Third Test Review - Australia 16 - 41 British & Irish Lions

Firstly, I need to make an apology.  Six days to write up the final Lions Test is a pretty poor effort.  But as somebody who attended the game and who is still in Sydney, I can honestly say it’s not my fault.  I was subjected to a brutal night out with an almost aggressive influx of banter from Wallaby supporters, and the truth is I’ve only just recovered.   But now I’ve finally got what little wits I have back about me, I may as well detail what I was privileged to witness last Saturday.

As I was waiting to go inside the ANZ Stadium on Saturday night for the Third Test between the Wallabies and the Lions, I couldn’t help but wish that this wasn’t the end of the Tour, that maybe the game could be delayed by a couple of days.  Why?  Well, after all the build up over the last month, it’s pretty sad knowing that there’s only 2 hours between the present and the end of it all.  My desire for a delayed kick off was also aided the small factor that the queues for beer were so astronomically long that a camping kit would have been a useful asset, but the waits were made more entertaining by the vocal Lions and Wallabies fans standing in the line who seemed intent on spraying as much saliva into their neighbour’s ear as possible whilst belting out various patriotic tunes.

Despite my reluctance for the Third Test to actually take place, there was no withholding of opinion by the press in the build up to the game.  It was all focused around one point – Warren Gatland’s decision not to play Brian O’Driscoll, the Leinster, Ireland and Lions legend who was the only man remaining from the 2001 Tour.  So much was riding on this big call that Gatland had been subjected to abuse before the first whistle had even been sounded – and he would have been aware that there would be no hiding place for him should his gamble not pay off in the Series decider.

But it was apparent, from the first touch, that there was no hiding place for the players either at the ANZ stadium.  From Johnny Sexton’s kick off, Kane Douglas inexplicably moved out of the way at the last second and left a startled Will Genia to make probably his first mistake of the series, knocking on in the first 3 seconds of the game.  From the ensuing scrum, the Lions won a free kick and Tommy Bowe and Alan Wyn Jones made good yardage before the returning Alex Corbisiero took a smart flick from Mike Phillips and wriggled over the line for a try on the one minute line.  Leigh Halfpenny added the extras, and the Lions were in dreamland.

Both sets of fans were stunned and the stall was well and truly set for the rest of the match.  The Wallabies came roaring back from the restart, with Kurtley Beale showing nifty feet before Israel Folau stepped inside George North to bring the hosts inside the Lions 22.  The men in gold had go forward but were halted abruptly when George Smith charged headfirst into Richard Hibbard’s forehead, knocking himself out in the process and being forced off for a concussion test.  Hibbard didn’t seem to notice.  The loss of the evergreen talisman that is Smith seemed to rattle the Wallabies, as did a cracking hit by Dan Lydiate on Christian Leali’ifano that drove the centre backwards and allowed fellow flanker Sean O’Brien to claim a turnover penalty on halfway.  Halfpenny banished the memories of the previous week with a booming kick that gave the tourists a 10 point lead after just 10 minutes.

It didn’t last long, however, as Wyn Jones and Hibbard were penalised from the restart for blocking and Leali’ifano smoothly slotted the 3 points to bring the Wallabies back within 7.  Unfortunately for the hosts though, the Lions scrum was starting to take charge – and by take charge, I mean utterly destroy.  With Adam Jones continuing to do his thing, Alex Corbisiero showed what a superb scrummager he is by dismantling Ben Alexander on the loosehead side, earning two penalties and 6 points from the boot of Leigh Halfpenny.  It was a desperate state of affairs for the Wallabies – down on the scoreboard, smashed in the scrum, trucked in the tackle (with North pulverising Folau once again) and then, to make things worse, one man down, as Alexander was finally sinbinned after yet another scrum offence.  It was 3 further points for the Lions and, after a breathless opening 25 minutes, the score was 19-3 to the tourists.

The noise was coming from the supporters in red.  Even in the Wallaby sections, where I was, it was the pockets of British and Irish fans who were in full voice and belting out the full array of songs, from Bread of Heaven to Fields of Athenry to Swing Low.  I even heard Flower of Scotland at one point.  The hosts’ fans stunned silence was compounded at the sad sight of Folau leaving the pitch with a hamstring injury, to be replaced by debutant Jesse Mogg.

Luckily for the Aussies, Mogg is some talent himself.  With Beale making space in midfield, Mogg hit a gorgeous line to tear through the defence, and had open space in front of him – only to be denied by a sensational tap tackle by the diving Geoff Parling.  The Wallabies may have been denied the try this time, but the 14-men were showing real guts and a desire to claw their way back into the game.  Genia was threatening, James Horwill and Stephen Moore both went close with strong carries, but time after time the home side were denied, with Tommy Bowe, Parling and Faletau all making important tackles.  There was a sense that if there was any chance at all for the Wallabies in this game, they had to score before half time – and with the last throw of the dice, they managed it.

A rare solid scrum – with Sekope Kepu now on permanently for Alexander – gave the much-maligned James O’Connor decent ball, and the fly half stepped inside Sexton and wriggled through O’Brien, Phillips and Jamie Roberts to score by the posts.  It was a world-class finish worthy of a world-class winger – despite the doubts about his credentials as a 10.  Leali’ifano added the extras, and we had a game on our hands.

The tension was building and it was clear it would be critical who scored first after the break.  And it was the Wallabies who showed up stronger after the break, squeezing out 2 penalties at the breakdown to give the faultless Leali’ifano another 6 points with the boots and bring the men in gold back within 3 points with 35 minutes on the clock.  It was a stunning comeback and all of a sudden it was belief rather than despair that seemed to be permeating through fans and players alike.

The Lions needed a change, especially after their lineout faltered in a promising position.  On came Tom Youngs for the otherwise impressive Richard Hibbard, and he had an impact straight away, carrying strongly along with Wyn Jones to give the Lions a scrum in a useful position.  The ritual humiliation of the Wallabies followed, and Halfpenny extended the lead once again.  This was now a real slobber-knocker with both sides looking dangerous and going close – Beale and O’Connor combined beautifully to open up the Lions defence on the left, with Halfpenny coming to the rescue, before a superb chip and chase by Sexton nearly put Jonathan Davies away via a slick offload from North.

It was all jabs, chin-ticklers, with no real knock-out blow – but then the men in red delivered a crushing blow.  Bowe sliced cross field and good hands from Davies put Halfpenny through half a gap, and the Welsh fullback offloaded well inside to the supporting Sexton, allowing the Irishman to touchdown beneath the posts and send the Lions fans into raptures.

It was a stunning try that was only surpassed by another 5 minutes later – a series-sealing beauty that was made in Wales.  A decent kick by Genia didn’t find touch and Halfpenny, instead of kicking like he so often does, took the defence on – and how.  He beat Genia on the outside and surged inside a lethargic Joe Tomane, before feeding North on the outside and allowing the big Welshman to coast in for the try to end the game as a contest.  It was majestic stuff that rightly sealed Halfpenny’s title as Man of the Series.  Disgustingly, however, he missed the conversion.

The Wallabies’ confidence was shot.  Their game went flat, and the belief drained out of them as quickly as the Lions’ points accumulated, and 10 minutes before the end the final nail in the coffin was hammered in as Jamie Roberts, who had been kept quiet all game, hit a beauty of a line off a maul and coasted in through a gap that Matt Dunning could have waddled through.  It was lazy from the Wallabies; it was ecstasy for the Lions.

