Magic moments dotted Lions' triumphant tour but without consistency they miss legend status

Andy Farrell's team deserve their place in history for a 2-1 series win, but leave Australia with some nagging regrets

- Robert Kitson

How best to describe the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour? Even before the final Test was interrupted by lightning, it was a strange old series. To the Lions, the spoils, but it was Australia who led for all but 60 seconds of the last two Tests. Just a solitary point divided the teams over three games and it was only courtesy of Will Stuart's late consolation that the visitors collected 10 tries compared to the Wallabies' nine.

What would have happened had Joe Schmidt's side had an extra warm-up fixture or made a faster start in Brisbane? Had Will Skelton been fit for the pivotal opening game, or Rob Valetini and Taniela Tupou featured for more than 40 and 60 minutes in the series respectively? If Australia had not lost their first-choice fly-half on the eve of the series, or protected their 23-5 lead in Melbourne?

Not forgetting, of course, the hairline margins in the final minute of the second Test as the match officials sought to establish whether or not Jac Morgan's clearout on Carlo Tizzano was permissible. As they sip their winners' champagne on the long flight home the Lions will be aware their 2-1 series victory was way too close for comfort.

At which point there are two schools of thought. The first is that winning is the only currency worth discussing, particularly on this kind of tour. This is only the second victorious Lions series since 1997, which makes it a pretty rare achievement. Losing a dead rubber at the end of another absurdly long season should not overshadow everything that has gone before.