British & Irish Lions look to history, Wallabies to pride in rugby series finale

SYDNEY – The British & Irish Lions have history on their minds, as they head into the third and final clash with the Wallabies on Aug 2 determined to sweep a Test series for the first time in living memory.

No Lions team have gone unbeaten in a Test series since Willie John McBride’s “Invincibles” in South Africa in 1974, when a controversial draw in the fourth match denied them the sweep.

The Lions did sweep Argentina 4-0 in 1927 and also beat the Wallabies 2-0 three times in the 1950s and 1960s as part of losing tours of New Zealand, but you would need to go back to 1904 for the last 3-0 triumph over Australia.

For coach Andy Farrell, however, the importance of the sweep is simply that it was something the Lions had committed to achieving as a squad before heading to Australia.

“Hopefully (the tour) will be remembered for the type of rugby that we played and the way that we went about it together. That’s it,” he said, after naming his team on July 31.

“We came here wanting to win a series. We’ve achieved that, but we’ve a massive responsibility to make sure that we finish this off with something that we promised ourselves.”

In keeping with that spirit, he made only minor tweaks to his team for the clash at Stadium Australia in Sydney, bringing Blair Kinghorn in on the wing, James Ryan into the second row and an extra forward on the bench.

Farrell has also dismissed talk that the Wallabies are not worthy opponents as “insulting” and said it would be “tragic” if Australia was axed as a tour host.

Australia, part of a four-year rotation with New Zealand and South Africa as Lions destinations, are sixth in the world rankings, having dropped as low as 10th after a horror 2023 World Cup.

It has sparked chatter that the Lions should seek tougher competition and better commercial opportunities elsewhere, with Argentina and France said to be keen for a slice of the action.

“It would be tragic for us not to tour here. We’ve had a blast and to me it’s insulting to even talk about it in that type of way,” insisted Farrell.

The Wallabies are undergoing a rebuild with coach Joe Schmidt after being dumped out of the 2023 World Cup at the pool stage for the first time when Eddie Jones was at the helm.

For them, the match is all about salvaging some pride after losing the second Test, and the series, to a last-minute try in Melbourne a week ago.

They have proved they can play by “winning” the second half of the opening Test 14-10 in Brisbane and taking a 23-5 lead after half an hour of the second in Melbourne.

Schmidt said it had been difficult to pick the players up after the defeat but thought they should not ignore the progress they have made since he took over in 2024.

“My belief is that 18 months ago, no one gave us a chance of challenging the Lions,” he said.

“(But) there’s not been nearly as much between the teams as maybe people might have expected.”

Flanker Rob Valetini and two other starters from last week will miss the match because of injury, but Schmidt made a choice to bring scrum-half Nic White into the team for his last Test before the 35-year-old retires from international rugby.

The New Zealander denied it was a sentimental selection, citing White’s kicking skills in what are expected to be wet conditions, but was certain he would get an emotional dividend from the rest of the team.

“When you make that contribution over 12 years, it’s not sentimentality, but it is a reality when someone is important to the group, the group want to support them,” he said. REUTERS, AFP