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BARBARIANS 59 - 8 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS

Hong Kong Stadium, HK - Saturday 1 June 2013
KO: 19:30*/12:30 BST HT: 3-23 Att: 28,643

HIGHLIGHTS

THE British and Irish Lions got their 2013 tour off to a roaring start after thumping the already wounded Barbarians side.

Sweat poured down the faces of players in the glorious Hong Kong sun with 90% humidity. Thousands of Lions and Barbarians fans packed into the wondrous stadium and waited in extreme anticipation for what was to be a thrilling game between two of the most iconic sides in rugby. Dramatic music thundered around the enclosed stadium as the temporary captain, Paul O’Connell, led out the new-look British and Irish side, whilst carrying the infamous stuffed lion.  Fireworks zoomed from the pitch as both teams placed their first footsteps onto the lush green grass, and fireworks of a different sort continued throughout the following 80 minutes.

After a delayed start, due to the Lions team being caught in traffic, a quick rendition of the Chinese national anthem serenaded the visiting crowd, as all the players stood shoulder to shoulder to formalise the occasion. Once the flags and extra players had left the pitch, and under the watchful eye of referee Steve Walsh, the match got underway.

At a first glance, it looked as if the Barbarians may have been in for another bashing as they gave away penalty after penalty, and only three minutes into the game Owen Farrell had knocked over the first points of the match 0-3. The humidity of the stadium not only made players fumble the ball, it also made heads hotter than usual. Usually playing for the same side, Schalk Brits and Farrell came to blows at the foot of a ruck. Brits delivered the first hit and was sin-binned for being the instigator, Farrell had punched back and was lucky not to have joined his Saracens teammate in the bin.

Seven minutes after the ruckus was formed, Farrell was handed another shot at goal, but he was visibly still wound up from his clash with Brits and missed the penalty. Moments later, the immense figure of Elliot Daly teed up a titanic penalty kick at goal. His kick from 49 metres away, sailed through the posts to make the scores level 3-3.

As the game reached the first quarter mark and after much time had been spent in the Barbarians’ 22, Farrell teed up once again and unlike his last kick, this one glided through the posts for the Lions to take the lead 3-6. The score did not stay the same for long as in the 26th minute the dangerously strong, Mike Phillips, looked to have been over but was just short. Moments later, however, Captain O’Connell was over for the first try of the match. Farrell booted over the conversion whilst O’Connell celebrated his try in the blood bin 3-13.

Farrell’s boot appeared to be in high demand as seconds after his first conversion, he was back teeing up to convert Mike Phillips’ eagerly awaited try, which he did successfully 3-20. As the first half reached its dying embers, Farrell’s boot was called for, for one last time. Despite Stuart Hogg looking hungry to have a kick at goal, Farrell took the last penalty of the half and secured the final points before the break 3-23.

Nothing had changed over half time. The atmosphere was still as wild and exuberant and Mike Phillips was still playing the game of his life as he pounced over the line, looking unstoppable, only two minutes into the second half. Farrell sunk the conversion over and it was beginning to look likely that Sir Ian McGeechan would get the 30 point score margin he was hoping for 3-30.

Up to the 54th minute mark, the majority of the game was going the Lions’ way. The Barbarians were being pinged left, right and centre and their scrum was crumbling under the heavy pressure of the Lions’ roar. However, just when it seemed that the sun was only shining on red shirted players, the immense back, Joe Rokocoko, came to life and sped downfield, bruising his way into the Lions’ 22, something the Barbarians had rarely done up until that point. A swift pass from the All-Black legend saw Kahn Fotuali’i zoom over the line to score the Barbarians’ much needed first try of the game. Nick Evans missed the conversion but the fans were booming as Delilah chorused around the stadium 8-30.

The Barbarians’ points gain did not last long and as the game edged closer to its final quarter, the Lions were back, snarling and baring their teeth in the Barbarians’ 22. An interception from Man of the 2009 Lions Series, Jamie Roberts, handed Welsh teammate Jonathan Davies a well-earned try. Jonathan Sexton took over the kicking duty and thumped the conversion through 8-37.

Roberts’ role in scoring did not finish with the Davies try as the centre also set up another Welsh teammate, Alex Cuthbert, to pelt down the left blindside to score try number five. Sexton just missed the conversion, but Lions fans did not mind as they revelled in the try celebrations 8-42.

Sexton did not have long to wait before getting another chance to add to the Lions’ cause. Two minutes after Cuthbert scored his first try for the Lions, he thundered over the line for his second try of the match with a little help from George North and Conor Murray. Sexton abysmally missed another conversion but the Lions were reigning supreme 8-47.

Hungry for even more points to get Warren Gatland’s attention, the Lions went on the prowl once again as the Barbarians hopelessly tried to hold the red jerseys back. As they went through the phases and were handed an advantage, it seemed inevitable that Gatland’s tenacious young guns would get another score before the final whistle. In the 74th minute, Dan Lydiate paced over for the line for the inevitable try, which Sexton converted 8-54.

As the clock ticked down, everyone thought Lydiate would have the last try of the match. They were all wrong. In a desperate last gasp run, the mighty Alun Wyn Jones rammed his way over the try-line to add insult to injury to the Barbarians. Sexton woefully missed the conversion but the Lions had already won the game, the respect from other members of their pride, and the hearts of their fans as the match finished 8-59.

It was not a complete walkover like the England game, so there are positives for the Barbarians to take away from the match. However, the victors: the British and Irish Lions, have a much desired first win to their summer tour as they prepare to go down under.

15 Jared Payne 14 Joe Rokocoko 13 Elliot Daly 12 Casey Laulala 11 Takudzwa Ngwenya 10 Nick Evans 9 Dimitri Yachvili 1 Paul James 2 Schalk Brits 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 4 Marco Wentzel 5 Dean Mumm 6 Samu Manoa 7 Sam Jones 8 SERGIO PARISSE (C) BENCH: 16 Leonardo Ghiraldini 17 Duncan Jones 18 Andrea Lo Cicero 19 Jim Hamilton 20 Imanol Harinordoquy 21 Kahn Fotuali'i 22 James Hook 23 Mike Tindall*/Rowan Varty

SCORERS T: Fotuali'i P: Daly Brits

15 Stuart Hogg 14 Alex Cuthbert 13 Jonathan Davies 12 Jamie Roberts 11 Sean Maitland 10 Owen Farrell 9 Mike Phillips 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Richard Hibbard 3 Adam Jones 4 Richie Gray 5 PAUL O’CONNELL (C) 6 Dan Lydiate 7 Justin Tipuric 8 Toby Faletau BENCH: 16 Tom Youngs 17 Cian Healy 18 Matt Stevens 19 Alun Wyn Jones 20 Jamie Heaslip 21 Conor Murray 22 Johnny Sexton 23 George North

SCORERS T: O'Connell, Phillips (2), Davies, Cuthbert (2), Lydiate, AW Jones C: Farrell (3), Sexton (2) P: Farrell (3)

Referee: Steve Walsh (ARU)

 

 

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WESTERN FORCE 17 - 69 BRITISH LIONS

Subiaco Oval, Perth - Wednesday 05 June 2013
KO: 18:00*/11:00 BST HT: 3-27 Att: 35,103

IT was a quiet affair down in Perth, which saw the British and Irish Lions thump the already weakened Western Force side.

HIGHLIGHTS

The first stop of the Australian tour, Patersons Stadium (under current naming rights), was filled with Force supporters, all eagerly awaiting the first ever clash between their team and the British and Irish Lions. The air may have been dominated by home fans, but there was also an impressive ‘red’ invasion within the crowd and as Brian O’Driscoll led out his team, a small cheer reverberated around the pitch.

After the Irish skipper discarded the new mascot ‘Bil,’ which apparently took 12 people 18 months to find, the game got underway. Straight from the kick-off the Lions were raring forwards and it was transparent that they meant business. Within two minutes of Glen Jackson’s opening piercing whistle, the reliable figure of Leigh Halfpenny was teeing up and notched the first points on the scoreboard 0-3.

The Lions forced their opponents to give away penalty after penalty; incredibly the score remained the same for the next 10 minutes, but a clever dummy from Jonathan Sexton created a Moses like gap in Western Force’s defence, leading to Sexton leaping over the tryline. Halfpenny quickly thudded the easiest kick of the match over 0-10.

Instantly from the restart, Force gave away two consecutive penalties, but managed to survive the continuous Lions onslaught of their 22. Over the ensuing 20 minutes, the visiting side began to lose their way and misplaced the ferocity they started the game with. In the 30th minute, the Lions’ mighty roar was nothing but a small purr when they gave away a kickable penalty in their own 22. Enticed by the idea that Force would finally be on the scoreboard, Brett Sheehan teed up and sent the ball home 3-10.

The Western Force’s recent points uptake appeared to have an immediate effect upon the men in red shirts, and a matter of minutes after Sheehan had polished his boots to sink a penalty, Lions captain O’Driscoll was effortlessly charging down the left blindside. Every member of the team celebrated as an uncertain referee Jackson called to the TMO. After little deliberation, O’Driscoll was awarded the try and a small cheer shrouded the stands, although it was a much quieter atmosphere to that heard in Hong Kong on Saturday. Halfpenny made the difficult conversion look easy and the Lions had found their way once again 3-17.

 

Despite it being a somewhat stealthy crowd, the first half was not without drama, and in the 35th minute Cian Healy fell screaming to the ground following an unfortunately angled tackle. Eventually he was stretchered off with ankle ligament damage, and it was heard that an allegation had been made against Healy that he had apparently been involved in a biting incident 17 minutes into the game. The allegation came from Force scrum half Brett Sheehan, who later admitted he was not sure whether the incident was intentional or accidental. However, despite no evidence found by the TMO, Glenn Newman, Healy was subsequently cited under Law 10.4.m Acts contrary to good sportsmanship.

Mako Vunipola replaced the injured prop and normality was restored as Halfpenny teed up for another penalty, which sailed through the uprights for what all assumed would be the final points of the first half 3-20. However, the gigantic Tom Croft had other ideas, and as the clock switched over to 40 minutes, the crowd was treated to a typical ‘Croft-pounce’ over the line. Halfpenny hastily converted and the Lions were beginning to humiliate their hosts at halftime, 3-27.

As the players strode back onto the pitch, it was the Lions who rightfully held their heads a little higher.  When the second half commenced, the visitors began to look like they were enjoying the encounter, and they had good reason to. Two minutes after kick-off, a determined Jamie Heaslip bruised his way into Force’s 22 and after a quick dalliance with O’Driscoll, was over for the Lion’s 4th try. Looking calm and focused, Halfpenny rammed the conversion over and the try floodgates had most certainly opened for the Lions, 3-34.

