Inside the Lions party after sealing series win: Drinking beers and singing in the middle of the MCG pitch – and recreating Hugo Keenan’s last-minute winning try

Modern, elite professional rugby so often presents a stern and serious face to the outside world, so it is good when there are outbreaks of old-school fun. It was visible – and audible – in abundance in the aftermath of Saturday’s game. 

Many of the Lions players wore elaborate garlands around their neck made up of chocolate bars festooned with ribbons, which had been presented to them by the family of Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu, who grew up in Melbourne and, briefly, in Tonga. 

The victorious squad took chairs out into the middle of the pitch at the MCG, drank beers together and asked Hugo Keenan to re-enact his decisive try, which they cheered raucously. 

When they came back in, the singing went on; with lyrics adapted to their unique circumstances. Credit must go to Farrell for overseeing the creation of tight bonds in the ranks. The collective spirit has held firm. There have been no discernible cracks or schisms, which is quite some feat after weeks away from home and when selection permutations can leave some high and some low. 

The Lions have remained united and that is the foundation of what they have achieved here. The songs on Saturday night served as a soundtrack of that unity and their collective jubilation. 

Players’ desperate desire to serve and to succeed as Lions will ensure the concept goes on and on. 

Test offers rugby occasion for the ages – with hope for beaten Australia

A rugby occasion for the ages, from the heavens, is cause for celebration not just in Britain and Ireland, but in Australia too – even while they grapple with the shattering dejection of series defeat.

What unfolded in Melbourne on Saturday might go down as the match which saved the whole sport Down Under, and that much should become apparent once the pain and angst has subsided. On that basis, it was an event which has performed a powerful service to the global game at large.

Once the mayhem was over, messages came flooding in from back home, to all of us in the arena; from regular fans and others who barely notice the sport most of the time. They noticed this alright. There was euphoria and awe-inspired shock at the majesty of what they had witnessed. This was sport which captures the masses. It was what people fall in love with. For the lucky ones who were there, it was a classic which will stay with them forever.

The Lions have done what they set out to do, by earning a series triumph with a Test to spare – although they still have unfinished business. They had to reach into their deepest reserves of spirit and commitment and a bloody-minded competitive streak to make it happen; to mount the biggest comeback there has even been, on the far side of the world.

But the Wallabies also have something to cling on to amid their raw sense of grief and resentment over their last-minute demise, courtesy of Hugo Keenan’s try at the death. They made a mockery of being written off. They were magnificent in their mood of defiance. Some pundits at home – not close enough to read the room – had them down to lose by 30, 40 or 50 points. Seriously.

They had been dismissed as unworthy opponents; yes, at times in this column. They had heard from more than a year out that there was barely any point the Lions bothering to turn up, as it was all a foregone conclusion. Let’s face it, that was the dominant perspective.

Instead of meekly surrendering, they pushed a four-nation force to the precipice. They were leading with 50 seconds remaining and had been ahead since the fifth minute. They promised fire and fury, and they delivered it in spades. Will Skelton was immense, as was Rob Valetini, as expected. With them in the pack, the Wallabies eclipsed the vaunted Lions forwards for the whole first half.

Australians get behind winners and their national team have lost two from two, but hopefully people here can see that there is cause for hope and interest. That heroic effort at the MCG should be enough to keep their country on the Lions tour rotation, on the back of previous, sterling resistance from the Waratahs, Brumbies and the First Nations Pasifika team, which should be here to stay.

There were more than 90,000 at the MCG and it felt special and grand and momentous. That is a statement attendance in a place where Aussie Rules Football is king and rugby union is largely over-looked. Even the people of Victoria might just have fallen in love with the sport based on such a thunderous occasion.

This was rugby to the max. The game has lots of issues and struggles, politics and divisions, but when it puts on a show of this nature, there’s very little to match it.

What more do you want? There was supreme skill, bold attacking play, ferocity and hostility, big hits and toe-to-toe scraps. There were tries and off-loads and errors under fire. There was endless ebb and flow, and relentless intrigue and tension. There was a grandstand finish, a heart-in-mouth late drama and post-match rancour which will stoke the fires ahead of the series finale.

Okay, it’s not all going to the wire, but the script is laden with significance nonetheless. This is not a hollow week. The Lions set out their vision from day one in camp to win every fixture in Australia and earn a series whitewash.

