How the Lions rated in their victory over Australia in the first Test
Hugo Keenan — 6: While there was plenty of his usual class in the positive column, Keenan was also beaten clean in the air by Max Jorgensen for Australia's first try and fell off a tackle on Harry Potter in the lead-up to Tate McDermott's consolation score. An early, outstretched spillage was also uncharacteristic, but Keenan's distribution was integral to plenty of the Lions' effective early attacks.
Tommy Freeman — 6: The England wing was forceful in contact and in defence, but he produced back-to-back kicks out on the full and forced one offload. He otherwise never got a chance to cut loose with ball in hand.
Huw Jones — 7: Found open country on a couple of occasions, particularly in the lead-up to Dan Sheehan's game-killing score. Jones' disallowed try was actually poor play: he knew he had been tackled and patience would have likely yielded a legal score for the tourists. Still an overall impressive display, with several huge hits in defence.
Sione Tuipulotu — 7: The first try-scorer in the series, Tuipulotu had a fine first half in particular, looking his old self in the carry and bouncing would-be Wallaby tacklers before invariably making the right decision post-contact. A quieter second half before he was replaced by Bundee Aki can be attested to the Lions' general drop-off. It was a good day for the Scottish midfield.
James Lowe — 6: An excellent early defensive read denied Australia a line-break or more. Two errant kicks and a poor decision to turn down a pass to Freeman and go it alone on 34 minutes were frustrating. Disruptive in the air but might consider catching a couple of the balls that he bats down to provoke chaos. Didn't quite get the bounce today.
Advertisement
Finn Russell — 8: The best 10 in the northern hemisphere continued his rich vein of form, offering a constant threat to the Wallabies' defensive line and timing each pass to perfection. Russell's assist for Tuipulotu exemplified his talent and, at 32, his decision-making, as he turned down a crossfield kick and rolled out the red carpet for his international teammate with a picturesque bridge pass. Kicked all of his goals which was integral to the result in the end. A wayward crossfield kick to Joe McCarthy was the only blot on the Scot's copybook.
Jamison Gibson-Park — 8: Produced his best Test performance of 2025 on the biggest stage of all. Got the Lions marching, attacked at speed and with precision, and even melted a couple of Wallabies with defensive hits. All but one of his box-kicks were spot-on, and that Alex Mitchell was the last replacement used by Andy Farrell tells its own story.
Forwards:
Ellis Genge — 7: Had a surprisingly frustrating day in the scrum, conceding an early free-kick and later a penalty. But Genge was huge in the loose, where he made eight carries and beat four defenders, albeit without the kind of yardage he had gained in recent outings. Came up big in the attacking breakdown, too.
Dan Sheehan — 8: The Leinster and Ireland hooker could genuinely teach some wingers how to finish, and he was already worthy of a score when he dove over just after half-time to kill the game. Flawless at the lineout, Sheehan made the third most metres of any Lion with 50 off nine carries, and he lit up the Aussies in defence, too, with 11 tackles during his time on the field. His presence was noticeably missed when he came off in the second half.
Tadhg Furlong — 8: The Wexford man was instrumental to pretty much everything that the Lions did well, his efforts in the loose exemplified by a 15-metre, left-handed pass towards the end of the first half. Made the joint-most passes of any Lions forward, and kept alive the move that led to Sione Tuipulotu's opening try. Unlucky with his penalty concession for a high hit at the breakdown on 49 minutes.
Maro Itoje (captain) — 7: Having ploughed a lone furrow and come out second at a couple of early breakdowns, Itoje rose to the occasion and called a fine game as skipper. Added heft and direction to the tourists' attacking efforts and put in 19 tackles, second only to Tadhg Beirne.
Joe McCarthy — 8: Injury curtailed what was a powerful effort on both sides of the ball. McCarthy was good enough in his 40-odd minutes today that he would prove a significant loss to the Lions next week, particularly with Will Skelton due to return to the Wallabies' engine room.
Tadhg Beirne — 9: The deserved man of the match, whose impact on the game was simply more profound than that of any other player. Beirne, whose place in the starting team was questioned in some quarters, officially won three turnovers for the Lions — two rips at the breakdown and a lineout steal — but in reality won four, also forcing a maul turnover in the second half. He led his team with 23 tackles and was, ultimately, the best player on the field for either side.
Tom Curry — 8: Another who answered any scepticism towards his involvement as a starter. Curry was ballistic, once or twice to a fault. He made seven gainline successes off eight carries and finished with a try and an assist, albeit there were also two penalty concessions for a tackle in the air and a high hit.
