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I usually don’t care too much about how other teams perform outside my own beloved Springbok team and usually just concern myself with whether the contest between two other teams is worth watching.
Now granted my idea of entertainment is a tad different to most.
I like the physical battle and the grind as much as I enjoy well-executed snipes and offloads to players in the gap.
As a former prop the sidestep is sadly not a skill I ever mastered, I was more likely to break an ankle than step of my right or left and swerve past any defenders.
Be that as it may, after blogging the first two Lions test matches I was keen to watch the decider as I became quite enthralled by the Test series.
And although, like many others, I had my misgivings on Robbie Deans’ insistence to play a multi-talented but individual player such as James O’Connor at fly half for the third Test in succession after he has completed less than 300 minutes at flyhalf during the preceding Super Rugby season, I truly believed the Wallabies had this series in the bag.
The Lions had been impressive during the midweek games, but when considering the quality of the opposition I witnessed a Lions team devoid of any real threat in the first two test matches.
Any tries scored by them at the start of the test series had more to do with individual brilliance rather than anything conjured up in a planning session or built through multiple phases.
So you could imagine my absolute shock when miscommunication during the starting kick of the match caused a knock, an early engagement, a quick tap and a try before you could say ‘what the hell has happened’.
It was but six minutes later when Halfpenny edged the Lions ahead by a further three points and by the time 25th minute rolled along Halfpenny has stretched the lead to 19-3.
My shock had turned to horror by then, my full intentions had been to join in on the live blog and enthusiastically edge the Aussies on to a great win.
But as the shock turned to horror I packed away my iPad and withdrew from the cyber society to quietly suffer through what must have been a hurting experience for any Australian following rugby union.
There was a glimmer of hope when Mogg came hurtling through the impressive defensive system of the Lions and things were looking up.
I started feeling a little upbeat and saw the character of what makes Australian sport such a pain in the backside for most opponents.
The skill levels were still not there, mistakes were plentiful, but the guts were there.
As the second half started O’Connor did what he does best, doing something on his own, it reminded me of the try he scored in the Super Rugby when he stepped inside, broke a few tackles, almost went down, but somehow managed to cross the line.
Sadly at the 45-minute mark with the Wallabies adrift by only 3threeand everything to play for the Australian contest for this Lions series ended abruptly.
The momentum halted and all of a sudden it was Leigh Halfpenny and Davies who made their mark on proceedings.
In 23 minutes of carnage the Lions scored three tries, an inside pass to Sexton, an offload on the outside shoulder to North and a straight run through by Roberts and it was all over.
All that was left was disbelief and disappointment.
The Australian scrum was a shambles, Raymond Poite was unforgiving and Halfpenny alongside Davies were sublime.
For for 217 minutes the Australians were in the contest, they could have won the first test was it not for poor goal kicking, had Deans selected a flyhalf who could control his backline with more aplomb.
Had Alexander been able to handle Corbiseiro or had the Australian forwards found a way to provide Genia with quicker ball he might have controlled the territory better which may not have led to 15 points from scrum penalties.
Who is to blame, do you blame Robbie Deans for his selection of O’Connor, do you blame the preparation of the Wallaby forwards, or do you simply accept the fact that the Lions were simply too good on the day?
As we’ve since, it was Deans who would ultimately take the blame.
I can imagine how the Australian supporters must feel, I felt like that in 1997 after we lost the second test whilst outscoring the Lions three tries to zip, and yet we lost because we couldn’t convert one kick into points that day.
What ever the fallout for all parties involved in the aftermath of this test series, remember this, cool heads and calm assessments are needed.
Don’t blame James O’Connor, he didn’t select himself, whatever you think, he did his best, each and everyone of those players whether you believe they should have been there or not did whatever was in their capacity to do, it simply wasn’t good enough.
Credit where credit is due, whether it was an ambush by Gatland, or a fortuitous 23 minutes of sublime form for a handful of Lions players, remember the 217 minutes where Australia were in the race.
The 23 minutes of doom, was simply put 23 minutes of sublime rugby by the Lions, it was their day, and if this victory was needed to ensure future Lions tours, then so be it.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.