Put aside the narrow defeat in the money match against Argentina prior to departure and they are on course, with an eight-out-of-eight tour tally and two from two in the Tests. It matters to them to complete the mission. It is what will set them apart, in an historical context. It has never been done before. Achieving any major precedent is a ticket into folklore.

So, once the hangovers subside – which might take a while – what is the best approach to finishing the job? In selection terms, it makes sense to twist rather than stick with the same side. Freshness will be required; physically and mentally.

Motivational factors will count too. Some of those men who have established this 2-0 lead will be weary from the colossal effort. In terms of vital intensity levels, many of the heroes from Brisbane and Melbourne are bound to come down from the top of the mountain, so Andy Farrell needs to decide which alternatives can inspire one last climb back to the heights.

So many classy contenders are queuing up. If Joe McCarthy regains full fitness after his foot injury, he should return in the second row. Jac Morgan could start at openside if Tom Curry is broken from his herculean efforts. Ben Earl and Henry Pollock have earned consideration for starts in the back row. Behind the scrum, there is a good case to rotate the midfield again and start with Sione Tuipulotu and – if he passes his return-to-play protocols – Garry Ringrose.

Go with the regal Blair Kinghorn at full-back and Mack Hansen as one of the chosen wings, if he is also cleared for action. There is no question of giving away cheap Test caps; all these men have earned a shot and will be hell-bent on being part of the history mission.

But keep Finn Russell at 10, keep Maro Itoje as captain and keep the outstanding Dan Sheehan at hooker. Retain a spine of continuity, with a revamp all around.

What of the preparation? Let them have a couple of days off. Go to the beach, play golf, see some sights, decompress. Trust the players to relax and recharge, ready for one last big effort. They have not ventured out and seen much here, but it’s not too late.

In 2013, Warren Gatland’s Lions had a couple of days of R&R in Noosa up in Queensland, then flew into Sydney and demolished Australia to win that series. A similar less-is-more approach can work this time.

As for the Wallabies, they will be wounded and fuelled by angst. Let them harness a national mood of outrage over the last Lions try, to go for broke again. But whatever happens, they have proved their worth in the path of a juggernaut. They have earned renewed respect.

If they play like that, they are a rising force again. They can be contenders again. Their backs-to-the-wall spirit should ignite a new era of Australian interest in the sport, leading into the World Cup here in 2027. When it looks like it did at the MCG, there’s nothing better.

Melbourne provides ultimate big-match experience

It has been said before, but it bears repeating, the big-match experience here is often so much better than it is at home – and Melbourne provided an ultimate example of that. 

Two hours before kick-off and all was calm and orderly around the giant MCG – an easy stroll away from the nearby city centre. Two hours after the game and all 90,000 had dispersed efficiently on foot, by rail, by tram and by road. 

Those paying good money to attend did not have to contend with the sort of logistical nightmare which so often takes the shine off big games around the home nations. Everything was relatively smooth and efficient, although the Wallabies themselves had been held up in pre-match traffic, ironically. 

Overall, it was a positive and memorable visitor experience, at one of the world’s greatest sporting cathedrals. An outside take is that they should bring a stack of key fixtures to the MCG at the next World Cup. 

Watching a game there when it is nearly full is a bucket-list event. No doubt the English cricket’s Barmy Army will love being back there for the Ashes this winter.

Last Word – Who’d be a ref?

Andrea Piardi was savaged after Saturday’s game and the Italian was essentially accused of negligence, for a decision about a ruck clear-out which others who know the game well summed up as ‘rugby incident, move on’. 

Emotions run high, but some of the language used in situations like that is outrageously inflammatory. The game is complex and flawed. It is full of shades of grey. It is open to this sort of debate and disagreement. 

If every ruck was dissected to the same extent as the one where Jac Morgan aggressively cleared out Carlo Tizzano, no match would ever be completed. Teams would end up with six players left on the field. It is a tangled mess of dynamic, confrontational moving parts. This was not a black-and-white incident and so many of the contentious ones aren’t. 

If Piardi had awarded a penalty against Jac Morgan, there would have been uproar on the other side, but that could have happened and in truth it wouldn’t have been a savage injustice, just as it isn’t the way it did pan out. 

It’s marginal and all arguments have some merit. Let’s not castigate the officials for trying to keep order amid the chaos. It’s an impossible job, frankly.