2 days ago
Lions lay down series marker and ease to victory over Australia in first Test
Winning the first Test does not guarantee a series victory but Australia are already hanging on by their fingernails. On the evidence of this contest it is going to take something remarkable to stop the Lions from finishing the job in Melbourne next Saturday and, with thousands of travelling fans cheering them on, Andy Farrell's side have firm control of their own destiny.
There were moments in the first half when the Lions were so dominant it felt akin to watching a juggernaut thundering through the outback, scattering everything in sight like skittles. They were unable to sustain it but the visitors' dominance in the opening 50 minutes was such that the winning margin should have been wider. From Finn Russell's insouciant brilliance to Tom Curry's relentless tackling, the Lions were a cut above in the areas that mattered most.
The last half-hour was more competitive – boosted by their bench the Wallabies won the last 38 minutes of the game 14-3 – but some of that was down to the Lions being able to take their collective foot off the gas. From a relatively early stage there was no doubt about the winners and tries from Sione Tuipulotu, Curry and Dan Sheehan ensured the Lions were in effect home and hosed by the start of the second half.
The home side were at least kept in the game by the Lions' loss of second-half rhythm but they were 24-5 behind by the 41st minute. They should now be able to welcome back the forceful Rob Valetini and Will Skelton but if they finish a comfortable second in the second Test at the MCG the debate surrounding the future shape of Lions tours of Australia will intensify.
That said, try telling the thousands of red-shirted Lions fans on the ground that winning in Australia will ever lose its lustre. Walking through the hordes on Caxton Street before the game, the occasional splash of gold was the only hint that another team might be involved. The now-familiar sea of red was in danger of becoming an ocean and it was the same inside the stadium.
To stand any chance the Wallabies needed to find a way of silencing the red army as swiftly as possible. And avoiding the kind of self-inflicted howlers that, as David Campese can testify, can sway the biggest occasions. They reckoned without Russell, who never needs his opponents' permission to declare his genius.
Having slotted an early penalty to reward a turnover forced by Tadhg Beirne, the fly-half gave the Wallabies further notice of his intentions with a lovely offload to a charging Sheehan. The Lions rumbled on towards the line and, with the defence stretched, another beautifully judged long ball from Russell gave Tuipulotu the easiest of run-ins. The Frankston-reared centre was desperate to be part of this tour back to his homeland for precisely this sort of moment.
Worse seemed about to follow for the Wallabies when James Lowe escaped the clutches of Max Jorgensen down the left and Huw Jones appeared to have scored his side's second try. Luckily for the hosts, it was ruled out because Jones was still being fractionally held as he rolled out of Jorgensen's desperate cover tackle.
Australia Wright; Jorgensen, Suaalii, Ikitau (Kellaway 68), Potter; Lynagh (Donaldson 60), Gordon (McDermott 58); Slipper (Bell 49), Faessler (Pollard 49), Alaalatoa (Robertson 57), Frost, Williams (Hooper 58), Champion de Crespigny (Tizzano 66), McReight, Wilson (capt). Tries Jorgensen, Tizzano, McDermott. Cons Donaldson 2.
British & Irish Lions Keenan; Freeman, Jones, Tuipulotu (Aki 57), Lowe, Russell (M Smith 66), Gibson-Park (Mitchell 74); Genge (Porter 48), Sheehan (Kelleher 60), Furlong (Stuart 57), Itoje (capt), McCarthy (Chessum 43), Beirne, Curry (Earl 57), Conan. Tries Tuipulotu, Curry, Sheehan. Conversions Russell 3. Penalties Russell, M Smith.
Referee Brendan O'Keeffe (NZ)
Even without it the Lions still had a 10-point cushion and the Wallabies were clinging on in every sense. Without Valetini they were finding it hard to make any gainline dents and nothing was coming easily. It was a sizeable bonus, therefore, when Hugo Keenan was stripped of a high ball by Jorgensen and the wing stole away to put Australia belatedly on the board.
The balance of play, though, was overwhelmingly with the Lions. They were winning the power battle and had a couple more decent opportunities before scoring their second try. This time it was Curry who provided the finishing touch from close range, to cap a typically influential half of rugby.
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The second half was only a minute old when the Lions scored again, a nice attacking line from Jones and Curry's pass putting Sheehan over in the right corner. The Wallabies almost responded through Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, only for the referee to rule it out for not dissimilar reasons to Jones's previous non-try.
At that point, even so, the odds on the Lions scoring only one further penalty goal from Marcus Smith, on as a replacement for Russell who left the fray after 66 minutes with cramp, would have been lengthy. The Lions would have wanted their bench to supply more oomph but the Wallabies, by contrast, seemed to be energised by some of their replacements.
Still, with Harry Potter having narrowly failed to score in the left corner, they had to wait until the last seven minutes for Carlo Tizzano and Tate McDermott to add a touch of respectability to the final scoreline. The Lions, for whom Beirne, Ellis Genge, Jamison Gibson-Park and Tuipulotu further enhanced their reputations, will not want that pattern to be repeated in Melbourne and will also be aware that no series ever runs totally smoothly.
In 2001 they won the first Test in Brisbane only to contrive to lose the last two Tests. Last time around in South Africa, just when they felt they had an advantage, the same thing happened. The chief takeaway from this still Brisbane evening, nonetheless, will be the Lions' first-half superiority, rather than the second-half drop-off. While both sides will probably be better for this runout, Farrell's Lions are now in pole position and also appear to have more in the tank.