Jack Conan — 8: While his performance may not have been celebrated to the same extent as the more headline-grabbing efforts of Beirne and Curry, Conan's fourth Lions Test start was exemplary as he gave his side routine go-forward ball and won virtually every collision in which he was involved.
Bench impact — 5: Really, only Bundee Aki — a 7 in his own right — had any kind of meaningful influence on proceedings upon his introduction.
The Connacht and Ireland centre ultimately denied Australia a try by getting over the ball as Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i tried to roll over for a score after the hour, and added a couple of meaty carries to a fine cameo.
That the rest of Andy Farrell's replacements proved a drop-off from their predecessors — albeit in a game that felt dead from about 41 minutes onwards — will be a point of criticism in camp ahead of the second Test. The door will remain open for plenty of players who missed out on today's 23.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The 42
4 hours ago
- The 42
'Win by will' - The powerful video Katie Taylor sent to the Lions
PERFORMANCE COACH GARY Keegan's old connections came in handy for the Lions as they prepared for their second Test win against the Wallabies. Keegan, who works closely with Andy Farrell with Ireland and now the Lions, goes a long way back with Irish boxing icon Katie Taylor. He was the high performance director of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association when Taylor began to make a name for herself as an amateur, helping to guide the early stages of her career. So earlier this week, as Farrell's Lions prepared for what they knew could be a decisive game against Australia in Melbourne, Keenan got onto his old friend. Taylor's video went down brilliantly with the Lions squad and proved prescient in terms of how the second Test unfolded. 'It was unbelievably poignant and powerful,' said Lions and Ireland number eight Jack Conan after the last-gasp 29-26 win over the Wallabies. 'It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but be ready to win by will. 'I think that was something that summed up today massively because we were not at our best at all.' Conan hails from Bray, where Taylor is also from, so the video was particularly special for him. 'Massively, huge,' said Conan. 'Someone to come from the town I'm from, I'm incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well. 'She's gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world and to be such a superstar and be just incredibly humble and driven and knock it out of herself is something that we kind of leaned on as well, because we knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it today in spades. Advertisement 'They were unbelievable, they really were, but we just stuck in it for 80 minutes and just incredibly proud of the effort from the lads. Katie Taylor celebrates her recent win against Amanda Serrano. Gary Carr / INPHO Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO 'I know things didn't click and we weren't flowing properly, but we were getting off the line, trying to hit people, trying to make it count every chance we got. And I think we did that and that's why we got the result in the end.' It wasn't only Conan and the big group of Irish Lions who were impressed with Taylor's message. Her words hit the mark with the rest of the squad. 'Lads absolutely loved it because it meant a lot to me being from the same place and seeing her on the world stage, but I think everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy, it resonated with everyone,' said Conan. 'It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us, it was brilliant.' Conan was standing outside the Lions' dressing room with two cans of Guinness in his hands – 'Sorry, the cans are not good, lads' – as he got his head around winning a series with the Lions. He played all three Tests on the 2021 tour of South Africa but the Lions lost that one and there were no crowds due to the pandemic. This trip to Australia has been altogether different. He revealed that the Lions' training session on Thursday ahead of the second Test was 'pretty shocking' and felt that possibly fed into their up-and-down performance at the MCG, but all that mattered to him was that the tourists had won. Conan joked that as a Leinster man he usually comes out on the wrong side of dramatic finishes like the one in Melbourne, so he was thrilled that his long-time team-mate Hugo Keenan, who is nicknamed 'Barry,' was the man to seal the series. 'I was delighted for him… now in saying that, I would have liked it more if he gave me the ball on the edge and I scored the try,' said Conan. Conan with his daughter, Remi, and wife, Ali. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO 'No, delighted for Barry, I probably would have dropped it like the other one [in the first half]… no, that was knocked out of my hands, lads! 'I was shouting for it, but Barry goes and scores a try, so I've no complaints. If he bottled it there in that moment, I would have killed him and kicked the arse off him afterwards, but that was great.' Conan's wife and daughter have been in Australia to support him, while his twin sister and her husband also made it, along with a big group of Conan's friends. 'They're on a proper stag do, some craic,' said Conan. 'I met one of them earlier who flew in from Singapore and all the lads were already in the pub at half ten [in the morning] enjoying it and I was like, 'f*cking b*stards, I'd love to be there'. 'It's great doing the lap afterwards and seeing so many familiar faces.' His friends had an early start in the pub but Conan is now a Lions series winner. 'You can't take that away from us,' said Conan with clear joy before wandering off to find the rest of the Lions so his celebrations could continue.


