The British and Irish Lions failed to complete their first series whitewash in nearly a century as the Wallabies prevailed 22-14.
Joe Schmidt’s side made the most of the wet and wild conditions in Sydney which saw Lions ace James Ryan carted off the field in a neck brace and three other players forced off after failing head injury assessments (HIA).
The Wallabies’ victory in the third and final Test meant the Lions won the series 2-1 having picked up wins in Brisbane and Melbourne.
Andy Farrell’s men had hoped to complete the first series sweep since 1927 but simply could not get going in the slippery conditions at Accor Stadium.
Australia got off to a dream start when Dylan Pietsch crossed over for his first Test try in the 8th minute, although Tom Lynagh was unable to add the extras.
But Lynagh soon made up for the miss when he drilled a penalty through the posts six minutes before half-time as the rain lashed down in Homebush.
Shortly after the penalty conversion, Lynagh was forced off to undergo an HIA, which he failed.
He was not the only one who didn’t pass their HIA, with Lions skipper Maro Itoje and winger Tommy Freeman also deemed unable to continue.
It was a contest supercharged with plenty of needle, most of which was provided by fiery Aussie scrum-half Nic White.
In what was his final Test, White sought to wind up his Lions opposition at every turn, no matter their size.
But one act from White evidently pushed Lions ace Tom Curry over the line following Ryan’s involvement in a sickening collision with Aussie beast Will Skelton.
Ryan attempted to tackle Skelton, who stands an absurd 6ft 8in, but came off worse for wear when his head smacked into the Aussie’s knee.
The 29-year-old was knocked unconscious as a result as Lions medical staff rushed onto the field.
However, it did not stop a brief scuffle as White and Curry squared off, with the Aussie seemingly unaware Ryan lay prone on the turf only a few feet away.
The dispute between the two was quickly settled as medical staff continued to assess Ryan.
Despite the play being halted, more controversy soon transpired.
In a bid to keep the crowd entertained amid the pause in action as well as a heavy downpour in Sydney, the stadium DJ decided to play the iconic Neil Diamond hit ‘Sweet Caroline’.
But given the seriousness of Ryan’s injury, it was a decision that went down like a lead balloon.
“It feels a little bit wrong playing Sweet Caroline while someone is laid out on the turf concussed,” talkSPORT commentator Andrew McKenna said.
“I see what they’re trying to do to keep the atmosphere going. But it doesn’t feel right.”
Fans on social media were also quick to express their distaste of the music choice.
One supporter said: “Absolutely horrific work by the DJ to play Sweet Caroline while Ryan is clearly in a bad way.”
Another posted: “Playing Sweet Caroline while a player is receiving treatment for a head injury is not it.”
A third added: “Great work by the referee to stop the game there. Absolutely horrific work by the DJ to play Sweet Caroline while Ryan is clearly in a bad way.”
Ryan was eventually taken off the field on a medical cart and thankfully let fans know he was OK via a thumbs-up.
However, there would be yet another delay to the pulsating contest.
This time it was due to a lightning strike in the vicinity of Accor Stadium in Homebush.
In the interest of players’ safety, it meant the Wallabies and Lions had to head back to their dressing rooms.
Dressing room cameras captured the differing approaches of the two teams to the break, as the Aussies were captured deep in discussion about how to maintain their 8-0 lead.
As for the Lions, they cut a carefree nature with Scottish ace Finn Russell captured scrolling on his phone.
But the tourists made sure there would be no more peeking behind the curtain, as a towel was quickly placed over their dressing room camera.
With play paused, some supporters boldly took it upon themselves to provide some entertainment as they ran across the pitch.
Unsurprisingly all three were taken down by security, making it a rather expensive decision given pitch invasions can land a £2,600 fine in Australia.
Play eventually resumed at 9:50pm local time (12:50pm BST), with the clock reading 44 minutes once it got underway.
Australia’s seriousness during the delay ultimately paid dividends, as they crossed the line twice more via Max Jorgensen and Tate McDermott.
The Lions did manage two tries in the second half via Jac Morgan and Will Stuart, but they proved to be nothing more than a consolation.