As Tadhg Beirne reflected on the work of the British & Irish Lions flankers in the first Test against Australia, putting in heroic shifts in dark places that he felt the “average Joe” back home would neither see nor appreciate, the Munster captain began to sound a little like Richard Burton on The Dick Cavett Show.
In 1980, Burton, the Welsh actor whose father worked in a colliery from the age of 13, appeared on the American talk show and discussed his childhood idolisation of miners, describing them as “lords of the coalface” and “kings of the underworld”.
Burton recalled how miners would scoff “with hostile eyes” at those who lived life comfortably above ground as doctors or lawyers and preferred the fancier things in life. A sort of reverse snobbery. The miners would “look down on people from below”, as Cavett so beautifully put it.
Beirne’s willingness to do the dirty work is a key contributor to Farrell’s admiration
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND
That was the mindset Beirne and Tom Curry carried into the first Test. They were aware that their selections had not been universally popular among Lions supporters, chiefly those in Wales who had wanted Jac Morgan in the back row. Their argument was that Morgan had been in better form this tour and delivered more eye-catching moments. It was not an unreasonable stance.
But it ignored the rationale for why Andy Farrell, the head coach, had wanted Beirne and Curry in cohort: their relentless work ethic, operating in tough areas of the game that few people notice, doing the important but unflashy stuff.
They were selected on trust as big-game players and delivered match-defining performances that Burton, himself a “tough and fearless” flanker in his youth, would have applauded.
Finn Russell will be lauded for his sumptuous passing in Brisbane, including a floated try assist for Sione Tuipulotu. Jamison Gibson-Park played with calm control. Tadhg Furlong played his best game in a long time. But Beirne and Curry, room-mates here in Australia, truly were kings of the underworld.
Their influence was immediate. With the first carry of the game, the prop James Slipper was smashed backwards by Curry. At the next breakdown, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, attempting to generate some momentum, was halted abruptly and Beirne pounced to win a jackal penalty.
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The game was 18 seconds old. That propensity to win collisions on both sides of the ball set the tone for the match, at least until the Lions were out of sight in the second half.
After 16 minutes, as Australia tried to gain a foothold in the match, Curry took the sting out of their attack by holding up Len Ikitau in the tackle for as long as possible. Curry’s strength bought the Lions valuable seconds to realign in defence and Australia’s momentum died.
The Lions flankers are canny at interfering with opposition ball, slowing it down just enough through their body position while making eye contact with the referee and asking for permission. By the time the referee tells them to get out of there, the “hands off” attacking window has closed.
Curry made the most number of dominant tackles as the Lions bossed the collisions, giving them control of the first half. Australia had nowhere to turn and were 17-5 down at the interval without having fired a shot. Curry was then involved twice in Dan Sheehan’s try at the start of the second half, intercepting a long lineout and then popping up again to supply the scoring pass.
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But it was Beirne, who was the official man of the match after making 23 tackles and nabbing three turnovers. Tuipulotu called his flankers “warriors”. After the game, Curry, 27, expressed his indignation at the debate over his selection with a series of curt answers.
“How do you feel after that, Tom?”
“Yeah, good.”
“Happy with your performance?”
“I was happy.”
“Big hit at the start . . .”
“Yeah.”
Curry acquitted himself well with some huge tackles, including against the Wallabies prop Slipper
DAVID GRAY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
“How much more do you think you’ve got in you for next week?”
“Loads.”
“In what areas?”
“Every area.”
“That was your type of game, wasn’t it?”
“They’re all my types of game.”
The impression was that Curry felt disrespected or misunderstood; that his skill set and rare big-game mentality were not appreciated. Farrell and the Lions management had clearly used that narrative to wind him up. The Lions are such favourites in this series that perhaps they are having to manufacture some beef.
Curry roars with delight after scoring for the Lions in the first Test against Australia
SUNDAY TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND
“Andy had a quiet word with the back row, the captains, and he said a few things to us,” Beirne, 33, said. “He put a little bit of pressure on us. But it gives you motivation. Those words certainly sat with me for the 24 hours leading up to the game.
“I knew that if I didn’t put in a performance then there was a good chance I won’t be there next week. I felt the pressure. I’m not going to lie.
“A lot of people are calling for your head out there. I know my performances to this date weren’t up to par by my standards. So to be in this team, Faz has put a lot of trust in me and it was an honour to be selected. I had to put in a performance. All of us did.
“I get the pats on the back for the turnover but let’s go back two seconds before then and look at the shot from Tom Curry. They’re the moments people don’t see sometimes and it was class from him.
“Some people won’t see that stuff. When we go back and review the game we will see all the stuff that the average Joe watching at home won’t see. We will see all the dark, hard work the lads have put in to create opportunities for others to look good.
“Tom’s work rate is outstanding. I suppose there’s questions over some people. We see it as well over selection. But the tape we have seen of Tom over the last couple of weeks has been outstanding. His work rate off the ball, everything he is doing that people aren’t seeing is incredible work and that is why he has been selected.
Beirne was a solid performer in both the lineout and the breakdown in the first Test
CHRIS HYDE/GETTY IMAGES
“There was pressure on us to step up to this test. We were relishing that. That was our goal today and I thought we did. You’ve got to love those occasions. You’ve got to love the dark moments when you are blowing out your arse. You either step up to it or you don’t.”
Curry left the field just before the hour mark. With Ollie Chessum pressed into second-row duty, Beirne played the full 80 minutes. The Wallabies should have their pack reinforced with the inclusions of Will Skelton, the 24-stone lock, and Rob Valetini, the dynamic ball-carrier, for the second Test.
Do the Lions take them on physically again or change tack? They would still have an advantage if they chose to go route one again. Chessum can slot into the second row if Joe McCarthy’s foot injury keeps him out. A different style of player but one also capable of imposing himself.
There is nothing to suggest that Farrell will move away from Curry because he so values that work ethic and big-game mentality. He is a proper Test-match animal. Earlier this tour, Beirne said he considered himself to be more of a second row than a blind-side flanker. He may have to revise that opinion now.
“If we put in the same performance next week then it probably won’t be good enough,” Beirne said, having experienced the Springboks bouncing back from losing the first Lions Test in 2021. “They’re going to be desperate to win. So we’re going to have to elevate our performance. We have to go forward. They’ve got a few world-class performers coming back and they will have a lot more fight because if they lose then they lose the series.”
The Lions’ finishing was not good enough on Saturday. Yes, it didn’t have to be, but they blew three first-half opportunities. They began to leak too many penalties in the last quarter and their bench was not as impactful as Australia’s.
Owen Farrell and Jamie George are expected to play on Tuesday against a First Nations & Pasifika team. If Blair Kinghorn and Mack Hansen are fit, then they might also get a run out. All four could well force themselves into the Lions 23 for the second Test in Melbourne on Saturday.
“These are huge games and I want to be involved in all of them,” Beirne said. “Please God I have done enough to help the team win and be selected next week.”