Lions overpower Australia with early dominance to claim first Test win
Lions' Dan Sheehan scores his side's third try against Australia despite the efforts of Harry Potter. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
The British & Irish Lions put themselves in the driving seat at the outset of their Test series with Australia but predictions of a one-sided procession against an underpowered Wallabies proved unfounded at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
The Lions had flexed their muscles early, 10-0 up thanks to a first minute penalty from Finn Russell and converted try from Sione Tuipulotu seven minutes later. They led 17-5 at half-time after a Tom Curry try in response to Max Jorgensen’s opener for the home side against the run of play, and were 24-5 up two minutes after the break.
Yet Dan Sheehan’s finish of a fine Lions attack from a stolen lineout, and Russell’s excellent touchline conversion marked the end of the scoring for Andy Farrell’s side. A Wallabies fightback inspired by Joe Schmidt’s bench saw tries from replacements Carlo Tizzano and Tate McDermott level the try count and will send Australia into next Saturday’s second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with hopes of levelling the three-Test series.
The Lions had broken character after a series of clunky starts in their pre-Test tour matches, Tadhg Beirne winning a jackal penalty from the kick-off, kicked over by Finn Russell for a 3-0 lead in the first minute. There was even better to come from Andy Farrell’s men when they struck with the opening try five minutes later, scored by Sione Tuipulotu after a flowing Lions attack.
Finn Russell’s conversion made it 10-0 inside the first 10 minutes and the Lions should have been further ahead but for a Huw Jones disallowed try on 19 minutes. It was not all one-way traffic though and when Max Jorgensen ripped the ball in an aerial battle with Hugo Keenan to race over the line the Wallabies were right back in it, though Tom Lynagh missed the touchline conversion in what was an unconvincing first Test start.
Crucially the Lions reasserted their authority either side of half time with converted tries from Tom Curry and Dan Sheehan as the tourists' power game at tempo reaped rewards.
Australia head coach Joe Schmidt needed to change things up and he had the firepower to do that in the form of replacement front rowers Billy Pollard and Angus Bell initially and then back-rower Carlo Tizzano. The Wallabies finally got some go forward and they put the Lions under serious pressure for the rest of the second half as they wrestled momentum away from the men in red. A Joseph Suaalii try was scratched off on 59 minutes but Tizzano scored a try two minutes after his introduction on 66 minutes to raise home hopes.
So impactful was that Australian bench that Lions captain Maro Itoje paid the home side something of a compliment when his side finally broke out of their half, pointing the posts for Russell’s replacement Marcus Smith to slot a simple penalty and push the lead out to 27-12.
It was a far from convincing second half from the Lions and a late try for Wallabies replacement scrum-half Tate McDermott on his home turf, converted by fellow sub Ben Donaldson gave the Australians an additional boost with the final points of the game. It was not enough to alter the outcome but has made the second Test next Saturday all the more interesting.
A Lions power surge after the break led to a Dan Sheehan try that put the game beyond the Wallabies, Finn Russell’s touchline conversion opening a 24-5 lead and it proved to be an invaluable cushion to hold off a home fightback.
The Wallabies have been beaten but predictions of a drubbing at the hands of the Lions have been proven unfounded and this series is well and truly alive, boosted by a second half fightback from Joe Schmidt’s side. Australia will go into the second Test in Melbourne next week with big ball carriers Will Skelton and Rob Valetini set to return from injury for a further boost.
There were some strong individual performances from the Lions and Tadhg Beirne’s was the pick of them. He and fellow flanker Tom Curry had won fierce selection battles to earn Andy Farrell’s picks and they each justified the faith shown in them with powerhouse performances, Beirne a menace with his breakdown jackaling, Curry bossing collisions and claiming a try. Tadhg Furlong’s form belied an injury-hit season in his seventh consecutive Lions Test start while half-backs Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell were ruthlessly efficient when given go-forward ball in the first 50 minutes at least.
It was a busy night for Ben O’Keeffe who disallowed try apiece for the Lions’ Huw Jones and the Wallabies’ Joseph Suaalii. Both outside centres were denied because they had failed to release the ball after being tackled in the build-up to crossing the line, therefore penalised for not releasing.
O’Keeffe’s decision not to punish Tom Curry for a tackle in the air with more than a penalty did not go down well inside Suncorp Stadium but the Lions were penalised twice for hingeing at the scrum, both starting loosehead Ellis Genge and his replacement Andrew Porter falling foul of the New Zealander.
Australia 7 Lions 11 Injuries: The Lions are confident Garry Ringrose, Mack Hansen and Blair Kinghorn, the injured trio most likely to have pushed for the series opener, will be fit and ready for selection ahead of next Saturday’s second Test.
The Lions circus breaks camp in Brisbane on Sunday and heads from Queensland to Victoria with Andy Farrell’s tourists needing to negotiate their final midweek match at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Tuesday (11am Irish time) against a First Nations & Pasifika XV. The head coach will name his team for that on Monday but the main focus will be on next Saturday’s second Test at the historic, 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground.
T Wright; M Jorgensen, J-A Suaalii, L Ikitau (A Kellaway, 69) , H Potter; T Lynagh (B Donaldson, 60), J Gordon (T McDermott, 59); J Slipper (A Bell, 49), M Faessler (B Pollard, 49), A Alaalatoa (T Robertson, 57); N Frost, J Williams (T Hooper, 59); N Champion de Crespigny (C Tizzano, 66), F McReight, H Wilson - captain.
H Keenan; T Freeman, H Jones, S Tuipulotu (B Aki, 58), J Lowe; F Russell (M Smith, 66), J Gibson-Park (A Mitchell, 74); E Genge (A Porter, 49), D Sheehan (R Kelleher, 60), T Furlong (W Stuart, 58); M Itoje – captain, J McCarthy (O Chessum, 43); T Beirne, T Curry (B Earl, 58), J Conan.
Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