The final score was 41-16 to the tourists, and as they celebrated their first series win since 1997, it was notable to detect just a hint of sadness amongst all the fans’ cheering and singing.  After so much anticipation, the Lions tour was done, and it would be 4 years until the next one.  But for those who had doubts about the relevance of a Lions Tour in the current era, all questions had been well and truly answered over the last 5 weeks in Australia.  This was a Tour 12 years in the making, and it made memories that will last a lifetime.

Australia Player Ratings

Kurtley Beale – 6 – Made some magic from the back on a couple of occasions but was kept quiet overall by some strong kicking from the Lions.  His kicking, on the other hand, was a little shaky.

Israel Folau – 5 – A disappointing evening for both the talented man himself and both sets of supporters, as Folau was kept well shackled before going off with a strained hamstring.
Adam Ashley-Cooper –6 – Never let anyone down but was unable to join in the game as an attacking force as the Wallabies struggled for fluency.
Christian Lealiifano – 7 – Looks like a natural Test player when he’s not getting knocked out.  His kicking was flawless once again and almost helped the Wallabies get back into the game, although he will be disappointed with his defence for the Lions’ second try.
Joe Tomane – 5 – For the second week in a row the electric Brumbies winger was surprisingly quiet.  He struggled to make an impact with the ball in hand and looked suspect in defence.
James O'Connor – 7 – It’s safe to say the O’Connor experiment at 10 has failed.  This was his best performance of the Series but he still doesn’t bring in others around him, despite scoring a marvellous solo try...but it was a winger’s score, not a fly-half’s.
Will Genia – 8 – Incredible that he still looked so dangerous behind a beaten pack.  Constantly threatened the fringes and kicked superbly as well.
Benn Robinson – 4 – The problems were mainly on the other side of the scrum but he still had problems and was pinged a couple of times.  Carried well once again though.
Stephen Moore – 5 – The lineout was solid once again but we didn’t see him in the loose as much as usual and he was part of a decimated front row.
Ben Alexander – 2 – Probably one of the worst nights of his rugby career.  Utterly destroyed by Corbisiero to the extent that his coach hauled him off before the half before he could be penalised any more.
Kane Douglas – 4 – A real come down after the promising displays over the last couple of weeks.  His mistake at the opening kickoff set the tone for the evening for the Wallabies and was bullied physically.
James Horwill – 6 – Toiled manfully but was thoroughly outperformed by his opposite numbers in terms of physicality and mobility.
Ben Mowen – 7 – Along with Folau, a real success story for the Wallabies, which is one crumb of comfort to take.  A real pain for the tourists around the fringes, he dealt with Mike Phillips well throughout.
George Smith – 5 – The dream comeback was not to materialise.  He took a big bang to the head early on and seemed slightly off the pace when he returned.
Wycliff Palu – 6 – Made some big statements in defence but was unable to generate any decent go forward with the ball in hand.

Subs Used

Saia Faianga – 5 – Struggled in the scrum but at least upped his sides energy levels at the breakdown.
James Slipper – No time to have an impact.
Sekope Kepu – 6 – The big prop was an improvement in the scrum but was still under a huge amount of pressure from Corbisiero and yielded a couple of penalties.
Rob Simmons – 5 – Unable to break the waves of Lions carriers that were hurtling in his direction.
Michael Hooper – 6 – His energy may have helped the Wallabies at half time but by the time he arrived the decline had well and truly started.
Ben McCalman – 4 – Was he on the field?  Invisible upon his introduction.
Nick Phipps – No time to have an impact.
Jesse Mogg – 6 – Showed some promising touches on his debut, with one scything break in particular in the first half nearly leading to a score.
 

Lions Player Ratings

Leigh Halfpenny – 10 – Magnificent stuff.  Kicked like a dream once again, was defensively superb and we saw some attacking spark to make him the full package.  A wonderful display, that would have earned a man of the match award was it not for the work of someone in the front row...
Tommy Bowe – 7 – Another solid display from Bowe, who proved his worth as an intelligent footballer despite not getting his hands on the ball quite as much as he would have liked.
Jonathan Davies – 8 – A class display from the outside centre.  Helped set up a try and kicked well throughout, completing a very impressive tour for the Welshman.
Jamie Roberts – 7 – Quietly effective from the big man.  He didn’t make too many yards but he straightened the line when required and then hit a dream line off a set move that put the cherry on top of the cake for the tourists.
George North – 7 – Was well shackled on the whole but one big hit on Folau ensured he finished that battle on top and then finished well for the Lions’ third try.
Jonathan Sexton – 8 – Probably the Lions’ unsung hero in the backline.  Was calm and authoritative throughout the game and deserved his try after a good support line.
Mike Phillips – 6 – Didn’t have the best of games but got the job done.  His service was better this time and he didn’t get caught around the fringes as much, but his box kicking was still very poor.
Alex Corbisiero – 10 – An unbelievable performance.  You cannot ask for anything more from a prop.  He made his fair share of tackles, carried hard, scored a try and earned the Lions 12 points with penalties.  Showed England what they are missing.  Man of the Match.
Richard Hibbard – 7 – The lineout was pretty solid on the whole and, although he wasn’t as prominent as usual in the loose, he was part of a destructive front row effort.
Adam Jones – 8 – Dominated his side of the scrum and that was critical for the Lions, but he didn’t show up around the park anywhere near as much as his fellow prop.
Alun-Wyn Jones – 9 – Relentlessly physical and inspirational performance from the stand in skipper.  Led a fired up pack and never took a backwards step.  Hit hard throughout.
Geoff Parling – 8 –The Aussies will know who he is now.  Incredible workrate and the definition of the word ‘graft’, but one superb tap tackle on Mogg finally earned him some deserved spotlight. 
Dan Lydiate – 7 – Defensively massive once again.  I’d still like to see him be more effective with the ball in hand but when you win penalties by chopping players down, it’s a minor criticism.
Sean O’Brien – 8 – Phenomenal workrate that was only let down by one defensive lapse in the closing stages of the first half.  Carried with real purpose and showed skill and poise over the ball as well.
Toby Faletau – 8 – Has really kicked on in the latter half of the tour.  His work rate was sensational once again and how he tops the carrying and tackling charts simultaneously is seriously impressive.

Subs used:

Tom Youngs – 7 – The scrum did not loose any power with his introduction and his energetic carries helped the Lions kick on when the Wallabies were closing in.

Mako Vunipola – 6 – The game was won by the time he was introduced but carried with typical energy when he did get onto the field.
Dan Cole – 7 – Destructive in the scrum upon his introduction and will be pleased he finished the Tour on a positive after the criticism he received in the First Test.
Richie Gray – 6 – Finally a Scotsman got onto the field and he made himself busy in defence when he came on.
Justin Tipuric – 7 – Provided energy at the breakdown and snaffled himself a turnover in the short time he was on the pitch.
Conor Murray – 6 – Maintained the team’s fluency with some crisp service which was made easier by the dominant pack in front of him.
Owen Farrell – 7 – Has grown in stature during the Tour and maintained his attacking mentality with some smart kicks and smooth passes upon his introduction.
Manu Tuilagi – No time to have an impact.

