Lions clean up the breakdown and what else we learned from first Test win over the Wallabies
It had been an issue for the
Lions
in the matches ahead of the first Test but after an early reminder of Fraser McReight's prowess the tourists were precise and authoritative in their clearing-out, thereby guaranteeing quick ruck ball. The upshot is that they were able to get their big ball carriers over the gain-line with ease and didn't allow
Australia
to breathe in hustling to try to realign in defence. The ideal is three-second ruck speed but for most of the first half the Lions would have enjoyed even quicker possession.
Tadhg Beirne
led his team in slowing down or nicking Wallaby possession at the breakdown with three turnovers ably supported by Tom Curry,
Jack Conan
and Maro Itoje in particular. In the final quarter the tourists were less effective, and the Aussies scored two tries as they started to win the collisions and get that quick ball.
Kicking game
Jamison Gibson-Park
's box-kicking was stunning, both in accuracy and giving the kick/chase line time to get up and contest the ball in the air. It proved a potent attacking weapon for his side that more often than not allowed his team to regain possession, especially when tapping the ball down. The Lions had identified where the Aussies would try to hide outhalf Tom Lynagh in the backfield and rained kicks down on him. The Lions scrumhalf also got great distance in his clearing kicks and in general terms took all the head off Finn Russell.
Finn Russell converts Dan Sheehan's try. Photograph:The Scot did contribute with some well-judged diagonal punts, but he will be disappointed with a cross-kick that should have led to a try for
Joe McCarthy
. He needed a sand wedge ball flight rather than three-iron as Ronan O'Gara pointed out in commentary. There were a couple of miscues from the back three but none were costly.
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Set piece
There could not have been two more diverse outcomes in terms of the end products.
Dan Sheehan
was flawless in his throwing as the team won all 11 when he was on the pitch and they even managed to bag a couple of the Aussie lineouts with Tadhg Beirne nicking one. While the Aussies did return the favour late-on, the Lions' lineout was a well-oiled machine that provided the consistent source of possession and an opportunity to tie in the Wallabies as was evidenced in the build-up to the Tom Curry try.
The Lions' scrum, which has been so dominant in the matches leading up to Brisbane, will require a pointed, post-match review as they coughed up a few penalties and a freekick. Referee Ben O'Keeffe gave each team a freekick for early engagement to try to get some stability but thereafter pinged the Lions for collapsing. It's a work-on going into the second Test.
Missed opportunities
It didn't matter too much on the day because the Lions claimed the victory, but
Andy Farrell
might be a little disappointed that the tourists weren't more ruthless in racking up the points when they were dominating proceedings for most of the first half. Huw Jones was penalised for not releasing the ball having been tackled as he then scrambled his way over the line, but the Scot might have been better served just looking inside for Jamison Gibson-Park who had run an intelligent trail-line and was unmarked.
Australia's Jeremy Williams and Len Ikitau tackle James Lowe. Photograph: David Gray/AFP via Getty Images
It was probably the only time when Finn Russell was less than sublime, but he'd demand more of himself with an overcooked cross-kick for Joe McCarthy. Anything a little more sympathetic and it would have been a try, while James Lowe would like his time again to use the numbers outside him for a run-in try rather than duck inside the Aussie cover and get nailed.
Physical dominance
The Lions bossed the collisions with Ellis Genge,
Tadhg Furlong
, Tom Curry and Joe McCarthy particularly effective at riding the initial contact point with the Aussie tacklers and powering through to the other side, while hooker Dan Sheehan and Jack Conan were more inclined to throw in some good footwork for goo measure. Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones and James Lowe were also highly effective in the physical stakes. The upshot was that the Lions got over the gain-line, the knock-on effect of which was quick ruck ball from which Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell were able to put pace, width and direction on the Lions' patterns.
Conversely the last half an hour in particular will be of some concern for the Lions and a source of hope for
Joe Schmidt
and the Wallabies. Australia got much more impact and energy from their bench and with the likely return of Rob Valetini and Will Skelton next week, and a few changes to the run-on team, the home side will hope to be right in the mix from the get-go rather than stuck in a forlorn chase.
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The 42
5 hours ago
- The 42
'Win by will' - The powerful video Katie Taylor sent to the Lions
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RTÉ News
8 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Jack Conan: 'Poignant' Katie Taylor message inspired Lions win
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From one Bray native to another, that message from the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, and current undisputed world lightweight champion struck a chord with Conan in particular. "Someone to come from the town I'm from, I'm incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well. "She's gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world. "And to be such a superstar and be just incredibly humble and driven and knock it out of herself is something that we kind of leant on as well, because we knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it today in spades. "Lads absolutely loved it, and it meant a lot to me being from the same place and seeing her on the world stage, but I think everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy, it resonated with everyone. "It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us, it was brilliant." 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Irish Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Lions star reveals 'poignant and powerful' video from Irish icon inspired team
Ireland ace Jack Conan has revealed that an inspiring video from boxing great Katie Taylor helped the British and Irish Lions find the resilience needed to close out their series against Australia. Taylor, an Olympic gold medal winner and current undisputed world super lightweight champion, sent the good luck message to Andy Farrell's squad in the build-up to Saturday's second Test at Melbourne Cricket Club. The 39-year-old's words on the ability to dig deep turned out to be prophetic as the Lions emerged 29-26 winners after fighting back from an 18-point deficit. 'The video was unbelievably poignant and powerful. It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but also being ready to win by will,' said Ireland number eight Conan, who like Taylor hails from Bray in County Wicklow. 'That was something that was massively summed up in the game because we were not at our best at all. 'It's huge because she comes from the town I'm from. I'm incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well. 'She's gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world. To be such a superstar, incredibly humble and driven is something that we leant on as well because we knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it in spades. 'Everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy – it resonated with everyone. It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us.' Katie Taylor celebrates after defeating Amanda Serrano (Image:for Netfli) It took a beautifully-taken try by Hugo Keenan with 51 seconds remaining to separate the rivals in one of the greatest Lions matches ever played. Remarkably, Keenan's touchdown was the first time they led in the match. Conan admits that victory tastes all the sweeter for having been taken to the wire as Australia raised their game to a whole new level a week after starting the series with a whimper in Brisbane. 'We were not at our best by any measure, but physically the lads dug in unbelievably well,' he said. 'It was disappointing how we played, but we played for 80 minutes. Hugo getting over the line in the last minute was just unbelievable. 'It wasn't my best game. A lot of us weren't at the races at all, but we stuck in there. You can't fault the effort. I thought the defensive sets we put in, just whacking people and just staying in there, was unbelievable. 'It's something that will go down in history. They won't be writing the history books about how s*** we were, but they'll say that we won and that's all that matters. 'Everyone's over the moon. To be part of a Lions winning series team is incredibly special. The celebrations in the changing room wouldn't have been the same if we'd won by 20.'
