Archive June 22, 2025

Verbal jousting on British and Irish Lions tours is as much a part of the deal as the rugby itself – and the mind games started anew in recent days.

On the one hand, there is Kiwi-based wallaby coach Joe Schmidt, and Australian Lions general manager of performance David Nucifora. The psychological battles have already begun.

Schmidt described Sione Tuipulotu (Melbourne-born) and Bundee Aki (Auckland-born) as the “southern hemisphere centre partnership” in the Lions ‘ opener against Argentina on Friday night. They are, too. But was it a meandering or a little edged comment? Bet the house on the latter.

He would be well aware that some in Lionsland, particularly the great Willie John McBride, are sensitive to this subject, and that he is not interested in the number of “fremers” playing for the Lions. Two South African-born players, three from Australia, and four from New Zealand, make up the squad.

Nucifora had a little jibe of his own, all before the Lions plane took off for Perth. There will be a lot of mental games going on, I’m sure of it. he stated to the Daily Telegraph, referring to Lions’ “mental spar.”

He called Schmidt a “deep thinker” which he is. He continued, “Sometimes, you’ll find yourself perplexed if you think too deeply.” So hopefully he gets perplexed by overthinking things. Another grenade thrown.

We have an excellent witness in South Africa’s willingness to sacrifice for 1896, but it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when mind games started on Lions tours.

Walter Carey, an English tour, was there. As well as being a rugby player he became the Bishop of Bloemfontein in later life, so if a man of the cloth says that the trash talking began in 1896 then who are we to argue?

One of the psychological tricks featured a man they would play in upcoming games, according to Carey. According to Carey, “We were informed that the great Jack Orr, who is supposedly a regular man-killer, was waiting to put us all in the hospital.”

Shots fired, as we say these days. Prior to Orr’s ability to annihilate anyone, he got injured, so mercifully, nobody ended up in the emergency room.

A mind game played against the Lions, not directly against them, but one that was psychologically predominated by the officials who had the final say in the second and third Tests.

The Springbok director of rugby, Nic Berry, and his assistants went to war with the Lions by videoattacking them after winning the first Test in 2021.

He used 26 clips that, to his eyes, showed injustice against the Boks on the part of Berry and his colleagues. He also claimed that Berry had treated the two captains differently, claiming that Siya Kolisi, the captain of the Bok, lacked the same respect as Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones, adding to myriad other accusations of poor decision-making.

Mind games come in different shapes and sizes and in 2017 in New Zealand, the All Blacks coach came at it on multiple fronts.

He attempted to expect them by love-bombing them and praising them for how excellent they were. He claimed that this is the best British and Irish Lions team he has seen play here in a very long time.

Like all good mind games, there was a large degree of truth in it. The crop of 2017 was incredibly strong.

Then Hansen said, “It’s going to be a very good side and they’ll come with a lot of expectation, which is going to be interesting to watch how they handle that… a lot more expectation than they’ve been used to, because people expect them to win.”

The ‘ kindness ‘ didn’t last, of course. Hansen spoke more fluently the more the Lions looked. He criticized their play, questioned their demanding schedule, and expressed regret over the tour’s decision to not select England’s Dylan Hartley.

Approaching the Test series he said: “We’ll see if he]Gatland] has anything up his sleeve apart from his arm”. Everyone could see that the Lions had plenty going for them, and that was pretty desperate and open-minded.

The big Springbok lock had won the World Cup two years earlier, an achievement that appeared to confirm his legendary status in his own mind.

The admittedly brilliant Andrews remarked, “I don’t believe in false modesty.” “I can say that I’m the greatest forward in my position on earth,” I said without blushing.

He was then asked about Lions captain Martin Johnson. Andrews began to lose the plot at this point. The Bok bruiser retorted, “I’ve heard a lot about him.” “I just hope he can live up to what is written about him. If it doesn’t work out, he might become very demoralized.

Few of the crucial third Test matches could provide a dazzling preamble for the tour’s final game in 1989.

In the Battle of Ballymore, a test that featured frequent volleys and all-out rage, the Lions had won 1-1. The Australia media launched rockets at the violent tourists in the wake of the game, with a lot of justification.

Are you listening, third Test officials? asked Wallaby coach Bob Dwyer about some of the injuries his boys have sustained. – while the Australian Rugby Union held an emergency meeting to discuss the ugliness of the situation. The Wallaby captain went a lot further, though.

Before the final Test, Farr-Jones remarked, “To me, it’s basically open warfare.” They have established the guidelines. They’ve set the standards. If the officials aren’t going to control it, then we will have to do something about it, in my opinion.

The crystal-clear message warned you, and it was that. “I don’t care if I get 100 stitches as long as we are on top on the scoreboard at the end”, added the captain.

Barry John’s tour had a bad beginning. The Lions flew to Brisbane for a warm-up game against Queensland after an incredible boozing session in Hong Kong. Exhausted from the high-living and heavy travelling, they played appallingly and lost.

Lock Gordon Brown remarked, “I wanted to lie down and die.” Gareth Edwards remarked, “We had no idea what time, day, or place it was.” “I wouldn’t say I was playing, but I was on the field”, said McBride.

Queensland coach Des Connor. He had 12 caps for Australia and 12 for the All Blacks as a player. With the Lions now heading to New Zealand for the tour proper, Connor was euphoric.

He exclaimed, “These Lions are hopeless.” “Undoubtedly the worst team to have ever arrived here.”

Er… By the mid-point of the tour the Kiwi public were shocked at how mesmeric the Lions were and by the end-point, with a historic first and still only Lions series win on New Zealand soil, they were eulogising them as the greatest team they’d ever seen.