Poetry, top ’tache, plastic chairs: The Observer’s Lions awards

Good competition here for one of the more important accolades. Australia’s Nic White has always sported excellent facial hair. Mack Hansen was a contender. But the clear winner is Jack Conan, with a look which brings back terrifying visions of Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood. Conan is less interested in oil, more in running as hard as he can into people.

You can tell that Tom Curry is a world-class player because he produces outstanding moments on such a regular basis that it feels normal. He could have been player of the match in the first Test. With his final act before being replaced in the second, he kept the Lions alive. If Joseph Suaalii had got his pass away, with acres of space to his left during one Australian counterattack, the Wallabies would have been at least two converted tries clear. Curry’s heroics prevented that.

The Lions’ YouTube documentary series has been enjoyable, and if a section is called Poetry with Pierre, how can you not watch that? Edinburgh and Scotland prop Pierre Schoeman, sporting a black eye, invited the camera crew into his room before revealing that he wrote a book of poems for his now wife before they were married. He then came up with an ode to the Lions on the spot. Modern props, eh?

In years to come the defining image of this Lions tour will likely be the excellent photo by Dan Sheridan of the Lions squad sat in a circle on the grass at the MCG, drinking a few beers and savouring a first series victory since 2013. Arguably the most impressive aspect of that photo? The regulation white plastic chairs propping up some seriously heavy players. Sturdy.

The warm-up matches, as feared, were a bit of a damp squib. Playing the Brumbies, Australia’s best Super Rugby franchise, is all well and good in theory but if the Brumbies are missing a dozen internationals then you are not exactly facing the best version. The AUNZ Invitational XV, with its mix of Wallabies and All Blacks, was a disaster. Whereas the First Nations and Pasifika XV, who faced the Lions in the final midweek match 12 days ago, were physical and pushed the Lions all the way. Kurtley Beale, the FNP XV’s captain, called for the team to have more outings in the future. It was hard to disagree.

Dressing-room cameras for pre-match and at half-time have been an excellent addition when it comes to rugby coverage. As the Lions regrouped before the second half in Brisbane, Tadhg Beirne grabbed some smelling salts from his locker. Catching a stray whiff, Jack Conan – he of the aforementioned moustache – scrunched up his face with a superb look of disgust.

Will Skelton’s 47 minutes in the second Test at the cavernous MCG were lively, providing the Wallabies with the heft they lacked in their first Test defeat. Skelton smashed rucks, tacklers and ball-carriers with equal ferocity, while also doing his best in the opening minutes to wind up the Lions. Called over by the referee Andrea Piardi, who informed Skelton that he caught a player late, Skelton responded quick as a flash that it had taken him a while to get to the action because “it’s a big stadium”. Perfect.

Whoever looks after Charlie Gamble, the flanker who turned in outstanding performances against the Lions not once, but twice. Gamble was brilliant for the Waratahs, exposing the Lions’ lack of accuracy when it came to securing their own ball at the ruck by winning multiple turnovers. Gamble was then picked to play for the FNP XV and was so good he won player of the match. Do not be surprised if the New Zealander soon pops up playing for a club in Europe after those performances.

Over the final two weeks of the tour, a Classic Wallabies side took on the British and Irish Legends in Melbourne and Sydney. Think players from 10-20 years ago dusting off the boots and hoping not to suffer any major injuries. Drew Mitchell, the former Australia wing, unfortunately did just that, pulling a hamstring with one run in Melbourne. Mitchell limped off the field, located a pint in the stands, and swiftly dispatched it. The rugby gods nodded in approval.

Not too much debate here, with the second Test giving us great drama after the Wallabies leapt out into a 23-5 lead before slowly being reeled back in the largest comeback ever by the Lions in a Test match. The tourists only led for two minutes; the final two, and one of those was taken up by a conversion attempt. The combination of late drama with signs that the Wallabies could be competitive made for an excellent cocktail.

A healthy group of contenders. Huw Jones has confirmed his quality in this Test series. Finn Russell is at the peak of his powers, while Dan Sheehan is truly world class.

Tom Curry in both Tests has emptied the tank and underlined why he was selected, as has Tadhg Beirne, excellent as ever at the breakdown and in the loose. And then you have the captain. Maro Itoje’s brilliance is often understated, poaching lineouts, pouncing for turnovers. In addition, his leadership ability to influence referees has been vital.

The jury is out on whether this will go down as a great Lions tour. One act it will be remembered for is Garry Ringrose standing himself down from the second Test after experiencing concussion symptoms in the final training session. Ringrose, rightly, admitted that he should not play in the biggest Test of his career. The impact of that admission, stressing the importance of player safety when it comes to brain injuries, feels significant.

Some strong candidates. Hugo Keenan’s effort to seal the series obviously has to be in there. The Lions produced a couple of very nice scores off lineout moves for Garry Ringrose (against the Brumbies) and Darcy Graham (FNP XV). Their counterattack try against the Western Force, finished by a diving Tomos Williams, was superb. But the best try belonged to Tom Wright in the second Test, made by a sensational step and burst of pace from Joseph Suaalii before sending Wright clear.

A brief shortlist for this award featuring Sione Tuipulotu’s no-look ball to set up Huw Jones against the Force, and Tadhg Furlong defying expectations for all props by flinging one long-range pass off his left hand in the first Test. But another pass from that first game, Finn Russell’s looping ball to send over Tuipulotu for the opening try, was a delight.

A short shortlist for this award. Will Skelton obviously makes a physical impact but in the opening minutes of the second Test he also did his best to get under the Lions’ skin. You can only imagine Nic White was not to be outdone, and he was a pest in the third test. Although, starting a scrap while James Ryan was knocked out on the floor was a bit much.

Photo by Dan Sheridan