Third Test Preview - Australia v British & Irish Lions

Blood, sweat and tears.  The rugby mantra.  The ingredients that make our sport the best in the world to watch, comment on and, most of all, play.  This Test series has all three in abundance – blood, in the form of the physical batterings the players have withstood to take to the pitch for the final test; sweat, because, well, they are trying hard; and tears, as the blubbing James Horwill will testify after a glorious Second Test victory for the Wallabies in Melbourne.  Those unlectured in the glory of rugby and the significance of a Lions tour may treat the sight of a 6 foot 6 man blubbing uncontrollably like a teenage Justin Bieber fan with a certain form of contempt but, for the rest of us, it is just another marker of how defining these games are to the careers and even the lives of the players involved.  And that’s not to mention the fans too.

I’ve been smug enough to be in Sydney over the last 4 days (hence the lack of blog posts – apologies), and there is a very definite sense that something special is happening.  The sense that the Third Test will be a game of unparalleled drama and importance to all of those involved in the game.  Perhaps one of the most striking things, to me at least though, is how much this means to the locals over here.  As an Englishman, I know what the Lions mean, as does anyone involved in rugby in the British and Irish Islands, but the Aussie fans know what it means to beat them.  For players in Wales, Ireland, England and Scotland, the chance to play the for the Lions may come around 3, or even 4 times in your career; for the Wallabies, the chance to play the Lions comes around once in a rugby-playing lifespan (unless you are George Smith, of course), so this series means just as much to the men in green and gold as it does to those wearing red.  And with all that passion comes opinion – and I haven’t heard one positive remark about the Lions’ team selection for this Saturday.

I have to admit, I admire Warren Gatland in a way.  To remove Brian O’Driscoll from a side in possibly the biggest game of your career is one hell of a coaching decision – unfortunately, nobody seems to think it will pay off.  Every Australian I’ve spoken to has displayed reaction somewhere between shock and amusement that the Irish legend has been dropped, and most seem to think that it will hand them a Series win – plenty of Lions supporters seem to feel the same way, too.  My view?  I think it is a mistake, but I can see why he has done it.  The Lions were as limp as a wet flannel when it came to threatening the line in Melbourne, and the introduction of Roberts would help the tourists certainly break that gain line.  But the problem is that Roberts has looked average at best since 2009, whilst Manu Tuilagi has generally been more effective as a power runner since his introduction to international rugby; but even saying that, O’Driscoll did not deserve to be dropped – Davies made the defensive error by stepping in for the key score in the Second Test, and it’s hard to see why he remains, despite being in very decent nick otherwise this tour.   Roberts will have to physically dominate James O’Connor and Chrisian Lealiifano if the tourists are to succeed.

But to me, this isn’t the biggest call.  In order to win, the Lions will require speed and power in their pack and Tom Youngs has been just about the Lions’ best carrier over the last two games, not to mention one of the top tacklers.  Sure, the lineout hasn’t been perfect, but he still has the best record out of all the other hookers and he is another that the Aussie fans are shocked at being dropped.  In terms of the other changes, O’Brien and Faletau will hopefully be the right calls and complement Lydiate well in a powerful backrow, but it is hard not to feel sorry for Tom Croft, Alex Cuthbert, Jamie Heaslip and Ben Youngs, who have all been dropped completely without necessarily doing anything wrong in the Test Matches.  Indeed, having Conor Murray – the Irish replica of Mike Phillips – on the bench, seems to be a very limiting decision if the game plan does need to be changed.

The Wallabies, though, will not care one jot about this.  The important thing for them is that they build on this momentum that has been built since their win in Melbourne.  Whereas the Lions made 5 changes to a winning side, the Wallabies have made just one, with George Smith replacing the talented Michael Hooper at openside flanker.  Although not a decision of O’Driscoll-esque importance, the call is a harsh one on the young Waratah – although, again, I can see why it has been made.  Smith is a master forager with every trick in the book up his sleeve, he will be going out there to chop down Roberts and he will know more than anyone how to deal with the pressure-cooker atmosphere that will be built up in the Stadium come 8pm tomorrow in Sydney.  Exactly what the Lions will be missing without O’Driscoll.

But team selections will count for nothing tomorrow evening.  It will instead be rugby at its most basic; at its most beautiful.  Blood, sweat and tears.  Expect plenty of all 3 tomorrow.

Wallabies Team News

Smith returns to the Wallabies' line-up at the expense of Michael Hooper in the only change to the side that started in Melbourne last week. Hooper drops to the bench with Liam Gill making way on a bench that reverts to a six-forward, two-back split. Western Force loose forward Ben McCalman is drafted in with Rob Horne the unlucky back to make way with Nick Phipps and uncapped fullback Jesse Mogg providing the run on options.

Starting Line up:  Kurtley Beale (Melbourne Rebels), Israel Folau (NSW), Adam Ashley-Cooper (NSW), Christian Leali'ifano (ACT Brumbies), Joe Tomane (Brumbies), James O'Connor (Melbourne Rebels), Will Genia (Reds); Benn Robinson (NSW), Stephen Moore (ACT), Ben Alexander (ACT), James Horwill (Reds - capt), Kane Douglas (NSW), Ben Mowen (ACT), George Smith (Brumbies), Wycliff Palu (NSW).

Subs: Saia Fainga'a (Reds), James Slipper (Reds), Sekope Kepu (NSW), Rob Simmons (Reds), Ben McCalman (Western Force), Michael Hooper (NSW), Nick Phipps (Rebels), Jesse Mogg (Brumbies).

Key Player

George Smith.  It’s a huge call from Robbie Deans to call up the veteran flanker after so long out with a knee injury – but it’s a sign of the ability of the Brumbies man that there was no hesitation in dropping the excellent Michael Hooper to make way for him.  In a game that is sure to provide more than its fair share of physical confrontation, the openside will be key to the Wallabies’ hopes of dismantling the inevitable waves of big runners that will be sent their way.  Smith still retains that uncanny ability to get over the ball and cause havoc for an attacking team and if he is able to slow the ball down enough, then it doesn’t matter how big the runners are out wide.  The Wallabies will be waiting.

Lions Team News

The Lions have opted to make six changes and one pivotal switch following last weekend's defeat in Melbourne with the headline-grabbing omission of veteran centre Brian O'Driscoll. Jonathan Davies is preferred at No.13 with Jamie Roberts filling the void at inside centre, while scrum-half Mike Phillips returns instead of England's Ben Youngs, who like O'Driscoll does not even make the bench. A fit-again Alex Corbisiero will pack down at loose-head instead of Mako Vunipola, hooker Richard Hibbard gets the nod over Tom Youngs, Sean O'Brien replaces injured skipper Sam Warburton and Toby Faletau is preferred at No.8 to Jamie Heaslip in a side that will be led by lock Alun-Wyn Jones. Starting Line up:  Leigh Halfpenny (Wales); Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Jonathan Davies (Wales), Jamie Roberts (Wales), George North (Wales); Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales); Alex Corbisiero (England), Richard Hibbard (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales), Alun Wyn Jones (captain, Wales), Geoff Parling (England), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Sean O'Brien (Ireland), Toby Faletau (Wales).

Subs: Tom Youngs (England), Mako Vunipola (England), Dan Cole (England), Richie Gray (Scotland), Justin Tipuric (Wales), Conor Murray (Ireland), Owen Farrell (England), Manu Tuilagi (England).