However, it was not the Lions who scored the next tremendous try. A great attacking lineout and a tenacity were the key ingredients of Richard Brown’s hard-worked try, and once referee Jackson’s arm was vertical, the stadium properly came to life for the first time. Sheehan dusted off his boots and walloped the conversion over to secure more points for Western Force’s cause, 10-34.

As if they were playing a game of ‘anything you can do, I can do better’, the Lions thundered down into Force’s 22 and scored another try of their own via Vunipola. Halfpenny was once again lumbered with the task of kicking a tricky conversion, but he looked to relish the opportunity and basked in the glory when his kick went over 10-41.

Fired up, and going for the kill, the Lions instantly restarted their assault of the opposition 22 and almost had another colossal try but Ed Stubbs killed the ball and was sent to the sin-bin. Undeterred, the Lions took the penalty quickly and danger man, Tommy Bowe, leapt over the tryline and Halfpenny converted 10-48.

Most teams, when down to 14 men, would have to work hard not to concede points, but not the Emirates Western Force. Against all odds, they appeared to play better with 14 men and just moments after replacement Locky McCaffrey came on, he was bounding over for a try. As accurate as ever, Sheehan added the conversion 17-48.

Two minutes on, Western Force undid all their hard work and allowed for the highly anticipated centre partnership, Manu Tuilagi and Brian O’Driscoll to seep through. O’Driscoll darted over the line and gave Halfpenny yet another difficult conversion, but he of course swept it through majestically 17-55.

In a bid to outdo McCaffrey’s glorious try, replacement Owen Farrell thrust his way over the tryline with his first touch. Needless to say, Halfpenny converted and with the final 10 minutes looming, it appeared the Lions were unstoppable. The only thing which marred their impending victory was the late sin-binning of Alun Wyn Jones, who killed the ball in his own 22.

As the clock ticked down, avid Lions fans in the stadium looked on in anticipation, wondering whether their heroes had any more tries up their sleeves, despite being down to 14 men. Ever the enigmatic side, the Lions finished their immense game with one last try from Geoff Parling. The final conversion meant the Lions had emphatically won their first game down under.

Leigh Halfpenny was well-deservedly ‘Man of the Match’ after keeping a 100% kicking record, regardless of the difficult kicks he was faced with.

Western Force had set themselves up for a mighty fall. They did well in the middle of the first half to try and confuse the Lions pack, but regardless of rugby politics, you cannot put out a substandard team if you are serious about beating the British and Irish Lions. This is something the Reds, the Lions next opponents, most certainly understand in the hope running out all guns blazing on Saturday to prevent the Lions from winning another scalp.

15 Sam Christie 14 Dane Haylett-Petty 13 Ed Stubbs 12 Chris Tuatara-Morrison* 11 Corey Brown* 10 Sam Norton-Knight 9 Brett Sheehan 1 Salesi Manu 2 James Hilterbrand 3 Salesi Ma’afu 4 Toby Lynn 5 Phoenix Battye 6 Angus Cottrell 7 MATT HODGSON (C) 8 Richard Brown BENCH: 16 Hugh Roach* 17 Sione Kolo* 18 Tim Metcher* 19 Ben Matwijow* 20 Lachlan McCaffrey 21 Alby Mathewson 22 Nick Haining*23 Junior Rasolea

SCORERS T: Richard Brown, McCaffrey C: Sheehan (2) P: Sheehan Ed Stubbs

15 Leigh Halfpenny 14 Tommy Bowe 3 BRIAN O’DRISCOLL (C) 12 Manu Tuilagi 11 George North 10 Jonathan Sexton 9 Conor Murray 1 Cian Healy 2 Rory Best 3 Dan Cole 4 Alun Wyn Jones 5 Ian Evans 6 Tom Croft 7 Sean O’Brien 8 Jamie Heaslip BENCH: 16 Tom Youngs 17 Mako Vunipola 18 Matt Stevens 19 Geoff Parling 20 Toby Faletau 21 Ben Youngs 22 Owen Farrell 23 Sean Maitland

SCORERS T: Sexton, O'Driscoll (2), Croft, Heaslip, Vunipola, Bowe, Farrell, Parling C: Halfpenny (9) P: Halfpenny (2) AW Jones

Referee: Glen Jackson (NZRU)

 

 

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REDS 12 - 22 BRITISH LIONS

Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane - Saturday 08 June 2013
KO: 19:30*/10:30 BST HT: 7-16 Att: 50,136

HIGHLIGHTS

THE St.George Queensland Reds produced a thrilling attacking performance and scored two tries to one but were unable to overcome the class of The British & Irish Lions with the tourists running out 22-12 winners at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

In stark contrast to the Western Force match, the Queensland Reds fronted their strongest team to face the British & Irish Lions, despite the loss of 7 players to the Wallabies. The Reds were chasing a historic victory to become the first Australian provincial team to beat the Lions since Queensland accomplished the feat in 1971 although 14 points to flyhalf Owen Farrell and a try to scrumhalf Ben Youngs proved the difference with the visitors holding off the fast-finishing Reds by 10 points.

However, Luke Morahan almost single-handedly caused no end of trouble for the Lions. And though still snubbed by the Wallabies coach, Robbie Deans, fly half Quade Cooper produced one of his best efforts for Queensland in 2013 as captain for the first time, executing the ball-in-hand gameplan implemented by the Reds.

In a free-flowing affair the Reds threw everything at the tourists with long-range tries to Morahan and Nick Frisby bringing a season high crowd of 50,136 to their feet at Queensland’s fortress, Suncorp Stadium.

The Reds scored two tries to one but the steady boot of young English flyhalf Owen Farrell, who was successful with all six of his shots at goal, saw the tourists home in the often pulsating match.

The game began at a furious pace in a very physical encounter with the home side dominating the opening minutes. Indeed the Reds had several chances to score in the opening minutes with one Ben Tapuai break splitting the Lions defence wide open.

On 8 minutes the Lions hit back with a superb run by Tommy Bowe who beat numerous defenders before sending Alex Cuthbert on a sprint to the corner, where the big Welsh winger was just bundled in to touch before the corner post.

The Lions scrum was dominant and they earned a penalty after 14 minutes that Farrell slotted over from an acute angle 30 metres out. Lions led 3-0.

But it was the Reds to score next. A mid-field bomb from Farrell was collected by left wing Morahan that ignited the Suncorp Stadium crowd with the flyer regathering the towering high-ball 70-metre from the try line before beating first Cuthbert then two more Lions defenders on a scything run, executing a perfectly weighted chip-kick over the head of fullback Stuart Hogg and re-gathering to score a sensational solo try touching down under the posts. Captain Quade Cooper landed the conversion to put the Reds up 7-3 after 17 minutes.

Farrell landed a penalty to bring the Lions back to 7-6 on 23 minutes but after a hectic passage of play, the Reds had a chance to go further ahead but Cooper’s penalty shot from a similar distance and angle just slipped wide.

The Lions had a chance to hit back soon after with Ben Youngs putting George North, who was on for Manu Tuilagi down the left touchline. North beat two before passing inside to Farrell who lost the ball inches short. Tuilagi went off holding his shoulder, but it turned out to be just stinger.

The Lions did score moments later however when Jake Schatz took the ball off the back of the resulting scrum. The ball came loose and Youngs pounced to score close to the post. Farrell was successful with the conversion and the Lions led 13-7 although the Reds had dominated much of the first 35 minutes.

The Lions almost went over again straight away after another superb run from North sent captain Sam Warburton on a sprint to the line, but again he was held up inches short. However, in Warburton’s first Lions outing, he came up short on many fronts, including penalties and missed tackles, and will have to significantly up his game if he is to captain the test side on merit rather than favouritism.

The Lions poured on the pressure late in the half and a Farrell penalty goal saw the Lions take a 16-7 lead to the break.

Light rain began to fall early in the second half meaning both teams were forced to restrict their free flowing play. Farrell then landed a further penalty to put the Lions out 19-7 after 50 minutes. But in the meantime, the tourists had lost winger Tommy Bowe to a hand injury which turned out to a broken bone, likely ending his Lions Tour.

Reds flanker Beau Robinson then suffered a concussion from crashing into props Mako Vunipola and Matt Stevens, which put him out of contention for the tourists next game against Combined Country in Newcastle.

Both teams played some enterprising rugby despite the slippery conditions making handling increasingly difficult.

The Lions had their chances to go further ahead but suddenly the Reds were over. Cooper sent a long pass to Rod Davies who found some space on the right wing before sending a perfectly weight pass inside to scrumhalf Nick Frisbee who raced over.

Replacement Mike Harris missed the relatively simple conversion. How the Welsh players in the Lions must have wished he had made a similar error when he landed a much more difficult kick to win the Second Test for the Wallabies over the Red Dragons in Melbourne last year.

The Lions led 19-12 and with just over 10 minutes remaining the sold out crowd was in for a thrilling climax to a great tour match, though full back Ben Lucas had to be stretchered off the park, later confirmed to be fine.

The stage was set for a grandstand finish when 2009 Lions tour captain Paul O’Connell came off the bench, but the Lions shut the game out after winning an important penalty which Farrell again landed to make the final score 22-12 in favour of the Lions.

15 Ben Lucas* 14 Rod Davies 13 Ben Tapuai 12 Anthony Faingaa 11 Luke Morahan 10 QUADE COOPER (C) 9 Nick Frisby* 1 Ben Daley 2 James Hanson 3 Greg Holmes 4 Adam Wallace-Harrison* 5 Ed O’Donoghue* 6 Eddie Quirk* 7 Beau Robinson 8 Jake Schatz* BENCH: 16 Albert Anae* 17 Sam Denny** 18 Jono Owen** 19 Radike Samo 20 Jarrad Butler* 21 Jono Lance* 22 Mike Harris 23 Dom Shipperley

SCORERS T: Morahan, Frisby C: Cooper

15 Stuart Hogg 14 Alex Cuthbert 13 Manu Tuilagi 12 Jonathan Davies 11 Tommy Bowe 10 Owen Farrell 9 Ben Youngs 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Tom Youngs 3 Matt Stevens 4 Richie Gray 5 Geoff Parling 6 Dan Lydiate 7 SAM WARBURTON (C) 8 Toby Faletau BENCH: 16 Richard Hibbard 17 Dan Cole 18 Adam Jones 19 Paul O'Connell 20 Justin Tipuric 21 Conor Murray 22 Jonathan Sexton 23 George North

SCORERS T: Ben Youngs C: Farrell P: Farrell (5)

Referee: Jérôme Garces (FFR)

*uncapped for Wallabies **uncapped for Reds & Wallabies

 

 

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COMBINED COUNTRY 0-64 LIONS

Hunter Stadium, Newcastle - Tuesday 11 June 2013
KO: 19:40*/10:40 BST HT: 0-38 Att: 20,071

HIGHLIGHTS

A sparkling attacking display in Newcastle saw the British & Irish Lions defeat Combined NSW and Queensland Country 64-0 in the third match of the DHL Australia 2013 Lions Tour at Hunter Stadium.

