{"id":230588,"date":"2025-07-02T00:00:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T00:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/230588\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T00:00:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T00:00:30","slug":"people-remember-lions-tests-but-the-tour-matches-are-where-the-magic-happens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/230588\/","title":{"rendered":"‘People remember Lions Tests, but the tour matches are where the magic happens’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the British & Irish Lions<\/a> back on Australian soil, and the first win of their 2025 tour already under the belt, memories among fans \u2013 British, Irish and Australian alike \u2013 are already being created.<\/p>\n

Vivid recollections of 2013 remain strong however, from an Aussie perspective, despite the Test series going the Lions way: Kurtley Beale\u2019s plant foot slipping in Brisbane, Christian Leali\u2019ifano\u2019s debut lasting only minutes, the debut stardust of Israel Folau<\/a> and him subsequently being fireman-lifted by George North<\/a>, the whole James Horwill<\/a> judiciary debacle, and the one-Test cameo return of George Smith. In no particular order.<\/p>\n

Beside those moments, two others stand tall, and might even be the most vivid of everything that happened in 2013: the ACT Brumbies<\/a> breaking the 40-year drought of Australian provincial teams by beating the Lions, only days after Luke Morahan\u2019s \u2018try of the century\u2019 candidate for Queensland in Brisbane.<\/p>\n

These days, Morahan finds himself back on Queensland\u2019s Gold Coast, having returned to his home patch after five seasons with the Bristol<\/a> Bears in England, which followed three years with the Western Force<\/a> after first playing for the Queensland Reds<\/a> in 2009.<\/p>\n

\"LukeMorahan, with Lions full-back Stuart Hogg<\/a> underneath him, celebrated a memorable solo score for Reds (Photo David Rogers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s funny what the mind does to big moments like these over time. I could have sworn Morahan\u2019s iconic try was early in the second half, but it was actually inside the opening quarter. And he pulled off two try-saving tackles either side of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll have to go back and watch it,\u201d Morahan laughed, recalling the night back in June 2013 as a blur of moments on the field, incredible feeling in the stands, and a build-up in Brisbane that seemed go on for days.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe memories for me were really just around the atmosphere and the excitement of it all,\u201d he said. \u201cThe rarity of this game really springs to mind of how fortunate we were, how much we all wanted to play. This was the biggest game of our season or potentially our career.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then on top of that, how exciting the game was and how close we were to winning as well, because, you know, it could have been two wins from Australian domestic teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watching the game back, the thing that stands out is the sheer frantic-ness of the first half an hour. Only two years on from the Reds\u2019 maiden Super Rugby title, this was still Quade Cooper<\/a> in his pomp, throwing 30m passes that just begged guys to run into the gap the pass was putting them through.<\/p>\n

\n

This cross-field kick sort of came out of nowhere and I remember thinking, \u2018oh, there\u2019s a bit of space around here\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But it was like the Lions arrived in Brisbane that week determined to out-Quade Quade. Owen Farrell<\/a> throwing passes every bit as long, a young Stuart Hogg running into space, which George North<\/a> had no trouble finding either.<\/p>\n

Morahan denied Alex Cuthbert<\/a> in the corner early in the first quarter, and then later in the half produced a \u2018Hand of God\u2019 moment to knock the ball from Farrell\u2019s grasp as he crossed for what should have been the try to put the Lions well ahead.<\/p>\n

In between those, Morahan\u2019s own moment of brilliance would still poll well even 12 years on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember the game was quite loose and there being an opportunity. This cross-field kick sort of came out of nowhere and I remember thinking, \u2018oh, there\u2019s a bit of space around here\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo my main focus was just taking that high ball and then realising there might\u2019ve been an opportunity to counter-attack. The focus was catch it and then just turn and go. That sort of ended up working out pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AlexMorahan had already denied Lions wing Alex Cuthbert a try with a superb cover tackle before his own sizzling score (Photo David Rogers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u2018Pretty well\u2019 is the mother of all understatements. Farrell\u2019s midfield bomb came down around 30m from the Queensland line, with Morahan taking the catch and pirouetting to his right to evade Cuthbert and find the initial space.<\/p>\n

He veered in-field as he neared halfway and then straightened, burning Ben Youngs<\/a> and Sam Warburton in the process. Only Hogg was in front of him, but a perfectly timed chip-kick turned it into a foot-race for the line. \u00a0Morahan surged clear and enjoyed one of the great bounces of the rugby ball to collect and lunge over under the posts with Hogg hanging off him.<\/p>\n

But there was something about the chip kick off the left foot \u2013 \u201cYeah, I\u2019m right-footed!\u201d laughs Morahan \u2013 but such was his athleticism, he didn\u2019t so much as break stride.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just an accumulation of the whole build-up to the game, the atmosphere and everything,\u201d Morahan reflects. \u201cIt was a combination of pure joy and excitement. The game for us was about just expressing ourselves that day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

