Jamie Roberts summed it up perfectly – a series decider for The British & Irish Lions comes down to who can keep their head the best.
Ten years ago, Roberts and the Lions headed to Sydney with their series against the Wallabies tied up at 1-1, with both teams having missed last-gasp kicks for victory in each of the first two Tests.
With so little to choose between the sides, the decider looked set to be another nail-biter. Instead, the Lions scrummed their way to a stunning 41-16 win to clinch the series with Roberts delivering the final blow – a fourth try 13 minutes from time.
Roberts said: “We talked before the game about keeping our heads. It was a big occasion. Everyone knew the importance of (the game), the guys were really disciplined in attack and defence and it was just really clinical rugby.
“Just from 1 to 37, it’s not just the players. It’s the backroom staff, it’s the fans, the ‘sea of red’ as we like to call it. It’s just a very special day in Lions history.”
That final line is an understatement. From the first minute, the Lions showed they meant business. Will Genia dropped the kick-off, Australia pushed early at a scrum and the Lions pounced. It took just 76 seconds for Alex Corbisiero to force his way over from close range as the Lions claimed a lead they would never relinquish.
With Leigh Halfpenny’s unerring boot, the Lions stretched their lead, the Wales full-back slotting a penalty from halfway to make it 10-0 after seven minutes.
While Christian Leali’ifano got the Wallabies on the board, the Lions were on top at scrum-time and used that dominance to stretch their lead further with two more penalties from Halfpenny. Corbisiero and Adam Jones were turning the screw and the Lions led 16-3 with quarter of an hour gone.
Another penalty at scrum-time saw Ben Alexander dispatched to the sin-bin, with the Lions moving three scores clear.
But right on the stroke of half-time, James O’Connor danced his way over to give the hosts hope – trailing 19-10 at the break.
Momentum seemed to be shifting as Leali’ifano slotted two more penalties early in the second half to cut the deficit to just three points.
But it was at that moment that the Lions followed the advice that had been discussed before the game, keeping their heads when others might have faltered.
Another scrum penalty allowed them to make it 22-16 before Johnny Sexton showed his nerve with a cross-kick from his own 22 for George North that allowed the Lions to flip field position completely.
They used it to great effect, Tommy Bowe, Jonathan Davies and Halfpenny combining to open up a gap, with Sexton appearing on the inside shoulder to take the ball from his full-back and sprint over for the second Lions try.
If the Wallabies were going to come back from 29-16 down, they needed an immediate response. But just as they got up to the Lions’ line, their resistance was effectively broken. A huge Dan Lydiate tackle forced a knock-on out of Benn Robinson, and the visitors were able to clear their lines.
Within minutes, the game and the series was won.
Halfpenny was the creator two minutes later, slipping past Genia and putting North away to bring up the Lions’ highest-ever Test score.
On 68 minutes, Conor Murray put Roberts through a gap and suddenly the Lions had broken 40 points and were on their way to an historic victory.
A build-up week that had been dominated by the decision to play Jonathan Davies in the No.13 jersey at the expense of Brian O’Driscoll, ended with euphoria for Lions players, coaches and fans.
For Warren Gatland, who had made that big call, there was a level of vindication – but more than that, satisfaction that his team had shown just what they were capable of doing.
He said: “It was an outstanding performance. We started well, came under some pressure and bounced back again. I said all along that Australia were desperate last week and they brought all their emotion. We felt there was another step up we could bring and we showed that.
“The guys played exceptionally well. At half-time we spoke about going to a place that not many players go to in terms of pushing your body to the limit. And the players did that and ran themselves into the ground.
“I think we’ve played some great rugby on this tour. Four tries was a vindication of that. I’m really pleased for the players for finishing off a fantastic and hard-fought series.”
A thrilling series came to a close with a magical night in Sydney. For all those in attendance, and the many more Lions fans watching on back home – the memories will feel just as fresh ten years later.
