Wallabies winger calls out glaring truth as British & Irish Lions shafted by State of Origin

Wallabies winger Andrew Kellaway has given a candid assessment of where rugby sits in Australia as visiting Lions fans prepare to sample a taste of the code's challenges Down Under. A mid-week match against Australia's top provincial side – the ACT Brumbies - and the British & Irish Lions would normally ensure rugby captured the majority of eyeballs.

But not this week. In an unfortunate piece of scheduling, the Lions will go up against the Brumbies at GIO Stadium on Wednesday at the same time NSW take on Queensland in the deciding State of Origin match at a sold-out Accor Stadium.

The British & Irish Lions will struggle to attract eyeballs during State of Origin 3. Image: Getty

It's left those Lions supporters in Australia who are not attending the Canberra match desperately scrambling to find venues in Sydney and Brisbane showing the game on their big screens. The audience for the Origin decider will measure in its millions and could go on to break records for the most-watched Origin game of all time.

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The Lions have garnered some tremendous publicity for rugby since arriving on Australian shores but may be shocked to find themselves second billing to a code that barely rates a mention in their home countries.

Kellaway knows first-hand the challenges rugby in Australia faces, telling UK publication The Times: "The AFL is a behemoth. They are the gold standard on how to run your business. The NRL is not far behind. We just will not be able to compete with 16 NRL teams, all domestic, so there is a ‘local’ winner every year. The same with the AFL."

The British & Irish Lions play the Brumbies at the same time as State of Origin 3. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

As Times journalist Will Kelleher notes in his piece on Kellaway: "Let’s not kid ourselves - rugby union is not big-time or big business here." Kellaway chooses his words closely in assessing the situation, wary about playing the blame game for a game that has been in steady decline for close to two decades.

But he knows any recovery plans begins and ends with Australia getting back to winning games of rugby and competing for major silverware. "What’s my take on it? I probably should wait until I retire to do this. You’ve got to be careful how you answer these questions in Australia," he said.

Andrew Kellaway in action for the Wallabies in 2024. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

"I don't think anyone's proud of where the game’s been or how the game's handled things. But what we can offer is this unique, global behemoth of a game with concepts like the British & Irish Lions and World Cups. The Lions is a special event.

"The challenge for us is how do you sell that to people, particularly kids playing the game, when you almost have to actively bypass the other part of the product, which would be Super Rugby? The place that rugby has in our landscape is definitely under the Wallabies umbrella. Without success, that’s been a really hard thing to follow for a lot of people."

The Wallabies take on the Lions in a three-Test series starting on July 19.

This article originally appeared on Yahoo Sport Australia at https://au.news.yahoo.com/wallabies-winger-calls-out-glaring-truth-as-british--irish-lions-shafted-by-state-of-origin-012152585.html

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