"Upset in 2013" - Re-Wind: British & Irish Lions' history against the Brumbies

The Australian Capital Territory was strategically placed between Melbourne and Sydney, due to the fact that the two immense Australian cities both wanted to be the nation's capital. As a result in 1901, Canberra was built within the New South Wales territory lines, to end the fued between the to cities and establish the new capital of the country.

Rugby union steadily gained traction throughout Canberra, with a representative side formed in 1938. Whilst the ACT would not have the firepower to take on the Lions on their own until much later, they did contribute five players to the New South Wales Country side that battled the tourists on the 1966 tour. In 1978, the ACT defeated Wales, who were the reigning Five Nations champions at the time and put out a statement of intent for a future bout against the British & Irish Lions.

In 1989, ACT Rugby seized a rare opportunity to test themselves against the touring all-stars of the British & Irish Lions. Though the ACT now wore the now-iconic blue and yellow, the team was seen as a second-tier outfit, underdogs to the rugby giants of New South Wales and Queensland who had been battling the Lions since the inaugural 1888 tour.

Dubbed wild horses of the Snowy Mountains [aka Brumbies], the ACT side lacked size but made up for it with skill and ambition. As the Canberra Times noted, they were gaining technical proficiency that had already unsettled visiting sides, with the Lions expecting the unexpected as the rolled into the Australian Capital Territory. Scheduled between the first and second Lions Tests, the match carried extra weight. Rumours even swirled that Wallabies selectors delayed naming their second-Test squad to see how local talent would fare.

Featuring future Australian internationals like Geoff Didier, Leigh Donnellan, Phillip Doyle, and Matthew Pini, ACT took an early lead and looked poised to cause an upset. But as the game wore on, the Lions capitalised on turnovers and errors to seal a 41-25 win. The stars of the late 80s were out in full flight, as the likes of Rory Underwood, Scott and Gavin Hastings and Jeremy Guscott made up a star-studded Lions ensemble.

Despite the loss, ACT’s fearless performance left its mark. Journalist Michael Foster’s blunt headline — “Stupid errors cost ACT prized scalp” — summed up the post-match mood, but also reflected the high standards already set in Canberra rugby. That afternoon at Seiffert Oval was more than just a hard-fought contest, it helped put the future Brumbies on the map. It was a warning to any future touring side: the ACT is never an easy stop.

By the dawn of the new Millennium, the British & Irish Lions’ tours to Australia had become a well-worn tradition. But the rugby landscape on home soil had dramatically evolved in the dozen years since their last visit, as the game of rugby union had since turned professional. The Wallabies were riding high off two Rugby World Cup titles, while a new professional club era was underway with the introduction of the Super 12 competition.

The ACT Brumbies, still a young outfit at just six years old, had already stamped their authority on the game by clinching the Super 12 crown. Packed with an array of big name Wallabies such as Stephen Larkham, George Smith and George Gregan, the Brumbies were a top side across Australasia and were bursting with confidence.

However, head coach Eddie Jones, mindful of the intense schedule set for his very best Brumbies stars, fielded a heavily rotated Lions side for the encounter ahead of the Test series. Only five players from the 2001 Super 12 final started in the Lions line-up against the Brumbies, but Canberra’s side was widely tipped to provide the toughest challenge of any Australian provincial team.

Leading into the match, the Lions had cruised through warm-ups, aside from a narrow defeat to Australia A. Convincing wins over Western Australia, Queensland, and NSW Country had given them momentum, and their 16-point win over the Wallabies was their slimmest margin on tour — signaling that the Test series would be far from straightforward.

However, tension simmered behind the scenes within the touring party. Disagreements between players and management spilled into the public eye, with Austin Healey and Matt Dawson openly airing frustrations. Both were named in the starting XV, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown.

The Brumbies wasted no time in stamping their authority. By the 25-minute mark, they had raced to a commanding 19-3 lead, with Mark Bartholomeusz’s classy, if slightly contentious try, setting the tone, and Willie Gordon continuing the attacking onslaught. The physicality peaked in the fierce contest between Brumbies enforcer Justin Harrison and Lions wing Healey, who fired the spark by taunting his opponent on the field before scoring twice himself.

Yet the Lions’ resilience shone through. With the clock winding down, an 80th-minute Healey try pulled the visitors level at 28-28. In dramatic fashion, Matt Dawson, who had narrowly avoided being dropped days earlier, calmly slotted the winning conversion, in a moment forever etched in Lions lore as a symbol of triumph amid turmoil.

Sporting upsets often catch the defeated favourites completely off guard, while the victorious underdogs have often been meticulously preparing for the moment behind the scenes. That was the story when the British & Irish Lions touched down in Canberra in 2013, after going undefeated through five matches across Australia.

The touring squad, headed up by Warren Gatland with an overwhelmingly Welsh contingency of 15 players, presented a formidable challenge for the Brumbies to overcome. In pre-match comments, Gatland admitted he wouldn’t mind a loss in Canberra if it meant securing a first-Test victory in Brisbane, with the ACT side calling his bluff for an unforgettable win over the iconic touring side.

The Lions had not been beaten by an Australian provincial side since 1971, nearly two decades before Australia became a regular fixture on the 12-year rotation of Lions tours. But the Brumbies entered the clash as the dominant force in Super Rugby, once again on their way to a Grand Final, and tipped to be the toughest opponents before the Test series.

Much like their 2001 encounter, the Brumbies fielded a side that, despite losing some Wallabies stars, brimmed with talent and youthful energy. Even without talisman David Pocock, Canberra’s forwards controlled the breakdown. The Lions struggled to find rhythm, their line-out faltering with eight botched throws. Led by skipper Peter Kimlin, the Brumbies combined agility and power to dictate play. The Lions rarely threatened, and were held try-less for 80 minutes, the first time since the 2005 tour of New Zealand.

Stuart Hogg’s two missed penalty attempts could have changed the outcome, but instead it was the Brumbies’ rising stars who shone. Tevita Kuridrani’s calm leadership and Jessie Mogg’s steady presence at fullback were crucial, while the young front row of Ruan Smith, Siliva Siliva, and Scott Sio matched the Lions’ reputed scrum force for force. The tight 14-12 win was a triumph for the rugby-mad capital. The Brumbies, once underdogs, had become Lion slayers, and added an unforgettable chapter to their history.