Lions quest for clean sweep of brave Wallabies on track

Perth Now

7 days ago

The British and Irish Lions' quest for a 3-0 Test series domination of the Wallabies for the first time in 121 years remains in play.
It is not just the result of the opening Test at Suncorp Stadium, a 27-19 win by the Lions, but the fact there is still a lot of improvement left in the visitors after it appeared they would run away with Saturday night's match.
They led 24-5 in the 42nd minute before the Wallabies found their mojo and dominated the rest of the game.
Coach Andy Farrell said before the match that his squad was in a "good place" and referred to the fact he was able to leave out star back-rowers Jac Morgan and Henry Pollock, who did make his final 23 for the Brisbane Test.
Farrell won the World Club Challenge with Wigan Warriors in 1994 in rugby league against Brisbane in the Queensland capital, but said winning this Test would be "bigger".
It would be another level to win 3-0, like the famous 1904 Lions side, but his team is more than capable.
The southern end of Suncorp Stadium was a sea of red and in full voice. It may as well have been Wembley, with the loudest support for the away side.
They had plenty to cheer about.
The Lions were just too powerful in the opening half. Prop Ellis Genge and flanker Tom Curry were steamrollers early, and the Wallabies had no answer.
The Lions would have been in a dominant position earlier, but they had not reckoned on the heroics of Wallabies winger Max Jorgensen.
Jorgensen hung on with dear life after a great chase to deny Lions centre Huw Jones a try, then scored at the other end after a wonder leap to snare a bomb, followed by a 25m burst.
Those highlights were few and far between for the Wallabies as the Lions dominated, with No.10 Finn Russell controlling play with his boot and sublime passing game.
There was a moment to savour for 28-year-old Melbourne-born inside centre Sione Tuipolotu, who scored the opening try of the series for the Lions.
The former Rebels star qualified for Scotland through a grandmother from Greenock, and had a return to his country of birth to remember.
Tuipolotu had a blinder and put forward a strong claim to stay there for the rest of the series.
If not for handling errors, the wasteful visitors would have piled on more points.
Pollock lit the fuse before the Test by saying the Lions would be satisfied with nothing less than a clean sweep, and that goal is certainly within their grasp, but the Wallabies showed it would be no easy feat.