Opinion
Pantomime villains: Why the Lions aren’t everyone’s cup of tea
Jonathan Drennan
Sports ReporterA British and Irish Lions tour wouldn’t be complete without a set of pantomime villains ready to perform in Australia.
In 1989, halfback Robert Jones stood on Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones’ toes and started a mass brawl. Then, in 2001, Austin Healey famously provoked Wallabies second rower Justin Harrison, calling him a ‘plank’ and a ‘plod’.
Fast-forward to 2013 when winger George North had to apologise for pointing his finger at Wallabies halfback Will Genia as he scored a try in the first Test.
Now, who are the likely villains ready to step up for the tourists of 2025?
The boss
Lions chief executive Ben Calveley arrived in Australia three weeks ago and demanded that Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt release his Test squad to Super Rugby sides before his feet had barely touched the ground in Perth.
It was a relatively reasonable request in isolation, but less so after this masthead revealed Pete Samu was blocked from representing the First Nations and Pasifika XV by the Lions, due to not playing Super Rugby this season, despite being contracted by the Waratahs since May. Samu surely would have made the invitational side a lot more competitive in Melbourne ahead of the second Test.
The brand
The sepia-toned memories of touring Lions embracing the culture of their host country are gone. The tourists are here to win matches, not hearts and minds.
The Lions have limited their engagement in Australia, not allowing schoolchildren near their training sessions in Perth until a late audience with Hale School’s First XV was set up. They did visit Nedlands rugby club in the city.
Last Thursday in Adelaide, after the team announcement to face the Australia and New Zealand XV at the elite St Peter’s College, a schoolboy tried to ask a question before being shut down by the Lions’ management. Perhaps they were concerned he was going to draw attention to frequent offsides or the issues at the breakdown.
The battler
It is almost impossible to consider booing an Australian, never mind one as likeable off the field as Melbourne-raised Scotland centre Sione Tuipulotu.
Tuipulotu’s brilliance for Scotland and the Lions comes after he failed to cement his place in Australian rugby.
Sione Tuipulotu of the British & Irish Lions against the WaratahsCredit: AP
If there is a slight point of contention, it was the Scottish centre’s row with Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii on a chilly day last November in Edinburgh.
Suaalii tried to dominate Tuipulotu at the point of contact, but managed to injure himself making a big tackle. There was sledging between the two in a subsequent scuffle, with Suaalii telling his compatriot he would “see you next time”. That next time comes on Saturday night.
The bruiser
Lions loosehead prop Ellis Genge will have happy memories of the last time he visited Suncorp Stadium. Playing for England, he helped defeat the Wallabies in the second Test in a standout performance that helped his country level the series, before going on to win it overall in Sydney.
Genge had been stung by Taniela Tupou saying that he looked forward to smashing him, and instead meted out the punishment to the Wallabies, running over Michael Hooper after just 30 seconds. The prop also shoved the Wallabies’ captain in the chest after a try was scored by Billy Vunipola.
Genge escaped sanction after tackling halfback Nic White and using his elbow to keep the Wallabies player pinned to the ground.
“Leaning on me with an elbow is a nice way to put it. Ellis has that in his game,” White said after the game in Brisbane.
Wallabies fans will have an opportunity to see the new, matured Genge, who is letting his actions speak far louder than his words this time in Brisbane.