 

Key Player

Jamie Roberts.  The doctor is in session and if there was a time to put in a clinical performance, this is it.  The Lions lacked penetration and punch in the pack and in the backline last Saturday and Roberts has been brought in to get that front foot ball and work the openings for others.  The problem?  He’s looked pretty ordinary for quite a while for Wales and was conspicuous by the amount of times he turned the ball over in his last couple of outings for the Lions.  In my book, he is lucky to get a spot ahead of Manu Tuilagi – who beat twice as many players in half as many games during the Six Nations – and he has to justify his selection by putting in a South Africa-esque Test display that has the Wallabies rocking backwards.  The only way the Lions will win this game is if they physically dominate the hosts in the contact area – if Roberts fails at this, the whole game plan goes to pot.

Key Battle

Israel Folau v George North.  Sure, this is the war between the 2 pretty boys of the teams – the finishers; the show ponies – but in a game where small advantages matter, the battle between the 2 wingers will be absolutely critical.  The result is just about even at the moment, with both wingers proving to be unfairly superior physical specimens of men in displays of sheer power and athleticism.  Folau is a sensational athlete and needs the ball in space, and if he receives this he has to be ready to take advantage of the tiniest gaps made available to him – because there won’t be many.  North, on the other hand, has a proven track record of exploiting space for Wales, but he has to work harder in my opinion – with Bowe on the other wing, he has to come late off Sexton’s shoulder in the middle more often to pierce holes off first phase ball and get the opposition in retreat.  In a game of attrition, the two blokes with the X Factor may just hold the key to unlocking this game.

Prediction

This is it.  It is for moments like this that these blokes play the game; it is moments like this that define careers and create history.  The momentum is with the Wallabies.  Their magnificent captain from the second test, James Horwill, has been cleared to play and you cannot underestimate how important that call is.  The Lions lost the second test because they were unable to achieve front foot ball – and Gatland has picked a side that will attempt to achieve that by brute force.  The problem is that the Wallabies know how to handle that – they have dealt with the All Blacks, the Springboks and, far more importantly, the Welsh before, and the power game alone will not defeat this Australian side.  The hosts may not be the biggest, but they are very intelligent and unless the tourists can vary their game, the Lions will struggle.  Sydney’s talk has been one of shock at some of the omissions from the visitors’ side, and I can see some of these being key to the result tomorrow.  Wallabies by 3.

Second Test Review - Australia 16-15 British & Irish Lions

Jeez, what was I saying about fair in my preview for the Second Test?  You probably don’t remember because you have a life and more interesting things to think about, or you didn’t read it in the first place, but as a refresher I declared that fair was boring – mistakes, unjustifiable decisions and sheer bad luck were the key elements of an engaging Test Series.

But I withdraw all those statements.  Fair is brilliant.  Fair means like for like, and although the events in Melbourne didn’t have anywhere near the same amount of all-out-entertainment that the first Test had, it did have the same amount of drama and a heartbroken kicker with a failed last-gasp effort to win.  It wasn’t pretty but it was deliriously tense.  At this rate, I will have bankrupted myself by the end of next week due to the necessary purchase of new underwear that seems to be required after witnessing any Test match.

Quite aside from my personal issues when it comes to watching this Test series, we should marvel at how bone-crushingly tight these contests are – and not just the matches themselves.  The mid-week preparation seems to be swinging back and forth constantly in terms of who the favourites are – first O’Connell is announced as out by the Lions, then Horwill is cited, then he’s cleared, then Bowe returns, then Beale and O’Connor are out munching Maccers at 3am in the morning...it’s madness, utter madness.

And madness would probably be the best way to describe the opening stages of the Second Test.  A frantic series of clearances led to an overly-sexy lineout move which forced Tom Youngs into touch, a bone-shuddering tackle by Brian O’Driscoll on Adam Ashley-Cooper and forced turnover penalty won by Sam Warburton, giving the metronomic Leigh Halfpenny a kick at the posts with just 3 minutes on the clock.  The Welshman struck his kick well from just under 50 minutes, but it didn’t have the legs and cannoned into the bar, allowing the Wallabies to clear their lines.

Both sides then traded blows, with Israel Folau firing a warning shot by stepping George North and then a huge rolling maul from the Lions pack forcing another penalty for Halfpenny.  This time the fullback didn’t miss and the tourists held a well-earned 3 point lead.  It lasted 5 minutes though as a series of messy scrums – off the back of a great aerial take by Folau in the Wallaby 22 – ended up in a penalty going the way of the hosts, and Christian Lealiifano banged it over to level the scores.  Five minutes later again and it was déjà vous as Mako Vunipola was pinged again for illegal scrummaging and Lealiifano, showing no signs of grogginess after his face-tackle of Davies’ hip last week, showed his kicking prowess to edge the hosts ahead for the first time.

There was definite concern amongst the fans that the Saracens prop was struggling, but the return of the Mak (I’ve always wanted to use that) came at the very next scrum, with Adam Jones and Vunipola both getting the upper hand to win another 3 points for Leigh Halfpenny.  The front row repeated the trick just after the half hour mark to give the Lions the lead, before Lealiifano levelled things up with a kick of his own following an offside from Dan Lydiate, who was virtually in the Wallabies’ backline when the ball emerged from the ruck.

It had been a cagey, attritional, tense but ultimately scrappy first half, but it burst to life in the final play of the game as North collected a high ball before O’Driscoll, Geoff Parling and Jamie Heaslip all combined well to force another penalty, which Halfpenny slotted to give the tourists a deserved 3 point lead at half time – 12-9.

The opening to the second half proved to be an equally messy affair, but no less compelling, with several messy scrums, strong work by the superb James Horwill, a sharp break by Will Genia and an even sharper turnover from Sam Warburton keeping possession swapping hands on a frantically regular basis. The crowd settled into a nervous murmur as the back-and-forth continued, before George North set the stadium alight with a phenomenal display of power on the hour mark.  North took man and ball on the left, with Folau coming up quickly, and the big Welshman dipped one arm under the Wallaby sensation and carried him over his shoulder like a misbehaving toddler for a good 5 metres before eventually being brought down.  It fired up the crowd, and it certainly fired up the pack as well as Dan Cole, on for Adam Jones, utterly marmalised the Aussie front row to win a tricky penalty for Halfpenny, which he converted.

A 6 point lead in a game like this?  Surely the Lions were onto a winner?  Not so.  This Wallaby side is made of stern stuff, and an intercept from a poor pass of O’Driscoll led to Folau, Genia and James O’Connor making good ground to pile the pressure onto the tourists’ defence.  For 10 minutes the rampaging hosts battered at the tourists’ line, with the only brief respite being the odd clearance kick ran straight back at the men in red, and eventually it paid off.  James O’Connor, who had been having a mixed evening, ghosted on the outside of a ruck on the blindside and forced Jonathan Davies to think about stepping in, creating a gap for the excellent Adam Ashley-Cooper to snake through and dive over for a critical try.  Not as critical as Lealiifano’s conversion though, which he nailed beautifully from out wide under the most intense pressure.

