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.