Williams injury blow as Lions start Aussie tour with big win over Force
Henry Pollock showcased his star potential but two-try scrumhalf Tomos Williams was cut down by a hamstring injury as the British and Irish Lions posted a crushing 54-7 win over the Western Force in Perth.
The Lions ran in eight tries to one in front of 46,656 fans at Optus Stadium last night to post the big win, but it came at a cost.
Williams, a veteran of 65 Test caps with Wales, pinged his left hamstring while acrobatically diving in at the corner for his second try in the 47th minute.
The 30-year-old looked despondent as he hobbled slowly off the field, with the Lions leading 26-7 at the time.
The second half became a romp as the Lions flexed their muscles in a five-try blitz, but it was tough work in the first half as the Force came out firing.
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Wallabies winger Dylan Pietsch was near unstoppable in the first 40 minutes, unleashing a series of dazzling line breaks to push his case for selection for the upcoming three-Test series.
The Force dominated possession (60 per cent) and territory (67 per cent) in the first half, but it was the industrious work of Pollock that ensured the Lions still managed to take a 21-7 lead into half-time.
Tomos Williams walks off with a hamstring injury in Perth. (Source: Associated Press)
Pollock, who at just 20 years of age is already being touted as a future superstar, produced a series of tackle-breaking runs, one of which set up Williams for his first try.
"I'm happy with the scoreline, obviously, and happy with how we actually got to that point, because it wasn't all going our own way," Lions coach Andy Farrell said.
"I thought we gathered ourselves well and sorted a few things out on the run and played some nice rugby in the end.
"There was plenty to work on from the Argentina game, and just because there were some nice tries that have been scored tonight, there's still plenty (to improve)."
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Farrell had labelled his team's 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin last week as unacceptable. It took just 96 seconds for his players to show a strong response - and it was a thing of beauty.
The magical piece of play started and finished with skipper Dan Sheehan, who jumped in the air to catch a cross kick before passing it off to teammate James Lowe before he even landed on the ground.
Sheehan stayed in the play and received it back from Lowe to cross over for the opener.
The Force hit back through Nic White courtesy of 19 phases of grit, and after 15 minutes, it was the home side dominating possession (72 per cent) and territory (74 per cent).
The Lions did well to keep the Force at bay, and they went up 14-7 in the 17th minute when Pollock made a break and then offloaded while on the ground to set up Williams for a try.
Pietsch's first-half efforts had the Lions on the back foot, but it was the tourists who landed another strike against the run of play when a quick tap from flyhalf Finn Russell caught the Force napping.
The ensuing try by fullback Elliot Daly gave the Lions a 21-7 lead in the 36th minute, but they were dealt a blow just seconds before half-time when Pollock was handed a yellow card for his team's accumulation of penalties.
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Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Lions swung the ball the length of the field for Williams to touch down seven minutes into the second half.
The Lions piled on another four tries to ensure their tour of Australia got off to a comprehensive winning start.
The Lions will be back in action on Wednesday night when they take on the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium.
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