In front of a healthy crowd of 20,071, Combined Country punched above their weight early on with so many of the squad not even full time professional rugby players, almost getting the better of the star studded Lions in the early exchanges.

But the Lions broke through after seven minutes with a try to Welsh winger Alex Cuthbert, nicely set up by Irish living legend Brian O’Driscoll. Two minutes later they were in again with Cuthbert this time cutting inside to set up Irish scrumhalf Conor Murray.

Scotsman Stuart Hogg, who was playing fly half for the first time at international level,  landed both conversions to make it 14-0 after ten minutes and keep the Lions perfect record of 19 from 19 in shots at goal on tour. Hogg scored himself a minute later but then his conversion hit the post and the run was ended.

Country were on the attack minutes later, after a charge down forced a lineout five metres from the Lions line. The courageous Country team bombarded the Lions fortress but after a solid four minutes Welsh flanker Justin Tipuric turned over the ball.

The ball came quickly to O’Driscoll and then giant Welsh winger George North who put Scottish fullback Sean Maitland off on a long run downfield. Maitland beat two before passing back inside to North to score under the posts. Hogg converted and the Lions were up 26-0 after a quarter of the match.

The Lions then camped in the Country 22 and some spirited defence was eventually punctured by Welsh hooker Richard Hibbard who dove over from a driving maul. Hogg was again successful with the extras making it 33-0 on 28 minutes.

A slick backline move from a scrum put North over for his second on 33 minutes but Hogg was unsuccessful with the conversion from out wide leaving the score at 0-38. The Lions poured on the attack in the final minutes of the half but valiant Country held firm.  

Coach Cam Blades clearly gave the Country boys a rev up at half time as they defended like men possessed at the start of the second half. The Lions dug in close to Country’s line but wave and wave of red jerseys was turned away, every tackle containing a little extra bite.

Eventually O’Driscoll broke through out wide. The conversion was missed by Welsh fullback Leigh Halfpenny, on for North, and it was 43-0 after 50 minutes. Halfpenny scored himself four minutes later and this time was successful with the extras to make it an even 50 on 56 minutes.

Again Country defended tenaciously, pulling off some superb try saving tackles, but finally Irish flanker Sean O’Brien broke over from close range. Halfpenny added his second conversion to make it 57-0 on 65 minutes.

Replacement Country winger Dale Ahwang, a removalist from the Barron-Trinity Bulls in Cairns, got the home crowd on their feet as he dove over for what looked like a famous try three minutes later – but it was called back by referee Steve Walsh for a knock on.

Country continued to defend with passion and pride as the clock ticked down but a final flourish by O’Driscoll saw him put a neat grubber through for replacement centre Jonathan Davies to score on the siren. Halfpenny landed the conversion from wide out to complete the scoring at British & Irish Lions 64 Country 0.

The match was no contest for the Tourists, and actually sprung up numerous flaws especially in the second half, where the Lions fell woefully short in the line out area. But Combined Country put their heart and soul into trying to match the opposition, proud of the opportunity to play such a legendary institution.

15 Nathan Trist 14 Alex Gibbon 13 Lewie Catt 12 Tareta-Junior Siakisini 11 Tom Cox 10 Angus Roberts 9 Michael Snowden 1 Haydn Hirsimaki 2 Josh Mann-Rae 3 Tim Metcher 4 Phoenix Battye 5 Blake Enever 6 Richard Stanford 7 Jarrad Butler 8 TIM DAVIDSON (C) BENCH: 16 Tom Kearney 17 Dylan Evans 18 Rikki Abraham 19 Rory Arnold 20 Trent Dyer 21 Adam McCormack 22 Shaun McCarthy 23 Dale Ahwang

15 Sean Maitland 14 Alex Cuthbert 13 BRIAN O’DRISCOLL (C) 12 Jamie Roberts 11 George North 10 Stuart Hogg 9 Conor Murray 1 Alex Corbisiero 2 Richard Hibbard 3 Dan Cole 4 Richie Gray 5 Ian Evans 6 Sean O’Brien 7 Justin Tipuric 8 Jamie Heaslip BENCH: 16 Rory Best 17 Ryan Grant 18 Matt Stevens 19 Alun Wyn Jones 20 Toby Faletau 21 Mike Phillips 22 Jonathan Davies 23 Leigh Halfpenny

SCORERS T: Cuthbert, Murray, Hogg, North (2), Hibbard, O'Driscoll, Halfpenny, O'Brien, Davies C: Hogg (4), Halfpenny (3)

Referee: Steve Walsh (ARU)

 

 

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NSW WARATAHS 17 - 47 BRITISH LIONS

Allianz Stadium, Sydney - Saturday 15 June 2013
KO: 19:40*/10:40 BST HT: 10-23 Att: 40,805

HIGHLIGHTS

ANTICIPATION, excitement and the unknown shrouded the stadium as the Lions took on the Waratahs in their penultimate warm-up match.

It was a sell-out crowd at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney, and thousands of home supporters had turned up to see their team face the mighty British and Irish Lions, who remain unbeaten in all of their pre-test fixtures. Fans desired adrenaline pumping rugby, and they were not disappointed.

Fireworks adorned the air as both sides stepped onto the pitch to seal their fates. Tour Captain, Sam Warburton, led out the baying Lions to a resonance of cheering. The cheers only grew louder as the home side, the NSW Waratahs, rumbled on field with a great purpose: to dethrone the high flying Lions.

Under the watchful eye of South African Referee Jaco Peyper, the game got under way and within a minute of the kick-off, Simon Zebo almost claimed the first points of the game as he dived over the Waratahs’ try-line in the corner. A quick replay saw Zebo’s foot being pushed into touch by fullback Drew Mitchell during a try-saving tackle, and despite the final score, the Wallaby had an outstanding game. Regardless of the scoreboard staying the same, the Lions had thrown down their gauntlet; they were going to exploit any gaps and weaknesses to get the maximum points margin.

The Lions did not have to wait long to get points on the scoreboard as seconds later, Aviva Premiership Player of the Year, Tom Youngs, won the visitors a penalty at the breakdown. The reliable figure of Leigh Halfpenny pointed to the post like the dreaded Grim Reaper, and he was to be the death of the fired-up Waratahs, clocking up a record 30 points in total in an exceptional performance. Moments later, despite boos chorusing around the stadium, Halfpenny’s kick flew through and the Lions were off 0-3.

Two minutes later, the Lions appeared to be on fire as Jonathan Davies thundered down the left blindside. A nicely timed pass between him and Zebo set Jonathan Sexton up for the first try. Halfpenny thumped the conversion through and Lions fans were in their element 0-10.

Not to be downtrodden, the home side worked hard to come back and in the 13th minute, the Waratahs zoomed over for a try of their own to grasp their first points of the match and close in on the Lions’ lead. A quick lineout and even quicker ball saw Tom Carter pummelling over, leaving the Lions shell-shocked at the ‘surprise’ attack. Brendan McKibbin thudded the conversion through and the game really began to come to life 7-10. Five minutes later, however, the Waratahs undid their hard work by giving away a kickable penalty, which Halfpenny slid through with ease 7-13.

At the 25th minute mark, part of the Waratahs’ game plan was exposed after Referee Peyper saw the home team tackle Mike Phillips one too many times when he did not even have the ball. It looked as if the team were seeing how far they could push hot-headed Phillips, but all they were really doing was pushing Peyper and he awarded another penalty to the visitors. Halfpenny belted the kick over and the momentum of the game was back with the Lions 7-16.

This was the case until the 31st minute when Tom Youngs was pinged for being off his feet. Eager to add more points to his side’s cause, McKibbin notched over another 3 points 10-16. It looked as if the Waratahs would have the final say but in the 37th minute, the Lions stunned all with a fantastic team try just before halftime, which eventually saw Halfpenny bounding over for the line. Halfpenny hastily converted and the whistle was blown for halftime 10-23.

The Lions did not take their feet off the accelerator in the second half and within minutes of the restart leaving Bernard Foley’s boot, the visitors were exploding down field and into the Waratahs’ 22. A Sexton/Davies/Roberts trio set up Halfpenny for another try. The reliable boot of Halfpenny did not disappoint and he knocked over the conversion 10-30.

The Lions were well and truly on the rampage but the Waratahs quickly answered back and in the 45th minute, Tom Carter leaped over for his second try of the game. McKibbin’s conversion sailed through and the Waratahs were fighting back 17-30.

However, the Waratahs did not help their own cause by giving away a kickable penalty in the 51st minute. Halfpenny walloped the penalty over and there was no doubt who was holding the reins of the game 17-33.

Looking hungry for even more points, the Lions greedily ravaged their way back into the Waratahs’ 22 and in the 54th minute, Tom Croft darted over for a try. Halfpenny beautifully converted and the guests were showing up their hosts 17-40.

As the game reached its final 10 minutes, the Lions managed to squeeze out one last try after a bespoke Ben Youngs dash set up Jonathan Davies. Halfpenny thrust the conversion through but it was not all smiles for the Lions as Jamie Roberts hobbled off the pitch grimacing at what was turned out to be a hamstring injury 17-47.

After threats from both sides, the scoreboard remained the same and as the final klaxon whirred, the Lions celebrated adding another scalp to their collection, leaving head coach Warren Gatland with a number of selection headaches for the remainder of the tour.

Both sides were guilty of giving away too many penalties - 20 in total - and the visitors will need to cut down on the mistakes to win their first test against the Australia next Saturday. However, the Lions maintained their composure in the face of repeated physical assaults from the Tahs. Gatland commented post match: “There were a lot of shoulder charges and guys being taken late, and it would have been easy for someone to lose their head, throw a punch and for that to be picked up and them to be cited.

“But our discipline was absolutely fantastic. Our guys were magnificent, a credit to the Lions jersey. We were too big and too powerful for them.”

The British and Irish Lions have one more warm-up match on Tuesday against ACT Brumbies at Canberra Stadium before the first big showdown against the Green & Gold.

