Lions 48 AUNZ Invitational XV 0
Here is Gerry Thornley’s match report. That’s all from me for today, goodbye!
[ Lions roar just in time for first Test with thrashing of AUNZ Invitational XVOpens in new window ]
Here are the player ratings from Johnny Watterson:
[ Lions ratings v AUNZ Invitational XV: Hugo Keenan and Mack Hansen impressOpens in new window ]
Andy Farrell on Garry Ringrose: “A concussion from last week, lingering signs of concussion, unfortunately he failed his test, he will be back for the rest of the series, that’s just the way the game goes. We have Jamie [Osborne] coming, we will see what happens from that.”
Ben Earl on Sky Sports: “We were very pleased, some of the basics we showed today. We’ve been known for coughing up opportunities in the attacking 22, it felt when we got there we were going to score. Big improvement.
“You can see to a man how much the jersey means to us. Shout out to Ben White, he was brilliant. Honestly, it was like being back at home with Owen Farrell, amazing to have him back. The crowd was great, every game has felt like a home game.”
Tadhg Beirne: “We will be very pleased how we performed today, in attack and defence, keeping them to 0 is a big point of pride for us. The focus will be continuing to improve. Discpline wise we gave them a few ins. We’ll be looking to improve again, it will be a new challenge again. The crowd is incredible, the stadium is class, incredibly proud to be captain. Some of my family are here, very proud moment for them.”
Henry Pollock: “BIL (the toy Lion) was watching over and he’ll be proud about my try. 1 to 23 it was a team effort today, and we’re in a really good spot at the minute. It’s been enjoyable so far, we’ll have to wait and see [about playing the first Test].”
Andy Farrell: “We will be pleased with our game control for use, it’s never going to be perfect, but we stayed at it the whole game as a team. There were some great individual performances there, it’s the collective, the kick chase and the defence. The turned over ball that we wanted, it was great. We need to relax and enjoy this, a bit of down time, it’s been full-on for 14 or 15 days, I’m really proud of everyone involved.
80 mins: Great line by Morgan in the final attack of the game as the siren goes. Lions within five metres but turned over and it’s game over.
Full-time: Lions 48 AUNZ 0
A complete non-contest in the end. Lions were very impressive, the sort of performance they wanted before the first Test against Australia.
77 mins: Try for Lions! Pollock gets his try after a great kick in behind by Farrell, Edmed and McLaughlin-Phillips have a nightmare and Pollock sneaks in to touch it down. Well deserved try for the young man, his first for the Lions. Converted this time. Lions 48 AUNZ 0
74 mins: Van der Merwe struggles with the kick in behind again, despite his hat-trick. Another good run by Mack Hansen, who hasn’t done his Test prospects any harm.
69 mins: Try for Lions! AUNZ caught napping again. Kelleher and Schoeman combine from the lineout, Kelleher to Schoeman short then back to Kelleher. The Leinster man get his try. Marcus Smith misses another conversion, both him and Fin have missed a few today. Lions 41 AUNZ 0
65 mins: Try for Lions! They’re humming now, AUNZ out of sorts. Van der Merwe gets his hat-trick, some sharp passes by Farrell, Keenan and Hansen and van der Merwe is free on the wing. Smith hits the post with the conversion. Lions 36 AUNZ 0
62 mins: Try for Lions! Cummings off the bench, the big man powers home, with Farrell involved in the build-up. Was a good lineout. White and Earl involved too. It was a good finish. Smith converts. Lions 31 AUNZ 0
56 mins: Nice kick and go by Pollock, piece of flair but just doesn’t work out. Bit of a lull in the game now. Cowan-Dickie is back moving.
48 mins: AUNZ win a penalty for Lions not releasing. Several phases for the invitational team but very good defending again by the Lions as turn it over again.
And now it’s time for the man of the moment, Owen Farrell who replaces Huw Jones at centre. Marcus Smith and Finlay Bealham are on too.
A good performance by Huw Jones, brought off early in preparation for the first Test with the Ringrose news?
43 mins: Mistake by Ross with a loose pass and it looks like Hansen can run the ball over but bounces awkwardly. Still they get to five metres and win a penalty.
Try for Lions! Tuipulotu scores as he finds a gap after White passed from the touch and go. Smith converts. Lions 24 AUNZ 0
Some news from Gerry Thornley:
Garry Ringrose has emerged as a doubt for the British & Irish Lions’ First Test against Australia next Saturday in Brisbane due to a possible head knock he appeared to suffer in the last six minutes of the tourists’ win over the Brumbies last Wednesday in Canberra.
The 30-year-old, 67-times capped Irish outside centre has been having a strong tour, scoring his third try in three games against the Brumbies, and looked well set to make his first start in a Lions Test match next Saturday against the Wallabies.
However, Ringrose missed training last Friday, having seemingly knocked back in one attempted tackle before then making another, and did attend the post-match mixed zone with the media.
If it has transpired that Ringrose has suffered a head injury, then due to the concussion he suffered in Ireland’s 32-18 win over Scotland at Murrayfield in the Six Nations last February, he would be stood down for 12 days, thus ruling him out of the First Test.
If that came to pass, it might also have repercussions for the Lions’ choice at inside centre as well, meaning they could opt for an all-Scottish 10-12-13 axis of Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones.
38 mins: AUNZ struggling to make much ground, which is a credit to the Lions defence which has been rock solid.
Half-time: Lions 17 AUNZ Invitational XV 0
The Lions will be happy with that, good performance so far. Main concern would be Luke Cowan-Dickie’s injury.
36 mins: Been a good performance by the Lions, although van der Merwe has had a mixed game, two tries but a bit susceptible with the ball in behind. Injury worry for Cowan-Dickie as he gets a big hit to the head in a collision. Kelleher warming up.
32 mins: Excellent run by Jones makes significant ground up the pitch, past several players then good work by Hansen and passes to Cowan-Dickie on the wing at the line but unfortunately he can’t keep a hold of it.
28 mins: Beirne wins the ball and then tries a cheeky kick in behind but kicks it out of play. Some quick passing by AUNZ but knocked on by Blyth.
25 mins: Big chance for a try for AUNZ, as they have a tap and go in front of the posts. Shannon Frizell, a big unit, tries to muscle it over but it was knocked on in the build-up.
21 mins: AUNZ forced to scramble after a clever kick behind chase is just about cleared by Stevenson. Fast hands by Lions and Hansen and Keenan combine to get within five metres. Penalty advantage and Tuipullotu played to Pollock on the line who tries everything to get it over but held up.
Tap and go and Lions trying to power through, superb play among the backs and...
Try for Lions! Van der Merwe free on the wing for an easy try, good assist by Hansen. Smith misses the conversion. Lions 17 AUNZ 0
16 mins: Error by van der Merwe, who nearly gave away a five-metre scrum, but got away with it. A good spell for AUNZ as White’s clearance is dropped and they’re just inside the 22. After 11 phases, Havili tries a crossfield kick but caught by Hansen.
10 mins: Try for Lions! Superb piece of ingenuity by White, picks the ball, sees a gap and accelerates over the line in front of the posts. Easy conversion by Smith. Great start. Lions 12 NZ Invitational XV 0
7 mins: Try for the Lions! Van der Merwe takes advantage of AUNZ napping, quick lineout by Keenan, then White to the Scotsman who finishes well. Smith misses the conversion.
6 mins: Lions with plenty of the ball in the early stages, lots of crisp passing, Tuipulotu finds Hansen on the wing but goes out of play.
3 mins: Immediate turnover by the Lions, Morgan with a massive hit. A good scrum and Hansen gives to van der Merwe but he knocks it on and early chance gone.
