Genia laments poor Wallabies start

It was just one of those nights for the Wallabies.

It started horribly for them when Will Genia, who would have pushed Leigh Halfpenny mightily close for the title of ‘player of the series’, amazingly made a telling error right from the kick-off. It was probably the only mistake the razor-sharp half-back made in the 240-odd minutes of the series.

“I called for it and Kano (Kane Douglas) came over as if he was going to catch it and we were right next to each other,” said Genia on his costly kick-off error. Then, as it came down, he left it and I went to get it at the last minute. I probably should have been louder so that he left it for me to catch.”

Alex Corbisiero bundled his way over the Wallabies whitewash minutes later and the Lions were in cruise control. Genia and his team rallied and were right in the thick of the contest with half an hour remaining, but that disastrous start ultimately came back to haunt them.

“Absolutely, we had to chase the game right from the start,” Genia explained.

“They had confidence, they got the scrum off the knock-on, they got the half arm because they had such a good scrum, then they score, so they know that they’re going to have dominance at the set-piece, and they backed themselves. They just kept the scoreboard ticking over and over and over with three points. That was the difference I think.”

There was a sense the Wallabies were over-awed and struggled to compete with the physical and emotional intensity from the visitors.

“It wasn’t stage-fright,” Genia retorted.

“They started well, if I look back on the game, they were just really dominant at the scrum, they got three points after three points basically every single time they got a scrum, almost every single time we had a scrum within kicking range for Halfpenny. They dominated not only on their ball but on our ball. We were outplayed.”

The Lions delivered their most physically-charged performance of the tour with Richard Hibbard, Sean O’Brien and Dan Lydiate putting in ferocious tackles.

Wallabies’ veteran George Smith copped a particularly sickening hit from Hibbard in the early exchanges which forced the 110-cap openside to leave the field for a treatment. It was taste of things to come and Smith was making no excuses after his side’s humbling in Sydney.

“I was a bit groggy coming off when it happened,” said Smith. “Look we’re very disappointed with the loss, the guys, I know how hard they’ve worked and I know they have forged their own history there but it wasn’t to be tonight.”

It was all set up for Smith to end his decorated career on a high note. After starring in Australia’s series victory over the Lions in 2001, Deans brought Smith back to guide his young team to a repeat triumph after a near four-year international exodus.

It didn’t go according to plan for Smith with his international swansong going down in a blaze of failure.

“I always thought it was going to be my last Test regardless so I’m very fortunate I got this chance. That Robbie trusted me to start, that fairytale was there to be. I’m disappointed. It was my first game in four years to come back. It’s definitely not the result I wanted.”