Lions v Waratahs player ratings: Mitchell, Jones and Earl stand out
Just back from illness and not the error free Keenan we have become used to. A missed high ball in the first half and fell off the tackle as Lancaster ran into score to the Waratahs in the first half.
Rating:
5
14 Mack Hansen (Ireland)
Mixed bag from the Irish right wing. Got his hands on the ball early but didn't inject himself into the attacking play enough. Made some brave tackles and later in the game was one of the players that looked dangerous.
Rating:
6
13 Huw Jones (Scotland)
Took his two chances well for his tries and showed what a threat he can be. Especially the second try where he stepped the first defender and used muscle to wrench the ball over the line.
Rating:
7
12 Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)
A huge physical presence in the centre. While he didn't get any clear air to make clean linebreaks and open the Waratah's defence his small gains and hard defending were crucial.
Rating:
6
READ MORE
Sione Tuipulotu of the British and Irish Lions. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty
11 Blair Kinghorn (Scotland)
Having just come over from France the left wing saw very little ball in the first half. Because of the handling errors and spilled balls, he was isolated. Needed to come in more and get involved.
Rating:
5
10 Fin Smith (England)
Kicked the ball away a few times and although he was willing to take the ball on and try to get the backline moving struggled to do so. Maybe lacked a bit of creativity before Smith came on.
Rating:
5
9 Alex Mitchell (England)
The England scrumhalf was one of the players who looked like he was playing for a Test place. A different style to Gibson-Park he provided decent ball but it was his breaking and try that impressed on the day.
Rating:
7
1 Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)
Aggressive at the breakdown. Tackled hard and carried when asked among a packed field. The scrum was strong and he was a willing work horse in a tough phase of the game.
Rating:
6
2 Luke Cowan-Dickie (England)
His lineout throwing was accurate and carried a few balls in the first half. High energy effort but was part of an overall package that didn't go well in contact in the first half.
Rating:
6
3 Finlay Bealham (Ireland)
Got his hands on the ball early in the game and did some good work both sides of the ball especially during the energy sapping first 30 minutes when Waratahs were pushing hard.
Rating:
6
4 Scott Cummings
A safe pair of hands in the lineout and took several clean balls for the Lions' driving maul. Put a decent shift in around the park on both sides of the ball but not that many carries.
Rating: 5
5 James Ryan (Ireland)
Was strong in the lineout, taking a few balls and was willing to take on work. Spilled a ball going forward but could have done with more energy and visibility until McCarthy came on.
Rating:
5
James Ryan of the British and Irish Lions and Miles Amatosero of the Waratahs compete in the lineout. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty
6 Tadhg Beirne (Ireland, capt)
Put in his usual high work-rate and was among the bodies in most of the physical exchanges around the park. Didn't get to carry and was disappointed with a knock-on in attack at the end of the match.
Rating:
5
7 Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
A typical honest performance from the flanker and had some visibility early on. More of a hard graft game for him and didn't get that opportunity to carry in what was a scrappy game overall.
Rating:
6
8 Ben Earl (England)
One of the players that stood out from the beginning. The number 8 found gaps and exploited space as well as putting in big tackles. He has pace and uses it well. Throughout a genuine line break threat.
Rating:
7
Replacements
The bench brought energy as expected against a tiring Waratahs but apart from Alex Mitchell's individual try on 54 minutes the scoreboard didn't really move against a dogged opposition.
Rating:
5
Head
coach
: Andy Farrell
A scrappy performance with handling errors throughout the match. The team lacked a bit of hardness and bite in the breakdown area and lost collisions. The team moved forward in the last match but not this one.
Rating:
5
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