Lions one win from ending wait – what we learned from the first Test
British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell in Brisbane (David Davies/PA)
Now finish the job
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.
Huw Jones dive over to score a try that was ruled out (David Davies/PA)
Test match animal
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.
Russell shines
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.
Marcus Smith kicks a penalty (David Davies/PA)
Farrell's wing woes
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.
Lions captain Maro Itoje is tackled by Australia's Harry Wilson (David Davies/PA)
Skelton and Valetini
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
24 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Russell Martin gets Rangers lift-off thanks to inspired 18 y/o and one man's timely return to form
New boss off to a flyer with 2-0 first leg victory in Champions League qualifier Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Ultra possession football is all very well and while Russell Martin might see this as the way forward for Rangers, sometimes it pays just to get the head down and run at defenders. Teenager Findlay Curtis, a glorious throwback to the days of tanner-ba' wingers, profited from this course of action to score one of the great European goals at Ibrox and set Rangers on the way to establishing a very handy 2-0 lead before the second game of this Champions League second qualifying round tie in Athens next week. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Fellow winger Djeidi Gassama, who was watching from the bench when Curtis opened the scoring in thrilling style, took his lead from the 18-year-old. The 21-year-old scored a goal that was almost as good on what turned out to be a terrific night for the home team and their new manager. Findlay Curtis celebrates after scoring Rangers' opener against Panathinaikos at Ibrox. (Photo by) | Getty Images Indeed, there will be frustration from Rangers that they didn't finish the contest off against ten men. They had chances to make it three, perhaps even 4-0, which is remarkable in light of the way they were hanging on at times in the opening half. Step forward No. 52 Curtis, who not only put Rangers in front six minutes after half time with a wonderful solo goal. He was then shortly afterwards the victim of a crude foul from Giorgos Vagiannidis. It saw the right back – who was booked for simulation in the first half – sent off. All of a sudden, Curtis seemed unplayable. It was a coming of age performance from an academy graduate who had posted notice of such talent on an emotional night at Old Trafford against Manchester United at the start of this year in the days following Denis Law's death. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Sir Alex Ferguson was in the crowd that night and he was in the directors' box here to see a Scot give the Martin era lift off. Gassama, signed from Sheffield Wednesday earlier this summer, struck almost as stylishly minutes after coming on the park as a substitute, lashing a shot past Bartlomiej Dragowski from 20 yards. Rangers now have a commanding lead going into a tricky second game in Athens. It's one they would certainly have taken if offered before kick-off and they would have bitten your hand off for it at half time. Substitute Djeidi Gassama celebrates scoring Rangers' second goal against Panathinaikos at Ibrox. (Photo by) | Getty Images Mostly, the observation that it is hard to recognise a team is seen as a negative comment. In this new era at Rangers, however, distancing themselves as far as possible from recent sides was the goal. Martin certainly wishes to stamp his own identity on a team and it will take time. Contrary to James Tavernier's pre-match pledge about seeing a different Rangers, this team were at times all too familiar. Before Curtis' inspired intervention, they might have been two, possibly three, goals down. How could it be otherwise? Martin has not even been in the job 50 days yet. Although he is trying to be busy in the transfer market, only three new signings started here in his first competitive game. Rangers had to bear some of their old hallmarks, not all of which are negative. Jack Butland, for example, looked more like his old self. Although Curtis was rightly named man of the match, the Ibrox 'keeper, who lost both form and his place last season, was immense as he helped keep Rangers in the tie, with one save from Filip Durucic in the second half a particular standout. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Of course, the Rangers fans might still have to be patient. They will have to be forgiving. There was certainly a lot more passing the ball around at the back. This inevitably meant digging holes for themselves. They were fortunate the Greek visitors were unable to exploit them although they ought to have done so by the time the game was turned on its head in the space of seven or so second half minutes. Already processing going 1-0 down, the Greeks were then left on a damage-limitation exercise after Vagiannidis's red card. It was ironic that Rangers' opener stemmed from Butland mishandling a Duricic shot. The 'keeper quickly quelled alarm by retrieving the ball before rolling it out to Nico Raskin. The midfielder took a few strides into the visitors' half before transferring the ball to Curtis. The winger did the rest, coming inside before unleashing a curling shot into the corner past Dragowski. It changed everything. It certainly changed the mood in the stadium. At one point in the first half, Max Aarons had put his boot through the ball and then gestured to Martin, who was looking agitated at the touchline, as if to say, what more can I do? Rangers were on the rack in these early stages. Butland more than justified his return to the side. He was in the right place to beat away a point blank effort from Duricic just nine minutes in and then watched with relief as Pellistri hammered the ball against the post from equally close in, although the angle did provide the winger with some mitigation. Nemanja Maksimoviv headed over shortly afterwards. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Goalkeeper Jack Butland performed heroics for Rangers in the 2-0 victory over Panathinaikos at Ibrox. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group) | SNS Group The Obstacles Become Our Way – an old Stoic adage to do with overcoming adversity – were the chosen words of wisdom for the pre-match tifo, which depicted an epic scene involving a warrior, a lion and familiar Athens landmarks. While it was geographically relevant and certainly acceptable for the Ibrox censors after controversial recent efforts, another phrase might have been more appropriate: Rome wasn't built in a day. Athens in the second leg will still be hazardous, especially given the likely stifling heat. There were signs of what Martin is trying to do and signs those players brought in might be able to deliver his vision. Joe Rothwell was tidy at No. 6 and Aarons was, well, not much different to Ridvan Yilmaz at left back. Martin surprised by including Curtis in the starting XI at left wing. He could barely have believed how well this seeming gamble paid off. The teenager quickly caught the eye with some heroic tracking back early on.