I was up vomiting all night. And then in the pre-match I was just trying to get some fluids back into me. I was like, \u2018I\u2019m playing this game no matter what\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But that magical moment very nearly didn\u2019t happen. Morahan only lasted five minutes into the second half before being replaced by Dom Shipperley.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had food poisoning the night before, so I was quite ill,\u201d Morahan said. \u201cAnd we weren\u2019t sure I was going to make the game. But I was like, \u2018I\u2019m definitely playing this game\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was up vomiting all night. And then in the pre-match I was just trying to get some fluids back into me. I was like, \u2018I\u2019m playing this game no matter what\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I got to half-time and I was vomiting again. I was like, \u2018I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve got much left in me\u2019. And then in the second half, they did a cross-field kick to me and my legs were gone. I was done, they had to take me off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"QuadeOver 50,000 fans were at Suncorp Stadium to see Quade Cooper lead the Reds out against the Lions, two weeks before the first Test (Photo Bradley Kanaris\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Morahan\u2019s remembers how Brisbane \u201cturned into a rugby town\u201d in the build-up, and that\u2019s what he\u2019s most excited about this week. As well as reminding himself of what was an unforgettable try to everyone else, the 35-year-old was looking forward to a few rugby lunches and speaking gigs before the 2025 Reds get their shot at the British & Irish Lions on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a bit of a Reds reunion that day, so it\u2019ll be good to get together with all the 2013 team. There\u2019s a lot of those sorts of activities going on while the Lions are here, friends coming out from the UK. My brother-in-law\u2019s an Irish guy, he\u2019s in town, he\u2019s all excited, so it\u2019s going to be a good month.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ian Prior played a lot of rugby in Brisbane with Luke Morahan<\/a> when they were youngsters, and could only laugh when I mentioned his old Reds team-mate and \u2018that\u2019 try.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn all my time, and in all the rugby we played together in however many teams, I never saw Luke Morahan not get the bounce of the ball. But that bounce that night, that was the best bounce ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Canberra\u2019s not the biggest city in Australia, so when you have 40,000 to 50,000 British and Irish fans take over the pubs in town, it\u2019s pretty confronting<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

After playing in the Reds\u2019 2011 Super Rugby title, Prior headed to Canberra to link up with Jake White in the ACT in search of a starting spot, only to find himself running second in the head-to-head with another young scrum-half called Nicolas White.<\/p>\n

By the time the Lions arrived in 2013, White had been called into the Australian squad as the Brumbies stormed through Super Rugby, going onto to lose the final to the Chiefs<\/a> in Hamilton a month after the Lions series.<\/p>\n

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans<\/a> released White to play the last Super Rugby game before the Lions series, only to injure his shoulder inside 10 minutes against the Melbourne Rebels<\/a> in Canberra. Prior played out that game and found himself starting against the Lions a bit over a week later.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just red everywhere. You know, Canberra\u2019s not the biggest city in Australia, so when you have 40,000 to 50,000 British and Irish fans take over the pubs in town, it\u2019s pretty confronting,\u201d Prior remembers.<\/p>\n

\"IanPrior started at scrum-half after first-choice Nic White<\/a> was injured the week before the Lions\u2019 visit (Photo David Rogers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cI was obviously really excited to have the opportunity to play the Lions. I had fond memories of being in Brisbane in 2001 when they played at the \u2018Gabba. Mum and Dad took my sister and I, and watching this huge crowd at the Gabba just erupt, mainly with red jerseys unfortunately.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I was really lucky to get the chance to start, one that I\u2019ll obviously fondly remember for the rest of my career and my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior explained that the Brumbies build-up had an edge to it, with in-form team-mates Matt To\u2019omua, Tevita Kuridrani<\/a>, Peter Kimlin<\/a>, Jesse Mogg<\/a>, Scott Fardy<\/a> and Scott Sio<\/a> annoyed they had missed out on the first Wallabies squad. All bar Kimlin would play for Australia<\/a> by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

The Lions meanwhile, four days before the first Test, had whistled up a three-quarter line featuring three England<\/a> players who had just arrived long-haul from Argentina<\/a> and Wales<\/a> legend Shane Williams<\/a>, then 36, who had headed to Australia from Japan<\/a> for a media role and ended up answering a Lions SOS.<\/p>\n

\n

I remember putting the metal springs in and walking out onto the field to warm up and the grass and the ground underneath was quite crunchy<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt was a bit of a perfect storm for the poor Lions coming up against a hungry team, some hungry players that were ready to take that next step, amongst the cold of Canberra.\u201d Prior said.<\/p>\n

A huge hailstorm unloaded on the nation\u2019s capital around an hour before kick-off, and the cool winter air ensured small icy stones were still visible on the ground during the warm-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember putting the metal springs in and walking out onto the field to warm up and the grass and the ground underneath was quite crunchy,\u201d Prior recalled.<\/p>\n

\"BillyThe Lions felt the force of some Brumbies players keen to make a point over their Wallabies omission (Photo David Rogers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Maybe the temperature did have an impact, because the Lions found themselves boxed into the corner on their own line in the opening minutes, kicking desperately to get out of their end of the field.<\/p>\n

