Lions Test Match Review - Australia 21 - 23 British & Irish Lions

I read a superb article by a Mr Dan Jones in the Evening Standard on the tube the other day.  It made the point that, in this day and age, we are force-fed all sorts myopic mumbo-jumbo in an attempt to lure us into paying for expensive Sports Channels in order to watch events that, when you really stop and think about it, you couldn’t give a flying fig about.  I mean, is Norwich v Stoke really a “colossal clash of 2 footballing giants in a high pressure game sure to deliver drama” when there is only the ‘glory’ of a 14^th place finish up for grabs?  And does anyone really care about the “blood, sweat and tears” that will “surely” be on offer in the winner-takes-something-presumably clash between Sale Sharks and Worcester on rainy Friday night in Manchester.  Yes, the media are pretty fond of exaggerating the average into something wonderful.

But amongst this quagmire of mediocrity, there is the odd gem.  And nothing shines brighter than a Lions series.  One tour every 4 years.  One test series against a certain country every 12 years, on the current rotation.  For those in Britain and Ireland, it is the ultimate honour, and the utmost sign of respect in being cheered and applauded by those who would normally be hurling drunken insults at you.  For those in the Southern Hemisphere, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Unless you’re George Smith, of course.  The mystique and rarity of a Lions tour means that when every Tour does come around, we’re not quite sure what to expect – remembering the raw emotion of these games is almost impossible.  But with an Wallaby line up containing the likes of Israel Folau, James O’Connor and Will Genia, and a Lions side boasting the firepower of George North and the genius of Brian O’Driscoll, fan could have been forgiven for expecting fireworks as the 2 sides ran out at Brisbane for the first match between these 2 sides for 12 years.

If the fans were expecting an explosive opening, they got it.  Actually, it was more of a car crash, and it made what should have been a day Christian Lealiifano would never forget a day that the young centre will probably never be able to remember.  Johnny Sexton kicked off, the Wallabies cleared their lines, Jonathan Davies took a short ball and Lealiifano was out cold on his debut, having felt the full force of the stocky Welshman’s hip on his head.  It was a sad sight, but tempered by a thumbs up from the Brumbies star and (as we know now) the knowledge that he will be fit for the next Test.  The Wallabies who hadn’t experienced a Lions Test before now understood what this was all about; this was war.

And just like any war, it was proving to be stuffed full of little battles of critical importance – most importantly, the breakdown, and it was the hosts who struck first not once, but twice, winning penalties after veteran centre Brian O’Driscoll failed to clearly release giving away two penalty shots to Wallaby fly half James O’Connor.  Thankfully for the tourists, the Justin Bieber of rugby had forgotten his kicking boots and fell short with his first attempt, before hooking his second effort to the left.  Not only did these 2 missed opportunities crank up the tension in the home crowd, they also took attention away from a stamp by captain James Horwill on the face of Alun Wyn Jones which could be described as ‘cheeky’ at best and thuggish at worst – that said, I’ve always liked Horwill and he’s a hard but generally clean player, so I guess we can give him the benefit of the doubt there.  The footage doesn’t look great, but the citing commissioner clearly decided that people like me are obviously just a bit wet, and the Reds skipper had no case to anwer.

The Lions themselves were answering a few questions up at the other end of the field as they finally got their hands on the ball.  A huge shunt in the scrum gave the tourists good field position and George North, Tom Youngs, Alex Corbisiero and Alun Wyn Jones all made significant yardage before referee Chris Pollock made a dubious call at a ruck deep inside the Wallaby 22, despite the hosts pack looking like they’d flopped all over the ball.  Will Genia, the electric scrum half, tapped and went quickly, dummying and stepping, bamboozling Mike Phillips before dropping a delightfully delicate grubber onto his right foot for debutant Israel Folau to scoop up and dive over for a score.  It was an absolutely breathtaking score and further underlined the widely held view that Genia is probably the smartest rugby player on the planet.  O’Connor forgot his kicking woes and nudged over to give the hosts a 7 point advantage after 15 minutes.