Game over?  Of course not.  There was more drama to come, O’Connor took the ball back into his 22 and kicked out on the full, giving the Lions great field position with the lineout but Hibbard, who had scrummaged well, over threw and the lively Liam Gill (on for Wycliff Palu) snaffled the ball ahead of Cole to claim a critical turnover.  Chance lost.  But the game was not lost.  The Wallabies coughed up possession and the tourists launched one final attack from deep.  Led by substitute Conor Murray, they made their way up to halfway, where the hosts were penalised for going off their feet in the ruck.  Up stepped Halfpenny, on the very limit of his range – although why Murray didn’t tap and try to buy an extra 10 metres, I do not know.  The Welshman has been unflappable, but Halfpenny’s boot proved fallible as his attempted penalty to win the match in the last minute fell 5 metres short.  The Wallabies booted the ball of the park.  Series levelled.

The sight of magnificent Captain James Horwill in tears showed what this meant to the men in Green and Gold, and it may well be the last we see of him against the Lions as the IRB decision on his alleged stamping incident is due this week.  But now we have 2 Tests down, 2 last gasp missed kicks, 2 single-score margins, 2 sides putting everything into each performance.  1 decider in Sydney.  That seems pretty fair to me.

PS.  I may consider it more fair than others as I am just about to hop on a plane to Sydney with my tickets to the third Test.  I never said it was going to be fair on you.

Australia Player Ratings

Kurtley Beale – 6 – Will be glad he had a less dramatic match this time around.  Was always creative and looking to try something even if, more often than not, it didn’t come off

Israel Folau – 7 – Not quite as big an impact as last week and will hate the image of being carried over North’s shoulder like a naughty child, but still so, so dangerous in attack and in the air
Adam Ashley-Cooper – 8 – Committed, intelligent and defensively magnificent throughout, and a try was richly deserved for a man who outshone his illustrious opposite number as the classiest centre on the pitch
Christian Lealiifano – 8 – We saw what the Wallabies were missing out last week.  He distributed well and, whilst not threatening himself, brought others into the game.  Nerves of steel as well in a beautiful kicking display.
Joe Tomane – 5 – Looked pretty rusty after a bit of a lay off and, although he had a go a couple of times, was well marshalled and turned over on occasion.
James O'Connor – 6 – He still doesn’t look like the general he needs to be to play fly half at this level, but he atoned for an average display by creating the space for Ashley-Cooper’s critical try.
Will Genia – 7 – Yet another classy display from the 9.  Not quite as explosive as last week but he still created little half gaps for his teammates and he provides such a good pivot for ‘round the corner’ runners.
Benn Robinson – 6 – No darts with the ball in hand this time, but he largely held his own against Jones in what turned out to be a good tussle between the two.
Stephen Moore – 7 – The lineout was strong and his work around the park was crucial to the Wallabies building momentum at a key stage of the game.
Ben Alexander – 6 – A solid performance on his 50^th cap.  Had a real hit-and-miss battle with Vunipola but he carried strongly as well.
Kane Douglas – 7 – Ultra-physical and aggressive, the lock was a key component on why the Lions struggled to dictate the tempo of the game.
James Horwill – 9 – If he is out of the final Test, you cannot underestimate the impact that will have on the series.  A colossal performance that was filled with hard graft and leading from the very front.  Did not take a single step backwards.  Man of the match.
Ben Mowen – 7 – Another good display from a man who looks like he was made for Test rugby.  His versatility and abrasiveness made him a real thorn in the Lions’ side when they were in possession.
Michael Hooper – 8 – Lightning around the park and was often the first man to get around the ruck to make a covering tackle on the other side.  His pace and aggression on the carry is a real asset too.
Wycliff Palu – 7 – A much stronger display.  His carries and offloads were important to any period of Wallaby possession but his defensive graft was also key to helping to keep the Lions’ attack at bay.

Subs Used

James Slipper – 5 – Destroyed in his first scrum but recovered well to hold his own afterwards.
Sekope Kepu – 6 – Another to struggle in the set piece but his carrying was an asset to his side.
Rob Simmons – 6 – Upped the energy levels and was active in the loose
Liam Gill – 7 – A great cameo saw the Reds flanker get into the Lions pack to force a couple of turnovers – none more important than a cheeky lineout steal at the end.
Rob Horne – No time to make an impact

 

Lions Player Ratings

Leigh Halfpenny – 6 – You can’t blame him for falling short with the final kick of the game, but we barely saw him hitting the line or contributing to the attack

Tommy Bowe – 7 – Great to see him back in a Lions Test jersey, and although he wasn’t as involved as he may have liked, his few contributions were made with a touch of class
Brian O'Driscoll – 5 – He is a great leader and there is no doubting his commitment – but he looked ordinary in attack and doesn’t seem on the same wavelength as Davies...and the referees as well.
Jonathan Davies – 5 – Critically stepped in and didn’t trust his cover when Ashley-Cooper went over.  A couple of decent carries but otherwise very quiet.
George North – 6 – Very quiet but wins a point for a moment that will be long remembered in Lions folklore – the picking up and carrying of Folau.  Classic stuff.
Jonathan Sexton – 7 – Once again looks calm and in control and did nothing wrong.  The men outside him weren’t firing on all cylinders, and where was North on his inside shoulder?
Ben Youngs – 6 – Pretty mixed from the England 9.  His service was very quick when the Lions pack finally got decent ball but otherwise struggled to create opportunities
Mako Vunipola – 5 – Recovered well from some scrummaging troubles early on but still didn’t look entirely comfortable, and one abysmal pass to O’Driscoll put his team under pressure.
Tom Youngs – 8 – The Lions’ hooker put in another strong showing around the park, tackling his socks off and carrying aggressively.  Lineout was largely decent, but had a couple of wobbles.
Adam Jones – 7 – One great steal and held his side of the scrum up well once again.  Questions have to start being asked about his fitness levels as he looked exhausted during the second half.
Alun-Wyn Jones – 6 – Nowhere near as impressive as in previous weeks, he failed to step up to the plate as the ‘enforcer’ and didn’t out muscle his opposition.  Was a demon in the tackle area though.
Geoff Parling – 6 – Mobile and committed, but didn’t cause as many problems in the lineout as he would have liked.  
Dan Lydiate – 7 – A very decent chop-tackle performance, but he conceded a couple of costly penalties as well.  The Lions needed perhaps a bit more zip and attacking prowess to cause problems.
Sam Warburton – 9 – The best Lions player on the pitch by a fair distance.  Made 3 turnovers and was more often than not the tourists saviour in defence.  Will be a huge blow if he misses the next Test.
Jamie Heaslip – 6 – Once again, there were flashes of class from the Irish number 8, but he disappears far too often from games

Subs used:

Richard Hibbard – 6 – Scrummaged well when he came on but that missed lineout will haunt him for a long time

Dan Cole – 6 – Great impact in the scrum when he came on and tackled well, but will wish he had a cat’s reflexes rather than a hippo’s when that loose lineout floated towards him
Tom Croft – 6 – Did well and tried to up the intensity but when he came on but was fighting a losing cause
Sean O’Brien – 7 – Impressively involved and aggressive when he came on.  May well have sealed himself a spot next week with Warburton’s injury
Conor Murray – 7 – Very decent cameo.  Opened with a great steal and a good box kick and showed why Gatland prefers a physical scrum half.

Preview - The Second Test - Australia v British & Irish Lions

Life isn't fair.  It's full of people, who through no effort or graft, somehow land on top of the pile when it comes to athletic ability – and no matter how much we try to emulate them, it usually only ends in embarrassment for us and amusement for others.  Take this week as an example, when Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor were snapped having a cheeky burger at 3am.  Now every weekend I find myself in the line for Big Mac at 3am in the morning, and I am nowhere near the international set up.  Aside from the fact the precursor to the midnight munchies is a sizeable amount of ale and Aftershocks, I cannot see how I am doing anything different to these renowned athletes.  It's just not fair.