15 Drew Mitchell 14 Cam Crawford 13 Rob Horne 12 Tom Carter 11 Peter Betham 10 Bernard Foley 9 Brendan McKibbin 1 Jeremy Tilse 2 John Ulugia 3 Paddy Ryan 4 Will Skelton 5 Ollie Atkins 6 Jed Holloway 7 Pat McCutcheon 8 DAVE DENNIS (C) BENCH: 16 Luke Holmes 17 Richard Aho** 18 Sam Talakai* 19 Lopeti Timani 20 AJ Gilbert** 21 Matt Lucas 22 Ben Volavola 23 Tom Kingston

SCORERS T: Carter (2) C: McKibbin (2) P: McKibbin

15 Leigh Halfpenny 14 Sean Maitland 13 Jonathan Davies 12 Jamie Roberts 11 Simon Zebo* 10 Jonathan Sexton 9 Mike Phillips 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Tom Youngs 3 Adam Jones 4 Alun Wyn Jones 5 Paul O’Connell 6 Tom Croft 7 SAM WARBURTON (C) 8 Jamie Heaslip BENCH: 16 Richard Hibbard 17 Alex Corbisiero 18 Dan Cole 19 Geoff Parling 20 Dan Lydiate 21 Ben Youngs 22 Owen Farrell 23 Rob Kearney

SCORERS T: Sexton, Halfpenny (2), Croft, Davies C: Halfpenny (4), Farrell P: Halfpenny (4)

Referee: Jaco Peyper (SARU)

** Indicates players from outside the 35-man Tahs squad

 

 

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ACT BRUMBIES 14 - 12 BRITISH LIONS

Canberra Stadium , Canberra - Tuesday 18 June 2013
KO: 19:40*/10:40 BST HT: 8-3 Att: tba

HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...

Brumbies v Lions So...not long to go til KO & it's stopped thundering & lightning!
Brumbies v Lions Lions are out on the pitch...Brumbies on way...excitement brewing...
Brumbies v Lions Homeside have arrived...this is huge! Brumbies lost to Lions last time in 2001 by 2pts
Brumbies 0-0 Lions 0min France's Jérôme Garces marshalling as game kicks off in Canberra...
Brumbies 0-0 Lions 1min Lions start with L/O deep in Brumbies' 22 & good L/O but Shane Williams held short
Brumbies 0-0 Lions 2mins Brad Barritt already making good work of it; L/O on Brumbies' 10m but stolen
Brumbies 0-0 Lions 3mins Brumbies force play into Lions territory & ball turned by both sides...
Brumbies 0-0 Lions 4mins Brumbies just a metre short of Lions T/L; Lions defend desperately & clear but... 
Brumbies 0-0 Lions 4mins Stuart Hogg way out of position; Rob Kearney & Christian Wade miss tackles...
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 4mins & Tevita Kuridrani charges thru to score the first try for homeside!
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 6mins No conversion but Brumbies up. Hogg way out of his depth. 1 game doesn't make a 10
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 8mins Finally Lions are getting a powerful opposition against a real mid-week team
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 9mins Another poor L/O for Lions & it's not looking so bright for tourists
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 10mins Lions up to Brumbies 22 but a k/o & its Brumbies scrum
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 11mins Good scrum for Lions & reverse put in just outside 22
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 12mins Huge tackles coming in from huge Brumbies & stop any advantage Lions have
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 13mins Brumbies L/O but FB Jesse Mogg's kick goes awry; Lions L/O outside 22...
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 14mins Driving maul gets going but Lions shut down & Wade drops ball; Brumbies scrum
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 15mins Free kick to Brumbies & Mogg clears well. Lions L/O on H/W but again stolen
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 16mins Aerial football from one end to other; Brumbies k/o on H/W > kick to touch
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 18mins Lions 5m L/O & this time Ian Evans collects; pen Lions & Hogg tees up
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 19mins Ball looks slippery out there with earlier torrential rain; Hogg hits post!
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 20mins Excellent reaction from Brumbies who quickly collect & clear; Lions L/O won
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 21mins Hogg looks terrified on the pitch! Maybe not Gatland's best idea
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 22mins Brumbies into Lions 22 but ball goes loose & Lions take it...
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 23mins Ben Youngs box kicks it clear but Clyde Rathbone brings it back from 10m
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 24mins Rob Kearney having a stormer. Time out; Lions scrum in own 22
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 25mins Lions free kick; Brumbies L/O on Lions 10m & now their L/O fails
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 26mins Ball to touch for Brumbies L/O; won but t/o & Williams breaks but whistle gone
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 28mins Lions L/O just inside own 10m - need to move play into Brumbies territory...
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 29mins Brumbies playing excellent defence & Lions not finding space anywhere; timeout
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 30mins Pen Brumbies & Mogg tees up from 56m; has distance but not accuracy
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 33mins Sean O'Brien needed treatment but fine. Lions win L/O & have another on H/W
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 34mins Another L/O mess from Rory Best; losing because of it. Sadly no Youngs on bench
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 35mins Lions still in own half; Hogg's clear goes nowhere & breakdown a mess > t/o
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 37mins Pen Brumbies & Ian Prior tees up from slightly wide but he hooks it
Brumbies 5-0 Lions 38mins Lions discipline not good & almost fisticuffs but Garces stops it. Pen Brumbies
Brumbies 8-0 Lions 39mins Mogg has no problem with that as Brumbies move ahead leaving Lions scoreless
Brumbies 8-0 Lions 40mins Lions react by driving up to 22; desperately want something as siren goes...
Brumbies 8-3 Lions 40+2mins Capt Peter Kimlin pinged at B/D; Hogg tees up to boos & this time on target

Brumbies 8-3 Lions HT T: Kuridrani P: Mogg | P: Hogg

Brumbies 8-3 Lions HT Hard to make any judgement call coz this isn't Lions Test side at all...
Brumbies 8-3 Lions 40mins Massive work needed from Lions; Andy Farrell no doubt went ballistic in HT!
Brumbies 8-3 Lions 41mins No changes on either side; Wadey breaks down touchline but tackled into touch
Brumbies 8-3 Lions 42mins Garces goes to TMO to check high tackle; Rathbone hooked Wade round neck
Brumbies 8-3 Lions 43mins Pen Lions & have L/O but easily stolen from 6'9" Richie Gray. Poor show Lions
Brumbies 8-3 Lions 44mins Brumbies raring for a Lions scalp here-great to watch if you're not Lions fan!
Brumbies 8-3 Lions 44mins Lions pinged for not rolling away; Mogg tees up outside 22 in front of posts
Brumbies 11-3 Lions 45mins Easy 3-pointer. Lions need to bring on replacements already *plannotworking*
Brumbies 11-3 Lions 47mins Lions scrum just inside on half after k/o from Kuridrani
Brumbies 11-3 Lions 48mins Finally some field position into Brumbies territory but battle to make yards
Brumbies 11-3 Lions 50mins k/o & scrum coming but timeout for TMO to check Colby Faingaa tackle on Hogg
Brumbies 11-3 Lions 51mins Perfectly correct there's no spear tackle; Lions put in Brumbies 10m but t/o
Brumbies 11-3 Lions 51mins Mogg wallops ball into Lions 22 perfectly; Lions driving Brumbies back but t/o
Brumbies 11-3 Lions 52mins Ref checks Ryan Grant's tackle on Ruan Smith-right out of order! Pen Brumbies
Brumbies 14-3 Lions 53mins Mogg knocks it over & Brumbies trundle ahead...
Brumbies 14-3 Lions 55mins Brumbies pinged for not releasing & Hogg to kick in front of posts...
Brumbies 14-6 Lions 56mins Hogg with easy kick; Josh Mann-Rea on for Siliva Siliva. Lions bench preps
Brumbies 14-6 Lions 57mins Cole, Corbisiero, Hibbard & Lydiate for Stevens, Best, Grant & O'Brien
Brumbies 14-6 Lions 59mins Much better scrum & pen Lions; Hogg tees up but hits post again!
Brumbies 14-6 Lions 60mins Farrell, Parling & Murray for Hogg, Evans & Youngs;
Brumbies 14-6 Lions 62mins Suddenly Lions find mojo & Farrell tees up for pen on 22 in front of posts
Brumbies 14-9 Lions 63mins Faz bang on despite raucous Brumbies fans & this match has whole new feel
Brumbies 14-9 Lions 66mins Brumbies are on front foot again almost up to Lions 22 but Lions clear;
Brumbies 14-9 Lions 67mins Spot of aerial football & Kearney loses ball fwd; Lions defensive L/O in 22
Brumbies 14-9 Lions 68mins Simon Zebo on for Williams; Jordan Smiler for Sam Carter
Brumbies 14-9 Lions 70mins Gray steals 2nd L/O from Mann-Rea & Lions pen; Faz tees up from out wide...
Brumbies 14-12 Lions 71mins Faz's freaky stare works & only 2 pts in it now; Robbie Coleman for Rathbone
Brumbies 14-12 Lions 72mins Kearney is everywhere & takes down Mogg while Lions sneak into Brumbies 22
Brumbies 14-12 Lions 74mins Lions drive back into 22; can't go fwd so go wide...good recycling & 7m out
Brumbies 14-12 Lions 75mins So close but pinged for holding on & Mogg clears L/O inside own 10m
Brumbies 14-12 Lions 76mins Brumbies getting heated as pen Lions & scrum Lions...
Brumbies 14-12 Lions 76mins Scrum reset; free kick Lions & take scrum again...ooh the tension!
Brumbies 14-12 Lions 77mins But Brumbies steal at scrum & suddenly play is at Lions 10m...
Brumbies 14-12 Lions 78mins Poor clear from Lions; perfect kick from Mogg; timeout for downed Brumbie
Brumbies 14-12 Lions 78mins Brumbies scrum on Lions 22 - long way back for Lions!
Brumbies 14-12 Lions 79mins Looks like t/o but no; no way thru straight ahead as yet...
Brumbies 14-12 Lions 80mins Pen to Brumbies & timeout! Scrum sets for Brumbies as siren goes...
Brumbies 14-12 Lions 80mins Replacement Oosthuizen belts it into touch for a well deserved Brumbies win
RESULT: Brumbies 14-12 Lions T: Kuridrani P: Mogg (3) | P: Hogg (2), Farrell (2)
Brumbies 14-12 Lions FT Game came alive once Lions bench came on; but Brumbies heaped on the pressure
Brumbies 14-12 Lions FT Great win for Peter Kimlin & ACT Brumbies in Canberra tonight. Lions not so impressive
Gatland LIVE: We just weren't good enough in the 1st half. Gave them rollicking at HT & they got better
Gatland LIVE: L/O - couple of overthrows, couple of not straights...it happens
Gatland LIVE: A few of those players (off the bench) will be playing on Saturday. Hard to comment (on today's positives)
Gatland LIVE: Unusual to pick up so many knocks in the backs; put in new boys today & disappointed they didn't perform

