A convincing victory, putting down markers, injury woe and Lions team news for Reds encounter
Scrum-half Tomos Williams injured his hamstring against Western Force and will miss the rest of the tour
©PA
The British & Irish Lions kicked off their tour of Australia in convincing fashion with a 54-7 win over the Western Force.
Andy Farrell’s side ran in eight tries, including doubles for scrum-half Tomos Williams and fullback Elliott Daly.
After a sluggish start - despite an early Dan Sheehan try - the tourists went 74 minutes without conceding a point in Perth.
But what were some of the trends which the Lions can take from their opening outing Down Under?
Fewer errors in attack prove the difference
One of the differences between this fixture and the defeat in Dublin last week was the clinical edge and handling of the Lions.
An improved average of 4.5 points from their 12 entries into the Force 22, along with 13 line breaks throughout the match, underlined the Lions’ intent to play an attacking brand of rugby.
It was patient build-up to the opening score which came after two minutes.
After building nicely through the phases, Finn Russell opted for the cross-field kick which found captain Dan Sheehan, who linked up brilliantly with his Irish teammate James Lowe to score.
While offloads and passes weren’t going to hand against Argentina, the build-up to the second try would have pleased Farrell and attack coach Richard Wigglesworth.
Ambitious rugby executed well.
A neat tip on pass from Josh van der Flier set Henry Pollock free who took two defenders with him. Despite Russell overshooting his support line, Williams was waiting in the wings to score.
The second try was also a glimpse into what Pollock can offer the Lions in the Test series. Alongside his needle, his obvious talent could be a point of difference and there was evidence of that on Saturday.
Some quick thinking from Russell led to try number three five minutes before half-time - another clear example of the Lions’ attacking philosophy: playing what’s in front of them.
The Lions’ improved handling continued to shine in the second half, culminating in Williams’ second try following a break from the 22, with Mack Hansen and Lowe playing key roles.
After further scores from Gary Ringrose and the outstanding Joe McCarthy - who seemed to be everywhere - the tourists camped inside the Force 22.
A late call from replacement Marcus Smith to switch to the right side of the field dragged a defender over, which allowed Daly to grab his second.
A crucial area of work
Of course, there are still work-ons for the Lions and areas of the game that Joe Schmidt and Australia could exploit if they don’t fix them.
In the early stages of the match, the Lions found themselves on the wrong side of referee Ben O’Keefe, conceding four penalties in the opening 10 minutes. Pollock was also shown a yellow card just before half-time.
O’Keefe is set to officiate the first Test against the Wallabies, but the Lions did manage to regain their composure, conceding just five penalties after a shaky start.
The big concern, though, will be around the restarts. The Lions gifted possession back to the Force far too frequently, with winger Dylan Pietsch causing plenty of havoc under the high ball.
In the first half, a pod of three Lions forwards - led by Scott Cummings - struggled under the restarts, with the Force cleverly targeting the space behind the lifting pod.
The Lions won just four of their eight restarts, an area that could come under pressure during the Test series, especially with threats like Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in Australia’s ranks.
Wingers standing up for the Force - and one we may see again
Despite the heavy defeat, a few Force players stood out - one of whom we may see again wearing the gold of Australia.
The aforementioned Pietsch put his best foot forward to play against the Lions again later on in this tour.
The Force left wing has been included in Schmidt’s wider squad ahead of their meeting with Fiji on Sunday, and proved to be quite a handful in Perth.
On top of his work-rate under the high ball, he made 74 meters from his 12 carries and beat 10 defenders.
Pietsch’s opposite winger, Mac Grealy, also shone, beating eight defenders and making 67 metres from his 12 carries. That capped off an impressive season where he scored six tries in 14 Super Rugby games.
Those who put their hands up for Test selection + Wednesday’s team news
It is early days in terms of selection for the Test side, but there were some noticeable claims for a spot against the Wallabies on July 19th.
The Irish duo of Sheehan and McCarthy laid down good markers while flanker Van der Flier made 24 tackles and missed none as the battle for the back row spots continues.
Russell appears to have taken an early lead in the race for the fly-half jersey, while Daly offered a timely reminder of his versatility with another assured performance.
However, Hugo Keenan will have his chance to impress at full-back on Wednesday, as Farrell has made 14 changes for the clash against the Queensland Reds.
Like Keenan, Leinster teammate Jamison Gibson-Park is also set to make his Lions debut in Brisbane, and he’ll have an opportunity to stake a claim for the starting scrum-half role after Williams was cruelly ruled out of the series with a hamstring injury sustained when scoring against the Force.
Williams has been replaced by Ben White, who has flown in from Scotland’s tour of New Zealand.
Gibson-Park will partner Russell on Wednesday, a half-back combination which we may see again in Brisbane when the first Test arrives in just over two weeks.
Elsewhere, tour captain Maro Itoje returns to the starting XV, while Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, and Jack Conan are all handed their first starts. England’s Will Stuart is named at tight-head prop.
“We know each game on this tour will be a step up from the game before,” said Farrell. “Three more players are set to make their Lions debuts on Wednesday night, so congratulations to those guys.”
British & Irish Lions v Queensland Reds: Keenan; Freeman, Jones, Aki, Van der Merwe; Russell, Gibson-Park; Porter, Kelleher, Stuart, Itoje (capt), Chessum, Curry, Morgan, Conan.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Genge, Bealham, Ryan, Earl, Mitchell, F Smith, Ringrose.
