Lions overcome stiffest challenge to secure hard-fought win

Queensland Reds 12 British and Irish Lions 22

By Simon Lewis, Brisbane

The British & Irish Lions overcame the stiffest challenge they have faced yet on their 2013 tour with a hard-fought win over the Queensland Reds at a sold-out Suncorp Stadium today.

In front of a 50,136 crowd in Brisbane, the Lions were outscored by two tries to one but had fly-half Owen Farrell to thank for kicking five penalties and a conversion from his six shots at goal.

There were also plenty of try-scoring opportunities to calm the nerves of Lions supporters with the tourists' big, physical backs making their presence felt although one of them, Tommy Bowe, was a casualty early in the second half with a worrying hand injury.

The Lions had already been rocked by the news that they had lost a second loosehead prop inside 24 hours when Gethin Jenkins' calf strain was judged to need three weeks' recovery. Jenkins follows Cian Healy (ankle) out of the tour with their replacements already in place before kick-off.

Neither Alex Corbisiero, who joined from England's tour of Argentina, and Scotland's Ryan Grant, fresh from his nation's tour of South Africa, were involved against the Reds, with Mako Vunipola promoted from the bench when Jenkins pulled up on Friday and Dan Cole, a tighthead, drafted in as a replacement.

It was a pulsating opening half, in which the fired up Reds made the early running, testing the Lions defence with a succession of chip and charges, the tactic paying off after Farrell had pushed the tourists in front with a 14th minute penalty.

It was the Lions fly-half whose Garryowen deep into the Queensland 22 was collected by Reds wing Luke Morahan, who beat and turned Manu Tuilagi reached his 10-metre line and cut inside , heading for the posts.

Full-back Stuart Hogg, who had earlier produced a try-saving tackle to halt Morahan, was lining up another but the wing produced a deft chip and then beat the turning Scotsman to the ball to score a wonderful solo effort under the posts, Cooper converting to leave the Lions trailing for the first time in their opening three games on tour at 7-3.

Warren Gatland's big physical backline had already made its presence felt with some scintillating running in a breakneck opening 15 minutes, Bowe bursting upfield from inside his own 22, eluding flailing Reds tackles to reach the Queensland 22 before sending a long pass out to the right for Alex Cuthbert, the Wales wing sprinting into the corner only to be denied by a last-ditch tackle.

There was a further setback when Tuilagi was substituted in the 20th minute, George North replacing him.

Farrell kept the Lions in touch with a 23rd minute penalty but it was not until six minutes before the break that they reclaimed the lead. Farrell had been denied a try by wing Rod Davies's intervention on the line and Sam Warburton had gone close after another surging run from deep, this time by North, the captain in his first start of the tour held up by three tacklers.

That led to a five-metre scrum for the Lions and when Reds No.8 Jake Schatz snaffled, Ben Youngs ripped it back, the ball falling behind him bouncing off his heel and over the line with the alert scrum-half pouncing for five points, Farrell converting and adding another penalty to send the Lions in at half-time with a 16-7 lead.

The second half struggled to maintain the frantic pace of the first with Farrell stretching the advantage with a penalty in the 51st minute, his fifth successful kick from five. He was soon after switched to inside centre as Jonny Sexton came off the bench for Bowe and assumed the fly-half role.

Yet just as the game was grinding to a standstill, back came the Reds, breaking down the right wing as the Lions were caught napping with scrum-half Nick Frisby scoring under the posts to give the home fans hope of an upset.

Those dreams were undermined by sub Mike Harris's missed conversion from close in and the closing 10 minutes saw the rain hamper handling skills, Hogg the unfortunate full-back, knocking on a grubber kick in his own 22.

Any pressure the Lions may have been feeling, though, abated when after a spell in the Reds' 22, referee Jerome Garces awarded them a penalty after a Queensland player had gone off his feet at a ruck and Farrell grabbed the opportunity to aim for the post with the penalty, to stretch the lead to 10 points with less than three minutes remaining.

The Lions next move into New South Wales where they will face a combined NSW-Queensland Country XV on Tuesday in Newcastle and they will be satisfied they have come through this toughest test to date.

QUEENSLAND REDS: B Lucas (Frisby, 70); R Davies, B Tapuai, A Faingaa (M Harris, 53), L Morahan (D Shipperley, 43); Q Cooper – captain, N Frisby (J Lance, 68); B Daley (A Anae, 23), J Hanson (S Denny, 79), G Holmes (J Owen, 36-40; 69); E O'Donoghue (R Samo, 12-19), A Wallace-Harrison (R Samo, 55); E Quirk, B Robinson (J Butler, 55), J Schatz.

BRITISH & IRISH LIONS: S Hogg; A Cuthbert, M Tuilagi (G North, 20), J Davies, T Bowe (J Sexton, 45); O Farrell, B Youngs; M Vunipola (D Cole, 60), T Youngs (R Hibbard, 60), M Stevens (A Jones, 60); R Gray (P O’Connell, 60), G Parling; D Lydiate, S Warburton (J Tipuric, 74), T Faletau.

Replacements not used: C Murray.

REFEREE: Jerome Garces (France)