Classic Wallabies v British and Irish Legends: Five takeaways as Drew Mitchell necks beer to repair torn hamstring and James Haskell smashes ‘alternative’ commentary
Classic Wallabies vs British and Irish Legends: Five takeaways as Mitchell necks beer to repair torn Hamstring and James Haskell smashes 'alternative' commentary
The Classic Wallabies welcomed the British and Irish Legends to Melbourne today, as the selection of former rugby stars faced each other in an incredibly entertaining charity match.
It was an exhibition event that initially had very little intensity or aggression, but as the occasion progressed, the level of competition increased.
Here are the top five takeaways from the match:
The top line
It kicked off with plenty of activity, but very little go-forward action. The ball hovered around the halfway line for the first five to ten minutes with neither side able to break the deadlock.
Eventually, it was Taqele Naiyaravoro who opened the scoring, collecting the ball on the left wing to saunter over the line for the Classic Wallabies. The scores then rolled in. Next up came a Matt Giteau masterclass, chasing down his own kick to dive over in the corner for his side’s second of the day.
It was then a try for either side as Pekahou Cowan powered over to extend the early Classic Wallabies lead, before Guy Butterworth, the relatively unknown son of an event organiser, dived on a loose ball to open his side’s account. Despite having never played top-level rugby, the 23-year-old Old Albanians player looked rather handy during his time on the field.
This try opened up a comeback for the British and Irish Legends, as Craig Gilroy then slid through a small gap in the tiring Classic Wallabies defence, to bring the Legends back to within one score.
Their return to the game didn’t last long, however, with Naiyaravoro stealing the show once again as he touched down for his second try of the match, incidentally making up for a forward pass earlier on that had ruled out Mark Gerrard’s try.
As the game stretched former London Irish star Curtis Rona scored in the corner thanks to another Naiyaravoro set up, while on the other side, Gilroy got his second after another impressive wide pass by Tom May.
As the players tired and the match became more open, Henry Spade and Hugh Pile went over for the Classic Wallabies, and Sean Lamont and Guy Thompson rolled back the years for the Legends.
The match finished 41-31 to the Classic Wallabies.
The comedy commentary strikes a chord
The commentary team, led by Andrew Swain, James Horwill and the always chatty James Haskell, was lively, entertaining and naturally informal. This gave the audience the sense of being truly involved within the rugby community, rather than being an outsider in a sometimes over-serious sport.
While it was a relaxed occasion, one designed to raise awareness and money for the selected charities, it did raise the thought that perhaps the game needs to take itself less seriously. Back in the early 2000s to mid-2010s, the football/soccer community, in particular, were able to choose alternative commentary for big matches. Perhaps that’s an idea that could fly in rugby instead.
Old v young
The great thing about these legends matches is that fans get to see some of the biggest names in rugby history redo their laces in the name of charity. The event is always held in great spirits, and it’s done for a great cause. For some, though, it was easier to walk back onto the rugby pitch than for others.
The likes of Dave Ewers, Alex Cuthbert and even Giteau are all still playing professionally, so their arrival on the scene looked easy enough. Others, however, found their lack of recent gametime played a major factor.
Andy Powell lasted only a handful of minutes before he was removed with injury, former Ireland prop Mike Ross damaged his Achilles, and even Drew Mitchell tore a hamstring after making a breakaway. Mitchell did attempt to repair the hamstring by necking a beer on the touchline directly afterwards, but we’re not 100% sure how effective that was.
Kurtley Beale reacting to Drew Mitchell’s pulled hamstring is gold 😂
pic.twitter.com/y5AgiKLP76— Tight Five Rugby (@TightFive_Rugby) July 24, 2025
Minimal crowd
The advertising for this match was minimal, and the crowd attendance reflected that. Although it was streamed on three different platforms, Stan Sports, Sky Sports and RugbyPass, and played in one of the biggest stadiums in Australia, there was very little knowledge about it within the wider rugby community.
Almost all the people in the crowd were wearing British and Irish Lions stash, clearly indicating the target market for the event, which was visiting Lions fans. But what about the Aussie public? There were Wallabies legends out there with over 100 caps, World Cup winners and Lions Test winners. If there had been more widespread knowledge of the event, surely it would have attracted many more fans and brought in more money for the chosen charities?
Amateur rugby values
Finally, rugby values were the name of the game. Players had spent much of the week socialising and enjoying the experience rather than slaving away on the training field. In fact, one conversation with Shane Byrne concluded that he had been at a bar until 3 am the night before with Haskell and various other lads.
“Not the ideal athletic preparation,” was the response from the former Ireland hooker. But it heavily resembles the game in its early years – the years that many rugby fans and former players remember fondly.
The relationships built off the field were on clear display as the players from either side shared jokes and smiles throughout the game. Both teams were intent on gaining the win, but both knew that the enjoyment factor was more important.
With the game continuing to drive its way further and further into the professional and commercial landscape, games like this remind fans and stakeholders why the sport attracts people in the first place.