B&I Lions made the tour of our lives
It was always going to be a British & Irish Lions Test series like no other.
The most unlikely and then constantly imperilled tour yet concluded yesterday with the lingering question — was it worth it?
The logistical nightmares, hoops to jump, bars to clear, tests to pass and backwards bending may in the final analysis dwarf the price tag for making it a bio-secure series.
This is before we mention the on and off the field rancour, spite and bite and unwanted headlines that came with it.
In some ways it was a typical Lions tour, but that it happened will be a huge relief.
Irrespective of the series result, SA needed it, the Lions needed it and the game needed it.
The challenges were never far away but the players, by and large, kept their eyes on the prize.
“It has been unique for both teams,” said Springbok captain Siya Kolisi. “It was about using what you have before complaining about what you don't have. It has been an honour for me.”
Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said what the Boks faced mirrored that of society at large.
“The challenges we faced as a Springbok team are the challenges faced by the world. To get to the final game is what the public deserves. There has been a lot of sacrifice.
“Siya and others going into isolation. We can't ask for any better finish to the series.
“It is good to be able to say, given the challenges, we adapted very well because this was new to all of us,” said Stick.
Former Ireland and Lions scrumhalf in 1980 John Robbie believes though the conditions under which the tour took place were not ideal the team in red further cemented their legacy by agreeing to come to SA.
“Lions tours are often the highlight of a player’s career,” said Robbie.
“This was very, very difficult. The bubble, isolation, the shortness of the tour.
“There would have been a huge temptation to play the series in Australia and the UK or Ireland but I think it was hugely important that it wasn’t.
“Willie-John McBride made the point that once you mess with the formula then you're on the thin edge of the wedge.
“The result is almost less important. The Lions came and people often say money is the driving factor but in this instance I don’t think it was. Some countries want to do away with the Lions but there would have been a revolution.
“I think the Lions have put a marker down in the ground. Don't mess with certain things. There is still room for tradition. I think the modern player gets it. It was hugely symbolic.”
That the series still had mass appeal is reflected in the television audience it garnered.
“When the tour is measured against the last comparable tour to SA — England in 2018 — viewing numbers are up by 34% (linear and OTT). It is encouraging and reflects a healthy appetite for first-class rugby,” local broadcaster SuperSport said in a statement.
Despite the challenges the tourists will head home today perhaps more emboldened the Lions will be back here in 12 years’ time.