15 Jesse Mogg 14 Henry Speight 13 Tevita Kuridrani 12 Andrew Smith** 11 Clyde Rathbone 10 Matt Toomua 9 Ian Prior 1 Ruan Smith** 2 Siliva Siliva 3 Scott Sio 4 Leon Power 5 Sam Carter 6 Scott Fardy 7 Colby Faingaa 8 PETER KIMLIN (C) BENCH: 16 Josh Mann-Rea 17 Jean-Pierre Smith** 18 Chris Cocca** 19 Etienne Oosthuizen 20 Jordan Smiler 21 Mark Swanepoel 22 Robbie Coleman 23 Zack Holmes

SCORERS T: Kuridrani P: Mogg (3)

15 Rob Kearney 14 Christian Wade* 13 Brad Barritt* 12 Billy Twelvetrees* 11 Shane Williams 10 Stuart Hogg 9 Ben Youngs 1 Ryan Grant 2 Rory Best (C) 3 Matt Stevens 4 Ian Evans 5 Richie Gray 6 Sean O’Brien 7 Justin Tipuric 8 Toby Faletau BENCH: 16 Richard Hibbard 17 Alex Corbisiero 18 Dan Cole 19 Geoff Parling 20 Dan Lydiate 21 Conor Murray 22 Owen Farrell 23 Simon Zebo

SCORERS P: Hogg (2), Farrell (2)

Referee: Jérôme Garces (FFR)

** Indicates players from outside the 35-man squad

 

 

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AUSTRALIA 21 - 23 BRITISH LIONS

Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane - Saturday 22 June 2013
KO: 20:05*/11:05 BST HT: 12-13 Att: 52,499

HIGHLIGHTS

THE British and Irish Lions had never lost a game in Brisbane, and history remained unchanged after the first Test of the 2013 series. Australia’s misplaced kicking boots cost them dearly at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, and the loss is not the only worry that will be troubling them after picking up numerous injuries.

Both sides looked focused and raring to go as they thudded onto the pitch. Excitement and a splash of tension were mixed together in the stadium’s atmosphere like a Lions test cocktail, and this only got more potent as the Australian anthem was sung. A sea of yellow and red flooded the at-capacity ground and roars of encouragement entwined around the pitch as Johnny Sexton prepared to kick-off.

Less than a minute into the game, the Wallabies experienced their first injury worry; debutant centre Christian Leali’ifano collided with Jonathan Davies during a tackle, banging his head as he fell, and lay on the ground motionless for a few seconds. As the game continued oblivious, Davies desperately hounded the attention of the officials and the medical team took to the field. Anxious moments passed and Leali’ifano was stretchered off whilst giving the thumbs up to all those around to signify that he was OK, and Pat McCabe came on to replace him.

After an horrific first minute, play continued with a Wallabies scrum. Pushing and shoving began as it had to be reset and Australia were handed a free kick. Less than a minute later the Lions were pinged again, this time because former Lions captain Brian O’Driscoll was off his feet and James O’Connor subsequently had his first shot at goal. With almost deadly silence, O’Connor missed the kick and the Lions had survived the first five minutes unscathed 0-0.

Only seconds later, O’Driscoll was penalised in almost the exact same spot, which became a habit under the dubious perception of Kiwi referee, Chris Pollock. Hungry to put right his miss, O’Connor stepped up to the plate but his kick had the same outcome as the last as he swept the ball wide.

Errors continued to drift into the game of both sides and the scoreboard remained pointless up until the 13th minute when the Wallabies caught the Lions napping after taking a penalty quickly. A chip from Will Genia dropped perfectly for another debutant, Israel Folau -a veteran of Australian Rugby League and the AFL before he came to Union- who exceptionally thundered solo downfield, knowing no Lion could catch him. The home crowd’s cheering escalated with every footstep Folau made and erupted as he bounded over for the first points. O’Connor looked uneasy as he went to take the conversion, but he managed to add the extras 7-0.

The Lions did not appear on the scoreboard until the 23rd minute after Australia were pinged for going in at the side. Leigh Halfpenny eagerly teed up and despite subtle boos echoing around the stadium, his kick sailed through 7-3.

The floodgates opened for the Lions after a barren opening quarter, and their scoring momentum switched to overdrive. The game quickly turned into aerial ping pong and as Australia anticipated a kick coming back to them, George North had other ideas. North pelted into Australian territory just two minutes after Halfpenny’s penalty, dodging every defender along the way to score a fantastic solo try to rival that of Folau. The numerous Lions fans jumped around the stands with glee as Halfpenny thumped over the conversion to give the Lions the lead 7-10.

That was not the last the crowd saw of North before halftime. With a penalty on its way and the Lions deep inside Australia’s 22, North endeavoured to score try number two, but a replay saw his elbow go into touch while Folau simultaneously held up the ball, and Kiwi TMO Vinny Munro declared ‘no try’.  As cheers filtered through the stands at the verdict, the Lions forwards took the 5 metre scrum. However, Halfpenny’s default settings were set to ‘punish’ and he refused to relinquish the ball in a bid to take the promised penalty. Torn and faced with a dilemma, Captain Warburton took the safe option; moments later Halfpenny had added the final points for the Lions in the first half 7-13.

As halftime beckoned, Munro was a man in demand. A matter of minutes after denying North a try, he had to decide whether there was a reason to refuse Folau his second. A borderline forward pass was overlooked and the immense winger had struck again, but O’Connor woefully missed the conversion 12-13.

Just when things were looking up for the home side, disaster hit as try-scorer Folau and his teammate Berrick Barnes collided heads, causing the crowd to groan as both players dropped to the floor. Like Leali’ifano earlier, Barnes was stretchered off, and the Wallabies were desperately running out of backs.

Time continued to tick away and Australia were lucky not to lose another player, this time to the sin-bin after purposefully going off their feet deep in their own 22. The Lions were awarded a much needed penalty on the brink of halftime but Halfpenny joined the missed-kick club, 12-13.

After holding onto the lead by their mere fingertips at the break, the Lions worked hard to add more points to their cause in the first few minutes of the second half. A penalty from a collapsed scrum gave the Lions a great attacking lineout and an expert throw from Tom Youngs saw the Lions thumping forwards. Tenaciously as ever, Alex Cuthbert evaded O’Connor, Genia and Kurtley Beale to score under the posts. Halfpenny hastily added the conversion and the Lions extended their lead to 20-12.

However, the Lions invited their opponents straight back into the game by not staying on their feet. Fans in all colours nervously watched O’Connor’s painstaking kicking preparations, but a huge swoop from the fly-half’s boot lit up the stadium and the scoreboard flickered to 15-20.

Australia continued to attack the Lions’ 22 and a battle of wills ensued on the field. The Lions bared their teeth as they desperately strove to secure the first win, but the pressure became too much in the 61st minute and the Wallabies were handed another penalty. Taking over kicking duty, Beale mercilessly sent the ball flying through and all knew the match was far from won 18-20.

Five minutes later, Halfpenny was handed the chance to extend the score margin after Australia were pinged for being offside. Teeing up from the same place he had previously missed from, Halfpenny had a quick word with himself before drumming another 3 points over 18-23.

Like a points see-saw, the Lions undid their hard work and gave away a penalty of their own only two minutes later. Beale superbly spiralled his kick through, and tension and noise levels engorged the stadium, but not before Adam Ashley Cooper added to Australia’s injury plague with a suspected dislocated shoulder; 21-23.

In the closing passages of play it was neither tries nor glamorous rugby which inevitably led to the Lions winning the first test of the 2013 series. Beale was handed a dramatic final minute penalty to steal the wind out of his opponent’s sails, and after not missing a single kick, all supporters were on the edge of their seats. In a heart wrenching twist for the home side, the turf sealed the fate of Australia by causing Beale to slip over whilst taking the kick. Beale inevitably missed and he and his teammates looked shattered. On the other side of the pitch, Lions players beamed with pride and even Warren Gatland gave a wry smile, saying he was: “happy and relieved” at his side’s marginal victory, despite worrying injuries to Paul O’Connell and Alex Corbisiero.

Wounded Qantas Wallabies Captain James Horwill said regardless of losing: “There are plenty of positives we can take out of it, there’s plenty of things we can work on and we need to go onto Melbourne and win, and we have got to put all our efforts into doing that.”

Both sides will meet again next Saturday at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne for the second test. Captain Horwill is lucky not to have been banned from the following match after being cited stamping on Alun Wyn Jones in the 3rd minute during a ruck. Nigel Hampton QC stated that it was not ‘implausible’ that Horwill was purely trying to drive forwards and accidentally caught Jones above his left eye, so Horwill was cleared. Most of the rugby fraternity believe otherwise.

The British and Irish Lions will have one more warm up match on Tuesday against the Melbourne Rebels, and many players will be hoping to impress Gatland in a last gasp bid to gain a test jersey.

15 Berrick Barnes 14 Israel Folau* 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper 12 Christian Leali’ifano* 11 Digby Ioane 10 James O’Connor 9 Will Genia 1 Benn Robinson 2 Stephen Moore 3 Ben Alexander 4 Kane Douglas 5 JAMES HORWILL (C) 6 Ben Mowen* 7 Michael Hooper 8 Wycliff Palu BENCH: 16 Saia Fainga’a 17 James Slipper 18 Sekope Kepu 19 Rob Simmons 20 Liam Gill 21 Nick Phipps 22 Pat McCabe 22 Kurtley Beale

SCORERS T: Folau (2) C: O'Connor P: O'Connor, Beale (2)

15 Leigh Halfpenny 14 Alex Cuthbert 13 Brian O'Driscoll 12 Jonathan Davies 11 George North 10 Jonathan Sexton 9 Mike Phillips 1 Alex Corbisiero 2 Tom Youngs 3 Adam Jones 4 Alun Wyn Jones 5 Paul O'Connell 6 Tom Croft 7 SAM WARBURTON (C) 8 Jamie Heaslip BENCH: 16 Richard Hibbard 17 Mako Vunipola 18 Dan Cole 19 Geoff Parling 20 Dan Lydiate 21 Ben Youngs 22 Owen Farrell 23 Sean Maitland

SCORERS T: North, Cuthbert C: Halfpenny (2) P: Halfpenny (3)

Referee: Chris Pollock (NZRU) Asst. Referees: Craig Joubert (SARU), Romain Poite (FFR) TMO: Vinny Munro (NZRU)

 

 

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MELBOURNE REBELS 0 - 35 BRITISH LIONS

AAMI Park, Melbourne - Tuesday 25 June 2013
KO: 19:40*/10:40 BST HT: 0-14 Att: tba

HIGHLIGHTS

A sold-out AAMI Park watched Captain Dan Lydiate and his British and Irish Lions emphatically humiliate their hosts and seal a victory for the 100th time in Australia.

