Lions end of tour wrap: Keenan's try, Beirne's performances and Ringrose's selflessness

Was this a great Lions team and tour? It may not be in the pantheon of the giants of 1974 and 1997 and others of much older stock but it was a winning outfit that overcame a Wallabies side which grew into the series after a poor start and belied the gloomy predictions of Joe Schmidt’s side being whitewashed by cricket scores.

SERIES WINNING TRY: Hugo Keenan overcame an injury and illness to pop up at the most important time to score the winning try to clinch the Series. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

The rain that fell relentlessly for five days in Sydney finally abated on Monday. As blue skies return to city’s skyline, the mass exodus of British & Irish Lions supporters continued and hotels emptied as quickly as the lower tier of Accor Stadium on Saturday night during the lightning delay that interrupted the final Test with Australia.

It was a flat, and soggy, ending to the 2025 tour for Andy Farrell’s squad as the Wallabies finally got the victory they felt their play had deserved for at least three halves of Test rugby across as many weeks. Yet the Lions have departed Australian shores with heads held high after securing a 2-1 series victory and while the naysayers, mostly from afar, will argue it has been an underwhelming tour, the scale of their achievement in delivering that success for the first time in a dozen years and only the third time in the professional era should be celebrated, particularly by Irish rugby supporters.