![\"Wallabies](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\/08932ddc-c1d7-46d3-9f7c-bdff01f7036c.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAs 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 \u201caverage Joe\u201d back home would neither see nor appreciate, the Munster captain began to sound a little like Richard Burton on The Dick Cavett Show. <\/p>\n
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 \u201clords of the coalface\u201d and \u201ckings of the underworld\u201d.<\/p>\n
Burton recalled how miners would scoff \u201cwith hostile eyes\u201d 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 \u201clook down on people from below\u201d, as Cavett so beautifully put it.<\/p>\n
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Beirne\u2019s willingness to do the dirty work is a key contributor to Farrell\u2019s admiration<\/p>\n
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
They were selected on trust as big-game players and delivered match-defining performances that Burton, himself a \u201ctough and fearless\u201d flanker in his youth, would have applauded.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager.<\/a><\/p>\n Enable cookiesAllow cookies once<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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\u2019s strength bought the Lions valuable seconds to realign in defence and Australia\u2019s momentum died.<\/p>\n 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 \u201chands off\u201d attacking window has closed. <\/p>\n 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\u2019s try at the start of the second half, intercepting a long lineout and then popping up again to supply the scoring pass. <\/p>\n Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager.<\/a><\/p>\n Enable cookiesAllow cookies once<\/p>\n But it was Beirne, who was the official man of the match after making 23 tackles and nabbing three turnovers. Tuipulotu called his flankers \u201cwarriors\u201d. After the game, Curry, 27, expressed his indignation at the debate over his selection with a series of curt answers. <\/p>\n \u201cHow do you feel after that, Tom?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHappy with your performance?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was happy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBig hit at the start . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n Curry acquitted himself well with some huge tackles, including against the Wallabies prop Slipper<\/p>\n DAVID GRAY\/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n \u201cHow much more do you think you\u2019ve got in you for next week?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLoads.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn what areas?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery area.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was your type of game, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re all my types of game.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\/b21f946b-55f6-4325-b5bc-6b23c08f9a4d.jpg\")
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![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\/4a91b643-b155-40a6-b8f7-e47f4de8d455.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Tadhg](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\/b2f734f2-c67c-4f20-afa3-e07e405097e9.jpg\")
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