The men in Green and Gold had landed the first big blow and the Lions were looking shaky on their feet, with mistakes creeping into their play – a couple of silly penalties and a simple dropped catch from Alex Cuthbert had the home crowd sensing that something special might be on the cards.  Leigh Halfpenny managed to stall the soaring confidence with a well-struck kick following a collapsed maul, before the men in red struck back with one of the great individual efforts involving more than a touch of Robinson in 2001 for its sheer explosiveness.  Berrick Barnes launched a somewhat aimless kick from outside his 22, which was collected by the ever-lethal George North, just behind halfway.  The gargantuan winger burst between O’Connor and Pat McCable before rounding Barnes and gassing Will Genia to score in the corner.  Halfpenny added the extras from out wide, and the Lions had a three point lead; and we had one hell of a game on our hands.

This was frantic, brutal, wonderful rugby.  Ben Mowen, on debut, was wreaking havoc on the Lions ball at the breakdown, but the men in red now had the ascendency.  George North leapt around Genia to reach over in the left hand corner, but was denied by a combination of the touchline and a wonderful last ditch effort by Israel Folau.  The try wasn’t to be but the penalty was, and Halfpenny slammed over another 3 points to push the tourists out to 7 – 13, with all the momentum in the Lions’ sails.  But this Wallaby side has magic in its boots.

Phillips imitated Barnes by launching an aimless kick back to the opposition and, following good hands from Kane Douglas, Genia and Mowen, Folau found himself in space but with, seemingly nowhere to go.  Or so we thought.  Bang, he stepped Sexton, bang, he palmed off Corbisiero and bang, he hit the afterburners to round Halfpenny and touch down for yet another sensational score.  This was a test debut to remember, although O’Connor would rather forget his attempted kick as he skewed yet another one wide.

The first half closed with both sides looking dangerous, with Genia making a sharp break before a strong carries from Corbisiero and Tom Croft took the Lions close, forcing the Wallabies to concede another penalty – this time surprisingly missed by Halfpenny.  The hosts were rocked though by another head injury, as Barnes was forced off the pitch with concussion – although having somebody of Kurtley Beale’s calibre on the bench is not the worst thing.

The second half opened with the scores at 12 – 13 in favour of the tourists, but it was the Aussies who looked the more pumped up early on.  Firstly Mowen manhandled Phillips to turn over possession before McCabe carried strongly up to the Lions 22, only for a fine turnover by Jamie Heaslip on James O’Connor to suck out the Wallaby momentum.  The momentum was further stalled 10 minutes in, when yet another head injury forced McCabe off, with the centre being replaced by flanker Liam Gill, with Robbie Deans opting to play openside Michael Hooper at inside centre.  Now, Hooper is as strong and as quick as pretty much any centre out there, but his positioning is naturally not up to scratch, and this was ruthlessly exploited by the Lions.  Tom Youngs threw in to a lineout, and the clean ball came back to Sexton who picked out Cuthbert on a gorgeous line through a hole created by the over-eagerness of Hooper in the middle of the park, and the powerful winger ploughed through the despairing dives of 4 cover defenders to touch down beneath the sticks.  Halfpenny added the formalities, and the shift in power in the game seemed insurmountable for the hosts.

But then something strange happened.  The game began to loose its fluency as the Lions became tense and the Wallabies dragged the tourists into an arm wrestle.  A silly penalty straight after Cuthbert’s score gave 3 points to O’Connor before Hooper, Douglas and, in particular, Benn Robinson carried well into the heart of the Lions’ defence – usually through little gaps created by Genia.  The pressure forced another penalty from Mako Vunipola, and this time Beale showed off his cajones by knocking over a crucial kick to bring the scores back within 2.

