LONG READ Mick Cleary: 'These blokes have done the jersey proud, with their buy-in and with their relish.'

First Sydney rained on the Lions’ parade. Then so did the Wallabies. And, for that, we should be grateful. Whatever it was that caused such an about-turn in fortunes, the Lions tumbling down from an Everest peak, it has lent perspective on the 2025 tourists. The forlorn loss has pricked the overblown hype that was beginning to surround them, that notion that they might be ‘the greatest’ ever to have worn the red jersey. Andy Farrell can be excused using that phrase as a motivational tool. The rest of us cannot.

That is not to deny the fact that the squad are an admirable bunch, nor to withhold from them the accolade of being one of only a few Lions sides to have won a series, back-to-back in Australia, a landmark of sorts. They got the job done. Again, perspective. If the milestone of successive victories were to be achieved in South Africa or New Zealand, then hats off. That would be quite the thing. In the professional age the British and Irish Lions have found themselves pitted against the reigning world champions on all but two occasions – in 2013 in Australia and again this time. From 1997 onwards, the Lions have had to beat the current top dogs. That’s the measure of what previous Lions sides have been up against. Those are historical Himalayan moments. Might New Zealand have the Webb Ellis trophy in their locker when the Lions come visiting in 2029? It’s not a bad bet to place.

You might say that all this is smart-arse observation, wise after the event, clever-dick hindsight reflections. Not really. There was a sense that while the Lions were worthy victors of the series in Melbourne, the pip-squeak nature of it meant that only a comprehensive win in Sydney, of the like they achieved there in 2013, would confirm big-time status and would trigger debate as to where they stand in the Lions’ pantheon. It didn’t happen. They deserve praise, of course, but not genuflection. They were pragmatic without ever really raising the hairs on the back of the neck. They were worthy rather than world-beaters, meriting applause rather than fanfares.

New Zealand in 2025 will be a wholly different ball game. And what heights might the Wallabies have reached themselves if the man-mountain Will Skelton had been ready for action from the off in Brisbane? Or if that pest extraordinaire, Nic White, rugby’s moustached Ned Kelly, had been preferred for duty? The pair of them ensured a torrid night for the Lions, Skelton bashing skulls and White annoying the living bejesus out of everyone. Who’d have thought that it would be an Australian side that would be more tactically comfortable in wet-weather conditions than a northern hemisphere team. The former Exeter Chiefs scrum-half played as if it were just another routine evening at Sandy Park rather than in Sydney with its XXXL rain.

What has been uplifting across the last two months has been the Lions spirit that has been engendered in the squad as well as in the wider public. The romance of it all still resonates. The appeal is enduring.

The biblical conditions and the unexpected outcome rounded off a strange old tour. The loss was chastening while the theatrics were out-of-kilter with what had been a semi-humdrum six weeks of sport. The calibre of opposition was not sustained enough. Again, New Zealand will be an entirely different proposition. Or, it must be made to be so in a cast-iron contract that stipulates the All Blacks have to be made available for the provincial fixtures. Joe Schmidt’s decision to hold back the bulk of his Wallaby squad back-fired on him. Australia were woefully off-the-pace at the Suncorp Stadium for the first test. What might have been for them, eh?

So much for the various caveats and nuanced viewpoints. What has been uplifting across the last two months has been the Lions spirit that has been engendered in the squad as well as in the wider public. The romance of it all still resonates. The appeal is enduring. And that is not an insignificant thing as the gate receipts alone from the three tests indicates. Almost a quarter of a million people (224,848) forked out very good money to be there in person. They bought into the experience and that has never been a given in the modern era. Its worth, emotionally as well as literally, is invaluable. The rugby landscape is under siege from various entrepreneurs who want to set up franchise systems round the world. Even the established administrators are re-jigging the calendar with their World Rugby Nations Championship from next year. Pressure, pressure, pressure.

That is why Andy Farrell is to be lauded from here to kingdom come. What the Ireland head coach managed to inculcate, that sense of identity, those bonds of belonging, that commitment to the cause, that coming together in a meaningful manner for the greater good – the very future of the Lions themselves – is not easily achieved. Graham Henry didn’t manage it in 2001. Nor Clive Woodward four years later. Both men have won World Cups. But they didn’t win the hearts and minds as Farrell as done. Not even close. The alchemy trick is not for everyone.

There are plenty of commercial interests out there who would shunt the Lions altogether or downgrade their presence on the fixture list. Do they really need so long on tour, so many games? Yes, they do. They had it in Australia and only just managed to nick the series.

Of course Farrell did not get everything right. His selections smacked of one-eyedness in the closing weeks.

Farrell is in pole position to lead the Lions to New Zealand in 2029. To be honest, there are not that many other contenders. Farrell blends fun with drive. You can’t fake what he does, that mix of hard-headedness and a warm spirit. The players’ word-of-mouth recall from this trip is worth its weight in gold. Their teammates back in Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland will have envy in their very beings to spur them towards New Zealand in four years’ time. Priceless.

Of course Farrell did not get everything right. His selections smacked of one-eyedness in the closing weeks. My own view (expressed post second test) was that he ought to have freshened things up for Sydney, both to bring new energy but also to spread the Lions’ love amongst the group. Tom Curry performed heroics once again at the Accor but it looked as if he were in need of six months in bed as he was led from the field on Saturday. Jac Morgan or Josh van der Flier starting would not have been beyond the pale. In my opinion, Ellis Genge should have been the starting loosehead anyway. Scott Cummings deserved a rumble, so too his Scottish teammate, scrum-half Ben White. Sione Tuipulotu likewise while Jamie George’s throwing prowess might have helped shore up a disintegrating lineout. On the selection front Farrell needed to be more open-minded.

But let us not quibble too much. Once again, this has been an enriching sporting adventure. It has served its purpose in that regard. These blokes have done the jersey proud, with their buy-in and with their relish. Maro Itoje has played a full part in that. Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Berirne, Finn Russell, all deserve individual accolades. Saturday may have been a damp squib on many fronts. But the British and Irish Lions are alive and flourishing. New Zealand 2029 is already on the horizon and that makes for a special feeling. Chapeau, Andy Farrell and the 2025 tourists.