A convincing first tour win for the British & Irish Lions in Australia and plenty for the management to ponder. There was much to admire in the way the Lions unzipped a gallant but outgunned Western Force side, not least the playmaking vision of their fly-half Finn Russell and the youthful energy of Henry Pollock, but this eight-try triumph did come with one uncomfortable caveat.
The scrum-half Tomos Williams, one of only two Welshmen on the tour, contributed a pair of tries but was left clutching his left hamstring after completing a brilliant team score in the right corner. With the Lions facing a hectic series of fixtures in the coming fortnight, they may well have to whistle up some emergency cover.
The first-half penalty count was also too high but, for the most part, this performance will have alerted the Wallabies to the Lions’ counterattacking potential and collective depth. Russell, in particular, looked in good touch, helping to create two of the Lions’ first three tries and kicking five conversions in a display which strongly suggested he will be a key figure in the looming Test series.
There was also no ignoring the contribution of Pollock, who was never far from the centre of the action. In many ways the 20-year-old performed just as Andy Farrell would have wished, frequently making a nuisance off himself and bursting away to set up Williams’s first try. While the No 8 was also shown a yellow card just before half-time, his work rate and energy were once again conspicuous.
There were a further two tries for Elliot Daly, who again looked sharp, while his back-three colleagues James Lowe and Mack Hansen were similarly busy. With the captain, Dan Sheehan, the lock Joe McCarthy and the flanker Josh van der Flier also showing up well, it was not a bad start for the squad’s sizeable Irish contingent.
Russell, though, was the game’s pre-eminent architect. A perfect illustration was the Lions’ first try after just 90 seconds. With the cover already stretched a cross-kick by Russell found Sheehan lurking wide on the right. The hooker deftly offloaded to Lowe before scrambling to his feet and making himself available to take the wing’s return pass.
Western Force Donaldson; Grealy, Proctor, Stewart, Pietsch; Harford, White (capt); Robertson, Paenga-Amosa, Hoskins, Carter, Swain, Harris, Champion de Crespigny, Ekuasi. Replacements Horton, Pearce, Tauakipulu, Faifua, Prinsep, Robertson, Burey, Kuenzle. Try White. Con Donaldson.
British & Irish Lions Daly; Hansen, Ringrose, Tuipulotu, Lowe; Russell, Williams; Schoeman, Sheehan, Furlong, Cummings, McCarthy, Beirne, Van der Flier, Pollock. Replacements Kelleher, Porter, Stuart, Chessum, Conan, Mitchell, Jones, M Smith. Tries Sheehan, Williams 2, Daly 2, Ringrose, McCarthy, Mitchell. Cons Russell 5, M Smith 2.
Referee Brendan O’Keefe (NZ)
The Force often struggle to live up to their name but, initially at least, they were spirited. Ollie Hoskins and Sam Carter were playing their final games before retirement and had absolutely nothing to lose while Nic White, the moustachioed Wallaby scrum-half, always relishes this kind of challenge. Sure enough it was the former Exeter No 9 who scored his team’s opening points, sniping over from close range after a 14-phase buildup.
The Lions’ penalty count was also problematic but they are unquestionably a quick-thinking bunch with ball in hand. Pollock’s instinct for a half chance is also sharp and he showed that knack again by bursting on to a short ball from Van der Flier and surging to within five metres of the Force line. Better still he did not die with the ball, instead popping it up neatly to allow Williams to score.
Defensively, though, the Lions were not always as connected as they might have wanted and the deft combination of Dylan Pietsch and Ben Donaldson caused a few flutters down the left. The high amount of ball-in-play time, though, was also sapping the Force’s energy and Russell was quick to exploit it. The fly-half took a quick tap when the home side were expecting him to kick to the posts or the corner and glided his way towards the line before again offloading off the deck to Daly.
Pollock, in celebrating the score, attracted the ire of the splendidly named Force flanker Nick Champion de Crespigny, prompting an outbreak of handbags that is also fast becoming a regular feature of games involving the youngster. When the Northampton forward subsequently saw yellow seconds before half-time for not releasing a tackled player it summed up a rollercoaster half of rugby.
The public address announcer had also given the pot a gentle stir, referring to “our former Aussie, Mack Hansen” and “another former Aussie, Sione Tuipulotu” in a not-so-subtle dig at the mixed heritage of several Lions players on this tour. Then again the former England hooker Nic Dolly had been due to feature for the Force before withdrawing just before kick-off so the never-ending nationality debate works both ways.
Sir James Wates CBE has been appointed chair of the Rugby Football Union board.
He takes over the role from Sir Bill Beaumont, who was named chair on an interim basis in December last year following the resignation of Tom Ilube.
Wates is currently a board director of the Wates Group, a privately-owned construction, development and property service company in the UK and served as chairman between 2013 and 2023. PA Media
There could be no disputing the quality of Williams’s second try, which rounded off a 70-metre break and showcased both the pace and mental agility of several of this Lions squad. It was a real shame for the Gloucester No 9, though, that his gleeful dive into the corner was followed by a tell-tale clutching of the hamstring and a mournful exit. Toulon’s Ben White has just flown in to Auckland with Scotland and, if required, could offer potential cover.
The rest was relatively routine, with McCarthy, Daly and Alex Mitchell hoisting the Lions past their half century in this picturesque Noah’s Ark of a stadium on the banks of the Swan river, which will also host the first Test of the Ashes series later this year. From here the Lions are off to Brisbane to face the Reds on Wednesday before heading down to Sydney to play the Waratahs three days later. There will be scant opportunity for leisurely reflection but, considering the Lions have been in Australia for less than a week, this was far from the worst way to launch the antipodean leg of their expedition.