The Melbourne Rebels were determined to follow in the footsteps of the Brumbies’ victory last week under the leadership of Lions nemesis for one day only, Welshman Gareth Delve. Sadly for home fans, the Lions had other ideas and made it almost impossible for the Rebels to score throughout the entirety of the 80 minutes.

Straight from the first pip of Kiwi and former fly half turned talented referee Glen Jackson’s whistle, the Rebels battled and bruised their way into the Lion’s den, purposefully edging closer to the elusive tryline. The Lions hastily turned over their hosts and in a full 180 move, were snarling deep inside the Rebels’ 22, but were turned over themselves. A boot into touch by the Rebels gave the Lions the first lineout of the game, but Richard Hibbard’s throw woefully fell into enemy hands. The Rebels lit up at the weakness they had found in the Lions and as the ball ricocheted from one side of the pitch to the other, the Rebels continued to test the lineout skills of their opponents.

Another poor throw from Hibbard was stolen, but moments after their small victory, the Rebels were penalised for not releasing the ball. Hesitantly Farrell booted the ball into touch and all eyes at the iconic AAMI stadium were heavily bearing into Hibbard as he prepared for the Lions first attacking lineout. He resiliently found Irishman Sean O’Brien and the Lions zoomed into the Rebels’ 22.

Both sets of fans took it in turns to warble when their team edged closer to the other’s tryline, but the scoreboard remained unchanged. That was until 15 minutes in when the tourists were handed a 5 metre scrum and after a huge push, the Lions were handed the advantage. They did not need it, however, as a slip pass from Toby Faletau saw scrum-half Conor Murray thump over for a try. Farrell perfectly converted and Lions fans roared with joy as they took the early lead 0-7.

In the following 10 minutes after Murray’s try, the ball was like a bar of soap, slipping through the hands of players. After countless knock-ons and errors, the Rebels finally looked like they would break their way onto the scoreboard with a kick at goal. Silence descended as Jason Woodward attempted a 38 metre penalty and it remained silent as his kick swooped wide of the posts.

Brought back to life by Woodward’s near-miss, the Lions bolted their way into Rebel territory in the 28th minute. A forceful run from Manu Tuilagi broke down the Rebels’ defence but a falter from Faletau caused the crowd to groan. Desperately the Lions recovered and a pass out wide to winger Simon Zebo enabled him enough time to set up Sean Maitland. Perfectly on-form, Farrell belted the conversion over for the final points of the first half 0-14.

The Rebels came close to scoring just before halftime after an inspired run by Mitch Inman resulted in a penalty lineout 5 metres from the Lions’ tryline. The hosts abysmally lost the valuable feed and the Lions quickly booted it out of the danger zone.

After halftime, the teams came out looking focused and Delve clapped his hands in encouragement as the crowd began to roar and Woodward kicked off the Rebels’ epic odyssey to score points in the second half. Like in the first half, the Rebels dominated the opening minutes but the Lions turned them over. In the 49th minute, the Lions were awarded a penalty on halfway and instead of testing Farrell’s goal kicking, they determinedly went for touch metres from the Rebels’ tryline. This daring move paid off and after a good lineout, Lydiate forced his way forwards before offloading to O’Brien for a try near the right blindside. Farrell was handed a tricky conversion as his last job before Stuart Hogg replaced him, and he magnificently sent it through 0-21.

Opportunities continued to glisten for both sides but errors kept slipping into the game. The crowd’s cheering grew louder and quieter in waves as the teams thrust back and forth. In the 55th minute, replacement Luke Jones dashed 30 metres and drew home fans to their feet, but a desperate Lion defence brought him crashing to the ground and stamped out any Rebel sparks.

Seven minutes later, it was the turn of the Lions fans to get excited after Murray won a penalty. Replacement Billy Twelvetrees kicked for touch and after the lineout was secured, the Lions formed a maul. The Lions continued to pummel forwards and were metres out from the tryline as Jordy Reid ruthlessly side tackled right in front of Referee Jackson. Reid was shown a yellow card and the Lions were awarded a penalty try. Hogg was handed the easiest kick of his life and thumped it over to extend the Lions’ lead 0-28.

The Rebels instantly replied to their opponent’s points uptake by forcing their way into the Lions’ 22. A grubber kick from Nic Stirzaker was knocked into touch by a Lion and drama ensued at the lineout. Hungrily, the Rebels took it quickly and debutant Cruze Ah-Nau bounded over the tryline but unfortunately for him and the celebrating crowd, Jackson had already blown the whistle after an unsatisfactory throw-in. The Rebels were awarded a free-kick but all momentum was lost and the Lions quickly cleared their patch.

As the game reached its final 10 minutes, it was replacements galore for both sides. With the fresh legs came fresh opportunities and after an attacking Lions lineout was perfectly executed, England’s Ben Youngs darted inbetween the Rebels slowing defence and pounced over for a try. Hogg converted and all that was left for the Lions to do was to shut the game down 0-35.

In the final dying moment, the Rebels were handed a penalty and desperately hounded the Lions’ 22. Home fans held their breath as Stirzaker pelted down the right blindside and was then bundled into touch as the klaxon whirred.

It was unusual to see a scoreboard only made up of tries rather than penalty kicks at goal and this exemplifies the confidence the Lions exuded on the pitch. To say that the Lions completely dominated the game would be a lie as on multiple occasions the Rebels threatened to score, but it was the tenacity of the Lions’ defence which eventually stopped the hosts in their tracks.

Many of the Lions have put their hands up for a test jersey and with players like Sean O’Brien savaging the opposition’s breakdown ball, and Ben Youngs nipping at the heels of every opponent, Warren Gatland is surely going to have many selection headaches whilst deciding who will make it into the next pack of Lions to take on the Qantas Wallabies this Saturday at the Etihad Stadium.

15 Jason Woodward 14 Tom English 13 Mitch Inman 12 Rory Sidey 11 Lachlan Mitchell 10 Bryce Hegarty 9 Luke Burgess** 1 Nic Henderson 2 Ged Robinson 3 Laurie Weeks 4 Cadeyrn Neville 5 Hugh Pyle 6 Jarrod Saffy 7 Scott Fuglistaller 8 GARETH DELVE (C) BENCH: 16 Pat Leafa 17 Cruze Ah-Nau** 18 Paul Alo-Emile 19 Luke Jones 20 Jordy Reid 21 Nic Stirzaker 22 Angus Roberts 23 Cooper Vuna

SCORERS Reid

15 Rob Kearney 14 Sean Maitland 13 Manu Tuilagi 12 Brad Barritt 11 Simon Zebo 10 Owen Farrell 9 Conor Murray 1 Ryan Grant 2 Richard Hibbard 3 Dan Cole 4 Richie Gray 5 Ian Evans 6 DAN LYDIATE (C) 7 Sean O’Brien 8 Toby Faletau BENCH: 16 Rory Best 17 Tom Court 18 Matt Stevens 19 Tom Croft 20 Justin Tipuric 21 Ben Youngs 22 Billy Twelvetrees 23 Stuart Hogg

SCORERS T: Murray, Maitland, O'Brien, PT, Youngs C: Farrell (3), Hogg (2)

Referee: Glen Jackson (NZRU)

**uncapped for Rebels

 

 

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AUSTRALIA 16 - 15 BRITISH LIONS

Etihad Stadium, Melbourne - Saturday 29 June 2013
KO: 20:05*/11:05 BST HT: 9-12 Att: 56,771

HIGHLIGHTS

HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...

Wallabies v Lions Well that's a belting out of the anthem! Massive!
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 0mins Ooh the tension as teams huddle & Craig Joubert readies to blow whistle for KO
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 0mins Kurtley Beale kicks off & Wallabies up to H/W but Stephen Moore drops ball
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 1mins Lions peg Wallabies into on 22; clear to touch for Lions L/O outside 22...
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 1mins Tom Youngs hemmed in & Aussies have L/O; play suddenly over Lions 10m...
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 2mins Good Lions clear; great take from Beale but Aussies pinged & Lions pen...
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 3mins Leigh Halfpenny tees up from H/W slightly wide but hits the bar!
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 4mins Bread of Heaven rebounds around stadium...erm...it's a Lions Tour not Wales
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 5mins Wallaby scrum on H/W but they're pinged for not releasing again at breakdown
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 6mins Johnny Sexton kicks to touch for L/O outside the Wallabies 22; drive & win pen
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 7mins Warburton calls for corner kick for 5m L/O & they drive...2m out...
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 8mins Wallabies pinged for collapsing the maul & James Horwill warned YC on way...
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 8mins Pen Lions & Halfpenny teeing up from 30m on 22 out wide...
Wallabies 0-3 Lions 10mins From restart Lions steal the ball with t/o; Alun Wyn Jones down injured > timeout
Wallabies 0-3 Lions 10mins AWJ's fine & it's an Aussie L/O around Lions 22 - not bad work so far...
Wallabies 0-3 Lions 11mins Aussies forced to play width both ways - not making headway forwards much...
Wallabies 0-3 Lions 11mins Huge cross kick magnificently taken by Israel Folau > beats North but...
Wallabies 0-3 Lions 12mins ...James O'Connor knocks on & pen & defensive scrum to Lions in own territory
Wallabies 0-3 Lions 12mins Mako Vunipola pinged for standing up; Aussie free kick & opt for scrum
Wallabies 0-3 Lions 15mins Scrum collapses twice & pen Australia - Christian Lealiifano tees up from 22
Wallabies 3-3 Lions 16mins Lealiifano is also bang on & its all square at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne
Wallabies 3-3 Lions 17mins Excellent clear from O'Connor & Lions L/O just inside own 10m...
Wallabies 3-3 Lions 18mins Up to Wallabies 10m but Lions come unstuck & Aussie scrum
Wallabies 3-3 Lions 19mins But Wallabies pinged for flying off feet at breakdown & Lions pen...
Wallabies 3-3 Lions 20mins Sexton kicks for corner but misses & Aussies have possession again in own 22
Wallabies 3-3 Lions 21mins Aussies make some serious ground but Kane Douglas hands over pen to Lions
Wallabies 3-3 Lions 21mins Time out for blood to Douglas; Warburton has word with Vunipola after Joubert
Wallabies 3-3 Lions 22mins Aussies targeting Vunipola - coz they can. Pen Aus & Lealiifano tees up...
Wallabies 6-3 Lions 24mins Lions with ball in hand driving into Aussie territory; Vunipola drops it...
Wallabies 6-3 Lions 26mins Aussie scrum & Vunipola wins it back for Lions & Halfpenny tees up from 47m
Wallabies 6-6 Lions 27mins Halfpenny equalises & this is ever so close...
Wallabies 6-6 Lions 28mins Moore loses ball after restart & they clear Aussies back...
Wallabies 6-6 Lions 28mins Aussies pinged for obstruction & Sexton kicks to touch after fisticuffs halted
Wallabies 6-6 Lions 29mins Lions L/O is a bit of a mess & Aussies end up with L/O almost on H/W...
Wallabies 6-6 Lions 30mins O'Connor being targeted too; error forced & Lions scrum inside Aus H/W
Wallabies 6-6 Lions 31mins Good scrum & then win pen; Halfpenny prepares from just inside H/W...
Wallabies 6-9 Lions 32mins Halfpenny kicks to perfection & Lions are just out ahead again...
Wallabies 6-9 Lions 33mins Some casualties down on both sides; Vunipola's elbow catches Adam Ashley-Cooper
Wallabies 6-9 Lions 35mins Aussie L/O in Lions territory; goes to plan & win a pen for Lealiifano to kick
Wallabies 9-9 Lions 36mins Lealiifano maintains his 100% record on his 2nd cap & ooh this is tight
Wallabies 9-9 Lions 37mins Whopping up & under fumbled by Aus outside 22 & Lions collect but forced back
Wallabies 9-9 Lions 38mins Aussies forced to make error as Lions pile on pressure & attack brilliantly
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 39mins Warburton opts for goal kick & Halfpenny drills it over from out wide on 22..
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 40mins As the ball appears to veer round a little to hit the centre of uprights > HT

