First Nations and Pasifika XV shock touring Lions
The historic selection delivered a passionate and combative performance at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium to shock the touring party, but ultimately fell just short in losing 24-19.
Representing First Nations, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa and Maori cultures, the invitational side held the unbeaten Lions to 14-14 at halftime and were unlucky not to score a third on the bell.
Hard-hitting lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto again gave Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt a timely reminder of his value ahead of the second Test at the MCG on Saturday, while prop Taniela Tupou was also rock solid in the scrum.
The First Nations and Pasifika side were on the back foot early and the signs looked ominous when NSW Waratahs winger Tristan Reilly was given a yellow-card for his tackle on debutant Darcy Graham.
With Owen Farrell captaining the Lions for the first time, the visitors crossed in the seventh minute when a Fin Smith chip kick bounced up for centre Jamie Osborne.
They doubled that score in the 10th minute when halfback Ben White fired a pass out to Graham, but the shattered Scotsman's night ended five minutes later with a leg injury.
The invitational side also had an early casualty, with Wallabies outside back Filipo Daugunu suffering a head knock while making a tackle.
But coach Toutai Kefu's men put the visitors on the back foot with their rushing defence and breakdown ferocity, with flanker Charlie Gamble a stand-out.
Reilly made amends for his early absence when he intercepted a long Lions pass to score his team's first try before Queensland flanker Seru Uru planted the ball next to the post in the 22nd minute to lock up the scoreline.
It was the first time in seven matches in Australia that the Lions weren't in front at halftime, having conceded the most points in a first half of their tour.
The four-nations outfit edged ahead in the 44th minute with Osborne bagging his second, but the home side refused to buckle despite having to call on an inexperienced bench including 21-year-old Canberra club player Jarrah McLeod.
Farrell set up his team's fourth try, dummying and offloading for Duhan van der Merwe to score and it looked like the Lions would kick away.
But with 95-Test veteran Kurtley Beale marshalling his troops, Melbourne product Rob Leota put his team back in the hunt with a 70th minute try to reduce the margin to five points.
First Nations and Pasifika continued to scrap for the match-winner but the Lions managed to hold on to keep their unbeaten record intact.
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Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
More to Lions loss than referee call, say Wallabies
Wallabies lock Nick Frost won't waste time pondering countless "what if?" scenarios, saying the last-gasp loss to the British and Irish Lions shouldn't have come down to a controversial refereeing decision. The Wallabies were in a position to level the series after taking an 18-point lead in the second Test at the MCG on Saturday. But the home side were unable to seal the deal, allowing the Lions back into the game before fullback Hugo Keenan scored the match-winning try with 45 seconds left on the clock. Wallabies flanker Carlo Tizzano appeared to have been cleaned out illegally with a shoulder to the neck in the build-up, but Keenan's try stood after a review. It meant Australia suffered a 29-26 loss, with the Lions taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series ahead of the final Test in Sydney on Saturday night. Whether the last-minute try should or should not have been awarded, Frost said there was a bigger picture surrounding their defeat. "There were so many moments up until that where we could have capitalised," Frost said on Monday. "We had a pretty decent lead in that first half, and we gave away a few tries. "It doesn't always come down to the refs ... At the end of the day, you can't really rely right at the end for a decision there. "If you're relying on that, you probably haven't done enough work throughout the game." Tizzano has been accused by UK media and ex-players of staging, to try to win the penalty, but Frost defended his tough teammate and said the Wallabies didn't listen to the "outside noise". The Wallabies will have pride, and unwanted history, to play for at Accor Stadium. If they lose on Saturday, the tourists will have claimed their first three-Test series whitewash on Australian soil since 1904. While starting prop James Slipper has become just the second Wallabies player to appear in two Lions series, Frost said the third Test presented another rare opportunity for all, with the tours held only every 12 years. "There is something to lose. It's a Test match," Frost said. "There's a bit of fire in the belly from the last couple of games ... And again, like it's a Lions series, it's our last time - unless you're James Slipper - to play against them." Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt will be forced into changes after Harry Potter suffered a hamstring injury in front of his home crowd at the MCG. Dylan Pietsch or Andrew Kellaway loom as options to fill that spot, joining Max Jorgensen in the starting wing positions. "I've been there before and really feel for him," Jorgensen said of Potter. "It's really tough to see him head out of camp and stay down in Melbourne. Jorgensen agreed there was plenty of motivation for the Wallabies to fire up for the third Test. "All the boys are pretty gutted after that result. We put in such a big effort - we were leading for 79 minutes of the game," the 20-year-old said. "It's a tough pill to swallow. Everyone knows that, but obviously there's a big focus on this weekend now and winning this game this Saturday."