Speaking of not fair, the bitter taste of injustice has been tasted by all this week – with blokes on both sides feeling pretty hard done by.  For the Lions, Alex Corbisiero continues to crumble like a biscuit if he plays more than 30 minutes, whilst the hardest man of the lot – the anti-biscuit if you will – Paul O'Connell, has also been forced to withdraw.  Add that to the sense of incredulity that Aussie Captain James Horwill was let off the hook by (surprise, surprise) an Australian disciplinary committee for cleaning his studs on Alun Wyn Jones' eye socket, and you have a Lions squad feeling pretty peeved in the run up to the second test.

Of course, the Horwill Great Escape was just about the only bit of good news to come the Wallabies' way this week – and that was before it was announced the IRB would be reviewing the disciplinary decision.  Aside from the fact that Beale and O'Connor's fast food fetish has created another unwarranted media storm over the Wallaby camp, the men in Green and Gold have had their own injury problems to worry about.  Half the backline seemed to collapse in a crumpled heap on Saturday, and despite the return of a presumably still-groggy Christian Lealiifano, experienced stalwarts Pat MacCabe and Berrick Barnes are both out. 

That said, despite the grumbling, you'd be hard-pressed to find any negativity scattered around – instead the players are using all their perceived injustices to get themselves in the right frame of mind for Saturday's critical second test in Melbourne.  The Aussies have been uncharacteristically quiet in the build up to this game, but they will come flying out of the blocks and get stuck into the men in red from the first whistle.  This is do or die now for them.  If you have to go underhand to get the advantage, so be it.  Horwill, in particular, will have nothing to lose.  They know that they could – and should – have beaten the Lions this week, and they will be fired up like no one else for this one.  The pack remains unchanged,  which means Ben Mowen will once again be charged with Scrum-half hunting duties – a job he performed so well against Mike Phillips – and the pack will be looking to expose the loss of grunt in the Lions' forwards by cutting the supply to North and co off at source.  They will be aware that Ben Youngs is a dangerous operator, but he has his flappy moments under pressure and that is something they will be looking to exploit.  Out wide, Lealiifano's return is crucial.  His vision and distribution will provide options either side of the breakdown for the Wallabies, which helps take the pressure off O'Connor – and that's not even mentioning the influence Kurtley Beale can have at full back.  He may have been Slippy the Bush Kangeroo last week, but the Rebels man is a creative and electrifyingly explosive force on the rugby pitch and he will be looking to get his hands on the ball as much as possible.  Another person who needs his hands on the ball is Israel Folau – the winger enjoyed a remarkable debut last week, and his ability to beat players means that his teammates should look to get him involved as much as possible.  Also expect Genia and O'Connor to try and draw George North up in the line before forcing him to turn, kicking in behind where Folau can be so dangerous with his aerial ability.

However, Folau, is not the only man with magic in his boots at the moment.  George North might be sorry for goading Genia last week, but he won't be making any apologies about the sheer quality of his performance.  Simply the Lions' most dangerous man, he needs to make sure he comes off his wing as much as possible to smash holes in the middle.  But perhaps it's in the tight where the game will really be one – Vunipola will be targeted by the underrated Wallaby scrum and he needs to hold his own at the very least if the Lions are to compete.  Behind him, the selection of Parling with Wyn Jones was a sure-thing given the Englishman's form, and his lineout ability is ranked right up there with the best – but he'll need to show he can provide the shunt in the scrum and the grunt around the park to keep the Wallabies at bay.  It's interesting to see that Gatland has noted this apparent loss of physicality and tried to combat that by playing his love-child Dan Lydiate at 6.  Now Lydiate has been in decent form and is a great player, but it is harsh on Croft who did nothing wrong last week – still, I can see the logic.  Behind the fatties, Ben Youngs, the form scrum half on tour will be desperate to prove he is not just a stop gap for Phillips.  The Welshman's box-kicking and general decision making were appalling last weekend, and this is where Youngs needs to have accuracy and conviction – if he thinks he sees a gap, go for it, don't change your mind halfway through and get clattered like Phillips did.  Perhaps the most intriguing change though is that of Tommy Bowe for Alex Cuthbert – the Cardiff man is a fine athlete but Bowe just oozes class and adds some subtlety to compliment North's brute power.  But what really catches the eye with Bowe is that his comeback is just under 3 weeks after he broke a bone in his hand – now I've had the same injury, and it took me twice as long…but then again, I didn't have a team of world-class doctors, physios and surgeons at my service 24/7.  Life's not fair.

Who gives a crap about fair though?  Fair's boring.  Fair is predictable.  Which is why, on Saturday morning, I will be watching the game literally wishing for moments of injustice, controversy, brutality and misfortune.  Why?  It adds to the drama.  It helps make a Lions Test Series.  And that sounds like a pretty fair start to the weekend for me.

Wallabies Team News

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has been forced to make two changes with injuries to fullback Berrick Barnes (head) and winger Digby Ioane (shoulder) prompting the promotion of Kurtley Beale and Joe Tomane with the latter set to win only his second cap. Centre Christian Lealiifano has recovered from the head knock that sidelined him in the opening moments of the first Test while James O'Connor retains the No.10 shirt despite widespread criticism of his showing in Brisbane. Centre Rob Horne and uncapped fullback Jesse Mogg have both been added to the bench.

Starting Line up: Kurtley Beale; Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Christian Leali'ifano, Joe Tomane; James O'Connor, Will Genia; Benn Robinson, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander, James Horwill, Kane Douglas, Ben Mowen, Michael Hooper, Wycliff Palu.

Subs: Saia Fainga'a, James Slipper, Sekope Kepu, Rob Simmons, Liam Gill, Nick Phipps, Rob Horne, Jesse Mogg.

Key Player

James Horwill.  Yes he has been given bad press for, under his explanation, “an attempt to regain his balance”.  If he’s that aggressive when he’s stumbling around on the rugby field, I dread to think what he’d be like on ice skates.  But he remains the Wallabies’ most influential and important player – the captain has to instil a frantic do-or-die mentality into the minds of each and every one of the blokes wearing a green-and-gold shirt.  That means taking the Lions aback with manic aggression, relentless physicality and a hard-nosed approach from the very first whistle.  The IRB may well decree that Horwill will play no further part in this series after tomorrow – he better make this performance count.

 

Lions Team News

Lions coach Warren Gatland has made five changes to his side - two forced by injuries to lock Paul O'Connell and prop Alex Corbisiero. As a result, Geoff Parling comes in the second row and Mako Vunipola will pack down at loose-head. There is also a promotion from the bench for blindside Dan Lydiate while winger Tommy Bowe and scrum-half Ben Youngs have also got the nod. Flanker Tom Croft drops to the bench as does winger Alex Cuthbert but No.9 Mike Phillips drops out of the squad with Conor Murray providing cover. Ryan Grant fills the void on the bench left by Vunipola while there is also room for versatile back-row Sean O'Brien.

Starting Line up: Leigh Halfpenny, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll, Jonathan Davies, George North, Jonathan Sexton, Ben Youngs; Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Geoff Parling, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton (c), Jamie Heaslip.

