Lions fail in bid for series whitewash as Australia win 22-12 in stormy Sydney

The British and Irish Lions’ quest to complete an unbeaten tour of Australia failed at the final hurdle as Australia prevented a series whitewash by registering a stormy 22-12 victory in Sydney.

Tries by wings Dylan Pietsch and Max Jorgensen and replacement scrum-half Tate McDermott inflicted the Lions’ first defeat Down Under and they were conclusively outplayed in front of a 80,312 crowd at Accor Stadium.

On a night when points were at a premium because of treacherous conditions, it was the Wallabies who kept the scoreboard ticking over while showing greater appetite for the fight with Nic White and Will Skelton the main agitators.

Early in the second-half the game was paused because of lightening strikes in the area, forcing a delay of 37 minutes, and when play resumed Australia continued to squeeze the Lions out of contention.

A ferocious contest took its toll on both sides, producing three failed HIAs and the departure of James Ryan after he was knocked out while making a tackle on Skelton.

The Lions had already clinched the series following last Saturday’s 29-26 victory in Melbourne, but this was not the climax to the tour they wanted having targeted the clean sweep needed to secure their place in the history books.

From the moment wing Pietsch touched down after Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s run had sucked in Tommy Freeman, Australia were in the driving seat.

The Lions were unable to break through during a rare visit to the 22 with a thunderous hit by Pietsch leaving its mark on Freeman and even all-action flankers Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne were swimming against the tide.

Australia won a scrum penalty and then showed their appetite for confrontation during a lengthy skirmish instigated by Skelton.

Finn Russell dropped