Eight-try Lions dispatch Force to get up and running in Australia
Western Force 7
Lions 54
IT DIDN'T LOOK like Andy Farrell was a happy man at half time, but his Lions team ran out comfortable winners over the Western Force in their opening match on Australian soil.
Finn Russell steered the ship superbly from out-half as he made a strong start in his claim to the Test number 10, the Scottish playmaker mixing delightful attacking touches and razor-sharp awareness with muscular defence and fine kicking.
Ireland's Joe McCarthy was the pick of the forward pack in Perth, his aggressive, powerful, industrious work in the tight rewarded with a second-half try as the Lions opened up.
Farrell will pick out lots for the Lions to improve upon – most notably their work at restarts, discipline errors in the first half, and consistency in defensive impact – yet he and his assistants enjoyed some of the freewheeling work that yielded eight tries.
The first big injury concern on tour is Welsh scrum-half Tomos Williams, who hurt his hamstring in the act of scoring his second try of the night at Optus Stadium. Williams has started this Lions campaign well, and now must hope it's nothing serious.
That second Williams try was perhaps the pick of the bunch from the Lions, with the busy Mack Hansen and James Lowe integrally involved in an 80-metre breakout effort sparked by a smart long pass by McCarthy in his own 22.
Advertisement
Tomos Williams is the big injury concern. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
That said, the first Lions score – in just the second minute – was also a beauty. Patient, composed phase-play attack led to Russell picking out captain Dan Sheehan with an accurate cross-field kick.
Sheehan popped back inside to Lowe, who darted for the right corner but then had the presence of mind to slip a one-handed back inside to Sheehan, the hooker surging over the tryline.
The highly talented 20-year-old Henry Pollock featured prominently in Williams' first score, combining well with fellow back row Josh van der Flier to take an offload from the Irishman and then surge towards the line before calmly offloading to the Welsh halfback.
Pollock's classy chip and regather also laid the platform for McCarthy's second-half score, although a yellow card at the end of the first half was a frustration for the prodigious English back row.
That yellow came after a rather sloppy opening half in which the Lions gave up too many easy penalties and struggled badly under the Force's restarts as Scottish lock Scott Cummings had something of a nightmare in that area.
Farrell was highly animated while delivering his half-time words to the Lions and though the tourists then started the second half poorly, that breakout score finished by Williams soon had them up and running.
Finn Russell impressed for the Lions. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Ireland centre Garry Ringrose got his name on the scoresheet too, taking a classy inside ball from Hansen to finish after slick handling by midfielder Sione Tuipulotu and the impressively solid fullback Elliot Daly.
However, it was Ringrose's defensive work that made the biggest impression as he left big physical marks on the Force with his thunderous tackling. The collective defensive effort wasn't perfect but Ringrose's intent and physicality were impossible to miss.
Daly notched a first-half score after Russell made a clever decision to tap and run a penalty 40 metres out when the Force switched off in expectation of a line kick, while the third-time Lion finished another in the second half when replacement Marcus Smith sent him over.
After the Lions bench made an impact, Jack Conan in particular, Farrell's men finished with a flourish at Optus Stadium as Tuipulotu and Hansen combined to tee up replacement scrum-half Alex Mitchell.
The Force responded strongly to Sheehan's opening try, with skipper Nic White scoring just minutes later, but they were unable to do further damage despite enjoying their fair share of territory and possession.
The Western Australians never had the attacking class they needed to truly hurt the Lions, who now move quickly onto Brisbane for Wednesday's second game against Les Kiss' Queenslands Reds.
There is clearly lots hard work ahead for the Lions, but there were plenty of glimmers of Test potential in Perth.
