article: The last two successful squads were happy to profit from their hosts' misfortune at crucial moments. A celebrated error from the great David Campese got the 1989 vintage over the line in the decisive third Test in Australia. The Lions have faced Australia in Brisbane on eight occasions and have won all of them. Tom and Ben Youngs were the first brothers to play for the Lions in a Test match since Gavin and Scott Hastings in 1989. Prop Alex Corbisiero gained more metres (30) in the first half than all of Australia's forwards combined (26). Source: OptaJonny In 1997 the Springboks scored three tries to none and battered the Lions for long periods in the second Test in Durban. But they couldn't land a single shot at goal, allowing Jeremy Guscott to steal the glory instead. If the class of 2013 go on to add their names to the legends, no-one will give a hoot that they could - and perhaps should - have lost this first, utterly compelling, Test in Brisbane. If their victory owed as much to the inadequacy of their hosts in one critical department as their own efforts, so be it. Any Lions Test victory is to be cherished. They have only won two of the last nine, after all. If this one helps to strengthen the brand, and perhaps goes some way towards ensuring its future, no-one will be complaining. Here was an occasion that lived up to the hype in spectacular fashion, with the 25,000 Lions fans in an enthralled capacity crowd playing a full and vociferous part. If the brutality of the collisions wasn't quite on the scale of the second Test in South Africa four years ago, it wasn't far off. Lions coach Warren Gatland described it as a "bit like a sparring match, both teams finding out about each other". In which case heaven help the players when we get to the championship rounds. As in Pretoria, the Lions led for long periods before being pegged back towards the end. Again, the outcome was decided by the last kick of the game, only this time Kurtley Beale could not do what Morne Steyn did and break Lions' hearts, twice missing penalty chances to land the killer blow. And again, the body count was huge. But it was Australia, rather than the Lions, who lost four players to injury and ended with others playing out of position. While Gatland was adamant the Lions deserved victory, ultimately they got out of jail. They found themselves on the wrong side of referee Chris Pollock at the start and end of the match, and so nearly paid for it. Were it not for James O'Connor and Beale, who between them missed five kicks, and 14 points, the Wallabies could have won despite enjoying less possession and territory, and conceding 14 turnovers to the Lions' three. The hosts were clinical, scoring two tries from three line breaks, both finished in style by Israel Folau on a highly promising Test debut. But the Lions' wings were no slouches
summary: No-one said a Lions Test series victory has to be a thing of beauty, or a clear demonstration of superiority.