Wallabies 9-12 Lions mins HT P: Lealiifano (3) | P: Halfpenny (4)

Wallabies 9-12 Lions HT PHEW!!! This is knife-edge stuff! And there's still a second half to go!
Wallabies 9-12 Lions HT Can your nerves take it...whichever side you support?! Great spectacle from both sides
Wallabies 9-12 Lions HT Craig Joubert reffing brilliantly too. So much better!
Wallabies 9-12 Lions HT Lions scrum improved immensely as game has gone on...& playing ref better ;-)

Wallabies 9-12 Lions 40mins Here we go again...1st L/O to Lions on Aussie 10m...
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 41mins Job done...but then Aussies have same on opposite side...
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 41mins Good work from Wallabies but eventually give it up& Lions attacking scrum...
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 42mins Scrum inside Aus 10m & Lions drive fwd; disruptive defence but still going
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 44mins Sexton drops the ball & momentum lost; Aussie scrum at own 10m
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 44mins Scrum reset & Aussies win pen; Beale clears well
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 45mins Aussie L/O outside 22 is good but Jonathan Davies intercepts & charges...
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 46mins Excellent frantic action from both sides ending in Aussie pen
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 48mins Lions defensive scrum on own 10m but not to plan & Aussies take & charge...
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 49mins But Brian O'Driscoll plays his game & Lions win back ball...Lions L/O...
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 50mins Good Lions L/O & do attack towards Aussie 22 but Folau steals it & charges
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 50mins It's with Lions - with Wallabies - with Lions...so frantic!
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 51mins Aussie possession still in own territory > up to H/W & over!
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 52mins Joubert calls ruck but BOD claims doesn't hear & gets busted for hands in it
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 53mins Rob Simmons for Kane Douglas as Lions drive Wallabies into touch from L/O
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 53mins Connor Murray on for Ben Youngs at scrum half...
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 54mins Wallabies up to Lions' 22 but Murray causes havoc with t/o & pen Lions...
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 55mins Lions H/W L/O; Murray kicks but fwd off Parling & Folau attacks from own 22
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 55mins Time out for injury to Tom Youngs...
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 56mins Richard Hibbard replaces Tom in front row & Wallabies have scrum on Lions 10m
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 57mins Despite best efforts of BOD Aus ruck & maul ahead to 22 but driven back 50m
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 58mins 2 Aussie L/Os while Dan Cole on for Adam Jones & Sekope Kepu for Alexander
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 59mins Play in midfield with Aussies but taken by Lions & brilliant work from North
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 59mins Folau tries to wrap up North who can't shake him so lifts & dumps! Hilarious
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 60mins North not busted for bad form & Lions scrum on H/W
Wallabies 9-12 Lions 61mins Whopper of a scrum from Lions with HUGE drive & win pen! Halfpenny preps kick
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 62mins Lions destroy Aussies at scrum & Halfpenny adds 3 more points!
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 63mins Ooh that kick looked like it could fall just short from almost H/W
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 63mins Sean O'Brien for Heaslip; Liam Gill & James Slipper for Palu & Robinson
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 64mins Wallabies scrum on H/W is good but Lions defence holding up v well
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 64mins After Bread of Heaven earlier, now its Swing Low reverberating round stadium
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 65mins Wallabies desperate to make headway but Beale drops it & Lions ball
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 66mins Injuries all round to Warburton, Sexton & others; Tom Croft finally on!
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 67mins Sexton stays on; Lions on own 10m & great clear for BOD to catch...
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 68mins Over to Aussie 10m but pen gifted to Wallabies; Beale clears
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 69mins From outside Lions 10m Lions O'Brien snaffle ball but coughed up...
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 70mins Folau breaks & Wallabies attack magnificently inside Lions 22...
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 72mins Brilliant from Wallabies & win pen; Horwill goes for 5m attacking scrum...
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 72mins Good scrum but O'Connor pass horrid & Folau k/o onto Lions T/L...
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 73mins Lions clear but no too far; Aussies back on the attack & almost up to 22...
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 74mins Wallabies deep in Lions 22 now - 2m out...goes out wide & OMG!
Wallabies 9-15 Lions 75mins Spectacular work from Wallabies who have numbers & Ashley-Cooper grabs...
Wallabies 14-15 Lions 75mins Ashley-Cooper grabs & bounces over T/L for the try!
Wallabies 16-15 Lions 76mins Aussies round the planet rejoice for Lealiifano's perfection from out wide!
Wallabies 16-15 Lions 77mins But Wallabies give Lions a huge lifeline with L/O inside Aussie 22; timeout
Wallabies 16-15 Lions 78mins Hibbard goes long & last man can't hold on as Liam Gill steals it; pen Aus
Wallabies 16-15 Lions 79mins Beale clears for Aussie L/O on  10m - is good & Lions battling to t/o
Wallabies 16-15 Lions 80mins From inside own 10m Lions win pen & battle ahead, trundling up to H/W...
Wallabies 16-15 Lions 80mins Lions win pen on H/W & Halfpenny to become messiah or not in next few secs
Wallabies 16-15 Lions 80mins Crowd roars as Halfpenny tees up but falls short from H/W as kicked to touch
Wallabies 16-15 Lions FT Congrats to the Wallabies - what a game!
Wallabies 16-15 Lions FT Some angry Lions on pitch - hugely disappointing but there's still the chance

15 Kurtley Beale 14 Israel Folau 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper 12 Christian Leali’ifano 11 Joe Tomane 10 James O’Connor 9 Will Genia 1 Benn Robinson 2 Stephen Moore 3 Ben Alexander 4 Kane Douglas 5 JAMES HORWILL (C) 6 Ben Mowen 7 Michael Hooper 8 Wycliff Palu BENCH: 16 Saia Fainga’a 17 James Slipper 18 Sekope Kepu 19 Rob Simmons 20 Liam Gill 21 Nick Phipps 22 Rob Horne 23 Jesse Mogg*

SCORERS T: Ashley-Cooper C: Lealiifano P: Lealiifano (3)

15 Leigh Halfpenny 14 Tommy Bowe 13 Brian O’Driscoll 12 Jonathan Davies 11 George North 10 Jonathan Sexton 9 Ben Youngs 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Tom Youngs 3 Adam Jones 4 Alun Wyn Jones 5 Geoff Parling 6 Dan Lydiate 7 SAM WARBURTON (C) 8 Jamie Heaslip BENCH: 16 Richard Hibbard 17 Ryan Grant 18 Dan Cole 19 Tom Croft 20 Sean O’Brien 21 Conor Murray 22 Owen Farrell 23 Alex Cuthbert

SCORERS P: Halfpenny (5)

Referee: Craig Joubert (SARU) Asst. Referees: Chris Pollock (NZRU) Romain Poite (FFR) TMO: Ben Skeen (NZRU)

 

 

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AUSTRALIA vs BRITISH & IRISH LIONS

ANZ Stadium, Sydney - Saturday 06 July 2013
KO: 20:05*/11:05 BST HT: 10-19 Att: 83,702

HIGHLIGHTS

HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...

