Farrell 'unbelievably proud' of Lions series win

Head coach Andy Farrell said the British and Irish Lions were disappointed to have lost the final Test to Australia but should be "unbelievably proud" to win the series.

Farrell's side had been seeking to clinch the Lions' first 3-0 series whitewash since the 1927 tour of Argentina but failed to compete with Australia's physicality as the hosts ran out 22-12 winners in torrential rain.

The defeat also ended the Lions' 100% winning record on Australian soil as they failed to emulate the 1974 side, who were the last Lions team to go unbeaten on tour.

"There's going to be frustration there - all along we've said we want to win every game," said Farrell, who did not rule out coaching the side again.

"The best team won on the night. It might take one or it might take two beers but they'll be unbelievably proud of what they've achieved on this tour. On reflection we can be unbelievably proud.

"The legacy for us is in the changing room. The togetherness - it's been an absolute delight.

"We've played some outstanding rugby and that's accumulated into a performance that last week ended up being a moment that will stay with us forever."

The Lions secured their first series win since the 2013 tour of Australia, but did speak openly about wanting to win 3-0.

The Wallabies - who for the first time in their history failed to qualify for the knockout stage of a Rugby World Cup in 2023 - improved as the series went on after starting slow in the first Test in Brisbane.

Joe Schmidt's side were much improved in the second Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground, but could not hold on to an 18-point lead as Hugo Keenan's last-minute try snatched a series win for the tourists.

In Sydney the Wallabies, ranked sixth in the world, scored three tries and looked in control of the game for large periods to show further improvement.

"I said in the week it would be insulting to question Australia's place on the series and I repeat that," Farrell added.

"Special things are going to happen to Australia over the next 18 months. They have special athletes and special players."

Australia only played one warm-up game against Fiji in the lead-up to the series, which former Lion Andy Nicol believes was a big factor in their slow start in Brisbane.

"Joe Schmidt has got this wrong or Australian Rugby Union have got this wrong," he told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

"The preparation was just not right. We have said on so many occasions it is not like the Lions have crept up. The Lions has been 12 years in the making.

"They will absolutely rue the lack of preparation for that first Test because we have seen in Test two and three they are very competitive and in some cases a match or even better than the Lions.

"The fact the Lions won that first Test at a canter allowed them to be down in that second Test and come back and take the lead in the 79th minute.

"That has been hugely important and has won the Test series."

The decision not to rule out Keenan's winning try in Melbourne for a clearout from Jac Morgan was something Schmidt openly disagreed with.

However, he was not willing to use that as an excuse for the sole reason for losing the series and said his side started the campaign slowly.

"We can't get those points back, we can only play the points that are in front of us. I'm not going to look back at maybes," Schmidt said.

"We lost the first half of the series - I feel like we won the second half. I feel like we've grown into the series."