Fade to All Black — Another tour comes to an end

After an exhilarating drawn series, the Lions tour is in the books for another four years. So what did we learn?

Unbeatable All Blacks

Coming in, all the talk was of a 3–0 whitewash. The All Blacks were just too good a team and a “scratch” side had no chance against them. This tour would show the world the weakness of the Northern Hemisphere and put the very Lions concept in peril.

It turns out New Zealand are not as imperious as proclaimed. Certainly, they are still the best side in the world, but the raft of retirements after two world cup triumphs turned them into merely a mortal team. Losing their two poster boys in Richie McCaw and Dan Carter was the highlight, but it was the loss of their settled midfield partnership of Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith that has been the hardest to overcome.

This New Zealand team went on a record breaking run of victories post World Cup, that was eventually brought to an end by Ireland. This run was seen as proof that they had not felt those losses. In truth they came upon a South African team in disarray and an Australian side in decline. In the era of a Wallabies side containing Stephen Larkham and George Gregan , or a Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha led Springbok outfit, these All Blacks would have lost long before that world record.

So, the All Blacks were built up a little too much in advance. Still, the depth of quality players in New Zealand is enviable and we saw some debutants in this series that will become household names. The conveyor belt of talent in New Zealand is frightening and doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

It looks likely that there will be at least one Barrett in the New Zealand team for years to come as Beauden, Scott and Jordie all had a part to play, with Jordie looking entirely unfazed making his debut in the series decider. Akira and Rieko Ioane will push the Barretts for title of best brothers in the squad.

Worryingly, to supplement those youngsters there is a solid veteran core with Brodie Retallick and Aaron Smith still under 30. As the newbies become settled in the team we may see an even more frightening team emerge to dominate World Rugby for the years to come.

Gatland got the schedule right

Playing all of the Super Rugby franchises was a tall order for the Lions. A number of matches at close to test match intensity, with All Black hopefuls trying to prove themselves, would surely take its toll. This was seen as ambitious by some and foolhardy by others.

In the end, the intensity of those warm up games stood to the tourists and gave Warren Gatland the best possible preparation to try combinations and make his selection decisions.

The other consequence of this strong warm-up schedule was that the media narrative lurched back and forth wildly from game to game. Against the Barbarians and the Blues the Lions struggled and then lost, the tour was hopeless. Victory over the Crusaders showed that the Lions “first choice” team were ready for anything. A loss to the Highlanders again exposed the Lions lack of depth and dearth of imagination. With victory over the Maori and the hapless Chiefs the Lions were brilliant again.

Then came the tests. After game one the Lions had been so soundly beaten that they should probably just head home, Gatland was a clown and the All Blacks would just embarrass his side the rest of the way. A draw with the Hurricanes was of little consequence, but after the Lions victory in the second test some said the Lions had exposed weakness, others said we would see the New Zealand backlash. Then the third test ended in a draw and it was like the lights coming on at the end of a nightclub — everyone was a little embarrassed by what they had said and not quite sure what to do next.

What actually happened was that the Lions used the warm up games very effectively to test strategies and to give everybody a chance to prove their mettle, results being a secondary consideration.

What did the tests themselves teach us

Firstly, this test series showed us that a draw can be a good thing. After 12 years of waiting and over 240 minutes of rugby, the British & Irish Lions and the New Zealand All Blacks could not be separated. That in itself is historic and I believe is something to be celebrated. This is not a World Cup, it is not a playoff competition, it is a unique series of challenge matches with a history and prestige almost unmatched. A drawn series is something that will live long in the memory and allow both sets of fans to discuss it fondly.

We also saw that far from the Warrenball for which he is often castigated, Gatland is capable of playing a different way. The Lions made bold selections in the backs and put width on the ball far more than anticipated. It was this willingness to play the All Blacks at their own game that gave us such a thrilling spectacle and brought us one of the great tries of all time from Sean O’Brien, for that Gatland should be applauded.

There was also a fine example of a universal sporting truth — no matter how many contentious decisions there are in a match, the last one will draw the most analysis.

Everybody has an opinion on the closing sequence. Was Read offside, probably not. Did Read have any chance of catching the ball, again probably not. Was it a knock on, maybe. Was Owens offside, certainly possible. With all of those uncertainties I’m glad Roman Poite came to the decision of an accidental offside and a scrum. A penalty there would have ended the series on a sour note and while New Zealand can feel a little aggrieved, I think they were happy (deep down) to see the Lions’ endeavour throughout the series rewarded and their own invincibility questioned.

The test series essentially came down to two evenly matched teams being sent out with tailored gameplans by two of the very best coaches in the world and delivering a high intensity battle.

What of the Lions franchise itself

There have been some questions raised about the relevance of the Lions in a modern context, with criticism from a number of quarters including questions about the length of the tour from Premiership Rugby.

It became clear very early in the tour that the Lions are very well accepted in New Zealand. Kiwis have their own fond memories of the great touring sides and their battles down the years. For All Black players, the Lions only happens once every 12 years, essentially meaning that a player is very unlikely to play against them on two tours so it is something special (Cory Jane actually managed it this time around, but not in a test match).

As a Lions tour only happens every four years and is seen as a once in a lifetime trip for fans, the travelling support is more enthusiastic than for a normal touring squad, plus the fact that four nations are supported as one leads to much larger numbers travelling. The Lions fans bring a different vibe too, setting aside their traditional rivalries is a requirement from the start, so getting on with the opposition is the next logical step. Money pours into the local economy and fun and colour follows the Lions bandwagon around the country.

The New Zealanders, both fans and players, were magnanimous in their victory and accepting of their defeat. The respect between the players after the drawn game was a wonderful advertisement for the game of rugby as a whole and was echoed by the fans of both sides.

The Lions fans were great tourists and the New Zealand public were welcoming hosts. Long may the Lions continue.