a sure sign of the severity of the rain. However, not everyone seemed perturbed by the weather. While his Sky Sports colleagues took shelter under umbrellas, Will Greenwood casually strolled around.
Wallabies substitute scrum-half Tate McDermott did the same, walking barefoot on the pitch as the rain pelted down. Rumours began circulating in the press box that the visibility of the pitch lines could be an issue, not for broadcasting purposes, but for the players’ ability to see them.
The press box had its own visibility issues, with the windows fogging up so much that the pitch was obscured. Eventually, some paper towels were found to clear the condensation.
In the crowd, a Welsh flag bearing the words ‘Glyncorrwg RFC’ was thoroughly soaked. Despite being drenched, the flag still managed to flutter as kick-off neared. As the match got underway, the rain showed no signs of easing. On the bench, most of the Lions substitutes sat with their hoods up.
Initially, Morgan doesn’t seem to need a coat despite the worsening weather. As the conditions deteriorated, spectators retreated from the front rows and umbrellas popped up along the sidelines. Yet, Morgan’s hood remained down.
On the field, there was plenty of tension as the two teams clashed, with substitute Will Stuart chuckling from the sidelines. As half-time neared, Andy Farrell wasn’t finding anything amusing.
Heading to the changing rooms from the coaching box, he looked particularly stern-faced about the 8-0 deficit. With the teams back indoors, stadium staff set about repainting the pitch lines.
As the second half kicked off, Morgan warmed up intensely, preparing to join the action. His entrance seemed imminent when James Ryan was floored in a tackle.
While the Irish second-row received medical attention, Morgan readied himself. Analyst Rhodri Bown showed him some final clips before he stepped onto the pitch.
Then the action was back off again. The match was halted due to lightning, and the players were ushered indoors. Before the reason became clear, the sight of Andy Farrell sprinting down the stairs indicated it wasn’t an ordinary situation.
Warning messages appeared on screen and stewards attempted to guide fans towards the concourse. One fan made it onto the pitch, running around briefly before being tackled by a group of raincoat-clad pursuers. A warning about the consequences of pitch invading flashed up, but it hardly acted as a deterrent – soon after, two more fans made a dash onto the field.
The second invader nearly got his head taken off with a clothesline tackle, yet it did little to discourage others. Another fan took sprinted onto the pitch, only to end up on the ground like the previous intruders.
Not everyone went all out with pitch invading, but there was still a hint of rebellion. As security cleared the front rows, one supporter, wrapped in a drenched Welsh flag, remained defiantly seated.
“Right lads, game’s off,” quipped a cheeky journalist as he burst into the press box. “Let’s go home.” While in the stands, to kill time, supporters tossed around balls – both rugby and beach varieties.
Ironically, the downpour let up while the rugby was paused. But as the players came back, the rain resumed, and Morgan joined the fray. He quickly made his mark with a signature turnover, leading to a warm embrace with Tom Curry. After another strong play, the colossal Will Skelton – who’d been dishing it out all evening in Sydney – gave him a gentle tap on the head, almost as a polite gesture.
Morgan then collided heads with Curry as he celebrated his first Test try for the Lions, with the Wales captain immediately offering apologies. Ultimately, it’s McDermott who wrapped up the game with a try. There was no historic victory in Sydney as a chaotic night came to a close.