Subs: Richard Hibbard, Ryan Grant, Dan Cole, Tom Croft, Sean O'Brien, Conor Murray, Owen Farrell, Alex Cuthbert.

Key Player

Ben Youngs.  The England 9 has come in for Phillips and now has a chance to cement that spot for himself.  On his day, the Leicester man can cause just as many problems as Genia himself, but he has to bring a measure of consistency into his game.  In a way, the scrum-halves are the most influential people on the pitch – not just because they never stop yapping at anything that moves, but because they act as the key link in the chain between pack and backline.  If he crumbles under the inevitable pressure, as he has done previously, then it could well be all over for the Lions.  Withstand it, kick well, and he becomes a calming influence for the whole side – the Wallabies lose their intensity, and then the gaps may just open up for him to show what he can do.

 

Key Battle

Ben Alexander v Mako Vunipola.  With great match ups all over the park again, it’s easy to get excited about the rematch between North and Folau, the battle between Tomane and Bowe and Genia and Bowe – but I’ve picked a slightly less sexy contest between the two front rowers.  What it may lose in glamour points though, it gains in absolute criticality to the outcome of the second Test.  Alexander is a decent prop but he struggled against Corbisiero, who – when he’s not on a sickbed – is one of the best scrummaging props in Europe.  Vunipola, on the other hand, is a completely different kettle of fish.  He may be a hard carrier and a tireless worker in the loose, but his work in the set piece is nowhere near as effective – Alexander will fancy his chances.  If he can get a nudge on his side of the scrum, the rest will follow, and the wave of passion and aggression that follows a big scrummaging statement may just be enough to cast doubt into the Lions’ minds.  If Vunipola holds firm though, then the sting in the Wallabies’ tail may just feel a little less sharp.

Prediction

Another week, another British & Irish Lions Test Match.  I will never get bored of saying that.  After the sheer drama of the last week – quite apart from the actual First Test itself – excitement levels have peaked in the Second Test build up.  This is knock out stuff – the Lions win, and it’s a leisurely coast over to Sydney, the Wallabies win, and we’ll have a bloodbath in New South Wales that will have even Origin fans looking away.  So much will come down to whether or not the Lions have braced themselves and can contain that early Wallaby onslaught that will surely come from the off.  I think they’ll just manage it – but prepare your nails for another nerve-shreddingly close encounter.  Lions to take the series – by 3 points.
 

Review - Melbourne Rebels 0 - 35 British & Irish Lions

Once the test series starts on a Lions tour, it can be pretty hard to keep the mid-weekers motivated.  Traditionally coaches have tried to counter this with promises of potential Test-spots that are about as believable as a Bill Clinton response to an allegation of sexual deviance, or simply by telling the guys at the start of the tour that they've got no chance of playing a Test match and so they may as well just get on with it, a la Graham Henry and Clive Woodward.  And we all know how well that strategy went down.

But, in this Tour, there genuinely feels like there is something up for grabs with each game, particularly with players dropping as quickly Jordan's knickers (due to injury, rather than potential bedroom antics, of course).  After a 1st Test victory there were plenty of areas for improvement – could Murray or Youngs displace the ineffectual Mike Phillips, could Tuilagi provide more ballast in the midfield, could Lydiate provide a harder edge than Croft in the back row?  All real questions that the Lions mid-weekers would have been desperate to answer.

Don't think, though, that this was simply an internal exercise of showboating and self-promotion to impress Gatland and his crew – there was a match to win and pride to restore, after the meek loss to the Brumbies in Canberra the week before.  The Rebels may not be the strongest of the Super Rugby sides but they are improving fast, and are amongst the most tenacious of teams out there – especially at home.  Ask big sides like the Chiefs, the Crusaders or the Reds, who have all struggled to put them away, despite being superior on paper – and don't mention the Rebels to the Stormers or the Waratahs, who have both been turned over by the Melbourne outfit in recent weeks.  Despite missing guys like James O'Connor, Kurtley Beale, Nick Phipps and the superb Scott Higginbotham, they have a phenomenal team-ethos that is determined by the grafters amongst them, with the likes of Mitch Inman, Gareth Delve and Hugh Pyle all up there with the best.  There was no chance that they would allow this one to become a non-event.

And it certainly didn't seem as if the visitors were treating this as a damp squib either, as from the off the hosts went onto the attack.  Manu Tuilagi looked hungry for the ball and made yards in the middle, before strong carrying around the fringes pulled the Lions up to the Rebels, where Owen Farrell plopped a lovely delayed pass into Sean O'Brien's hands, only for Brad Barritt to miss the following offload from the big Irish flanker – had he collected it, he'd have been under the posts.

The next 10 minutes were a tale of faltering set pieces, with Hibbard missing his next 2 lineouts and the Rebels' scrum disintegrating following good pressure from Ryan Grant and Dan Cole, which allowed the tourists to clear their lines comfortably after a brief spell of pressure from the Melbourne outfit, created by some booming yet precise kicks from Jason Woodward and stalled by sloppy handling from Luke Burgess.

The tourists, though, seemed comfortable, and it was refreshing for Lions fans to see Owen Farrell standing flat and dictating play beautifully with the good platform his pack was creating.  The breakthrough eventually game after another Tuilagi burst gave the men in red front foot ball, before Barritt dabbed a delightful grubber kick through for Sean Maitland to chase, which was covered superbly by Woodward but gave the Lions a 5-metre scrum.   From that position, there was only ever going to be one outcome – the Lions' pack blasted their way forward but Toby Faletau was held up, only for Conor Murray to wriggle his way over when the ball squirted out for a well-taken score.  Farrell nudged over an excellent conversion to give the tourists a 7 point lead.

The Lions continued to look like the dominant outfit in the game, but they were consistently denied by little mistakes – with Cole and O'Brien both fumbling in promising positions – and big defence, with Mitch Inman, Gareth Delve and Hugh Pyle all contributing with a couple of rib-ticklers.  The resistance could only last for so long though, as the force of nature that is Tuilagi burst through Delve's attempted tackle, held off 3 tacklers and offloaded to Maitland who scooted towards the line and fed Faletau.  For the second time, the Welsh number 8 went close – this time slipping on his way to the line – but the ball was recycled quickly and fed via Simon Zebo to the looping Maitland, who touched down for one of the tries of the tour.  Farrell once again added the extras.

The Rebels were unable to get a foothold in the game, with Ian Evans proving to be a menace in the lineout and Richie Gray and Dan Lydiate tackling themselves to a standstill.  The Lions were looking sharp in attack too, with Farrell showing good vision to take a quick tap and put Zebo away down the left, and the magical Irishman bamboozled one defender before delaying the return pass to Farrell too long.  The halftime whistle went and the Lions were content with a lively, if scrappy, first half display which saw them hold a 14 point advantage.

The second half opened in the same way the first finished, with plenty of promise but a bit to be desired on the execution.  A loose pass by Farrell following a quick tap help up a move that was looking promising on the left, whilst another O'Brien fumble close to the line following a lineout cost the Lions a potential try once again.  Farrell, though, was continuing to impress with his ambition, and Rob Kearney nearly went over following an audacious outside-of-the-boot chip that was only just gathered by Tom English ahead of the Irish 15.  It was a brief respite though, as this time a lineout move did come off, with slick hands from Lydiate giving O'Brien the chance to step inside the defence and dive over for a well-worked score.  Farrell was once again flawless with a difficult conversion, and the Lions led by 21-0.

