Wallabies push Lions to their limit

Australia 21 Lions 23

By Simon Lewis, Brisbane

Two late missed penalties from Kurtley Beale handed the British & Irish Lions a nailbiting victory at the death of this opening Test match with Australia at Suncorp Stadium today.

The Lions had been hanging onto a 23-21 lead since the 68th minute, thanks to tries from Welsh wings George North and Alex Cuthbert and Leigh Halfpenny's 13 points with the boot.

The tries cancelled out Israel Folau's debut double for the Wallabies, who lost this evenly-matched and thoroughly absorbing contest because of wayward kicking, first from fly-half James O'Connor, but ultimately from the unfortunate Beale.

The Wallabies had been preparing themselves for a high-octane start to the Test but no-one expected them to lose a man inside the first minute, debutant centre Christian Leali'ifano when opposite number Jon Davies piledrived into contact and knocked the Australian back out cold.

The forced the first change of the game after just 52 seconds, although the Wallabies reported Leali'ifabo was fully conscious and asking to return to the field midway through the first half, his management erring on the side of caution and keeping out of the action, replacement Pat McCabe staying on-field.

It was a dramatic start to would be a blockbuster first-half living up to all the pre-tour expectations, although the Lions had early problems in the contact area with Brian O'Driscoll, in the city where he made that dazzling debut in red a dozen years ago, this time penalised twice for not supporting his body weight when tackling Wallabies.

Fortunately for him and the tourists, Australia fly-half James O'Connor was not up to the task of punishing them, missing both kicks from out left on the Lions 10-metre line.

The first major psychological blow of the series went to the Lions, however, as a ninth-minute scrum saw Sam Warburton's forwards put in a massive shunt, earning a penalty celebrated pointedly with high fives from the pack and a roar of approval from the travelling supporters.

First blood, though, went to the home side, who counter-attacked brilliantly after the Lions had been camped in their 22, referee Chris Pollock appearing to ignore the advantage he had given the tourists by letting Will Genia take a quick tap, the scrum-half darting upfield and sending a delightful kick ahead off the end of his boot for debutant wing and rugby league Test player Israel Folau to score under the posts, O'Connor converting from in front of them to put Australia 7-0 up after 13 minutes.

The Lions had been rocked last Tuesday by the Brumbies, their unbeaten record on this tour falling in Canberra as the lineout disintegrated but it was not an issue for the test forwards, hooker Tom Youngs throwing short numerous times to Jamie Heaslip and Leicester team-mate Tom Croft before switching it up and going to the back and Paul O'Connell in the 16th minute, winning a penalty in the process, from which Leigh Halfpenny got his side on the scoreboard.

Gatland's side were soon in front, thanks to a loose high ball from Australia full-back Berrick Barnes straight into George North's welcoming hands between his 10m and 22m lines.

The Welsh wing, who overcame a tight hamstring to be declared fit on Wednesday, showed why his fitness was so important as he turned on the pace, beating tackles from Adam Ashley-Cooper, Will Genia and Barnes before touching down in the corner for a brilliant solo try, the conversion no problem for Halfpenny as the Lions went ahead 10-7 after 26 minutes.

North was over again four minites later, only for the TMO to rule that the Lions wing had put an elbow into touch, Halfpenny instead adding three points from an earlier advantage to stretch the lead to 13-7.

Back came Australia and that man Folau again, the strong-running Waratahs man, who was last season playing professional Australian Rules football, finding a gap betwen Halfpenny and Sexton and easily evading last man and prop Alex Corbisiero for his second try of the game.

Not bad for a rookie in his first season in the union code.

O'Connor left two more points out there with his third missed kick of the half and there was a further blow for the Wallabies when Barnes was knocked out cold by Folau as the wing scrambled to recover a loose ball, the full-back his team's second stretcher case in 38 minutes, replaced by Kurtlety Beale.

The Lions finished the half on top but failed to stretch their lead, Halfpenny proving fallible with a missed penalty, his second failure in 24 attempts at goal on this tour but the Lions still went in at the break 13-12 ahead.

The second half saw a more subdued opening that was seen in the opening period but Alex Cuthbert changed that as he finished a well-worked backline move following good multiphase play from the Lions.

The Welsh wing picked up the ball in midfield and broke through two defenders, beating two more tackles to score under the posts, Halfpenny converting to put the Lions 20-12 up eight minutes into the half.

The Australians were not finished though, and clawed their way back into the game as the Lions agains fell foul of Chris Pollock's refereeing of the breakdown.

O'Connor found his range at last with a 50th minute penalty before Beale took over, succeeding with his first two kicks, either side of another Halfpenny three-pointer. That brought the scores to 23-21 with 12 minutes left for the Lions to hang on.

They barely managed it, Genia stealing a scrum to send jitters through the Lions camp and then substitute tighthead prop Dan Cole pinged for going into a ruck at the side inside the 22 in the 74th minute.

It was a straightforward kick for Beale but these were not straightforward circumstances and the replacement full-back, in his first Test back since undergoing rehab for alcohol-related issues, sliced his shot at goal.

He was to get one more chance to win it for the Wallabies, as the Lions attempting to run down the clock at scrum-time, only to be penalised with 90 seconds remaining in front of the posts and just inside their own half.

Halfpenny's kicks had been jeered and whistled by the Australian fans all game and with the opening Test at stake, the Lions support repaid in kind. Whether or not it was that which got to Beale is debatable but at the crucial moment, he slipped on contact with the ball and had to watch it fall short of the posts.

The Lions had escaped with a victory amid scenes of jubilation from their huge numbers of fans, setting up a thrilling series which resumes next Saturday in Melbourne.

AUSTRALIA: B Barnes (K Beale, 38); I Folau, A Ashley-Cooper (N Phipps, 76), C Leali’ifano (P McCabe, 1; L Gill, 47), D Ioane; J O’Connor, W Genia; B Robinson (J Slipper, 69), S Moore, B Alexander (S Kepu, 57); K Douglas (R Simmons, 68), J Horwill – captain; B Mowen, M Hooper, W Palu.

Replacements not used: S Fainga’a

BRITISH & IRISH LIONS: L Halfpenny; A Cuthbert, B O’Driscoll, J Davies, G North; J Sexton, M Phillips (B Youngs, 62); A Corbisiero (M Vunipola, 52), T Youngs (R Hibbard, 65), A Jones (D Cole, 52); A W Jones (G Parling, 70), P O’Connell; T Croft (D Lydiate, 72), S Warburton – captain, J Heaslip.

Replacements not used: O Farrell, S Maitland.

REFEREE: Chris Pollock (New Zealand)