It took controversial Wallaby flyhalf James O’Connor 156 minutes to do something meaningful against the Lions. But it was well worth the wait.
His perfectly timed pass to Adam Ashley-Cooper put the outside centre into a hole as wide as Sydney Heads for what turned out to be the match-winning, and series-saving try – and a come-from-behind 16-15 scoreline.
Up until then O’Connor was just making up the Wallaby numbers.
He had a first-Test shocker, and was treading the same path last night in the second Test of dropping regulation passes, throwing wayward passes and missing tackles, until that magic 76th moment in front of a record Etihad Stadium crowd of 56,771, who almost raised the closed roof.
But the job wasn’t done. The conversion had to be successful.
Step up Christian Lealiifano for the biggest moment of his rugby life. Having been pole-axed 50 seconds into his Test debut last week, and carted off, this was effectively his debut.
He had landed three from three penalties to keep the Wallabies in touch, but this conversion was very missable a long way out.
With ice flowing through his veins, Lealiifano struck the ball true. It never looked like missing, and the Wallaby win was secure.
There’s not a struck match between these two sides with scorelines of Lions 23-21 and Wallabies 16-15. So the series decider next Saturday night at ANZ Stadium promises to be a cracker for an 80,000-plus crowd.
What can we expect, even demand?
More than anything, a referee who will give both teams room and time to unleash their running rugby instead of pinging them off the paddock as Chris Pollock and Craig Joubert have done in the first two Tests.
And no doubt Frenchman Romain Poite will do the same in Sydney unless the IRB tells him to pull his head in and be No. 31 on show, and not No. 1.
Both sides must improve their handling, especially the Wallabies.
With 54 percent possession last night, dominating the rucks and mauls 106-47, making 107 runs to 56, making 501 metres to 229, and forcing the Lions to make 167 tackles to 72, the Wallabies should have romped it in.
But they very nearly blew it by turning over possession 20-11 with elementary schoolboy mistakes, and it was frustrating to watch.
Both sides are also guilty of starving their wingers, all of them match-winners – Wallabies Israel Folau and Digby Ioane in the first Test, Folau and Joe Tomane last night.
For the Lions, George North and Alex Cuthbert in the first, with North and Tommy Bowe in the second.
Importantly, skippers James Horwill and Sam Warburton could both be missing for the decider.
Horwill must beat a stomping charge for the second time, and he’s on rocky ground – Warburton a hamstring tear.
Standing by to take over – Wallaby Will Genia, the man of the series, and Irish legend Brian O’Driscoll, just seven caps away from ousting George Gregan’s 139 as international rugby’s most capped player.
For mine, Genia is the difference where there’s nothing between the two sides.
He never ceases to amaze with his consistent creativity, and inspiration.
This has been a magnificent series, with just the decider to go.
Both sides have proved they can be decent disciples of the game they play in heaven.
And both can be better. Let next Saturday be that time.
Romain Poite take note.
George Bowen
Guest
Would "of"?
George Bowen
Guest
Because he's from where he's from. Not that Beale would have been any better than young waste-of-space Ocker. In fact Beale would probably have fallen over.
George Bowen
Guest
Unbiased? Surely you jest. The man couldn't give an Australian side a fair go if he tried.
AussieBob
Guest
Ummmm i think we have heard about JOC and his inadequacies for about a month. You forget QC was picked by Deans got 30 tests, failed and slagged the jersey.
BetterRedThanDead
Guest
Hurrah!! Spot on David. He looked as out of place as Brendan Cannon used to in a Wallabies jersey. He was RUBBISH.
Zero Gain
Guest
Hopeless, turned the ball over multiple times, didn't achieve one turnover for the Wallabies, seagulled around looking for opportunities, when he went off and Gill came on the skill and strength level went up by a factor of 10.
Zero Gain
Guest
Adam Cooper.