Ten minutes later, it was more Lions' lineout dominance as they gained good field position thanks to the non-stop work of Faletau with the ball in hand.  This time, as they blustered their way to the line following a catch-and-drive, the Rebels hauled down the red pack mid-maul, prompting referee Glenn Jackson to award the penalty try.  Easy pickings with the boot for replacement Stuart Hogg – on for Farrell – as well.

It was perhaps ironic that the second half scores were all down to the most-maligned aspect of the tourists' game so far in Australia – the lineout.  And it proved to be the case again 8 minutes from time, when substitute Tom Croft took a superb take at the tail of the lineout and popped the ball down to fellow replacement Ben Youngs, and the Leicester 9 scored a trademark try – dummying the defence and accelerating his way past the cover for a fine solo score.  Another easy kick for Hogg took the score out to 35-0, and that's how it stayed.

Job well done for the Lions, with several players impressing in this 'interview' for the second test.  The mid-week side can be proud of finishing an injury-plagued tour on a high with a comprehensive win, but they'll all openly be hoping that their tour doesn't end here.  Because the real job is still to come.

Rebels Player Ratings

Jason Woodward – 8 – Some delightful moments with the boot and enterprising moments in attack...as well as the occasional howler.  The classiest player in the Rebels’ backline.

Tom English – 6 – A creditable and tenacious display.  Made his tackles and worked hard to cover ground when the defence was stretched.  Little chance with the ball in hand though.
Mitch Inman – 7 – Some strong moments in defence and some quick feet showed why the centre is on the cusp of receiving international recognition
Rory Sidey – 5 – A quiet game.  He had his hands full in defence with Barritt and Tuilagi and was unable to make too many dents on the rare occasion he did get the ball.
Lachlan Mitchell – 7 – Quick and intelligent play by the ex-Wasps man.  Had a good battle with Maitland and joined the line with some good effect.
Bryce Hegarty – 4 – Unable to get his side moving forward and was painfully predictable in attack.  All too often he was content to hurl a long pass backwards miles away from the gainline.
Luke Burgess – 5 – A bit of a nothing display by the man who’s just returned from France.  He’s known for being a tenacious and lively scrum half but he offered next to know attacking threat here.

Nic Henderson – 4 – Destroyed at scrumtime and struggled to have an impact in the loose.  Regained some credit in the second half with a couple of reasonable carries.

Ged Robinson – 4 – Was part of a dominated front row and the lineout wasn’t especially reliable, either.
Laurie Weeks – 5 – Was more apparent in the loose than his propping colleague and did manage one first half penalty off Ryan Grant in the scrum which was a rare victory.
Cadeyrn Neville – 6 – A mobile display but was unable to make any sort of dent in proceedings.  Not physical enough.
Hugh Pyle – 7 – A couple of promising gallops caught the eye and never stopped working throughout.
Jarrod Saffy – 5 – A disappointing showing from the flanker who is normally so reliable.  Was turned over too easily and won’t have enjoyed being handed off by a replacement scrumhalf.
Scott Fuglistaller – 7 – Made a nuisance of himself, especially as the game wore on, and several of his interventions probably helped prevent tries.
Gareth Delve (capt) – 7 – Left grasping at thin air when attempting to tackle Tuilagi in the first half but he won’t be the last.  A physical and dedicated performance impressed fans on both sides and one hit on Ryan Grant in particular was brutal.

Subs used

Pat Leafa – 5 – Lineout didn’t particularly improve with his introduction
Cruze Ah-Nau – 6 – The scrum seemed a little more solid and he threw himself into contact when he came on
Paul Alo-Emilie – 6 – Surprisingly mobile for a big bloke.  A couple of decent hits caught the eye.
Luke Jones – 7 – One gallop in particular got the crowd on its feet, but he may want to work on his kicking skills
Jordy Reid – 6 – Abrasive and physical but he wasn’t able to stem the Lions’ pack
Nic Stirzaker – 7 – I guess if you’re that ginger you have to be fast.  This kid looked lightening though and threatened well around the fringes
Angus Roberts – No time to make an impact
Cooper Vuna – 6 – Looked lively and enthusiastic but was well shackled by Maitland.

 

Lions Player Ratings

Rob Kearney – 6 – A solid display without being spectacular.  This will probably be his last showing of the tour and he’ll be frustrated that injury has prevented him from showing his best form.

Sean Maitland – 7 – Some dodgy decisions but he worked tremendously hard, none more so than we he deservedly scored after helping to create the tourist’s second try.
Manu Tuilagi – 7 – A powerful return.  A couple of busts, offloads, decent passes and – shocker – a cheeky grubber showed that the English centre is ready to be called on for Test duty.
Brad Barritt – 6 – Does what he does very well.  Tackles, tackles and tackles.  Always secures the ball in contact and is a good safe option to have in a chaotic Lions game.
Simon Zebo – 7 – Must have been doing something right to get a name chant going.  Some fantastic footwork certainly caught the eye but perhaps he should have put Farrell away in the second half?
Owen Farrell – 8 – His best display of the tour.  He has gotten better with each game and some lovely passes, chips and vision showed that he does have a decent skillset in the locker.
Conor Murray – 7 – It didn’t always go his own way with some sloppy handling errors but he worked hard and took his try well.
Ryan Grant – 6 – Turned over a couple of times in contact but scrummaged well on the whole, although he will be annoyed at conceding a penalty.
Richard Hibbard – 8 – Showed how capable he is on his day.  Some bruising carries – especially in the second half – complemented an all-action defensive diplay and, aside from an early wobble, a reliable lineout.
Dan Cole – 7 – Scrummaged well and, although he didn’t win any turnovers, made enough of a nuisance of himself to slow the Rebel’s ball right down.
Richie Gray – 8 – His best showing of the tour.  His work rate in the tight and in the loose was superb and a couple of powerful gallops got the Lions on the front foot.
Ian Evans – 7 – Another quietly effective display.  His intelligent play in the lineout was a constant thorn in the Rebels’ side.
Dan Lydiate – 7 – The chopper gave another understated display characterised by a colossal defensive effort, but he was let down by some poor hands and isolated carries on occasion.
Sean O'Brien – 7 – Another to excel in terms of work rate, but this time the Irishman’s hands let down his strong carrying and tackling work on occasion.
Toby Faletau – 9 – A real statement to Gatland.  He was everywhere and we finally saw, for the first time in a year, some real conviction on the carry.  He will be pushing Heaslip very hard for that shirt.

Subs used

Rory Best – 6 – Throwing in was decent, which was a great improvement from last week

Tom Court – 6 – Did not look out of place on his Lions debut and showed some nice hands
Matt Stevens – 6 – A couple of decent trundles helped the Lions build momentum
Tom Croft – 7 – Wonderful work at the back of the lineout and superb defence late on showed just why he is so valuable
Justin Tipuric – 7 – Seems to have been the best player not spoken about this tour.  Made another telling impact with a couple of sharp turnovers.
Ben Youngs – 7 – An impressive cameo.  Superb vision and speed to score off a lineout and service was crisp.
Billy Twelvetrees – 6 – Played at 12 and 10 and didn’t do anything wrong in either position.
Stuart Hogg – 6 – Must be seriously annoyed they keep playing him at 10.  He looks so much more dangerous at 15.