Finn Russell and co stay composed to seal series victory for the Lions

There is space out to his left, a potential one-on-one opportunity for Jack Conan, the Ireland No 8’s power versus the speed of the Australia wing Max Jorgensen. Conan has made 24 tackles and more hard carries and clearouts than anyone can remember. Throw the pass and you run the risk of Conan being left isolated, of Australia pouncing for a turnover penalty, potentially holding on to their slender lead and sending the series to Sydney. Russell stops.

He changes direction, only to find two Australia tacklers lying in wait. He makes one miss with a step, rides the contact, and then – with the Wallabies sniffing blood, three of them sucked in towards the ball – throws the most casual of offloads off the ground to James Ryan. One more carry, one more high-stakes clearout by Jac Morgan, and now Conan is not on his own. Hugo Keenan has spotted the space, calls for the ball from Jamison Gibson-Park and, knowing that Conan will keep Jorgensen fixed out wide, sets off on a curving run outside Len Ikitau to score and win the series.

Russell’s level of talent has never been in doubt. His weaker foot is considerably better than your best one. The question has always been about composure. Can he be the main man. Can he dive into the bag of tricks and also deliver. Was Owen Farrell’s call-up a sign that the Lions did not trust Russell to get them over the line when it mattered most. And what now cannot be stressed enough after not just Russell’s performance in Melbourne under the dazzling lights of the MCG, but this entire tour, is an emphatic yes to all of those questions. He is the main man. He has delivered. Maybe the old Russell in that situation ends up in a golden cul-de-sac and gives away possession, or throws the wrong pass when it is not on. Not this Russell.

His highlight plays are usually as a passer. In the first half, with the Lions wobbling after being punched in the mouth by Tom Wright’s sensational try to make it 23-5, Russell floated a typically delightful ball over the top looking for his Scotland team-mate Huw Jones. And Jones dropped it.

In fact, in this unfathomably tight Test, Russell’s greatest moments came with the boot. The quick restart after Tom Lynagh’s opening penalty caught Australia completely unawares. A huge touchfinder from a penalty towards the end of the first half, struck so sweetly and bouncing perfectly inside five metres, led to Jones’s try right before half-time, cutting the deficit to six.

The personal favourite? A huge double tackle by Russell and Bundee Aki on Ikitau, forcing the Wallabies to lose ground and three phases later give away a turnover penalty thanks to a Maro Itoje poach. Russell’s resulting kick to touch could not have been placed better if he had walked down and put the ball there himself. Composure. World-class. Sure there were blips, giving up a penalty for playing the scrum-half, a kick out on the full. In the wider context of his contribution, both were forgivable.

Itoje, speaking afterwards, credited two factors behind the Lions turning the second Test around, from trailing 23-5 to winning 26-29. “We started hitting,” Itoje said, which is true. Australia were always going to be more physical with Will Skelton and Rob Valetini back in the fold but in the first half the Wallabies emasculated the Lions, bullied them, strolling across the gain line. In the run-up to Jake Gordon’s sniping score, a bludgeoning of short-range carries, the tourists had no answer. The other factor, Itoje noted, was the Lions’ decision-makers took over, and that includes Russell. He never looked flustered. The shots in the changing room before kickoff showed Russell with his headphones in, joking around, comically relaxed ahead of the biggest game of his career.

Australia by the end of an enthralling first half had ran out of steam but they had the points in the bank. An unreal tackle by Tom Curry, hunting down Suaalii to force a knock-on and shut down a counter-attack, was Curry’s final act on the field but one of huge importance. Suaalii’s brilliant earlier break had created Wright’s try, the kind of defining moment in a Lions series that Suaalii will have dreamt about when he crossed codes from rugby league. Curry denied him a second one.

James Lowe has not been at his best on this tour but came up with the goods, an unreal offload sending Tadhg Beirne over to bring the Lions within a score. The replacement forwards – Ellis Genge and Will Stuart with their carries, Ryan in defence, Jac Morgan with the clearouts – showed up.

And the Lions found a way. Never panicked. Never wavered in their belief. Why would you when you have Russell – this balanced, brilliant version of Russell – running the show.

Photograph by Martin Keep/AFP