MELBOURNE: Your move, Wallabies.
A First Nations and Pasifika XV that had been cobbled together over a few basic training runs, kava sessions and a focus on faith and family nearly caused one of rugby's all-time upsets on Tuesday night.
The record books will show a 24-19 British and Irish Lions win but Toutai Kefu's men won hearts and minds with the type of lion-hearted performance that the Wallabies great was renowned for.
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Yes, it was against a Lions B team with some flown-in players also having to introduce themselves at training.
But this was easily the best game of a lacklustre tour so far and provided the template for spirit and courage that Australia must follow at the MCG on Saturday.
Unwanted Test forward Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was again outstanding after also starring against the Lions for the Queensland Reds and AUNZ Invitational XV.
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The Auckland-born 28-year-old Samoan forward said the experience had been an emotional and educational one.
"We're standing on the shoulders of giants in terms of our ancestors and our families that have managed to get us here today," Salakaia-Loto told reporters.
"We shouldn't even be here and we went down by five points, so just proud of this group and proud of what we were able to achieve.
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"It was an emotional week for myself, the opportunity to get in touch with my culture, delve deep into it, also understanding who I was representing, the people that have gone before me. It was a very personal game for myself, as it was for everyone else."
Wallabies legend Michael Hooper said Salakaia-Loto would be a lock for his Wallabies team, either at No.6 or in the second row.
But he's unlikely to feature at the MCG and the big question is whether the series will be alive next week in Sydney.
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Wide World of Sports asked Salakaia-Loto what feedback he'd had from the Wallabies after an injury-plagued Super Rugby Pacific season.
"Just that I needed more minutes," he said.
"I've had three chances with these guys, I don't have any more chances to sort of try and push my case.
"Got my flight details to go and back to Brissy tomorrow to see my girls and my partner, so that's what I'm worried about."
Both Kefu and Salakaia-Loto said they had drawn extra motivation to play for Pete Samu.
Samu was bizarrely blocked from playing in the match but stuck around to run water.
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The Lions pointed to a technicality in the tour agreement because he hadn't played Super Rugby this season.
Kefu said Samu could potentially have made a difference in the result.
The Lions can now focus on trying to clinch the three Test series.
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"We've given ourselves a bit of a fright," Lions coach Andy Farrell said.
"Congratulations to the First Nations and Pasifika team.
"They made it a hard fought contest that's for sure."
The Lions are now 7-0 in Australia, including the Test match, victories over four Super Rugby franchises and two invitational teams.
Jamie Osborne scored the opening tries of each half and the Lions twice had big leads before being pinned back by a team which was drawn from players with Indigenous and Pacific Islands heritage.
Making the most of a penalty advantage, the Lions took a 24-14 lead with 15 minutes to play when Owen Farrell dummied a pass to unsettle the defence and send an unmarked Duhan van der Merwe over in the left corner.
But the invitational team rallied again, cutting the lead to five points in the 71st minute when Rob Leota scored a try from close range. They finished the match hard in attack just as they did in the first half.
Backrower Charlie Gamble was awarded player of the match despite being on the losing side, helping combat the Lions' superior field position and possession with his relentless work at the breakdown.
"It's pretty tough when you see we're going to get smashed by 50," Gamble said of the lopsided expectations ahead of the game.
"But you know, we showed that we deserved to be out there, and we played very hard for each other."
It had been 14-14 at halftime after each team scored two converted tries and spent 10 minutes giving up a numerical advantage because of yellow cards.
The Lions raced to 14-0 after centre Osborne chased through Fin Smith's chip kick and touched down, while winger Darcy Graham crossed out wide.
From a lineout win by Henry Pollock, the Lions created an overlap with players looping in midfield and sent a long, floating pass to the unmarked Scottish winger.
But Graham had to leave the field soon after with an injury.
The last hour was much more of a grinding contest, with the First Nations and Pasifika team at times outmuscling the Lions, forcing mistakes.
Triston Reilly, who was yellow carded early, returned to score the First Nations and Pasifika's opening try after an intercept.
Blindside flanker Seru Uru picked up and reached over amid three tacklers in the 23rd minute.
Kurtley Beale converted to level the score, ensuring the touring Lions knew they were in a contest.
As tempers flared, Pollock and Uru were warned by the referee for a pushing and shoving episode that the young Lions No.8 would certainly have learned from.
The match remained intensely physical but didn't get out of hand.
"If you look at the game, how we started, we started on fire… but they tightened back up and took the most of their opportunities. It shows how much it means to them," Andy Farrell said.
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And as for Kefu? "Unbelievably proud," he said.
"We talked before the game, all week actually, about a performance that you could be proud of when you walked away and look back. We never actually talked about the result.
"It was just a performance that we were proud of. That's what we talked about and I thought they delivered on that tonight."
– with AP
