Austin Healey has praised Australia second row Justin Harrison but vowed England would be out to avenge the Lions series' loss following Saturday's defeat in Sydney. The outspoken utility back described Harrison as a "plod" and a "plank" in a wide-ranging attack on the Australians before the Lions' 29-23 defeat which cost them the series 2-1. But Harrison, making his Australia debut, was outstanding on Saturday, while Healey was ruled out at the last minute by a back injury.
"By the way, you know me and that bloke Justin Harrison? Well, he played well, didn't he? Really well," Healey said in his column for the Observer newspaper on Sunday. "Of course, he had a pop at (Lions captain) Martin Johnson which probably wasn't the brightest thing he could do. He was probably looking for me again. Well played Justin me old mate and plod. The chances of that being reprinted in Oz (Australia) are zilch."
Healey said he had had enough of Australia but was looking forward to trying to gain revenge playing for England in the 2003 World Cup, which is being staged by Australia and New Zealand.
"I've had it with Australia," Healey said. "Not had it as in I never want to come back here again. I do. In an England shirt. And so does (Lions reserve fullback) Iain Balshaw. We want to come back so much it hurts. The World Cup in 2003 can't come soon enough."
And the Leicester player couldn't resist having another go at the Australian media, who he claims have shown a lack of balance in their reporting of his comments. "I have a little rant and a pop at this and that, but the way it comes back as quotes in these Aussie papers you'd think I'd rounded up every baby kangaroo in the land and drowned them in front of a class of orphans," Healey said.
Meanwhile, Healey's Lions team mate Matt Dawson, who criticised the Lions management for their hard training methods in a diary for a British newspaper before the Lions' first test victory, said he stood by his views.
"I don't retract anything I said," Dawson told BBC radio on Sunday. "What I said is what I think, it was my diary. (But) I completely understand and apologise because it was the wrong time to do it."
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