Wallabies v Lions The noise is deafening already in Sydney...& #SeaOfRed appears to have parted for gold
Wallabies v Lions Anyone else's nerves so jangled you actually feel sick?!
Wallabies v Lions The outcome...heart says Lions without doubt...head tho - Wallabies will take it.
Wallabies v Lions The hugest Australia Fair commences...oh the passion on those Wallaby faces!
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 0min Here we go peeps...KO imminent with FFR's Romain Poite at the helm...
Wallabies 0-0 Lions 0min Will Genia drops the KO ball & it's scrum Lions already inside Wallaby 22
Wallabies 0-5 Lions 1min Free kick & after repeated attacks its Alex Corbisiero who heaves it over
Wallabies 0-7 Lions 2mins Leigh Halfpenny kicks over conversion & Lions have laid down the marker...
Wallabies 0-7 Lions 3mins Wallabies are just as determined; up to Lions 22 & Sean O'Brien gives pen...
Wallabies 0-7 Lions 3mins Kurtley Beale kicks for corner & L/O is good...Wallabies only 7mins out...
Wallabies 0-7 Lions 4mins AWJ massive tackle on George Smith & Richard Hibbard takes massive blow...
Wallabies 0-7 Lions 4mins But it's returning Smith who comes out worst & replaced by Michael Hooper
Wallabies 0-7 Lions 5mins Do know about you chaps but my heart's turned already...this is immense!
Wallabies 0-7 Lions 6mins Good scrum deep in Wallaby 22; Lions clear & win B/D back up at H/W & win penalty
Wallabies 0-10 Lions 7mins Halfpenny tees up from distance but in front of posts & bang! It's thru!
Wallabies 0-10 Lions 8mins Lions pinged for obstruction after restart & Christian Leali'ifano tees up...
Wallabies 3-10 Lions 9mins Leali'ifano kicks to perfection & invincible Smith back on from blood injury
Wallabies 3-10 Lions 10mins Ref has word with front rows on the bind as Lions have scrum reset; win penalty
Wallabies 3-10 Lions 10mins On Wallaby 10m & Halfpenny tees up as Hibbard gets attention
Wallabies 3-13 Lions 12mins A lot of noise from Wallaby fans but doesn't stop Halfpenny...another 3!
Wallabies 3-13 Lions 13min Wallabies lose scrum & Poite has word with captain James Horwill about front row
Wallabies 3-13 Lions 14mins Free kick to Lions; Wallabies have another scrum but again Lions dominate
Wallabies 3-16 Lions 15mins Lions destroying Wallaby scrum & have another pen; Halfpenny adds another 3
Wallabies 3-16 Lions 15mins Lions scoring more points than minutes gone so far!
Wallabies 3-16 Lions 16mins Bringing Corbs back was excellent move despite little match fitness
Wallabies 3-16 Lions 17min But not infallible; Lions pinged for holding on & Wallabies penalty on Lions 10m
Wallabies 3-16 Lions 18mins Wallabies go for corner; L/O good & George North immense tackle on Folau...
Wallabies 3-16 Lions 19mins Lions defensive scrum; clear & play resumes....
Wallabies 3-16 Lions 21mins Touch of aerial football & Wallabies appear a tad flustered as Lions L/O
Wallabies 3-16 Lions 22mins Lions just outside Wallaby 22; Wallaby clear but Jonathan Davies returns...
Wallabies 3-16 Lions 23mins Excellent kick 5m from Wallaby T/L but taken quickly...Tommy Bowe drops it
Wallabies 3-16 Lions 24mins Wallaby defensive scrum on 22 is lost again to Lions & Ben Alexander carded
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 25mins Halfpenny is having NO trouble today as the gap widens in Lions' favour
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 26mins Aerial football & Gold kick behind T/L > Johnny Sexton leaves it to roll...
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 27mins Wallabies annoyed as ref goes way back for scrum; Folau off for hamstring
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 28mins Sekope Kepu on in front row for Alexander; Jesse Mogg on as Smith off
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 30mins Lions work it beautifully & up to G&G 22; Sexton drop goal but not on target
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 31mins Time out as Hibbard gets treatment...
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 32mins Wallabies clear; Lions bring it back led by AWJ but ball pops out at B/D
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 33mins G&G clear downfield into Lions territory; Lions L/O taken by Parling & clear
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 33min Excellent break from Mogg into Lions' 22 but brilliant ankle tap from Parling
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 34mins Mogg spills it & Lions ball > try to escape half but pinged for holding on
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 35mins Smith back on; Alexander stays off; G&G kick for position & 22 L/O is good
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 36mins G&G trying to string together phases but have been forced back almost to H/W
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 37mins Lions gift another penalty & Beale kicks to touch; G&G L/O on 22
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 37mins G&G drive it fwd & eventually Horwill driven into touch but back for G&G penalty
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 38mins Horwill chooses corner over 3pts - 5th time - good L/O & only 2m out
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 39mins Lions gift another penalty & Wallabies have 5m scrum...none bigger yet
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 40mins Siren goes as scrum collapses & ref changes sides...
Wallabies 3-19 Lions 40+1mins Scrum goes down again; this time G&G hold & its bloody quick hands...
Wallabies 8-19 Lions 40+2mins James O'Connor redeems himself, outsteps 2 Lions & finds the T/L!
Wallabies 10-19 Lions 40+3mins Lovely conversion from Leali'ifano & it's not so disparate at HT

Wallabies 10-19 Lions HT T: O'Connor C: Leali'ifano P: Leali'ifano Alexander | T: Corbisiero C: Halfpenny P: Halfpenny (4)

Wallabies 10-19 Lions HT Now THIS is what we've all been waiting for since June...what a match!
Wallabies 10-19 Lions HT If Lions want to close this out they can't let Wallabies find any pace...
Wallabies 10-19 Lions HT With Kepu on G&G have much stronger scrum; & Horwill needs to take 3 pointers

Wallabies 3-19 Lions 40mins And we're back...this could do some damage to a few heart conditions...
Wallabies 13-19 Lions 41mins Good start for G&G as immediately win penalty & Leali'ifano narrows gap by 3
Wallabies 13-19 Lions 42mins A bit of back & forth before Genia chips ahead & Beale collects...
Wallabies 13-19 Lions 43min G&G head up to Lions 22 & Sexton puts it into touch; meanwhile 2 G&G offside
Wallabies 13-19 Lions 44mins Not seen by ref tho & Wallabies have pen...Leali'ifano tees up...
Wallabies 16-19 Lions 45mins This is for Lions to lose now as Leali'ifano kicks perfectly
Wallabies 16-19 Lions 46mins Hibbard has horrid L/O; k/o off Parling & Wallabies have scrum
Wallabies 16-19 Lions 47mins Tom Youngs replaces Hibbard & Lions in possession inside G&G 10m...
Wallabies 16-19 Lions 48mins Lions appear to have lost some dynamism as ball is v slow out of B/D...
Wallabies 16-19 Lions 49mins Poor pass from Mike Phillips heading up to G&G 22...
Wallabies 16-19 Lions 50mins Lions scrum holds well & penalty to the visitors...Halfpenny tees up...
Wallabies 16-22 Lions 52mins Halfpenny doesn't falter & Lions creep ahead. Conor Murray on for Phillips
Wallabies 16-22 Lions 54mins Lions definitely finding their rhythm again as looking stronger...
Wallabies 16-22 Lions 55mins North breaks in spectacular fashion but > touch; Stephen Moore off for blood
Wallabies 16-22 Lions 55min Saia Fainga’a debuts on this Tour; Faletau off for blood & Justin Tipuric on
Wallabies 16-22 Lions 55mins Dan Cole replaces Adam Jones & time's back on...
Wallabies 16-22 Lions 56mins Lions ball and threatening the Wallaby 22 with menace...
Wallabies 16-22 Lions 56mins Beautiful work from Halfpenny as he breaks & offloads to Sexton to score!
Wallabies 16-22 Lions 57mins Sexton under posts but Poite halts play to check offload for fwd pass...
Wallabies 16-27 Lions 57mins Kiwi TMO Ben Skeen confirms no fwd pass & try is good!
Wallabies 16-29 Lions 58mins Simple conversion from Halfpenny & Lions can breath again...a bit
Wallabies 16-29 Lions 60mins G&G in possession but struggle to get out of half til Mogg thumps it clear
Wallabies 16-29 Lions 60mins Ben McCalman on for Wycliff Palu & Faletau returns - Sean O'Brien off
Wallabies 16-29 Lions 60mins Meanwhile, Wallabies are seriously trifling with Lions' T/L...
Wallabies 16-29 Lions 62mins Corbisiero turns it at B/D but some miffed Lions as Wallabies L/O 20m back
Wallabies 16-29 Lions 62mins Wallabies have swapped O'Connor to fullback & Beale to fly half
Wallabies 16-29 Lions 63min Sexton mightily annoyed at being replaced by Owen Farrell to make Test debut
Wallabies 16-34 Lions 64mins Amazing work from Halfpenny sidestepping 3 > offload to North to score!
Wallabies 16-34 Lions 64mins Lions fans around the planet ecstatic as are coaches & players
Wallabies 16-34 Lions 65mins No conversion but nobody's particularly fussed!
Wallabies 16-34 Lions 66mins Simmons, Moore, Hooper & Slipper on for Douglas, Fainga’a, Robinson & Smith
Wallabies 16-39 Lions 68mins As Richie Gray & Mako Vunipola on for Parling & Corbs, Jamie Roberts scores
Wallabies 16-41 Lions 69mins Roberts just ran circles round Wallaby defence to score; Halfpenny converts
Wallabies 16-41 Lions 70mins G&G were all too busy trying to stop North & didn't see Roberts coming!
Wallabies 16-41 Lions 71mins Job done by Roberts & Manu Tuilagi gets his moment replacing him
Wallabies 16-41 Lions 73mins Nick Phipps on for Genia; Lions win another free kick at scrum & Faz clears
Wallabies 16-41 Lions 73mins Hugs all round in Lions coaching box as they all grin like Cheshire cats
Wallabies 16-41 Lions 74mins Meanwhile Wallabies L/O on H/W & Swing Low reverberates round stadium
Wallabies 16-41 Lions 76mins Lions L/O deep in own 22 but clear Wallabies well back to H/W; G&G L/O
Wallabies 16-41 Lions 77mins Wallabies L/O now failing & Murray takes it at tail to break...
Wallabies 16-41 Lions 77mins Ball goes loose at B/D & Lions have scrum...
Wallabies 16-41 Lions 78mins Victorious Lions Coach Warren Gatland down pitchside hugging all players
Wallabies 16-41 Lions 80mins G&G fans desperately wanting another score but it's not to be as Lions victorious!
Wallabies 16-41 Lions 80mins Got to feel for Wallaby players looking devastated all round.
Wallabies 16-41 Lions FT Tears of joy all round in Lions camp as British & Irish Lions win for 1st time in 16yrs

Wallabies 16-41 Lions FT Victorious Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones almost lost for words in post match interview!
Wallabies 16-41 Lions FT The Lions win the Tom Richards Cup!
Just look who was in the Lions box cheering them to victory...James Bond himself!
Wallabies 16-41 Lions FT Probably loudest rendition of Delilah in history from fans as players take lap of honour
Wallabies 16-41 Lions FT Promptly followed by the most appropriate 1997 Lions Tour anthem...Wonderwall! Rugby

15 Kurtley Beale 14 Israel Folau 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper 12 Christian Leali’ifano 11 Joe Tomane 10 James O’Connor 9 Will Genia 1 Benn Robinson 2 Stephen Moore 3 Ben Alexander 4 Kane Douglas 5 JAMES HORWILL (C) 6 Ben Mowen 7 George Smith 8 Wycliff Palu BENCH: 16 Saia Fainga’a 17 James Slipper 18 Sekope Kepu 19 Rob Simmons 20 Ben McCalman 21 Michael Hooper 22 Nick Phipps 23 Jesse Mogg

SCORERS T: O'Connor C: Leali'ifano P: Leali'ifano (3) Alexander

15 Leigh Halfpenny 14 Tommy Bowe 13 Jonathan Davies 12 Jamie Roberts 11 George North 10 Jonathan Sexton 9 Mike Phillips 1 Alex Corbisiero 2 Richard Hibbard 3 Adam Jones 4 ALUN WYN JONES (C) 5 Geoff Parling 6 Dan Lydiate 7 Sean O’Brien 8 Toby Faletau BENCH: 16 Tom Youngs 17 Mako Vunipola 18 Dan Cole 19 Richie Gray 20 Justin Tipuric 21 Conor Murray 22 Owen Farrell 23 Manu Tuilagi

SCORERS T: Corbisiero, Sexton, North, Roberts C: Halfpenny (3) P: Halfpenny (5)

Referee: Romain Poite (FFR) Asst. Referees: Chris Pollock (NZRU) Craig Joubert (SARU) TMO: Vinny Munro (NZRU)

 

 

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*KO time is local

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