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Got it wrong': Wallabies left heartbroken as ‘terrible' call costs Aussies historic victory
The Wallabies have been denied an upset win over the British and Irish Lions in heartbreaking and controversial fashion after the visitors scored a last-gasp try to claim a thrilling 29-26 victory. Hugo Keenan went over for the Lions in the 79th minute to win it, only for Australia to desperately appeal the try, claiming Jac Morgan had made contact with the head of Carlo Tizzano at the breakdown in the lead-up. Referee Andrea Piardi, however, deemed there to be no foul play in the lead-up, much to the frustration of Stan Sport's Morgan Turinui in commentary. 'The referees were too weak to give it (the penalty),' he said. 'You cannot hit a guy in the back of the neck to save the ball who is legally jackling. The referees have got it wrong. It has cost the Wallabies survival in the series... a terrible decision that decides this match.' You can watch the controversial moment in the player above. A shattered skipper Harry Wilson said after the game he was 'probably not in the right emotion to speak' about the decision. Coach Joe Schmidt, meanwhile, said the Wallabies may have got a 'different decision on another day and another time'. 'I think it was described as arriving at the same time and we can all see that's not the case,' he said. 'We can all see clear contact with the back of the neck. Lions great Martin Johnson said after the game that he agreed with the call, arguing 'you have to be very, very sure to change the game on the ref's decision'. Former Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper, on the other hand, said if the incident happened in the first minute 'it probably gets awarded'. Turinui, meanwhile, only delivered an even more scathing assessment of the decision when pressed on the matter again post-game. 'That decision is 100 per cent completely wrong,' he said on Stan Sport. Lions blatant foul play is rewarded by northern hemisphere officials … a shameful end #Wallabies — Gray Connolly (@GrayConnolly) July 26, 2025 A very sad night for rugby when once again refereeing destroys a great game and turns people away from rugby in Australia. “Both players arriving at the same time. So no foul play.â€� Except one player cleaned out the other with a shoulder to the head. #lionsvswallabies — Tim Ayliffe (@TimJAyliffe) July 26, 2025 That is a rubbish decision. Clearly foul play. That’s a red card in super rugby. — Mark Gottlieb (@MarkGottlieb) July 26, 2025 A truly brutal way to lose a series for the Wallabies. — Jonathan Drennan (@JWDrennan) July 26, 2025 'The referee got it wrong. His two assistant referees got it wrong. The TMO got it wrong Joel Jutge, the head of the referees, is out here on a junket. He needs to haul those referees in and ask for a please explain... the refereeing group, when it counted, got the match-defining decision completely wrong. It's a point of law. It's in black and white. It's not about bias.' UK view - Wallabies player 'dived' British media predictably didn't agree with Australian pundits who believe the Wallabies were dudded by the no call when Jac Morgan made contact with the head of Carlo Tizzano. UK rugby journalists accused Tizzano of diving and exaggerating contact by flying backwards. The Sunday Times' rugby correspondent Stephen Jones said on X: 'Carlo Tizzano, hit by Jac Morgan at the very end, did himself no favours by a backwards dive and appeal to the ref.' The Telegraph's Oliver Brown wrote a column titled: 'Stop moaning Australia, your player dived.' Brown wrote: 'In the end, the verdict was clear: the Australian had tried to buy a penalty, falling backwards with an exaggeration of which an Italian centre-forward would have been proud. Tizzano clearly milked the incident, collapsing with a melodrama that could easily have persuaded some officials to chalk off Keenan's try. It would have been hugely unjust for the series-clinching score to be ruled out on the basis of one player's histrionics. Brown described Tizzano's reaction as 'staggering back, clutching his head as if in mortal agony'. One viewer wrote on X: 'Tizzano should be facing a ban for that. Shameful behaviour, diving and rolling around like a toddler.' Australia needed victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to keep the three-Test series alive after losing the opener in Brisbane 27-19. That desperation showed from the opening minute, with Will Skelton and Rob Valentini adding some much-needed gusto up front for an Australia team that was outmuscled in the opener. Fly-half Tom Lynagh was also doing his part to help the Wallabies win the field position battle early with some nice clearances, while he also added a pair of penalty goals to give the hosts a 6-0 lead after 15 minutes. The Lions eventually hit the scoreboard shortly after as a pair of offside penalties saw Dan Sheehan score and a promising start threatened to unravel for the Wallabies as Harry Potter then went down with a hamstring injury. But instead of derailing them, the Wallabies showed the fight they needed to considering the circumstances as James Slipper scored to put Australia further ahead. Tom Wright then nailed a 50-22 to set up the Wallabies in scoring territory again and on this occasion it was Jake Gordon who sliced through to extend the lead. Australia's attack was free-flowing at that point, with Tommy Freeman in the bin, as Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii split the Lions defence with his silky footwork and found Wright backing up in support. It was a dream start for Joe Schmidt's side, who lead 23-5 after 30 minutes, but momentum then flipped in the Lions' favour as back-to-back tries left the halftime deficit at 23-17. The 23 points were the most the Wallabies had scored in the first half against the Lions — a record dating all the way back to 1899. Given the way the Lions finished the first half, it felt like the opening try in the second stanza would be particularly crucial. The Wallabies had a chance to go over first when Langi Gleeson and Fraser McReight combined to split the Lions defence, finding Suaalii in space. Suaalii had a number of teammates open on the left edge but was taken to the ground by Tom Curry in a desperate last-ditch effort that forced the ball free, seeing a try go begging. Instead, it was the Lions who scored the first try of the second half through Tadhg Beirne in the 60th minute to reduce the deficit to 26-24 after an earlier Lynagh penalty goal extended Australia's lead. In the end, last-minute try broke Australia's hearts, with the no-penalty call to dominate discussion in the days to come.
Sydney Morning Herald
21 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Rugby Australia to seek answers from World Rugby over MCG call
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