Off-colour Lions made to work for victory over New South Wales Waratahs
A fortnight out from the first Test against the Wallabies and the Lions struggled to put away a side that finished eighth in the Super Rugby table and had lost five of their last six matches.
Even the arrival of a heavyweight bench could not provide the lift Andy Farrell's men needed at Allianz Stadium and a dismal second-half made for grim viewing with Alex Mitchell's 55th-minute try at least providing some breathing space.
Full time in Sydney 🦁 #Lions2025 pic.twitter.com/cdxW0tP8S3
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 5, 2025
Henry Pollock was withdrawn from the back row shortly before kick-off because of a tight calf and it was a good match for the rising star of English rugby to miss with a number of Lions playing their way out of Test match contention.
Only Scotland centres Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones and props Pierre Schoeman and Finlay Bealham distinguished themselves with the impressive Jones finishing with two tries, lifting his total for the tour to three.
Owen Farrell arrived into camp on Friday after being called-up as a replacement for the injured Elliot Daly and witnessed a display that fell well short of previous outings against Western Force and Queensland Reds.
The former England captain smiled as he was booed and cheered when shown on the big screen, with team-mate Will Stuart comically joining the jeering coming from home fans.
The Waratahs fought their hearts out even though they were missing several key players such as Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Angus Bell to Australia duty against Fiji on Sunday.
Taniela Tupou, dubbed the 'Tongan Thor', had at least been released back to the franchise in the hope he would find some form ahead of the Tests but instead he struggled as the Lions mined three scrum penalties in the opening quarter.
Huw Jones at the double in the first half 🦁 #Lions2025 pic.twitter.com/8noEK9VBid
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 5, 2025
The tourists were dominating the set-piece, but it was the understanding of centres Tuipulotu and Jones that led to an opening try that was forged in Scotland.
Jones crossed after being sent through a gap with a short pass from his Scotland centre colleague and then powered over for a second having also made the initial carry that drove the hosts backwards.
Waratahs openside Charlie Gamble had seen a try chalked off for offside at the line-out but his team eventually succeeded in the 35th minute when Darby Lancaster capitalised on hesitant defending on the Lions' right wing.
Hugo Keenan was enduring a nightmare debut after making error after error but he was far from alone as the familiar theme of dropped passes and poor handling continued to haunt Farrell's men.
They led just 14-5 at the interval and when Ethan Dobbin finished a maul try one minute into the second half they suddenly found themselves in a tight spot, playing poorly against a side that was scrapping for everything.
Mitchell settled the nerves when he took advantage of an overlap to dummy his way over and the Lions were unable to break through again in a desperately scrappy final quarter.
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Daily Mail
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Arthur Ashe, who won his historic title here 50 years ago, once remarked that the gap between the world No 1 and No 10 was as great as that between ten and 100. You did not need expert eyes to see that Norrie's current ranking — No 61, though this run will lift it — was cruelly exposed. "I was the underdog and he just took care of things really well," said Norrie. "It was a good experience to play the best player in the world, on his favourite surface. I didn't take my chances and that showed in the score. "When he's enjoying his tennis like this and he's serving that well, he's the favourite to win again for sure and the level he is playing is unreal. He's got so many options - he's got power and then he plays a drop shot. His physicality and movement makes it very tough for you. "It was one of the biggest matches of my career but for him that was probably just another match. He just played much better than me in the big moments and it all seemed to happen very quickly. 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"I struggled a bit in the first rounds of the championship but it's started to click now and feel really good. "Taylor is having a really successful season and he's playing some great tennis on grass, his aggressive game really suits this surface. "I need to find an even higher level than I did against Cameron, it doesn't get any easier. The key will be not to let him dominate the game. "This is my 23rd match in my winning streak but I don't want to stop, the players have a target on me and I know that." Fritz produced two outstanding sets to take control of his quarter-final against Karen Khachanov before inexplicably losing the third. He regained his composure, however, to complete a 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 win. It is further evidence of the American's steely mindset, cultivated in recent years as he has become a consistent presence in the second week of majors. This will be only his second Grand Slam semi-final, after his run to last year's US Open final, where he was well beaten by Jannik Sinner. That experience, though, instilled fresh belief in his ability to navigate the latter stages of major tournaments. His current Wimbledon campaign has underscored that resilience. Fritz came through two five-set matches in the opening rounds — including a first-round tie against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard that spanned two days — and has improved as the grass at the baseline has thinned. His game has long been suited to grass, and after recent ATP Tour titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne, he is as confident as ever as he attempts to dethrone the reigning champion. "[The US Open final] has given me a lot of confidence in those moments and situation — just having been there — that I can do it again," he said. "I feel like in other years, when I reached the quarter-finals here, it felt like a really big deal. This time I went into the match much more calm and relaxed. "I've just been really proud of how I've been mentally all week. I was about as close to being out of the tournament in the first round as you can be. "I think grass can be an equaliser. I trust how I'm playing. I truly believe that, playing the way I did in the first two sets today, there is not much any opponent can do."
