Lions one win from ending wait – 5 things we learned from first Test
The sense of anticlimax at the final whistle contrasted starkly with the pre-match buzz around Suncorp Stadium. A gulf in class between the rivals had been exposed during the 42 minutes it took the Lions to canter out of sight and now anything other than an emphatic series whitewash will be seen as failure.
Andy Farrell's men were able to butcher a host of chances and take their foot off the gas after Dan Sheehan crossed early in the second half, yet still be streets ahead. A long couple of weeks awaits the Wallabies.
The term coined by Sir Ian McGeechan to describe a special breed of player who rises to the occasion on the biggest stage was typified by Tom Curry, the full-throttle England flanker who terrorised Australia in contact and at the breakdown.
Described as a 'machine' by Andy Farrell, Curry shrugged off his indifferent form in previous tour matches to set the physical tone from the moment he pulverised James Slipper in the opening seconds.
Just a fraction behind him were Tadhg Beirne and Tadhg Furlong, who also fully justified why they were picked on reputation.
For periods of the first half, Finn Russell cast a spell on the home defence. His range of passing released team-mates, created openings and set-up tries to leave former Lions fly-halves Dan Biggar and Ronan O'Gara purring in the commentary box.
If Australia had a plan to take him out of the game, it clearly did not work as the Scotland ringmaster cut loose behind a dominant pack.
Fresh from steering Bath to the treble, Russell is operating at the peak of his powers and, on current form, is the best 10 in the game.
Apart from the failure to crush the Wallabies, thereby breaking their spirits heading into the second Test, Farrell will be most concerned about his wings.
James Lowe continued the dismal form he has shown all tour while Tommy Freeman made too many wrong decisions game and both would be fretting over keeping their places if there were strong alternatives.
However, Mack Hansen is struggling with a foot injury and Duhan van Merwe's defensive shortcomings have been exposed repeatedly ever since the curtain raiser against Argentina.
Blair Kinghorn was seen as the first-choice full-back but with Hugo Keenan proving solid enough in the first Test, the Scot could be picked on the wing if he recovers from his knee injury.
The return of powerful forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini cannot come soon enough for Australia. Having missed the first Test with calf injuries, they have been given the all-clear for the attempt to level the series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Skelton's sheer physical presence will prevent the Wallabies from being bullied in quite the same way, while Valetini provides a destructive carrying option.
It is upon their availability and the fight shown in the final 30 minutes at Suncorp Stadium that Australia's hopes rest.
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Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Andy Farrell has ignored the old adage of 'if ain't broke don't fix it' with his Lions selection for the second Test against Australia, it's hard to justify Bundee Aki's inclusion at the expense of Sione Tuipulotu, writes CHRIS FOY
Amid all the deserved acclaim for Garry Ringrose's honesty about suffering concussion symptoms, a Lions selection gamble was partially hidden, but it was a shock all the same. As word began to circulate in the morning here that both Scotland centres, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, were being left out and replaced by their Irish counterparts, there was a mood of incredulity and disbelief. Why? It had worked a treat. Tuipulotu scored a try in Brisbane, Jones so nearly scored one of his own and he helped create another. They dovetailed beautifully with compatriot Finn Russell, as usual. Their performances helped the Lions take a 1-0 series lead. Eventually, when the selection for the second Test was officially announced, Jones was in there at 13 again, alongside Bundee Aki. Cue confusion. What was going on? It emerged that head coach Andy Farrell had picked Aki and Ringrose together, until the latter finished training and - following a case of concussion already on this tour - admitted to experiencing a headache. His candour meant he had to be stood down, sensibly, so Jones was reprieved. If he hadn't been, he would have been one of the unluckiest Lions in recent history. The official explanation for the removal of Tuipulotu, the Scotland captain, was that he had a tight hamstring, but it became apparent that he was going to be demoted anyway, as all the rumours had suggested. 'Bundee's well able,' said Farrell. 'That type of combination is something we certainly would have trusted anyway.' So, was it Tuipulotu's tight hamstring which led to the selection change at inside centre? 'No, not initially,' said the head coach - matching Ringrose's honesty. 'It all comes into the equation.' Asked about the midfield combination he has ended up with, Farrell added: 'They'll be good. Bundee and Huw will hit it off exactly like any other type of partnership.' But that is no certainty. The pair have only started together once - against the Reds in Brisbane on July 2. The old adage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' has been chased out of town. There is a widespread perception that Farrell wanted to deploy the Aki-Ringrose double-act all along, but circumstances conspired against him, when the latter suffered a head knock against the Brumbies in Canberra on July 9. On balance, it was deemed sensible to reunite the Scots at Suncorp Stadium last weekend and they did their duty well, but the writing was on the wall anyway. There were echoes of the 2013 Lions tour here when team news was being digested and debated this time. Farrell has defaulted to the Irish players he knows - nine of them in the starting XV - just as Warren Gatland went into full-scale Welsh mode for the series decider a dozen years ago. His decision to select 10 players from the Principality for that tour finale in Sydney unleashed a tide of toxic Irish outrage, when the great Brian O'Driscoll was replaced by Jonathan Davies on legitimate form grounds. Some icons of the sport in Ireland accused Gatland of betraying 'the whole ethos of the Lions', before they stormed to a 41-16 victory, to win the series 2-1. This is no betrayal, nothing of the sort, but it is hard to justify the plan to overhaul the heart of the back line, which has left the Lions with a half Irish, half Scottish cut-and-shut job in midfield. Unless his hamstring was troubling him so much that he couldn't be considered, Tuipulotu deserved to play again. There is no room for sentiment in selection, but he duly misses out on an emotional home-coming appearance in front of extended family in Melbourne, where he grew up. If it ain't broke… The Glasgow centre has an innate understanding with Russell and Jones. While the argument is that the Lions have been in camp long enough now to have all grown accustomed to each other, they repeatedly spoke about a lack of training time during the hectic, two-games-per-week phase of this tour. Then all the focus was on the Tuipulotu-Jones alliance being prepared for the series opener after Ringrose's head knock spoiled the plan of deploying him with Aki. These are two of the preferred men. All coaches have them, of course. Ireland head coach Farrell now has nine Irishmen in his XV and it was 10 before Ringrose's honest declaration which forced a late reshuffle. Aki was picked in the match-day squad last week when his familiar midfield partner was unavailable, came on for Tuipulotu with more than a quarter of the game remaining and made very little impact as the Lions lost momentum, but he's in. He is a thunderous carrier and breakdown threat, but he cannot match the attacking repertoire of the Scotland captain; a superior distributor who also has an effective kicking game. Some of the Leinster and Ireland contingent are earning a lot of leeway on this trip, not least James Lowe, who has somehow been retained on the left wing after his erratic performance in Brisbane maintained an extended pattern on this tour. He has a powerful left boot, but no form to speak of. Granted, there are limited options as Mack Hansen - who was on a roll - is still injured and Daly went home early, but Blair Kinghorn could have been worth the risk out wide.
Belfast Telegraph
an hour ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Garry Ringrose withdrawn from Lions squad due to concussion
Garry Ringrose was a last-minute withdrawal from the British and Irish Lions team to face Australia on Saturday because of concussion, head coach Andy Farrell has revealed. Farrell had intended to field an all-Ireland centre combination of Bundee Aki and Ringrose at the expense of Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones for the Lions' shot at completing a series triumph at Melbourne Cricket Ground. However, the concussion symptoms that ruled Ringrose out of the 27-19 victory in the first Test returned during Thursday's final training session.
Daily Record
2 hours ago
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Ryder Cup legend claims Keegan Bradley plan would be '100 per cent chaos'
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