Who’s hot and who’s not: ‘Hero’ Keenan seals series for Lions but ruckgate sours ‘thrilling’ Test as Wallabies ‘lost their way’
Hugo Keenan was the hero for the British & Irish Lions.
It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.
THEY’RE ON FIRE!
British & Irish Lions: The famous touring team continued with their excellent form on their Australian tour as they followed up their victory over the Wallabies in the first Test in Brisbane with back-to-back triumphs in Melbourne against the First Nations & Pasifika XV and Joe Schmidt’s troops. On Tuesday, they had received a tough challenge from the First Nations & Pasifika XV but eventually held on for a 24-19 win at Marvel Stadium. And on Saturday, the Lions showed great character to come back after trailing Australia 23-5 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) before clinching a thrilling 29-26 triumph. That result means they have an unassailable lead in the three-Test series and will be determined to seal a 3-0 series victory in Sydney on Saturday.
Hugo Keenan: It was a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man for the Leinster and Ireland full-back as he proved to be the British & Irish Lions’ hero in the dying moments of that thrilling victory at the world famous MCG. With time running out on the clock, the Lions launched an attack deep inside Wallabies territory and Keenan gathered a pass from Jamison Gibson-Park. Despite having Jack Conan on his outside, Keenan backed himself and glided through a half gap on Len Ikitau’s outside before diving over for the match-winning try. Keenan’s heroics was a fitting reward for his perseverance as he struggled with a calf injury and illness during the early stages of the tour.
Andy Farrell and Maro Itoje: While Saturday’s impressive come-from-behind victory was due to an outstanding team effort, the tourists’ leadership deserve plenty of praise for their efforts. Despite trailing the Wallabies by 18 points after just 30 minutes captain Itoje led by example with a excellent all-round performance. The 30-year-old did his bit as a ball carrier, was a vital source of lineout possession and emptied the tank on defence as he made 21 tackles. Meanwhile Farrell, did not panic as he kept his troops calm when they were down by that huge margin in the opening half and used his replacements brilliantly when they were chasing the game in the second half.
Joe Heyes: The Leicester Tigers tighthead prop was one of England’s star performers during their recent 2-0 series victory against Los Pumas in Argentina. The 26-year-old started in both those Tests, in La Plata and San Juan, and caught the eye with outstanding all-round performances which eventually resulted in him being named England’s Player of the Summer Tour, which also included a clash against the USA Eagles in Washington DC. Although Heyes was not in action in that latter match, he was a popular winner as he received a whopping 62% of the votes for the award which was decided by a public vote.
First Nations & Pasifika XV: Last Tuesday saw this invitational side show the Lions’ other pre-Test opponents how it’s done as they pushed the tourists all the way in a thrilling contest. This tour has been somewhat disappointing in terms of interest and intensity and that is largely due to the standard of opposition Farrell’s men have faced. But six days ago the Lions more than met their match as the team led by Toutai Kefu gave them hell, with the likes of Seru Uru, Charlie Gamble and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto almost causing a shock in the eventual 24-19 result. They might have been beaten on the scoreboard but the FNP were winners on the day.
Wayne Barnes wades into the heated debate over Jac Morgan’s Lions clear-out of Carlo Tizzano
COLD AS ICE!
Wallabies throwing away a big lead: Although Saturday’s clash in Melbourne had a controversial ending, with the Wallabies complaining about Jac Morgan’s clear-out of Carlo Tizzano in the build-up to Keenan’s match-winning try, the home side have to do some introspection as they should have won the game in the end. Schmidt’s side made a terrific start as they raced into that 23-5 lead in the first half but lost their way in spectacular fashion as the match progressed. Tries from Tom Curry and Huw Jones late in the opening period meant the Wallabies held a slender six-point lead at half-time and the home side only managed a penalty in the second stanza as the Lions took control of proceedings after the break before Keenan’s late heroics broke Wallabies hearts at the death.
Ruckgate in Melbourne: Following on from this and that Morgan-Tizzano incident has rather overshadowed what was a wonderful game of rugby at the MCG. We’re struggling to see what else Morgan could have done and while Schmidt’s ‘above the shoulder line’ argument has merit the large majority believe the right decision was reached by the officials on the night. That hasn’t stopped the Australian media, led by ex-Wallaby Morgan Turinui, pointing the finger and crying foul. It’s always a shame when a match is soured somewhat by one moment of controversy.
Darcy Graham’s brief Lions stint: After joining the Lions tour as temporary cover, while management rested some first choice players ahead of the second Test, Graham was included in the starting XV for Tuesday’s clash with the First Nations & Pasifika XV. The 28-year-old had an eventful game as he crossed for a well-taken try in the 11th minute before he was forced off the field shortly afterwards due to an ankle injury. He took to Instagram to issue a statement which read: “16 minutes I’ll never forget. It’s been a rollercoaster of a journey but it was a dream come true to pull on the famous red jersey and make my Lions debut. Gutted it ended the way it did, but so proud to have been part of this special group. Thank you for all the support. We try again in 4 years time.”
Discarded Springboks heroes: The world champions’ head coach, Rassie Erasmus, whittled his squad down to 37 players for next month’s back-to-back Rugby Championship Tests against the Wallabies in Johannesburg and Cape Town. That meant there were some surprising omissions and none more so than two double Rugby World Cup winners in Makazole Mapimpi and Faf de Klerk. Mapimpi turned 35 on Saturday while De Klerk will be 34 in October and Erasmus has opted for younger players as he builds towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. The aforementioned duo are amongst a seven-man stand-by list which Erasmus has named for the Rugby Championship but it’s obvious that both player’s Test careers are coming to an end.
Argentina duo’s retirements: Meanwhile, in Argentina it was announced that two experienced Los Pumas stars in Santiago Cordero and Francisco Gómez Kodela have called time on their international careers. Speedster Cordero made his Test debut as a 19-year-old against England at Twickenham in 2013 and went on to make 56 Test appearances, scoring 18 tries, one of which recently helping his country to a memorable victory against the British and Irish Lions at the Aviva Stadium. Meanwhile, 40-year-old tighthead prop Kodela retires as Argentina’s oldest ever player, surpassing Agustín Creevy. He won 43 Test caps and both he and Cordero played their final matches for their country in their recent 52-17 win over Uruguay.