Western Force scorers:
Tries: Nic White
Conversions: Ben Donaldson [1 from 1]
Lions scorers:
Tries: Dan Sheehan, Tomos Williams [2], Elliot Daly [2], Garry Ringrose, Joe McCarthy, Alex Mitchell
Conversions: Finn Russell [5 from 6], Marcus Smith [2 from 2]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
Jim McGuinness: 'We, the management and the players, had nothing to do with the statement'
JIM MCGUINNESS SAYS he, his management team and players were unaware of the Donegal GAA statement issued this week condemning the six-day turnaround before their All-Ireland quarter-final against Monaghan. Donegal won today's clash 1-26 to 1-20. They trailed by seven points at half time, 1-15 to 0-11, but booked their place in the semi-finals after a dominant second-half showing. On Monday, Donegal GAA expressed their disappointment that a request to have the game arranged for Sunday, rather than Saturday, was denied. As his post-match press conference came to an end this evening, McGuinness said: 'I just want to say one thing, there was a statement put out during the week. We, the management and the players, had nothing to do with the statement. 'We didn't know the statement was going to be put out. There was an awful lot of noise, an awful lot of articles and an awful lot of stories about that statement, that we weren't happy and we were disappointed and annoyed. Advertisement 'The management and the players knew that once we got beaten against Tyrone, that we were going to be facing into three games in three weeks, and that that was the way it is. 'The statement was released by the county board, on the back I think of people in Donegal and clubs in Donegal not being happy. But as a management team, we were okay with the game.' The 2012 All-Ireland winning boss continued: 'From my own point of view, you should never, ever make an excuse for a game before a game is played. I have never done that in my life and so I want to make sure that distance is there, because it's disrespectful to Monaghan. 'If we got beaten today and the first half followed through into the second half, people would say, 'Sure he was saying that during the week'. We had nothing to do with it. Nor did we know it was going to be put out into the ether until I read it myself on the phone. 'That's very important from a management point of view and the players point of view: we were happy to be here today because we got beaten against Tyrone and it was always going to be that way. It was always going to be three games in three weekends and suck it up and let's get on with it.' While Man of the Match Shane O'Donnell revealed McGuinness shared 'harsh words' in the dressing room after a 'big wake-up call,' the manager insisted the key to victory was changing nothing. They outscored the Farney county 1-15 to 0-5 in the second half, Michael Langan with the goal, and 0-11 to 0-0 from the 48th to 68th minutes. Monaghan's Kieran Duffy and Michael Murphy of Donegal. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO 'I would imagine from a Monaghan point of view, with the two-pointer they kicked just before the break, they'd be like, 'Right, this is it, we have the magic formula,'' said McGuinness. 'We didn't change anything, to be honest, because we had the work done, we had the plan going into the game done. We just doubled down on that. We didn't change any personnel, we just trusted the fellas to get it right themselves. 'Then it's over to the players. It's a moment then where you've gotta say, 'Listen, we're in a hole here and only the players can get themselves out of that hole'. 'So very, very happy they responded the way they did, and very happy with the bench as well. That was very important as well, everyone that came on made a massive contribution.' McGuinness hailed the character of his players as they await their semi-final opponents and face into a week off. 'They're great lads and they're great football players, and they've put a lot into it. You don't want to just limp out of an All-Ireland quarter-final, particularly when you're Ulster champions, and it's very important coming down and representing the province from that point of view. 'We wanted to step up, that's really the bottom line. We wanted to step up and show what we are capable of doing, and the manner of it is very encouraging.'
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Ireland's Jack Raftery and Sharlene Mawdsley take centre stage at European Athletics Team Championships
Raftery became just the second Irishman in history to break 45 seconds for 400m when clocking 44.98 to finish fourth in the men's race, while Mawdsley made a hugely impressive return to racing – the Tipperary sprinter clocking a season's best of 50.93 to finish third in the women's race. Their performances helped Ireland climb to fifth at the halfway stage, their tally of 192 points putting them within touching distance of the top three in division two: Norway (228), Belgium (226.5) and Slovenia (214.5). The top three nations will gain promotion to the first division on Sunday evening, with the bottom three relegated. The Irish didn't have any winners on day one and while Raftery might not have accrued the most points, his run was the standout individual showing, as the 24-year-old Dubliner hacked a massive chunk off his previous best of 45.75 to move second on the Irish all-time list behind David Gillick's national record of 44.77. 'I can't believe that,' he said. 'I don't have the words. I was coming in thinking if I ran 45.5, I'd be delighted.' Raftery has been working under coaches Gerard O'Donnell and Aideen Sinnott at the Dublin Sprint Club and having gone to the Paris Olympics as a substitue for the mixed relay, he's now in a great position to make the Tokyo World Championships as an individual as his time is just shy of the automatic standard of 44.85. Mawdsley, running her first race since the Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia in late May, turned in an excellent showing to dip under 51 seconds for the first time this year, not far off the PB of 50.71 she ran at the Paris Olympics. The race was won by Slovakia's Emma Zapletalova in 50.76. 'I don't even know how I made it around,' said Mawdsley, who was running her first race since the death of her father Thomas (Tucker) in early June. 'A season's best is great. It's a shame I didn't come first, I would have loved the top points.' Mawdsley said she is uncertain of her plans for the coming weeks, adding: 'Today was just about getting out there and doing my family proud.' The action closed with a huge performance by the Irish in the men's 4x100m where Michael Farrelly, Sean Aigboboh, Marcus Lawler and Israel Olatunde broke the national record for the second time in eight days, clocking 38.88 to win their heat and finish second overall. 'It's a great run,' said Lawler. 'There's a lot of effort gone into this over the years. We're all delighted.' Bori Akinola had to withdraw from that race after sustaining an injury in the 100m, where he finished fourth in his heat, and eighth overall, clocking 10.62 into a 2.2m/s headwind. The Irish 4x100m women's team of Sarah Leahy, Ciara Neville, Lauren Roy and Sarah Lavin clocked 43.97 to win their heat and finish third overall. Brian Fay secured a runner-up finish in the men's 5000m, the Dubliner showing his vast range of gears on the last lap of a tactical race, clocking 13:56.07 to finish a close second to Belgium's Isaac Kimeli (13:55.70). Shane Bracken had an impressive run in the men's 1500m, the Mayo man finishing a close third in 3:42.92. Sophie O'Sullivan turned in an off-colour performance in the women's 800m, the recently crowned NCAA 1500m champion coming home eighth in her heat in 2:12.87. Paris Olympian Eric Favors threw 19.42m to finish fifth in the men's shot put, while David Cussen cleared 2.16m to finish fifth in the high jump. Reigning European U-20 champion Elizabeth Ndudi jumped 6.26m to finish fourth in the long jump, Ava O'Connor finished fourth in the women's 3000m steeplechase in 9:45.09, while Niamh Fogarty threw 52.20m to finish fifth in the discus. Fintan Dewhirst had to battle injury in his heat of the 400m hurdles, trailing home eighth and last in 79.01 seconds but making sure he reached the line to earn some valuable points. Elsewhere, rising star Conor Kelly broke his own Irish U-20 400m record when clocking 46.06 at the Junioren Gala in Mannheim, Germany, improving the 46.18 record he set in Brussels last month.