The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Piers Morgan and Jack Grealish lead celebrities hailing England's Lionesses after incredible Euro 2025 triumph
PIERS MORGAN and Jack Grealish led the stars congratulating the Lionesses after their Euros final brilliance. England won a dramatic penalty shootout 6 The Lionesses won the Euros by beating Spain on penalties Credit: AFP 6 Chloe Kelly converted the winning penalty and made herself the hero again Credit: Getty 6 Piers Morgan led the celebs congratulating the Lionesses Credit: Alamy 6 Jack Grealish said the final was 'incredible' Credit: Getty After Sarina Wiegman's legends beat Germany in the final in 2022, it is back-to-back Euros crowns for the Prince William and his daughter Charlotte cheered them on from the stands and they then went on to the pitch to celebrate with the players. He later tweeted: "What a game! Lionesses, you are the champions of Europe and we couldn't be prouder of the whole team. Enjoy this moment." Prime Minister READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Celeb tributes were lead by broadcaster Piers Morgan, who said: "BOOOM! Well done Lionesses - and great to see an Arsenal star score the winning penalty. Congrats Chloe Kelly." Comedian Jack Whitehall reacted: "Come on England! Chloe Kelly is pure aura. It's come home again!!" The Spice Girls' official account added: "That's Girl Power. Congratulations." London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "An amazing team, an amazing tournament! So proud of the Lionesses for another history-making performance on the world stage. Their heart, grit, and determination has inspired a new generation." Most read in Football England are queens of Europe England legend Lucy Bronze reveals she played Player ratings - see how England's finest in Chloe Kelly steals the show after Eagle-eyed fans stunned at where Joyous SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN And from the football world, England men's star Three Lions captain Harry Kane wrote: "Back-to-back! Incredible achievement. Congratulations to all players and staff." Lionesses hero Hannah Hampton reveals incredible conversation with England fans before Chloe Kelly's decisive penalty Alongside a lion emoji, Phil Foden tweeted: "Let's go!! Congrats!!" A delighted Gary Lineker penned: "They've done it again. She's done it again. Kelly's heroes. Fabulous." Former Lionesses manager and Manchester United icon Phil Neville was thrilled, saying: "Love this team." England legend Rio Ferdinand commented: "They've done it again. Back To Back! Massive." And the FA's official account wrote: "Congratulations to our Lionesses for retaining their European title and becoming the first England Senior team in history to win a tournament overseas." 6 Harry Kane congratulated the Lionesses on social media Credit: Getty 6 Gary Lineker heaped praise on Chloe Kelly Credit: PA


The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
England remarkably win Euro 2025 having been in front for just FOUR MINUTES in whole knockout stage
ENGLAND were ahead for just four minutes and 52 seconds during the knockout rounds on their way to Euro 2025 glory. Advertisement 6 England are the Euro 2025 champions Credit: Getty 6 The Lionesses celebrate retaining their trophy Credit: EPA The Lionesses had a bumpy ride in Switzerland, but always managed to come up clutch in the big moments. Their quarter-final with But late goals by Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL England missed three of their first four penalties in the subsequent shoot-out, but incredibly still managed to squeeze through. The Lionesses fell 1-0 down 33 minutes into their semi-final clash with It looked as if their luck was out, until super-sub Agyemang dramatically levelled six minutes into stoppage time to force an extra half hour. Advertisement Most read in Football Live Blog Exclusive BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 6 The Lionesses defeated Sweden on penalties in the quarter-finals Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 6 Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang were the super subs against Italy Credit: Shutterstock Editorial The following four minutes and 52 seconds, which includes stoppage time played at the end of the 120, were the only minutes in which England led during the entire knockout rounds. Advertisement Next came the formidable Spain, who beat England in the World Cup final two years ago. England hero Lucy Bronze reveals she played whole of Euro 2025 with BROKEN LEG Again England fell behind in the first half, this time courtesy of Mariona Caldentey. But again the Lionesses refused to give up - levelling through centre forward Alessia Russo shortly before the hour mark. England were forced to endure plenty of pressure throughout the rest of the contest, but defended stoutly to force penalties. Advertisement But the reigning European champions had one more comeback up their sleeves, with two saves by Captain But substitute forward Salma Paralluelo missed the target, giving England an opportunity to win it. Advertisement And Kelly did just that, echoing her heroics from England's Euros triumph three years ago to again bag the winner for her country, sending her team-mates, and the nation, into delirium. 6 Chloe Kelly bagged the winning penalty in the final Credit: Getty 6 The Lionesses celebrate their brilliant triumph Credit: Getty