But the kick didn\u2019t find touch, and Mogg eyed plenty of space the Brumbies found quickly with his monster pass. Centre Andrew Smith<\/a> broke down the left edge and stood up two defenders as he released Kuridrani on his outside, and the big No.13 took all his momentum with him, swatting Lions defenders into each other, and barging over having beaten half a dozen on the way to the line as the hosts jumped into an early lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously we were all pretty pumped and getting around each other, and they had a bit of a stumped look of \u2018how did that just happen?\u2019,\u201d Prior said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA bit of individual brilliance from Tevita, throwing a couple of people off his way to the tryline. (I remember they kicked it long, didn\u2019t kick it out, I shifted it to Moggy, Moggy shifted long and we found Tevita), and then he just decided to go the whole way.<\/p>\n

\n

We landed that first punch and watched all of our team get a little bit taller, pop the chest out a bit more, and the Lions were obviously a bit shocked<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt certainly gave us a bit of momentum and a bit of belief, that first punch in the boxing match that landed, and suddenly we were a fair chance here.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone likes to think they\u2019re a chance in a game, but when you come up against a four-nation team, there\u2019s still a little bit of doubt at the back of the head. We landed that first punch and watched all of our team get a little bit taller, pop the chest out a bit more, and the Lions were obviously a bit shocked, thinking this could be a tough night, this team is here to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first half tightened right up and became a wet, set-piece grind, the Brumbies surviving early scrum pressure to maintain a half-time lead, which Mogg twice extended from the tee to 14-3 after 55 minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just remember Laurie Fisher being really measured and calculated, and just saying \u2018lads, let\u2019s take them into the trenches, let\u2019s roll up our sleeves, let\u2019s get stuck in\u2019,\u201d Prior said.<\/p>\n

\"TevitaTevita Kuridrani\u2019s early try proved to be the only one of a grinding contest (Photo Mark Metcalfe\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

With a bit of panic setting in, points were hard to come by for the Lions. Hogg added a second penalty but hit the posts several times before making way for Owen Farrell<\/a>, who kicked two penalties to bring it back to 14-12 with 10 minutes left.<\/p>\n

The Brumbies had gained set piece ascendency \u2013 they did all kinds of damage to Rory Best\u2019s lineout throwing confidence \u2013 and the closing minutes were a pure scrum battle.<\/p>\n

White, down at ground level by the last scrum of the night, was barking at his young pack with a clear message: \u2018just get it out, boys\u2019.<\/p>\n

Prior tried to delay before being called to feed the scrum. It came out quickly, but No. 8 Kimlin got caught with the ball at the back as the Lions second shove came through. Prior had to join, leaving a scramble for the Brumbies to get the ball into touch from centre-field. Hooker Josh Mann-Rea<\/a> ended up booting the ball out, with pandemonium erupting on the field and in the stands.<\/p>\n

\n

The tourists from afar, the tourists from within our own borders, coming together for a shared love of rugby, of touring, and of rugby tradition.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Brumbies had just done what no Australian team had done since the 1970s: beaten the might of the British & Irish Lions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a such a cool moment, a lot of elation, you can see a lot of emotion around the boys jumping around and celebrating, and the crowd was amongst it too\u2026 just a really special moment to reflect on now,\u201d Prior said.<\/p>\n

Still playing club rugby in Perth, and about to pull on his native Zimbabwe<\/a> jersey in the Rugby Africa Cup as the Sables look to qualify for their first Rugby World Cup<\/a> since 1987, Prior, 34, said all those 2013 memories came flooding back last week as he took his own family to watch his old side, the Western Force, take on the Lions.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get memories of driving to Canberra Stadium and seeing the pubs full, but this week, I was walking into Perth Stadium after doing a speaking gig and the pubs were overflowing again.<\/p>\n

\"ACTBrumbies\u2019 win over the Lions in 2013 was wildly celebrated by players and fans alike (Photo Mark Metcalfe\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s outside having beers, having a good time, lots of red jerseys, lots of blue jerseys. That does take you back to those moments, and that night in cold Canberra in particular.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of this sums up what is so beautiful about a British & Irish Lions Tour.<\/p>\n

The tourists from afar, the tourists from within our own borders, coming together for a shared love of rugby, of touring, and of rugby tradition. Of the sea of red. Of the gold doing its best to cut through. Of the hotels and pubs and bars barely keeping up with demand.<\/p>\n

The Test matches are what draws the people, but the tour matches are what make the trip. Meeting friends new and old, making new memories and seeing great moments in parts of Australia away from the big events. That\u2019s where the memories really build. That\u2019s why a Lions tour is so special.<\/p>\n

The Tests are what people remember. But the tour matches are where the magic is really made.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the British & Irish Lions back on Australian soil, and the first win of their 2025 tour…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":230589,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4102],"tags":[4151,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-230588","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114780702519275780","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}