‘It’s been the time of our lives’ – Andy Farrell reflects on British and Irish Lions series victory
British and Irish Lions players celebrating (centre) with an inset of Andy Farrell (left)
British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell has said his players should be “unbelievably proud” of their series victory over the Wallabies, despite missing out on a 3-0 whitewash.
The tourists had already clinched the series last weekend, following a dramatic 29-26 victory in Test Two to go 2-0 up; however, they missed out on an historic clean sweep following today’s 22-12 defeat at the hands of the Wallabies.
But, despite the loss, Farrell’s side clinched a first series win for the Lions since 2013, becoming the first Lions side to win back-to-back series against the same opposition in the team’s history.
‘On reflection, we can be unbelievably proud’
The Lions’ hopes of a series whitewash were, rather ironically, washed away early on in the torrential Sydney rain. The hosts held an 8-0 lead at the half-time break, thanks to a Dylan Pietsch try and a Tom Lynagh penalty, and came out strongly after the lightning delay as well as Max Jorgensen raced home to give them a 15-0 lead.
A score from Jac Morgan threatened to spark another famous comeback win for the visitors, but Tate McDermott’s try just nine minutes later dashed those hopes quickly. Will Stuart added a mere consolation in the final play of the game.
“There’s frustration because we wanted to win every game, but the best team won here,” Farrell told members of the media after the match.
“The training and application this week has been really good, but the game just got away from us in the end. These lads have been playing for so many months; perhaps it was one game too many.”
While there will inevitably be a sense of ‘what could have been’ for the tourists, Farrell still insists they should be “unbelievably proud” of their achievement in winning the series.
“It might take one or two beers, but they should be unbelievably proud of what they’ve achieved on this tour,” he said. “On reflection, we can be unbelievably proud.
“The legacy for us is in the changing room. The togetherness, it’s been an absolute delight. We’ve played some outstanding rugby and that’s accumulated into a performance that last week ended up being a moment that’ll stay with us forever.
“It’s been the time of our lives. I know it sounds a bit dramatic, but it’s the truth. We got to create a special memory together. I’m unbelievably proud to be associated with this group.
“This has been a long time in the planning – the best eight weeks of our lives.”
This series win is also only their third since the famous 1997 tour to South Africa.
