The British and Irish Lions completed preparations for their upcoming Test series against Australia with a devastating display in Adelaide on Saturday.
Andy Farrell’s ruthless side ran in eight tries and Duhan van der Merwe registered a hat-trick against an Australia-New Zealand Invitational XV packed full of internationals, who failed to score a single point in a one-sided 48-0 thrashing.
It was a fifth consecutive win for the Lions as they continued their 100 per cent record Down Under following a farewell loss to Argentina, but comfortably their most complete performance of the summer so far as they improved in a number of key areas and delivered a warning to the Wallabies ahead of next weekend’s First Test at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Head coach Farrell now has some serious thinking to do ahead of his selection for that match with a clear midweek to come and a number of players stating emphatic late claims for Test involvement, with the majority of his presumed first-choice team given the night off after labouring to a patchy win over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday.
The Lions were relentless in attack and ferocious defensively from the outset at the Adelaide Oval as an instant hit from Jac Morgan showcased their energy and intensity, continuing their dominance at the scrum before going ahead with just six minutes on the clock.
Hugo Keenan - looking to impress at full-back amid the knee injury suffered by rival Blair Kinghorn on Wednesday - did brilliantly to keep a poor kick in play as the Lions broke at pace down the left flank, Van der Merwe sent sauntering through for the opening score.
Scrum-half Ben White added a quick-fire second try just three minutes later on his first Lions start, spotting the space from the back of a ruck after Luke Cowan-Dickie’s efficient clear out and darting through the space to finish.
They maintained that punishing high tempo and had a third try inside 20 minutes when Van der Merwe was sent through again by fellow wing Mack Hansen after more incisive passing and handling, the Lions decisively shedding their unwanted tag as slow starters on this tour.
Former All Blacks flanker Shannon Frizell could not power his way over for the hosts as the Lions’ defence stood strong, before Cowan-Dickie couldn’t bring in a pass from Hansen to score in the corner following a fine break from Huw Jones as the AUNZ side received a brief and rare reprieve.
The only negative from an impressive first half for the Lions was Cowan-Dickie being stretchered off with his head and neck in a protective brace after being hurt while trying to tackle the AUNZ XV co-captain Lukhan Salakaia-Loto.
He initially received treatment on the pitch but was thankfully spotted walking around on the sidelines unaided and in good spirits in the second half.
Cowan-Dickie now looks poised to miss the First Test, with England team-mate Jamie George quickly called up. Ireland centre Garry Ringrose will also be absent after suffering a concussion against the Brumbies in midweek and needing to be stood down for 12 days.
Kinghorn, meanwhile, is in a race against time to be fit for Brisbane, with Farrell - who has already lost both Elliot Daly and Tomos Williams to tour-ending injuries - pondering further squad call-ups after drafting in Ireland’s Jamie Osborne as training cover this week.
The Lions quickly picked up where they left off after the interval, Sione Tuipulotu adding their fourth try as the Scottish barrage continued after a quick tap penalty under the posts.
Owen Farrell then came off the bench to make his first appearance of what is his fourth Lions tour, replacing Jones at 12 as Fin Smith made way for Marcus Smith at fly-half and Tuipulotu shifted to outside centre.
Breakdown issues had plagued the Lions against both the New South Wales Waratahs and the Brumbies over the last week, but they were well on top in that department this time despite AUNZ XV head coach Les Kiss fielding a formidable back row comprised of Frizell, Pete Samu and Hoskins Sotutu, with Frizell sin-binned for collapsing a maul as the penalties mounted from a besieged defence.
Scott Cummings added try No5 just three minutes after replacing captain Tadhg Beirne after more strong work from White and man-of-the-match Ben Earl, with Van der Merwe then swiftly wrapping up his hat-trick after more superb handling.
A seventh score arrived with 12 minutes to play as replacement hooker Ronan Kelleher exchanged clever passes with Pierre Schoeman at the front of the lineout and then shrugged off two defenders to cross the whitewash.
White’s likely try-saving tackle on Shaun Stevenson kept the AUNZ XV at bay, with Henry Pollock completing the rout at the other end when he touched down a loose ball ahead of Harry McLaughlin-Phillips - the third time the Lions have scored eight tries on this tour having also done so against both the Western Force and Queensland Reds.
A miserable night for the AUNZ XV - the first time such a team had been assembled since the 1989 Lions tour - was completed in the final minute when prop Josh Fusitua was shown their second yellow for a dangerous clear out on Morgan.