Glasgow Times
44 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Emma Raducanu earns straight-sets win over Marta Kostyuk in Washington
Playing her first singles match since stretching world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of Wimbledon, Raducanu held off the Ukrainian world number 27 to pull through a gruelling encounter 7-6 (4) 6-4. Both players struggled on serve in a 71-minute opening set, trading early breaks before inevitably edging into a tie-break which Raducanu won despite initially sacrificing a 4-0 lead. Rising to the occasion 🔥@EmmaRaducanu knocks out No.7 seed Kostyuk, 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach the second round. #MubadalaCitiDCOpen — wta (@WTA) July 22, 2025 The British number three, who made a rare doubles appearance alongside Elena Rybakina earlier this week, looked the fresher of the pair in tough conditions and cemented her superiority by breaking en route to establishing a 3-0 lead in the second set. Kostyuk, who arrived in Washington having lost five singles matches in a row stretching back to May, rallied just when all seemed lost, breaking Raducanu back as she clawed back to parity at 4-4. Having forced Kostyuk to serve to stay in the match, the Ukrainian handed Raducanu two match points with a double fault, and the Briton seized her second chance to book her place in the second round. 'Extremely good win,' Raducanu said in her on-court interview. 'Playing Marta first round is extremely difficult and we've always had some tough matches. Emma Raducanu is targeting another run at the US Open (Ben Whitley/PA) 'I'm happy with the way I fought through the first set and in the second, stayed tough when I needed to.' Cameron Norrie completed a notable win over second seed and world number seven Lorenzo Musetti to book his place in the last 16. Norrie, the world number 41, hit back from losing the opening set to triumph 3-6 6-2 6-3 and score his first win over a top 10-ranked player since reaching the quarter-finals at Indian Wells in 2023.
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Celtic's '12th Lisbon Lion' John Fallon dies aged 84
Fallon was the only Celtic substitute when Jock Stein's side beat Inter Milan 2-1 in the Portuguese capital to win the European Cup in 1967. The Cambuslang-born goalkeeper joined Celtic in 1958 and made almost 200 appearances over a 14-year period. John Fallon, left, joined former Celtic team-mates at the unveiling of Billy McNeil's statue in Bellshill in 2022 (Andrew Milligan/PA) He played in the team that kick-started Celtic's trophy success under Stein with victory over Dunfermline in the 1965 Scottish Cup final and went on to collect 14 winners' medals in total before leaving for Motherwell. He also had a brief spell with Morton before retiring. A statement from the Scottish champions read: 'His love for Celtic, however, was a constant throughout the years, and he followed the club at home and away for the rest of life. 'His passing comes as a great sadness to us all, and the thoughts and prayers of everyone connected with Celtic Football Club are with his family and friends at this sad time.' Fallon was reunited with his European Cup winners' medal in 2019, having lost it in the wake of the final. John Fallon arrives for the funeral of John Clark, at St Mary's Church, Glasgow, last month (Jane Barlow/PA) The memento was donated to Celtic, who returned it to its rightful owner. Speaking at the time, Fallon told the Celtic website: 'We were wading through scores of fans to get off the park and into the dressing room. It's such a great memory. 'We'll never forget it, and it's something everyone should be proud of. For the Celtic supporters, we gave them something to look at that nobody else could.' Fallon attended the funeral of fellow Lisbon Lion John Clark last month.
