The British and Irish Lions are training at their base at Hale School in Perth, completing drills on a manicured ryegrass field in front of a large screen projecting lineout variations.
The school’s biology teacher and First XV coach Rob Barugh would be more impressed by the Lions’ slick operation, but for the fact he has already experienced it for real – nearly 25 years ago, Barugh played halfback for the Western Australia team that lost to the tourists by a record score of 116-10.
Barugh’s teammates that day were all amateurs except for Wallabies prop Patricio Noriega and Waratahs playmaker Duncan McRae, who had been parachuted in late to strengthen the side.
Breakaway Hamish Grace did a half day of work as a roof carpenter, before packing up his tools and driving to the WACA to take on the very best players from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England.
Barugh and his teammates had been cautiously optimistic that they could be competitive against a Lions side that featured several future legends of the game including Brian O’Driscoll and Keith Wood.
However, as they lined up beside the Lions before the game, Barugh – a former Australian sevens and Randwick player – began to realise the enormity of their task.
Rob Barugh has taught at Hale School in Perth for 25 years as a biology teacherCredit: Rob Barugh
“Just seeing them come out alongside us as we came through the chute at the WACA, that’s probably when I realised how big the mismatch was,” Barugh said.
“They had physical size and prowess, and I’m weighing myself up against various backs and wondering how I’m going to go evading them.
“I’m looking at [England winger] Dan Luger and thinking, ‘This is going to be ridiculously hard’. I knew we were going to lose the game, of course. But I didn’t expect it to be such a blowout. We just really struggled to pull them to ground.”
Barugh and his teammates trained twice a week with their clubs in Perth, on Tuesdays and Thursdays after work.
Lions star Brian O’Driscoll fends off WA’s Shannon Apaapa in the 2001 mismatch.Credit: Getty Images
Two months out from the Lions game, that training schedule was ramped up, with extra sessions for the state on Monday and Wednesdays. Even that didn’t prepare them for the reality of facing the best players in the world.
Barugh came off the bench with half an hour left in the game. His first assignment: stop rampaging forward Scott Quinnell.
“My first contact was trying to pull down Quinnell,” Barugh remembers. “I just held on, but there were some secondary tacklers. Then, when you’re standing at the scrum and he breaks off the back of the scrum and he’s running straight at you…
“I knew exactly who Quinnell was. I’m like, ‘My word, this guy’s running straight at me’. It was amazing.”
Barugh managed to score one of Western Australia’s two tries, finishing in the corner of the WACA Ground on 66 minutes for the stadium’s scoreboard to read 10-83. It was to prove the highlight of the game for the home fans.
“The ball is down and I’m sensing the crowd and tapping the ground for some weird reason,” Barugh said. “Then our captain, Trevor Thomas, he’s hoisted me up off the ground.
“It was amazing, but very short-lived, because then we were back into plugging holes, defence mode – because they’re putting on another 33 points against us.”
At the end of the game, Barugh and his teammates sat shell-shocked in the changing room before turning up for a post-match function still trying to process what had happened.
Over two decades later, Barugh can reflect with pride on the night a team of accountants, tradies and teachers took on the best in the world.
“It really was a hallmark game of amateur versus professional, probably the last ever one [for the Lions],” Barugh said. “It’s easy in hindsight to go, ‘This was a fixture that probably should have been thought through a little bit more’.
“But for anyone that represents their state, it’s an incredibly proud moment. To be up against the best in the world and to have that opportunity, you’re pinching yourself.
“It’s ridiculous that you find yourself in that situation, but there are lifetime memories, regardless of what the scoreline was. That was probably the least important thing for us.”
All nine matches of The British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia are live & on demand on Stan Sport, with Wallabies Tests in 4K. All Test matches live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now.
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