Rich rewards Absorbing Lions trip proves value of rugby tours is more than just financial

What a richly rewarding few weeks it has been for the British & Irish Lions. Since their training camp in Portugal and pre-departure week in Ireland they have crisscrossed Australia and sampled the contrasting delights of Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Melbourne. Winning the series was the squad's primary objective but they have been actively encouraged to enjoy their time on tour, too.

- Robert Kitson

A Lions expedition is not just about what happens on the field. Henry Pollock, Duhan van der Merwe and Josh van der Flier have been to the Great Barrier Reef. Others have played golf or strolled the beaches of Bondi and Coogee with their families. The squad's games in Australia have whizzed past but the players will still return home with plenty of non-rugby memories.

The best-of-three format has also yielded some absorbing storylines, despite the Lions' 2-0 advantage heading into the final Test this weekend. How many would have guessed at half-time in the first Test in Brisbane, for example, that the Lions would be 23-5 down after half an hour the following week in Melbourne? It is the beauty of an old-school series.

What happened last Saturday will not necessarily pertain to this week. There will be ebb and flow and, by the end, the players' strengths and weaknesses will have been more fully revealed. So, too, the coaches' ability to change the picture. Even in defeat, Australia's first-half display was testament to Joe Schmidt's tactical nous. Look at the difference that Rob Valetini and Will Skelton made having sat out the first Test.

After a quiet game in Brisbane, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii gave everyone a glimpse of why he is so highly rated. The Lions, for their part, stayed calm when it mattered with their half-backs calling the shots while Hugo Keenan, struck down by illness in the early stages of the tour, did brilliantly to deliver the coup de grace.