Halfpenny attempted to ease some of the tension with a banker 3 points after Ben Mowen had been pinged following a smart chip-and-chase from Johnny Sexton, but this was just a brief respite.  Beale scorched through the Lions defence, beating Hibbard and captain Sam Warburton with an electric sidestep and burst of pace that took him up to within 10 metres of the Lions line, and forced another 3 pointer.  Beale made sure his good work paid off, and you couldn’t help but feel that this was some statement from the mercurial Melbourne Rebel – it was only fitting that he would have a key say in the match.  Unfortunately for him, it probably wasn’t quite the outcome he was hoping for.

It almost felt that, despite being seemingly in control for so long, the tourists were clinging on.  A dominant Lions scrum was ruined by a Heaslip fumble, leading to a gorgeous chip from Genia that was gathered by Folau, and the ex-NRL and AFL star was hauled down by North as the 2 freak-athletes continued their sensational battle.  The momentum gave Beale another penalty attempt, this time for the lead, but the pressure caused the bad-boy of Aussie rugby to scuff his kick out to the right.  Last chance missed?  Not quite.

Despite all the drama, there was one final twist in store.  A cracking tackle from Dan Cole forced a spilled ball by Horwill and a Lions scrum with 2 minutes to go.  Surely this was game over.  Instead, James Slipper twisted through Cole and Hibbard buckled, giving the Wallabies one final kick at goal from 45 metres out.  Beale stepped up.  And slipped up.  The ball fell agonisingly short and wide as Beale looked on off the Brisbane turf.  Time was up.  The Lions had won.
 

Throughout the celebrations by the British and Irish players, you could not help but feel sympathy for the man who has defeated so many personal demons only to fall (or slip, technically) at the moment that would have sealed one of the great personal comebacks in sport.  But in reality, this was just one moment of drama in a Test that was physical, fast, frantic and filled with moments of genius.  Welcome to a Lions series.  More of the same, please.

Australia Player Ratings

Berrick Barnes – 5 – A pretty average night cut short but a horrible concussion.  His passing was decent enough but his kicking from hand – usually so reliable – was wayward and led to the Lions’ first try.
Israel Folau – 8 – What a debut.  Two tries – one of which showed sublime finishing – were the highlights of an immensely threatening and athletic display.  Influence faded in the second half, though.

Adam Ashley-Cooper – 7 – A quiet game but effective as well from the wonderfully versatile centre.  Marshalled O’Driscoll and Davies superbly but couldn’t quite get into the attack as much as he would have liked.
Christian Lealiifano – No time to make an impact.
Digby Ioane – 6 – Looked a fraction rusty after a few weeks out but still showed his running threat with a couple of lively runs on the odd occasion he got the ball in space.
James O'Connor – 5 – A mixed bag.  Despite some smart play, he still looks like he lacks the authority to play Test rugby at fly half and his missed kicks proved to be very costly.
Will Genia – 9 – What a marvellous display.  His vision is sensational and only matched by his physicality and skill level.  Set up one try majestically and caused problems throughout.  Man of the Match
Benn Robinson – 7 – Surprisingly prominent in the loose.  He struggled a tad in the scrums but his hard running made inroads on more than one occasion.
Stephen Moore – 6 – The man with the head like an egg was a reliable presence in the lineout and around the park, where he brought a physicality to match the Lions.
Ben Alexander – 5 – A quiet display.  Didn’t enjoy scrummaging against Corbisiero and was anonymous in the loose as well.
Kane Douglas – 8 – A strong and athletic performance from the Waratah.  Several times he was man making a big tackle when it looked like the Lions were about to break through.
James Horwill – 7 – A real workmanlike shift from the skipper.  Led from the front and didn’t take a step back from the physical stuff.
Ben Mowen – 7 – Like Folau, made a fine debut.  Was all over the park and looks like a natural Test player.  His manhandling of Mike Phillips had the Aussie fans (and a fair few Lions ones) on their feet.
Michael Hooper – 7 – Got caught out when out of position for Cuthbert’s score, but his physicality and energy throughout made sure that the Lions did not have it all their own way.
Wycliff Palu – 5 – Expected more from the big man.  Far, far too quiet by a man who is usually such a destructive ball carrier.

