Five-try Lions better but still patchy as they beat gritty Brumbies

Lions full-back Blair Kinghorn sustained a knee injury after just seven minutes.

Ireland's Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier both scored second half tries for the Lions against the Brumbies. Pic: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland

Lions Tour: Brumbies 24 British & Irish Lions 36

The tourists’ last visit to the Australian capital had ended in a famous 14-12 victory for the Brumbies in 2013 but that was four days out from that tour’s opening Test and Warren Gatland had fielded his midweek side as the bulk of the Saturday team watched from the stands on a freezing night in Canberra.

This was different, Andy Farrell sending out potentially his strongest side with 10 days to go before 2025 series opener and the Brumbies below strength with eight of their internationals held back by the watching Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt. Yet when the Lions conceded a try on four minutes, scored by No.8 Tuaina Taii Tualima, the home fans in a 23,116 crowd dared to dream that a repeat was on the cards.

It was, however, the only time the Lions trailed, and though Stephen Larkham’s side managed to breach the Lions tryline a further three times, it was the tourists’ power that told. Ollie Chessum, James Lowe and Marcus Smith, who had replaced injured full-back Blair Kinghorn on 25 minutes, all scored before the break to give their side a 19-10 half-time lead, with Brumbies wing Corey Toole adding his side’s second on 36 minutes.

An early second-half try from Garry Ringrose stretched the Lions' lead with Finn Russell adding his third conversion to make it 26-10 and the Brumbies were kept at arm’s length from there, despite further converted scores from Hudson Creighton on 50 minutes and Liam Bowron on 75. 

Josh van der Flier came off the bench to touch down a driving maul on 67 minutes, Russell again converting having also kicked a penalty six minutes earlier but the Lions were held up three times with Lowe, van der Flier and Chessum at the death all denied by resolute Brumbies defence.

GAME IN 60 SECONDS 

Key Moment: Garry Ringrose’s smart finish to get on the end of a Marcus Smith grubber kick gave the Lions scoreboard separation just after half-time that the Brumbies could not close with Smith having scored at the end of the first period and Russell’s conversions opening a 26-10 lead.

Talking Point: Another poor start from the Lions must now be a real concern for Andy Farrell 10 days out from the first Test. This was a potential team to face Australia in Brisbane on Saturday week but they were sloppy with the ball and careless without it as the Brumbies built pressure through a couple of penalties to open the scoring after four minutes to the delight, no doubt of watching Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt. The Lions, as they did in their opening three tour games eventually got their act together in terms of tries scored but they cannot afford to be so loose in the opening quarters of the Test series.

Test-worthy performances: Garry Ringrose did his hopes of securing the Test number 13 jersey no harm at all as he played an influential part in the Lions attack, not least when sprinting onto a Marcus Smith grubber kick to score the Lions fourth try having started the move with a sharp linebreak on halfway. The half-back partnership of Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell confirmed their status as the nine-10 combination of choice, scrum-half Gibson-Park named the host broadcaster’s man of the match. 

Ref Watch: Pierre Brousset did not cover himself in glory after he and his team of officials scratched off a Fiji try in their match against Australia last weekend having taken their review way back to a Wallabies foot in touch and the Frenchman denied James Lowe a try for the Lions in the first half here. It was poor execution from the Ireland wing to get turned by full-back Andy Muirhead but he looked to have eventually ground the ball between the Brumbie’s feet. Yet Brousset’s TMO Marius van der Westhuizen felt he had insufficient evidence to overturn the referee’s on-field decision that Lowe had been held up.

Penalties Conceded: Brumbies 10 Lions 11 

Injuries: Full-back Blair Kinghorn sustained a knee injury after just seven minutes that eventually forced the Toulouse and Scotland back off on 25 minutes in another injury blow for the Lions.

Next Up: The Lions now move on to Adelaide in South Australia for Saturday’s final tour match before the first Test against the Wallabies seven days later in Brisbane. Queensland Reds boss and future Australia head coach Les Kiss, once of Joe Schmidt’s Ireland staff, takes charge of a combined Australia/New Zealand XV which could be more potent than the Lions may have initially anticipated. Kiss is set to name his team in the early hours of Thursday morning Irish time.

BRUMBIES: A Muirhead; B O’Donnell, O Sapsford, D Feliuai (H Creighton, 30 - HIA), C Toole; D Meredith (J Debreczini, 62), R Lonergan – captain (H Goddard, 70); L Ieli (C Orr, 53), L Lonergan (L Bowron, 50), R van Nek (F Fotuaika, 56); L Shaw, C Neville; T Hooper, R Scott (L Reimer, 50), T Taii Tualima (L Hooper, 69).

Yellow card: T Hooper – 80 mins 

BRITISH & IRISH LIONS: B Kinghorn (M Smith, 25); T Freeman, G Ringrose, B Aki, J Lowe (M Hansen, 63); F Russell, J Gibson-Park (A Mitchell, 71); E Genge (A Porter, 50), D Sheehan (R Kelleher, 61) T Furlong (W Stuart, 50); M Itoje – captain, J McCarthy (H Pollock, 57); O Chessum, T Curry (J van der Flier, 50), J Conan.

Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)