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Jack Raftery and Sharlene Mawdsley impress for Ireland at European Team Championships
Two superb 400m runs by Jack Raftery and Sharlene Mawdsley, along with a 4x100m national record by the men's relay team, put Ireland firmly in the hunt for promotion after the first day of the European Athletics Team Championships in Maribor, Slovenia on Saturday. Raftery became just the second Irishman in history to break 45 seconds for 400m when clocking 44.98 to finish fourth in the men's race, while Mawdsley made a hugely impressive return to racing – the Tipperary sprinter clocking a season's best of 50.93 to finish third in the women's race. Their performances helped Ireland climb to fifth at the halfway stage, their tally of 192 points putting them within touching distance of the top three in division two: Norway (228), Belgium (226.5) and Slovenia (214.5). The top three nations will gain promotion to the first division on Sunday evening, with the bottom three relegated. The Irish didn't have any winners on day one and while Raftery might not have accrued the most points, his run was the standout individual showing – the 24-year-old Dubliner hacking a massive chunk off his previous best of 45.75 to move second on the Irish all-time list behind David Gillick's national record of 44.77. 'I can't believe that,' he said. 'I don't have the words. I was coming in thinking if I ran 45.5, I'd be delighted.' Raftery has been working under coaches Gerard O'Donnell and Aideen Sinnott at the Dublin Sprint Club and having gone to the Paris Olympics as a sub for the mixed relay, he's now in a great position to make the Tokyo World Championships as an individual, his time just shy of the automatic standard of 44.85. Mawdsley, running her first race since the Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia in late May, turned in an excellent showing to dip under 51 seconds for the first time this year, not far off the PB of 50.71 she ran at the Paris Olympics. The race was won by Slovakia's Emma Zapletalova in 50.76. 'I don't even know how I made it around,' said Mawdsley, who was running her first race since the death of her father Thomas (Tucker) in early June. 'A season's best is great. It's a shame I didn't come first, I would have loved the top points.' Mawdsley said she is uncertain of her plans for the coming weeks, adding: 'Today was just about getting out there and doing my family proud.' The action closed with a huge performance by the Irish in the men's 4x100m where Michael Farrelly, Sean Aigboboh, Marcus Lawler and Israel Olatunde broke the national record for the second time in eight days, clocking 38.88 to win their heat and finish second overall. 'It's a great run,' said Lawler. 'There's a lot of effort gone into this over the years. We're all delighted.' Bori Akinola had to withdraw from that race after sustaining an injury in the 100m, where he finished fourth in his heat, and eighth overall, clocking 10.62 into a 2.2m/s headwind. The Irish 4x100m women's team of Sarah Leahy, Ciara Neville, Lauren Roy and Sarah Lavin clocked 43.97 to win their heat and finish third overall. Brian Fay secured a runner-up finish in the men's 5000m, the Dubliner showing his vast range of gears on the last lap of a tactical race, clocking 13:56.07 to finish a close second to Belgium's Isaac Kimeli (13:55.70). Shane Bracken had an impressive run in the men's 1500m, the Mayo man finishing a close third in 3:42.92. Sophie O'Sullivan turned in an off-colour performance in the women's 800m, the recently crowned NCAA 1500m champion coming home eighth in her heat in 2:12.87. Paris Olympian Eric Favors threw 19.42m to finish fifth in the men's shot put, while David Cussen cleared 2.16m to finish fifth in the high jump. Reigning European U-20 champion Elizabeth Ndudi jumped 6.26m to finish fourth in the long jump, Ava O'Connor finished fourth in the women's 3000m steeplechase in 9:45.09, while Niamh Fogarty threw 52.20m to finish fifth in the discus. Fintan Dewhirst had to battle injury in his heat of the 400m hurdles, trailing home eighth and last in 79.01 seconds but making sure he reached the line to earn some valuable points. Elsewhere, rising star Conor Kelly broke his own Irish U-20 400m record when clocking 46.06 at the Junioren Gala in Mannheim, Germany, improving the 46.18 record he set in Brussels last month.
