The wait ended this weekend as Australia and the British and Irish Lions tour finally got the test series underway in Brisbane.
The wait ended this weekend as Australia and the British and Irish Lions tour finally got the test series underway in Brisbane.
Both teams playing some excellent rugby, but it was the tourists who take the initiative in the best-of-three series after a 27-19 victory at Suncorp Stadium.
It wasn’t the only test this weekend.
There was uncontained joy in Zimbabwe after they reached their first Rugby World Cup since 1991 by beating Namibia 22-20 on Saturday.
On Friday Scotland ended their South Pacific tour by beating Samoa 41-12. New Zealand wrapped up a three-nil series win over France with a 29-19 victory, and South Africa defeated Georgia 55-10.
Argentina ran away in the second half to beat Uruguay 52-17, and England won a lightening delayed clash against USA Eagles in Washington DC 40-5.
It meant there was plenty said post-match, and here are our favourites.
“For us, it’s back to the drawing board. We don’t want to go to the World Cup just to be there. We want to compete and put Zimbabwe back on the map.”
Zimbabwe’s Godfrey Muzanargwo is not going to RWC2027 to make up the numbers:
“Nothing changes, to win the series you need to win two games, so we’ll go to Melbourne to do that.”
Australia captain Harry Wilson remains all business despite defeat:
“This is the stuff you live for. I’ve always dreamed of being in this position and tonight it happened. I’m happy I got the opportunity but disappointed with the result.”
Australia flyhalf Tom Lynagh won’t forget his test debut in a hurry:
“They were immense, absolutely immense. They are big game players so I think they would be delighted at how they responded to their selection.”
Lions head coach Andy Farrell lauds flankers Tadhg Beirne and Tom Curry:
“We roll on to the second game knowing full well what happened in 2013. When an Australian team becomes desperate it becomes difficult to handle so we expect a different game next week.”
Farrell predicts what’s to come in Melbourne:
“We’ve got to hit the ground running otherwise it’ll be a dead rubber in Sydney.”
Wallabies head coach, Joe Schmidt knows what’s on the line for his team next week:
“This was a series where we wanted to experiment a little bit so getting the scorelines we did is pretty satisfying. But the Rugby Championship is definitely a step up.”
Don’t tell us South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus is putting an end to the experimenting:
“We had eight days to prepare and, obviously, there's probably habits in our game from lack of playing time that we didn't get to execute today. I'm really proud of the effort from the boys, but I'm sure they know too that those little habits in our game, in their game and our game, we just can't have those lapses in international rugby.”
Manu Samoa head coach Lemalu Tusi Pisi knows what his side’s issue is:
“We wanted to reveal potential players who haven't had the opportunity to experience that level. We also wanted to make them understand what individual preparation is required to reach that level. We spent five weeks together; it's good working time, and in that regard, we're taking everything we've got.”
France head coach Fabien Galthie is taking something home despite the 3-0 series loss:
“We got kind of punched in the nose in the first half and then, you know, we came back in the second. We were able to build phases and build pressure. We converted it into points.”
All Blacks skipper Ardie Savea knows sometimes you need to feel pain before joy:
“We had a first half where things didn’t go well for us. We didn’t do what we said we were going to do. We got together at halftime, we talked, and we returned to our basics.”
Argentina wing Santiago Cordero says keeping it simple did the trick against Uruguay:
“About $275m is earmarked right now over the next five-six years. It’s not just about putting one-off matches in Washington or Chicago. It’s about building those audiences.”
World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin promises to keep backing USA rugby:
“This is for the over 15 million people back home and around the world. It is a lot to take in at the moment, but I am very happy that we remained focused and treated each game like it was our last.”
Zimbabwe captain Hilton Mudariki knows his team aren't lacking in support: