Lions Tour: British & Irish Lions 52 Queensland Reds 12
Let’s just say that a stiffer examination awaits the British & Irish Lions when their long-awaited Test series against Australia kicks off at this same venue in just over a fortnight. The Queensland Reds had their moments in the first half but were eventually put away with something to spare by an increasingly dominant visiting side.
The Lions did blow hot and cold at times, still clearly striving for the all-important little connections that make such a massive difference at this level. But in Maro Itoje they had a captain clearly determined to lead from the front and a couple of tries for his England team-mate Tommy Freeman also helped the men in red to rack up eight tries in total.
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Considering the travel logistics Andy Farrell’s squad are also currently having to negotiate it was no mean effort, particularly given the backline reshuffle required in the second-half after Elliot Daly was forced off after taking a painful blow to his left arm. Given Daly was only playing as a late replacement for the unwell Hugo Keenan it can only be hoped the injury update is not too serious.
The good news for the Lions, however, is the nascent combination at half-back between Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell which looks to have considerable potential. Both have the ability to think at least a couple of phases ahead and there was encouraging evidence that they are already on each other’s wavelength.
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Jack Conan and Ollie Chessum also put in wholehearted performances while there were morale-boosting second-half tries for a motivated Jac Morgan and Huw Jones. All of them will now be waiting, along with everyone else, to see whether they have done enough to play themselves into the selection frame for the first Test here on July 19th.
On this occasion it was an unusually cool and windy day in Brisbane, although the towering stands of this steep-sided venue blocked out the worst of the elements. The opening exchanges were still scrappy nevertheless, with the Lions struggling both for accuracy and cohesion. The Reds duly scented an opportunity and put together a series of forward surges before their big prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen blasted over.
In the first quarter the Lions defensive line was also pierced too often for comfort and two scrum penalties in the Reds’ favour was a further concern. It was a timely bonus, then, when an Itoje turnover set up a promising position from which Daly put the unmarked Freeman over on the right.
Things were proving rather less comfortable on the other flank, however, for Duhan Van der Merwe. First he almost got into a tangle trying to deal with a cross kick on his own line and not long afterwards he was left flat footed as Josh Flook nipped in to collect another rolling ball and restore the Reds’ lead.
Once again it seemed to stir the Lions into life and, following a quick penalty tap by Rónan Kelleher, Andrew Porter burrowed his way to the line. There was also a relieving moment for Van der Merwe when, put away by slick offloads from Chessum and Conan, he finished emphatically in the left corner.
The Lions’ 21-12 half-time lead, though, could not mask some self-inflicted wounds, not least eight knock-ons in the first 40 minutes alone. Daly and Huw Jones are both gifted sportsmen but both made a hash of giving potential scoring passes that might have given the Lions a more comfortable cushion.
On another day it might have been more costly but not this one. Gibson-Park expertly exploited a small gap in the home defence to set up Itoje for his side’s fourth try before wholesale changes saw both starting half-backs and the entire front row replaced with half an hour left. It made little difference with Morgan bursting through a widening hole to score the Lions’s fifth try, Freeman twisting cleverly over for his second and Jones completing a long-range interception score. The Lions did turn over the ball a fair amount but had long since cracked the QR code by the time Garry Ringrose’s late score took them to their half-century.
From a Wallaby perspective, meanwhile, there are also worrying reports surrounding two of their most influential forwards, Will Skelton and Rob Valetini. Both are poised to miss this weekend’s game against Fiji in Newcastle with calf issues which, unless they heal swiftly, could threaten their first Test participation.
Speaking after the win, Farrell said he has his “fingers crossed” for Daly, who was taken to hospital for scans on a suspected broken arm. However, the head coach added the Lions are not heading towards a crisis at fullback, brushing off suggestions of a call up.
“No, we’ve loads of full-backs. Hugo (Keenan) will be OK tomorrow or the next day and Blair (Kinghorn)’s ready to go.”
Farrell was happy with the way his side raised their game after a error-strewn start and is encouraged by the increasing competition for places in certain positions. “I was pretty impressed with most of those players who had a second chance today. That’s exactly what we want to see, a reaction.
“Maro was one of them, Jac Morgan was everywhere. Bundee Aki was a lot better, Jack Conan looked strong. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that’s exactly what we want. The competition’s started and there’s reactions all over the place. Long may that continue.
“Time on the pitch is our best friend at the minute, isn’t it? The games are coming thick and fast so we’re all learning through the games and not through the training. If you can’t get excited about that you’re on the wrong tour.
“It’s all about preparing and getting to our best. Winning matters but it’s about getting this squad to its potential come the first Test.” – Guardian
SCORING SEQUENCE – 7 mins: Toomaga-Allen try, McLaughlin-Phillips con 7-0; 20: Freeman try, Russell con 7-7; 26: Flook try 12-7; 29: Porter try, Russell con 12-14; van der Merwe try, Russell con 12-21; Half-time 12-21; 45: Itoje try, Russell con 12-28; 57: Morgan try, Smith con 12-35; 60: Freeman try, Smith con 12-42; 66: Jones try 12-47; 85: Ringrose try 12-52
QUEENSLAND REDS: J Campbell (capt); L Anderson, J Flook, H Paisami, T Ryan; H McLaughlin-Phillips, K Thomas; A Ross, M Faessler, J Toomaga-Allen; J Canham, L Salakaia-Loto; S Uru, J Bryant, J Brial.
Replacements: J Nasser for Faessler (52), I Henry for Anderson, A Blyth for Salakaia-Loto (both 53), L Werchon for Thomas, G Blake for Ross, S Fa’agae for Toomaga-Allen, R Smith for Canham (all 59), C Vest for Brial (64).
LIONS: E Daly; T Freeman, H Jones, B Aki, D van der Merwe; F Russell, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, R Kelleher, W Stuart; M Itoje (capt), O Chessum; T Curry, J Morgan, J Conan.
Replacements: F Smith for Russell, A Mitchell for Gibson-Park, E Genge for Porter, L Cowan-Dickie for Kelleher, F Bealham for Stuart (all 51), G Ringrose for Daly, B Earl for Aki (both 67).
Referee: J Doleman (New Zealand).
