Wallabies deny British and Irish Lions historic clean sweep

When the players returned, Max Jorgensen pounced on a wild pass from Blair Kinghorn to score the Wallabies’ second and extend their lead to 15 points.  

Jac Morgan got the tourists on the board, but it was a rare highlight and Tate McDermott’s late score gave Australia a cushion, meaning Will Stuart’s late score was only a consolation.  

Here are five talking points.  

Australia save their best until last to avoid series whitewash 

The series may have slipped away last week but Australia flew out of the blocks, with giant lock Will Skelton, returning flanker Tom Hooper and captain Harry Wilson prominent up front, and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii causing problems out wide.  

It was the former rugby league star who created the opening score just eight minutes in, delaying his pass to draw in Tommy Freeman before putting Dylan Pietsch over in the corner and cap an excellent start for the Wallabies.  

While the tourists struggled to build any momentum on attack, Australia were able to turn on the power, giving Tom Lynagh and Suaalii time on the ball to work their magic. 

The Wallabies were good for 40 minutes in Melbourne last week but given the emotional toil of losing the series – Joe Schmidt described the start of the week as “mourning” their last-gasp loss a week ago – this was a remarkable display.  

Nick Frost and Jeremy Williams caused havoc at the lineout too, but the star of the show was Nic White on his final appearance before retiring.  

The veteran scrum-half controlled the game impeccably but his job was made easier with Skelton and Co dominating the physical conditions and getting under the Lions’ skin. 

Injuries force Lions to reshuffle but cohesion lacking 

While Tommy Freeman initially overcame the back injury that had threatened to rule him out, the winger lasted less than 40 minutes before he was out of the game after failing a head injury assessment (HIA).  

His withdrawal came as the second part of a double blow for the Lions, who had already lost captain Maro Itoje, also to a failed HIA.  

While losing the captain was a blow, Freeman’s withdrawal meant a major rejig to the back division. Bundee Aki shifted out a place to outside centre, with Huw Jones moving onto the wing and Owen Farrell filling in at 12.  

The Lions had only just readjusted before they were forced into another change. The second half was just two minutes old when James Ryan was knocked out after getting his knee on the wrong side while trying to stop 145kg giant Skelton.  

When the game resumed, the Lions were unable to find any cohesion. The midfield of Farrell and Aki did not click and the tourists made far too many basic errors to be in with a chance of winning the game.  

Weather break helps Australia  

The home side had built an eight-point advantage when the players were taken off, a lightning strike within 10km of the stadium forcing a half-hour's delay. 

The tourists had already been disrupted by injury and were struggling to find any rhythm but the break played into the hands of the Wallabies. Giant lock Skelton poorly managed 47 minutes last week, but he was on for nearly an hour here.  

With the Lions forced to turn to their bench much earlier in the match, the hosts were able to hold back their replacements. When they did come on, they made a big impact with lock Jeremy Williams and scrum-half Tate McDermott both excellent in seeing out the game.  

McDermott capped an excellent cameo with a late try, a terrific snipe from a ruck close to the Lions’ line, to put the result beyond doubt.  

Finn Russell shut out with tourists on the back foot

The match played out amid a deluge in Sydney, making any form of running rugby virtually impossible for either side. 

The Wallabies, though, adjusted to the conditions much better, which meant Russell was starved of any decent possession as the Lions struggled to get into the game.  

There were still some moments of his best, a lovely kick to pin Australia back early on and a crucial tackle on Tom Wright to deny Australia just before the half-hour. 

Russell did produce a moment of magic to find [[Huw Jones]] with a kick, but the Glasgow Warriors man sliced his own effort straight out.  

Such was Russell's influence over the series as a whole, though, he was named player of the series. 

Kinghorn and Jones starved of opportunities

Kinghorn was hailed for his "unpredictability" by Andy Farrell when he named the team, but that proved to be costly as the former Edinburgh Rugby man handed Max Jorgensen a run-in with a loose pass as Australia tightened their grip on the game. 

Opportunities were few and far between for Blair Kinghorn (Image: David Davies/PA Wire)

He had otherwise worked hard chasing kicks, and there was one gallop early on before the heavens opened, while the game did not fall for Jones. 

Barring the aforementioned cross-field kick from Russell, there were virtually no chances for the Glasgow Warriors man to get involved - it was not a game for outside backs to shine. 

A chance of a historic first series clean sweep since the 1927 trip to Argentina was missed as the Lions produced their worst performance of the tour.