Wallabies vs British and Irish Lions: Julian Linden analyses second Test from the MCG

All the money in the world won’t be enough to account for the despair and frustration Australian rugby supporters will be feeling after the Wallabies lost their highly anticipated series to the British & Irish Lions in straight sets.

All the money in the world won’t be enough to account for the despair and frustration Australian rugby supporters will be feeling after the Wallabies fell at the first hurdle and lost their highly anticipated series to the British & Irish Lions in straight sets.

Of course, there’s still a match to play in Sydney next weekend but it’s now been reduced to a dead rubber after the Lions clinched the series by winning the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground 29-26 following their 27-19 victory in Brisbane in game one.

The Wallabies were brave in defeat and really should have won the game after opening up a 23-5 lead but they failed to capitalise on their chances as the Lions finished over the top of them.

And they were desperately unlucky not to get a penalty right at the end for a dangerous clean out by the Lions that would have wiped out their match winning try.

This will be debated forever and a day because it was a strange decision by the officials that makes a mockery of rugby’s commitment to protecting players from head knocks.

Owen Farrell, Ronan Kelleher, Maro Itoje and Ellis Genge celebrate victory at the MCG. Picture: Getty Images

The spin doctors at Rugby Australia will now have their work cut out convincing anyone that the final Test is anything more than a glorified money-making exhibition.

The game may be sold out but the buzz and excitement that comes with a series decider has been destroyed after one of the most painful defeats the Wallabies have had in years.

This one hurts more than most because the stakes were so high and it was one that got away.

It’s impossible to put a price on the cost of the missed opportunity.

RA has been teling everyone who will listen that the success of the Lions’ series wasn’t dependent just on the results of the matches.

They keep alluding to the enormous profits they will bank by hosting the Lions, which will clear them of their debts and get the code’s finances back in the black.

That may well be true but it’s a tone deaf comment that misses the point entirely.

Sport is not just about money. It’s also about how it makes people feel.

For Australians, sport is part of our culture and who we are. It’s embedded in our DNA.

Fans don’t care how much money RA has, they just want to believe again in the Wallabies.

Money can’t buy hope. Only wins on the field can do that.

James Slipper looks on from the bench. Picture: Getty Images

That’s the unmeasurable cost of losing to the Lions in two Tests because it further erodes confidence in the team and will lead to an uncomfortable inquistion.

Compared to their recent performances, the Wallabies played one of their best games in years in front of 90,000 fans at the MCG, but the end result was still a loss.

Joe Schmidt will point to the supposed improvements in the team since he took over as head coach last year but his record and tactics will inevitably come under fire.

Nice bloke and all, there is not a lot of evidence to show that Schmidt really has turned the Wallabies around.

Apart from one breathtaking victory over England on last year’s Spring Tour, the Wallabies have struggled to win any games that matter under Schmidt.

Jeremy Williams is tackled by Jamison Gibson-Park. Picture: Getty Images

In the last 12 months, they have lost another Bledisloe Cup series, finished dead last in the Rugby Championship, conceded a record 67 points against Argentina and the first two Tests against the Lions for the first time since 1966. If Schmidt’s men lose again next week, the Lions will complete their first 3-0 sweep against Australia since 1904.

While it looked like Schmidt had engineered a miracle when his side opened up an 18-point lead, his selections and game plan will rightly be heavily scrutinised even if it was a heartbreaking result.

Originally published as Wallabies vs British and Irish Lions: Julian Linden analyses second Test from the MCG