Lions send ominous message to Wallabies with Reds demolition
The Lions' 52-12 Suncorp Stadium taming of Queensland made it 106 points in the first 160 minutes of its six-week tour. The 40-point smashing followed last week's 54-7 winning start over the Force in Perth.
Australia beware. This Lions outfit is armed and dangerous and getting better by the minute.
Queensland showed plenty of grit and determination early to deny the visitors a score for a tense opening quarter but the Lions lunged hard and fast approaching half time to turn a 12-7 deficit into a 21-12 lead.
The visitors turned to its vaunted forward pack and faster and stronger back division to score 26 unanswered points within the next 25 minutes. It turned hope into hell for the Queensland fans that filled Suncorp toward a stunning 46,435 crowd figure.
Huw Jones celebrates his try for the British & Irish Lions. Picture: Getty Images
LIONS POUNCE IN SECOND-HALF THUMPING
The Lions will be licking their lips to continue building against the Brumbies and Waratahs before facing the Wallabies on July 19.
Its rampaging second-half surge was the perfect response to a sloped start riddled with errors.
In an effective 50-minute stint, timeless scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park set up a try and kicked very well for touch. Without doing anything crazy, flyhalf Finn Russell was also a class act whose backline division got slicker as the game endured.
Tommy Freeman scores for the British & Irish Lions. Picture: AP Photo
Both forward and back units flexed considerable muscle in the second half to show the Lions mean one thing and that's business.
Headed by an inspired captain Maro Itoje, the Lions turned Suncorp into its personal playground to have fans heading for the exit with about 10 minutes to go.
The Reds simply couldn't contain Itoje across his wholehearted 80-minute performance.
He scored a barnstorming try, twice stole lineout ball and ran telling decoy lines that almost created a stunning 20 minutes from time.
British and Irish Lions' Jac Morgan celebrates his try. Picture: AFP
LIONS SLOW OUT OF THE GATES
Earlier, it was more a purr than a roar in the first 20 minutes from the Lions.
A sluggish opening gave the impression the Lions would be racing the clock to find its rhythm ahead of the Test-series opener at Lang Park in three weeks time. Those cobwebs were quickly dusted off after initially being denied on four occasions when in the Reds red zone.
Part of it was brave defence by the hosts but it was mostly poor handling and average execution from the visitors that saw them come away empty handed.
Duhan Van Der Merwe scores a try for the British & Irish Lions. Picture: Getty Images
Queensland channelled its 'back against the wall' underdog spirit in an instant and it worked a treat as they repelled their foes four times within the first 16 minutes.
Queensland twice won scrum penalties in the first quarter and showed plenty of patience and power when mounting 14 phases to score the first try of the night through prop Jeff Toomaga-Allen. Things were looking up.
The Reds then held up Lions midfielder Bundee Aki over the try line, the second time in the opening 12 minutes they held them out. But as the match endured, the Lions hit their stride and the Reds succumbed to sheer power and slick combinations.
Jeffery Toomaga-Allen celebrates after opening the scoring for the Reds. Picture: Getty Images
FLOOKY ARE YOU SERIOUS?
It was Luke Morahan whose 2013 try took the imagination of onlookers and 12 years later it was young Josh Flook who was responsible for Queensland's highlight try.
Josh Flook try v Lions
The Reds had defended stoically to be level at 7-all and when the space opened up in behind, halfback Kalani Thomas took no prisoners.
The daring No.9 dabbed a deft grubber in behind the Lions defence and charging through came Flook to land a 12-7 advantage 27 minutes in.
Flook, spearing on a beeline towards the stripe, somehow held on as the ball bobbled up onto his right quad to score.
12-7 was the last time the Reds led. The Lions, spurred on by a ferocious bench unit, did not concede a single point for the final 53 minutes.
Tim Ryan gets up to take possession for the Reds. Picture: Getty Images
Reds custodian Campbell became the state's 125th rugby union captain, 12 years after watching the 2013 Lions series from the stands as fullback of The Southport School's Second XV.
The Lions Tour only comes around once every 12 years, with the Reds falling just short in a 22-12 loss back in 2013.
Quade Cooper captained the Reds on that night, and this week the decorated former Wallaby wrote why that experience remains such a major moment in his career.
For some, like Hunter Paisami and Matt Faessler, it shapes as an opportunity to show Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt why they deserve a gold jersey later in the tour.
Read related topics: Suncorp
Nick Tucker
Sports journalist
Nick Tucker is a sports writer for the Courier-Mail/Quest Newspapers, and CODE Sports, focusing largely on junior, school and club sport.
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