In truth, it was the stuff of dreams for everyone connected to the men in red as the 23 man squad made history. There were four tries in total, George North and Jamie Roberts among the scorers but overall, it was a true team effort.
The comprehensive win means this British & Irish Lions squad ended a 16-year wait for a series triumph and after the build-up to this decisive third Test was dominated by Warren Gatland’s selection, the decisions taken earlier this week went out the window as the Wallabies were beaten in style.
After the two tight Tests which preceded the game in Sydney, such a comprehensive victory would have been hard to predict.
But after a sensational start from the Lions – they led 16-3 in as many minutes – it was one that looked on the cards from the first few moments.
A try inside 90 seconds from prop Alex Corbisiero and the boot of the ever reliable Leigh Halfpenny had pushed the Lions clear but despite being on the back foot for almost the entire first 40 minutes, Australia were remarkably still in touch at the break.
James O’Connor’s try right on the half time whistle gave Robbie Deans’ side hope with Christian Leali’ifano converting and kicking a penalty.
With a 19-10 interval advantage failing to reflect their dominance, the Lions withheld an Australian fightback at the start of the second half before pulling clear in the final quarter.
Leali’ifano narrowed the gap with a pair of early penalties but tries from Jonny Sexton, North and Roberts made sure the Lions will party long into the night.
With Gatland making six changes and leaving out Brian O’Driscoll for the series decider, there were many who doubted the selection. But in a ferocious opening quarter, the 15 players out on the pitch showed just why they were the men for the job.
After Will Genia dropped Sexton’s kick off, the Lions won a penalty from the resulting scrum which Mike Phillips took quickly. The Wales man, one of 10 in the starting line-up, fed Tommy Bowe and after Alun Wyn Jones had carried close to the line, Corbisiero could not be stopped. Halfpenny converted the score to secure a perfect start.
With the series on the line, the contact area was not for the fainthearted. Captain Jones and Richard Hibbard combined to put in a huge hit on George Smith, the veteran Wallaby temporarily forced from the field with concussion.
Halfpenny then pushed the Lions further clear with his first penalty of the day and although Leali’ifano responded immediately from the restart, it was Gatland’s men who were well on top.
Hibbard, Jones, Toby Faletau and Dan Lydiate were all monstrous in the loose and with Corbisiero making mincemeat of the Australian scrum, things were going better than even Gatland could have hoped for.
Halfpenny made the most of another scrum penalty to make it 16-3 and with the Australian set piece retreating at pace, referee Romain Poite finally lost patience. The Frenchman sent Ben Alexander to the sin bin after he popped up at yet another scrum and with a man advantage, the Lions looked to take advantage.
Blues man Halfpenny was again on target with the resulting penalty but after Sexton narrowly put a drop goal effort wide following more than 30 phases, Australia hit back.
Jesse Mogg, who had replaced the injured Israel Folau, broke clear with lock Geoff Parling producing a last ditch tap tackle to avert what looked like a certain try. Mogg’s break gave the home crowd heart though and after captain James Horwill turned down a number of kickable penalties, Australia were rewarded with a try from O’Connor.
The 23-year-old stepped inside a poor Sexton tackle to score, Leali’ifano converting with the last kick of the half.
If the Lions had enjoyed a fast start to the first half, the second was the exact opposite as the Wallabies narrowed the gap.
Leali’ifano added two quick-fire penalties and at 19-16, we looked set for a close finish.
In the end, the match turned out to be anything but that as Australia failed to score another point and the Lions ran riot.
Man-of-the-match Halfpenny, who moved past Neil Jenkins’ previous series record of 41 points for the Lions in the match, settled any nerves with a fifth penalty before Sexton crossed for the Lions’ second try.
The score was referred to the TMO but never looked in doubt. Sexton found Jonathan Davies, the Welsh centre getting outside the Australian blitz defence to find Halfpenny whose pass put Sexton in to score.
It soon got even better. After converting Sexton’s score, Halfpenny then showed his attacking prowess to create a score for North. The full back ran back a poor Australian clearance, burst past Genia and drew Kurtley Beale to find North on his outside. The giant wing did the rest and although Halfpenny surprisingly put the kick wide, the Lions were home and hosed.
There was still time for one more – Roberts bursting on to a short pass from replacement Conor Murray for a seven pointer.
It left the Lions, who emptied their bench at the end, with the luxury of spending the last 10 minutes celebrating the win.
Gatland’s smile in the stands said a thousand words. This was the day both he and his side inscribed their names in history.
AUSTRALIA 16
Tries: O’Connor; Conversion: Leali’ifano Penalties: Leali’ifano (3)
BRITISH & IRISH LIONS 41
Tries: Corbisiero, Sexton, North, Roberts; Conversions: Halfpenny (3); Penalties: Halfpenny (5)