30 mm Tags
Guest
James Horwill is a courageous player who shows passion and he clearly wears his heart on his sleeve. A genuine massive contributor to Australian rugby,
Mary Contrary
Guest
Its the Vibe mate. Just being there is unreal. A few of us here in the world capital got last minute tickets to Test 1 at Suncorp at $70. Standing room only. We were supposed to stand behind the Glass wall at the very very top of Suncorp. Regardless that it was a long way to the other end it was a knockout to just be there. We were all so glad we went and if we had been offered tickets at $150 we would have not paid the rent next week and gone.
BetterRedThanDead
Guest
Yeah, and what a strike it was; certainly captured my imagination....yawn.
AuusieBob
Guest
Golden if you're are going to do an elaborate performance scorecard for JOC you gotta look at the whole 80 mins. Conveniently you leave out 2 excellent kicks under pressure from behind the stripe, second in run meters and defensively sound. Oh and you left out a dropped ball you could say 2 dropped balls but one was from a dodgy pass.
richard
Guest
Jerry +2
BetterRedThanDead
Guest
So JOC held up a pass and put AAC over from 5m out. Whoopdie-bloody-doo David; the 5/8th of any decent schoolboy side could have done the same. His game was mistake-ridden at worst and ineffectual at best. A playmaker he is not and any rugby enthusiast with half a brain can see that he is talented footballer who is out of both form and position. Could anyone seriously argue that QC wouldnt have created the room and opportunities that JOC didnt? He wouldnt have missed those two sitters that O'Connor shanked last weekend either. Anyone want to tell me why SF wasn't used off the bench when our scrum started getting smashed? I mean besides the fact that Dean's can't manage a bench?
ScotandProud
Guest
Corbisiero back, Evans or Gray into the second row = Smashed wallabies scrum. Tipuric is the go to man at 7, him with SOB and Faletau plus Roberts/ Tuilagi in the centre and we can start talking lions playing decent rugby again. Assume WG will go with SOB Croft Heaslip/Faletau intead though. This just in UK Rugby Paper player ratings by Nick Cain. J O'Connor = lets make one thing clear: the Wallabies won despite his presence rather than because of it 5/10.
nugget
Guest
Yep. Mogg was wasted. Get rid of O'Connor and Beale. What a team it might have been. And will be when that stick in the mud coach is gone.
nugget
Guest
Oh for a Genia, Cooper, Leiliafano combination!
stillmissit
Guest
Good point Bennelong: Refs should not advantage the Attacking team nor the defending team, but make the calls on the situation they are confronted with. This includes their own whims and fancies and indeed their own biases, although I argue that in some instances they are not premeditated. Joubert is the best of them to my mind and I have never seen him biased. The problem we have is that we don't adapt to the ref of the day as the Kiwi's do, to some extent. Kaplan is the worst for Australian teams and sees problems no other ref can see, but we feed him copiously so we should not complain. He is an ass and I am glad he is going. Scrum penalties are something that should be clear and obvious as no body knows what is going on in their, and the front row are not speaking the truth at any time...
Mike
Guest
Poite is likely to be very loose in his policing of the breakdown, the sort of thing that suits a classic fetcher. Warburton is the nearest that either side have to a fetcher, and he is playing quite well ATM. If he can recover for the third test, Australia will find it very difficult to win, regardless of who our backs are. That would change if Smith was available. I also think we will have great difficulty if Horwill is sidelined. He doesn't always have a cool head under pressure, but he lifts the intensity of the whole team. As a captain, he provides X-factor. If Warburton doesn't make it and Horwill does, then I think it highly likely that the Wallabies will win comfortably. And so much for all the predictions that the Lions would smash the Wallabies in the set-piece. Scrums and line-outs have been about equal overall.
Justin3
Guest
It's not Jocs fault he is a rubbish ten. He shouldn't have been picked there. He has been awful with the Rebels too at ten. Sorry to break it to you but it was obvious he isn't up to it now.
soapit
Guest
to be honest mate there has been almost universal criticism of connor on here so dont think it would be much different.