Subs Used

James Slipper – 6 – Righly or wrongly, helped win a key scrummaging penalty at the death
Sekope Kepu – 6 – Helped the set piece get the upper hand at a key moment late on
Rob Simmons – No time to make an impact
Liam Gill – 6 – A quiet showing from the talented flanker but his energy was key to the Wallabies staying in the game
Nick Phipps – No time to make an impact
Pat McCabe – 6 – Solid in defence and brave on the carry as always.  Lacked a bit of subtlety but performed well under pressure
Kurtley Beale – 7 – You can’t help but feel sorry for him.  Despite missing 2 key kicks, the Beale’s attacking influence was superb and was instrumental to the hosts’ comeback.

 

Lions Player Ratings

Leigh Halfpenny – 8 – Superb again with the boot – despite one tricky miss – and active in attack, joining the line at pace and looking to put his footwork and smart passing again to good use.

Alex Cuthbert – 6 – A superbly taken try but too often he seemed caught out defensively, and he won’t enjoy rewatching that simple dropped high-ball again
Brian O'Driscoll – 6 – Improved as the game went on but he should have been aware of Pollock’s breakdown interpretation before the game had even started.  Defensively magnificent though.
Jonathan Davies – 7 – A solid and strong display.  Not quite the magic of last week but he adapted his game to embrace the more physical role as a 12 he was expected to take on.
George North – 8 – What an absolute machine this guy is.  I would have preferred to see him coming off his wing a little more and I’m not sure about the gloat at Genia, but his creation and execution of an opportunity that simply didn’t exist was absolutely world-class.
Jonathan Sexton – 7 – Some moments of pure class in a very solid display.  Invariably made the right decisions and led the line very effectively.
Mike Phillips – 5 – Not a great day for big Mike.  He generally lacked conviction with his darts and was manhandled because of it, and his box kicking was very ordinary
Alex Corbisiero – 8 – A great display from the loosehead.  Was part of a dominant front row in the first half but also carried effectively as well, breaking tackles on several occasions.
Tom Youngs – 9 – The Lions’ best player in my book.  His work rate in defence was superb, his carrying was powerful and his set piece work was both accurate and, later on, ambitious.
Adam Jones – 7 – As usual, quiet around the park but performed his main job with a typical ruthlessness.
Alun-Wyn Jones – 7 – An aggressive performance that was exemplified by the key yardage he made around the fringes.  His defensive work also caught the eye.
Paul O'Connell – 6 – Not quite as impressive as previous games but still a tireless contributor and rucked his heart out.
Tom Croft – 7 – Not at his most eye-catching but his defensive work was exceptional and showed he can get stuck into the dirty stuff.
Sam Warburton – 8 – A very decent captain’s knock.  Managed to keep the referee onside after a difficult start and was physical in the tackle throughout.  Led from the front.
Jamie Heaslip – 6 – Needs to find consistency.  A couple of notable charges and turnovers are all very good but he has to make sure he can contribute between these odd moments of brilliance.

Subs used:

Richard Hibbard – 5 – The scrum became tricky and his doglegged defence allowed Beale an easy gap to skip through.  Carried well, though.

Mako Vunipola – 6 – Big carries as usual, but his side of the scrum was under particular pressure late on.
Dan Cole – 6 – Was looking strong in the scrum until the very end, when I don’t think he knew what happened.  One big tackle in particular was important and his defensive scavenging slowed the ball down for the Wallabies
Geoff Parling – No time to make an impact
Dan Lydiate – No time to make an impact
Ben Youngs – 6 – His service looked sharper than Phillips' and he may well have given Gatland some food for thought ahead of the second Test.