Rugby Australia chief certain Lions will return in 2037, Giteau Law scrapped

SYDNEY :Rugby Australia chief Phil Waugh was disappointed the Wallabies lost the test series against the British & Irish Lions but believes the tour was a huge success and talk that the tourists might not return in 2037 was well wide of the mark.

Some media pundits had suggested after the Lions comfortably won the first test in Brisbane that Australian rugby was so weak the country no longer deserved its place on the touring rotation along with New Zealand and South Africa.

Waugh thought the competitiveness of the Wallabies in the second test in Melbourne, where they came within seconds of victory, and the third in Sydney, where they won 22-12, had firmly quashed any speculation about the Lions not returning.

"Australia is a really important home for the Lions tour every 12 years," the RA chief executive told reporters at the conclusion of the series.

"On the field, I think the accumulative points, they got one point better than us and one try better than us, and it was a really fierce test battle.

"So I think any of that speculation, it was shut down by a number of people, including their CEO, who spoke at various events committing to return to Australia."

Waugh thought the second test, which attracted a crowd of 90,307 to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, was one of the best internationals he had seen in a while and said he had been impressed with the Wallabies throughout the series.

"I think it's been an overwhelmingly successful tour, albeit would have been nice to win the ... trophy, but that wasn't to happen," he added.

"I think that the progress that's continued through the group, and I think the cultural growth of the group, has been really, really pleasing."

Around 450,000 fans attended the nine matches and Waugh