Imperfect Lions beat Wallabies to take series lead

Australia (5) 19

Tries: Jorgensen, Tizzano, McDermott Cons: Donaldson 2

British and Irish Lions (17) 27

Tries: Tuipulotu, Curry, Sheehan Cons: Russell 3 Pens: Russell, M Smith

The British and Irish Lions beat the Wallabies 27-19 in the opening Test at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Dominant for 50 minutes, the Lions threatened to inflict a significant defeat on their hosts after a Finn Russell penalty and tries for Sione Tuipulotu and Tom Curry put them 17-5 ahead at the break.

Max Jorgensen replied for the hosts, who were outplayed in pretty much every facet. The Lions struck again early in the second half when Dan Sheehan finished in the corner to make it 24-5 after Russell converted for a third time.

The Lions then lost their way badly and the Wallabies came back into it, winning a ton of possession and territory and finally doing something with it when Carlo Tizzano blasted his way over after a sustained bout of pressure.

Ben Donaldson’s conversion narrowed the gap to 12 with a dozen minutes left. Marcus Smith eased whatever nerves the Lions might have been feeling when he popped over a penalty but the Wallabies struck again late on through Tate McDermott.

Victory for the Lions and a 1-0 lead in the series – but the mood in the aftermath was odd to say the least. No huge celebrations from the Lions, just some confusion as to how a game they should have won extremely comfortably turned into such a grind.

This should have been a whole lot more comfortable for the Lions. They’ll take the win, and played brilliantly in establishing their lead, but the way they fell off the pace in the final half an hour was worrying.

They lost their fury, their discipline and their decision-making and accuracy went south. They have much to work on before the second Test in Melbourne, but they’ll take comfort from the fact that when they were good, they were very good and really should have blown the Wallabies away.

There was a power coming from the Lions in that first 50 that the Wallabies were utterly incapable of handling. Tom Curry typified the ferocity up front with Russell pulling the strings with ease.

If the Lions were looking to lay down an early marker then they did so not once, not twice but three times in the opening minute or so.

Curry buried James Slipper in the tackle, Tadhg Beirne won a breakdown penalty in the next wave and Russell lashed it between the posts. A dream beginning for the tourists. And it got better.

The Lions were so much better than the Wallabies it was almost indecent. Their first try was a peach, starting with the irresistible Russell putting Sheehan away. The home side never recovered. Power and precision did for them in the first instance and then Russell’s audaciousness finished them off.

When he flung a floated pass beyond helpless Wallabies it landed in the grateful mitts of Tuipulotu, who went over at the posts. Gorgeous. Incredibly, Tuipulotu became the first Scot in 28 years to score a Lions Test try. The conversion was good and the Lions had a 10-point lead.

They were fluid and dominant in all areas. The wonderful Beirne and Curry were like hunters looking for prey. The Wallabies were in survival mode.

The Lions thought they’d scored again midway through the half when Tuipulotu’s midfield partner, Huw Jones, went over, but it was chalked off for not releasing.

That was the only negative for the Lions at that point because they should have been further ahead – and then came the sucker punch from the Wallabies, a box-kick from Jake Gordon with Jorgensen beating Hugo Keenan in the air and running away to score.

The respite was brief. More creative stuff from the Lions saw Russell cross-kick to Joe McCarthy who wasn’t far off scoring. Never mind, the score would come. The Wallabies, mistakes coming in droves now, gave away penalty after penalty in their own 22. At the last one, the Lions tapped and Curry drove over. Russell converted and the scoreline now bore some kind of reflection to the flow of the game.

There was a gulf as wide as the Brisbane River. Mere minutes into the new half, a Wallaby line-out overthrow was jumped on by Curry. Trouble ahead. Jones, basking in the open space, went hammering through a gap to take the Lions deep into Australia territory. The score was almost inevitable.

Jamison Gibson-Park found Jones while too much of the Wallaby defence bought the dummy run from Tommy Freeman. The Scot moved it on to Curry who put Sheehan over in the corner. High-class players making brilliant decisions in the face of an opponent that was dramatically out-matched.

Russell added two more and it was 24-5 – and embarrassing for the hosts. The sophistication and accompanying power of the Lions was way too much for them.

But then it all got very strange. The Lions lost it and the Wallabies grew. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was denied a try by the TMO, but his team stayed camped in the Lions 22. Tizzano fired himself over with 12 minutes left to make it 24-12.

Slightly anxious, Smith calmed things with a close-range penalty. Even then, the Wallabies had the final say when McDermott went over a little too easily for Lions comfort.

A mere consolation, of course. The Lions took the win and the spoils but that final 30 minutes was barren and weird. The last whistle was greeted in somewhat surreal fashion by the Lions. Relief, joy, but also a touch of confusion, too.

Onwards to Melbourne, though. One-nil, just as they’d hoped it would be.

Australia: Wright, Jorgensen, Suaalii, Ikitau, Potter, Lynagh, Gordon; Slipper, Faessler, Alaalatoa, Frost, Williams, Champion de Crespigny, McReight, Wilson

Replacements: Pollard, Bell, Robertson, Hooper, Tizzano, McDermott, Donaldson, Kellaway

British and Irish Lions: Keenan, Freeman, Jones, Tuipulotu, Lowe, Russell, Gibson-Park; Genge, Sheehan, Furlong, Itoje, McCarthy, Beirne, Curry, Conan

Replacements: Kelleher, Porter, Stuart, Chessum, Earl, Mitchell, Smith, Aki

Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZ)

Assistant Referee 1: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)

Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Piardi (Ita)

TMO: Richard Kelly (NZ)

Foul Play Review Officer (FPRO): Eric Gauzins (Fra)