The hype machine that was so much a part of Sky Sports’ coverage of the Lions series turned into something of a damp squib for the finale, with the final dead rubber match turning into an episode of the never-ending story as the rights holders were forced to use ingenuity to prolong matters due to the mother and father of all storm delays in Sydney.
From the outset, with the Lions already assured of victory over Australia, those of us sitting on our sofas with mugs of tea were enticed into the rain-drenched arena with promises of witnessing history.
“Glory is already secure, today, well, it’s all about legacy and greatness,” said presenter Alex Payne of the Lions’ quest to complete a 3-0 clean sweep over the Wallabies.
Yet, that sugar-coated intro seemed set in a different time and place as the television cameras brought us the rather comical pitchside discourse with Payne and an ever-changing cast of pundits – struggling more often than not simply to keep their umbrellas from flying away like a scene from Mary Poppins – who sought to assess the game ahead.
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We were treated in turn to pieces on different players, one and all made out to be superhuman.
“He’s a genetic freak in the nicest possible way,” extolled John Barclay of Blair Kinghorn.
Not to be outdone, Rory Best gave us his assessment of Jack Conan. “A phenomenal athlete,” said Bestie.
And there were Irish angles aplenty to the prematch build-up, including a segment on the series-winning try scorer of the previous week. Hugo Keenan’s back story in how he came into the Lions with an injury and then suffered from a virus provided some real-life drama of its own without any need for hype.
“To pick up a stomach bug that lasted the guts of two weeks was a pain, to say the least,” said Keenan who came across as a thoroughly decent fellow.
And Sky brought us into the team room midweek for an inspirational message from none other than boxer Katie Taylor which was watched and listened to on the big screen by the entire Lions team in silence so perfect that you could have heard a pin drop.
“One thing Katie is renowned around Ireland for is being the ultimate competitor,” explained Best of her own legendary sporting status.
So, all sweetness and light and set for the clean sweep?
Well, not quite. As Warren Gatland, who looked thoroughly miserable down on the sideline and looked as if he would have preferred to be anywhere else, put it of the challenge for Andy Farrell’s Lions, “the dangers are the weather and what part that’s going to play.”
Payne got the drift. “If someone can send a lifeboat for us,” said the presenter as he and his pundits were soaked to their skins.
Match commentator Miles Harrison was not anywhere near pitchside and safely set up in his booth up in the grandstands, although admitting the rain was “totally tropical.” Anyway, his focus was on the prospect of Farrell’s men being history makers in completing a 3-0 sweep. “The Lions are going to have to dig deep if they want this piece of history,” he told us.
By half-time, there was a subtle change in the mood of the analysts. “The weather has been a great leveller,” claimed Gatland, while Best explained: “Australia won the territory battle but also the discipline battle as well.”
When the match was suspended early in the second half as a dangerous storm front moved into the area, we actually got a birds eye view of how the teams handled the stoppage that went on and on. With sneaky cameras in the team rooms, we saw players on bikes, on bean bags, on physio benches getting rubdowns, on seats, and even some on laptops.
“You can do zero about this [weather delay], just concentrate on what you can control,” said Barclay of players’ mindsets in such time.
Gatland, known for his level of preparation as a coach, told of how he’d plan for various possibilities including bus breakdowns. “I’ve never practised for lightning strikes,” he admitted.
When the time came for play to resume, the long break in play seemed to have affected everyone with Harrison responding to the handover from presenter Payne by thanking “Alice.”
Alice? Who the heck is Alice?
Harrison corrected himself. “Alex. Alex.”
Anyway, all the hype about legacy and history never came the way for the Sky Sports team – or The Lions for that matter – with the Aussies, and multiple came shots of a beaming Joe Schmidt who’d masterminded the win with the help of the weather gods, putting an end to it all.
“Their spirit and their wet weather skills triumph,” acknowledged Harrison.
