British and Irish Lions edge past First Nations and Pasifika XV in 24-19 thriller

First Nations & Pasifika XV 19-24 British and Irish Lions

The British and Irish Lions survived a strong challenge from the First Nations and Pasifika XV to claim a narrow 24-19 win in their midweek tour match at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne.

The Lions started brightly but had to withstand a fierce second-half comeback to avoid an upset against a spirited opposition side.

The match began with early intensity, and the Lions were quick to capitalise. Triston Reilly of the Pasifika XV was sent to the sin bin just five minutes in for a dangerous tackle on Darcy Graham.

The Lions took advantage of the numerical edge with a slick chip over the top from Owen Farrell, which Jamie Osborne collected to score the opening try. Fin Smith added the conversion, and the Lions were up 7–0.

Just minutes later, Smith’s long skip pass found Darcy Graham, who raced into the corner for the second try. Smith again converted to give the Lions a 14–0 lead within the first 11 minutes.

However, the Pasifika side refused to fold. Reilly, returning from his yellow card, intercepted a pass and sprinted to the try line to put his team on the board. Kurtley Beale converted, narrowing the gap to 14–7.

The hosts continued their momentum, and after sustained pressure and a series of penalties, Seru Uru barged over to score. Beale's conversion levelled the scores at 14–14.

Lions lock James Ryan was sin-binned shortly after for slowing the ruck, adding more pressure to the tourists before halftime.

The Lions regrouped after the break and regained the lead with Osborne's second try of the match early in the second half, making it 19–14. Later, a well-worked move involving Farrell and Smith set up Duhan van der Merwe to score in the corner, extending the lead to 24–14.

With 10 minutes to go, Melbourne-born Rob Leota gave the home crowd hope with a powerful finish, cutting the Lions’ lead to just five points. The First Nations and Pasifika XV pushed hard in the final minutes, but the Lions held firm under pressure to close out the match.

Team line ups:

First Nations & Pasifika XV: Muirhead; Reilly, Foketi, Feliuai, Daugunu; Beale (capt), Thomas; Ieli, Paenga-Amosa, Tupou, Swain, Salakaia-Loto, Uru, Gamble, Tualima

Reserves: Asiata, Pearce, Doge, Vocevoce, Leota, Goddard, Debreczeni, McLeod

British and Irish Lions XV: Kinghorn; Graham, Osborne, Farrell (capt), Van der Merwe; F Smith, White; Schoeman, George, Bealham, Ryan, Cummings, Morgan, Van der Flier, Pollock

Reserves: Ashman, Sutherland, Clarkson, Brown, Earl, Mitchell, M Smith, Ringrose