The game will start in a few minutes, here are the teams again:
AUNZ Invitational XV: Shaun Stevenson, AJ Lam, Ngani Laumape, David Havili, Marika Koroibete; Tane Edmed, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto; Aidan Ross, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Angus Blyth, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Shannon Frizell, Pete Samu, Hoskins Sotutu. Replacements: Kurt Eklund, Josh Fusitu’a, Greg Dyer, Matt Philip, Joe Brial, Kalani Thomas, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Jock Campbell.
British & Irish Lions: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van Der Merwe; Fin Smith, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Will Stuart; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Henry Pollock, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl. Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Finlay Bealham, Scott Cummings, Josh van der Flier, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Owen Farrell.
An impactful debut for Josh Brennan, son of Trevor, as he scored a try and got a yellow card.
It’s 43-10 now to New Zealand against France, quite the hammering.
Check out Conor Murray’s new column on the Lions, where he heaps praise on Jamison Gibson-Park (who isn’t playing today but set to play the next Test)
“When Jamison has front foot possession, there is a constant threat of line breaks as he invariably makes the right decision, to either put a runner in space out wide or with a reverse pass.
Always scanning the pitch before he touches the ball, I know that Andy Farrell wants his nine to play the early pass."
Gerry Thornley has an interview with Ronan O’Gara in today’s newspaper.
“When Ronan O’Gara landed in Brisbane on Wednesday of last week after his economy class, long-haul trek from La Rochelle, he was caught by surprise. He’d presumed that, as usual, he would be doing prematch, half-time and post-match punditry on Sky Sports’ coverage of the Reds-Lions match. But, instead, he was to be co-commentator alongside Miles Harrison and Dan Biggar. In his various stints as a TV pundit, he’d never been a co-commentator before and he was also jet-lagged and whacked.
“But, “infused with coffee”, he actually found co-commentary “way better”, “more challenging” and that “it comes out naturally”. And besides, the more of ROG, the better.
“Former outhalves generally see the game and impart more information about a match than most other retired players, and certainly the O’Gara-Biggar double act has raised the bar.”
In other rugby games, an understrength France side are finding it a good bit tougher this week against the All Blacks, losing 22-3 in Wellington after 35 minutes.
Meanwhile Wales are set to finally win a game and end their losing streak. They’re 31-22 up after 78 minutes.
Here is Gerry Thornley’s match preview:
“Wednesday’s dry run for the Lions’ shadow Test side seemed to muddy the waters as much as it clarified the picture. Hence, that36-24 win over an understrength Brumbies side has added to the intrigue of this last outing in Adelaide before the first Test in Brisbane next week.
“Whether it’s actually the case is another matter, but it sure seems as if more positions are up for grabs than ideally Andy Farrell and his coaches might have wanted at this juncture of the tour."
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Lions’ final warm-up game before their first Test against Australia, where they take on an Australian and New Zealand Invitational side in Adelaide. Kick-off from the Adelaide Oval is at 11am. Tadhg Beirne captains the side which includes four Irish players in the starting XV and four Irish players on the bench, with the likes of Dan Sheehan, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe kept in reserve. The invitational team includes some decent All Blacks players, including co-captain David Havili, who was an important player at 12 in the Ian Foster era.
AUNZ Invitational XV: Shaun Stevenson, AJ Lam, Ngani Laumape, David Havili, Marika Koroibete; Tane Edmed, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto; Aidan Ross, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Angus Blyth, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Shannon Frizell, Pete Samu, Hoskins Sotutu. Replacements: Kurt Eklund, Josh Fusitu’a, Greg Dyer, Matt Philip, Joe Brial, Kalani Thomas, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Jock Campbell.
British & Irish Lions: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van Der Merwe; Fin Smith, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Will Stuart; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Henry Pollock, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl. Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Finlay Bealham, Scott Cummings, Josh van der Flier, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Owen Farrell.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
Assistant Referees: Nika Amashukeli (GRU), Pierre Brousset (FFR)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
