Lions player ratings: Tadhg Beirne and Tom Curry star in first Test
Tadhg Beirne repaid Andy Farrell's faith in him with a superb performance. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Tested but endured. Keenan had had a bumpy tour through illness and he had a rough time of it here too after allowing Max Jorgensen to outfox him in the air for the Wallabies’ opening try. Keenan remained strong, though, and played a decent part.
Busy and strong, looking for work and making it count. Freeman was powerful through the tackle and made himself available at all times, causing the Wallabies difficulties in the air and on the drive.
Pacy and willing. Jones’ speed on the ball made sure that the Lions attack was on the front foot when the ball was moved. He was unlucky to have his try ruled out as Jorgensen slipped out of the tackle. A marginal call. The try could have opened the floodgates.
Sharp and alert. The Scottish connection paid off almost immediately with Tuipulotu over the try-line within nine minutes. Tuipulotu would be well aware that Bundee Aki was itching to show what he had to offer from the bench but the Scot was tough and resilient.
A curate’s egg. There are rarely many quiet moments in a Lowe performance and the wing was eager to get involved as often as possible. There were a couple of kicks over-hit but the manner in which Lowe fended off his opposite number and surged upfield showed what he had to offer.
The Master Craftsman. So much hype and attention focussed on him in the build-up and he dealt with it as he dealt with the Wallabies, with aplomb and a knowing smile. Russell thrives in this high-octane environment, all-seeing and all-knowing. A precious asset.
Such an important player. Gibson-Park’s control and awareness gave the Lions assurance in the vital opening phases. His box-kicking was on point and ensured that the Lions dropped into their groove very quickly. Right back on form.
A notable presence all over the field. Even though the Lions coughed up their first scrum penalty of the tour, Genge was part of a stand-out front-row. Did the basics well and was a real handful in the loose.
It was a surprise to see Sheehan give way to Ronan Kelleher around the hour mark as he had been so influential up to that point. The lineout was so accurate and purposeful and suffered in his absence. Showed in open play, too.
Fought the fight well. Furlong had to work so hard to get this point and fully justified his selection and will only grow stronger as the tour progresses
Quiet but effective. A captain’s role is to set the right tone and there was no doubt that the Lions were in the mood to show what they had to offer, particularly in the first half when they were sharp and on their mettle.
Worthy and involved. This was McCarthy’s kind of game especially in the absence of such Wallaby heavyweights as Will Skelton and Rob Valetini. McCarthy did a physical number before leaving early in the second half with a possible injury.
Made the absolute most of his opportunity. Farrell had faith in him and Beirne repaid it in spades with an all-consuming performance. Beirne was prominent in the lineout, so too around the field, winning crucial turnovers. Big game player.
A monster. The roaring heart of the Lions, scavenging, linking, walloping, there was not one area of his game that was lacking and fully vindicated Andy Farrell’s decision to select him ahead of Jac Morgan and Josh van der Flier. Superb.
The hard yards man. Conan may not have the flashier, eye-catching attributes of a Ben Earl but he did what Andy Farrell wanted him to do and that was to graft and graft and graft. Conan did just that. Understated but influential.
The replacements did not manage to add to the Lions’ performance, far from it. You might have expected that an all-international bench would bring quality and impact but the Lions lost their shape and their way in the second-half, struggling for possession in particular.
The lineout throwing woes of Ronan Kelleher continued as he struggled to hit his mark. It was strange that Finn Russell was replaced relatively early (66th minute) albeit Marcus Smith did nothing wrong.
The scrum was a bit wobbly. In fact, the Lions lost their discipline, both in terms of conceding penalties as well as trying to force the game too much. There was no-one who really put their hand up for inclusion in the second test in Melbourne.
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