British and Irish Lions withstand late Australia pressure to take lead in Test series

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5 days ago

The British and Irish Lions lead the series against Australia thanks to a First Test win in Brisbane.
Ultimately it was a game of two halves as Andy Farrell's side were the dominant force in the first-half, leading 17-5 at the break thanks in part to a brilliant performance from Finn Russell.
From the moment Dan Sheehan increased the lead right at the start of the second half, the First Test looked a forgone conclusion. However, a mixture of the Lions' levels dropping and Australia growing in confidence resulted in a much closer game.
Billed as strong favourites to win the first Test at Suncorp Stadium, they surpassed expectations by taking the Wallabies apart in a first half that exposed the gulf in class between the rivals.
Flankers Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne were at the heart of their dominance up front with props Ellis Genge and Sheehan delivering strong supporting roles, while Russell cast a spell over the home defence.
Russell had serious firepower to unleash in the form of centres Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, the classy number 13 touching down with the omnipresent Curry and Sheehan also crossing.
For all the fireworks from the Lions, who had built an unassailable 24-5 lead just seconds after the interval, their play became far more ragged in the final half-hour with Australia's bench having greater impact.
It was perhaps a reflection of the effort they had put in during a phase of the match when it looked like men against boys, but the Wallabies' fighting spirit was also evident.
Australia finished the stronger side in a development that bodes well for the Tests to come in Melbourne and Sydney and it is hoped bulldozing forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini will return from their calf injuries imminently to take part.
With the power of Skelton and Valetini missing, the Wallabies were given little hope and their worst fears came to pass inside the opening 10 minutes as the Lions raced clear with Russell dictating play beautifully.
A penalty that rewarded the intent shown by Curry and Beirne at the first breakdown was followed by two sublime passes as part of a move that ended with Tuipulotu strolling over.
Curry and Beirne were terrorising the Wallabies in contact and at the breakdown, justifying their selection in the ferociously-competitive flanker positions, while Tuipulotu and Jones were beginning to find their stride.
Jones had a try disallowed for not releasing and having just shown steel in defence, the Lions were burgled when Max Jorgensen stripped Hugo Keenan after the full-back had caught the ball before escaping to touch down.
Leading 10-5, the tourists needed more points to reflect their dominance after James Lowe and Joe McCarthy went close and their pack duly delivered with Curry producing the last in a series of pick and goes.
The second half was just 78 seconds old when the Lions moved out of sight with Curry and Jones instrumental in a try for Sheehan.
Australia showed signs of revival with their forwards at the heart of their best passage of play so far that saw Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Harry Potter almost pierce the red wall.
The Lions bench was not having the expected impact and instead it was the Wallabies' reinforcements who were making their mark, with a dominant spell ending when Carlo Tizzano barrelled over.
The try was richly deserved and in a nod to Australia's growing challenge, Marcus Smith drilled over a penalty to create a 15-point lead before Tate McDermott claimed a late consolation try.
Additional reporting by PA.