The Lions took on the Western Force this morning at the Optus Stadium, and it certainly set the tone for the rest of the tour. It signified the start of what could be a pivotal campaign for a squad eager to etch its name into Lions’ history.
Hooker, Dan Sheehan, led the famous side out for what was the first challenge on Australian soil, as veteran Nic White took on the responsibility of captaining The Force.
Kick off
Finn Russell kicked long into the Force’s Half. The Force kicked back into the hands of Daly. The Lions had their first attacking platform.
Minute 2
A crosskick from Russell to Lowe created a bit of room on the right hand side, a silky out of the back switch put Sheehan in for the first score. Russell Converted. A thrilling start. Lions 7-0 Western Force.
Minute 4
Quick ball and powerful carries allowed western Force’s captain to snipe under Tomos Williams for a converted try. Lions 7-7 Western Force.
Minute 7-11
Poor discipline from the men in red; they cnceded back to back penalties. Western Force kept implementing the lineout maul. A Turnover from the Lions allowed Tomos Williams to relieve pressure.
Minute 15
Elliot Daly and Ringrose made some great kicks forcing their opposition into their 22.
Minute 16
Tomos Williams – try! Van de Flier freed his arms and sent Pollock through a gap; he had lots to do but kept his head and found Williams for the score.
20th Minute
Russell looked confident as he always does. He really does create magic!
24th Minute
Donaldson and Peach created a nice little link up down the left hand side and nearly caught Mack Hansen lacking. An Interception from Tuipulotu snuffed out the Force’s momentum.
30th Minute
The Force gave the Lions problems at scrum time.
32nd Minute
Pollock threw a loose pass to James Lowe. The winger did well beating defenders under pressure and, off that big left boot, sent the ball downfield.
35th Minute
Penalty Lions. Russell went quickly and took the ball 50 metres down the field. The flyhalf found himself snagged 3 metres short of the line but found Daly for the try! Lions 21-7 Western Force.
39th Minute
Pollock in the sin bin. Referee deemed too many penalties coming from the Lions and the 20 year old was sent off for 10 minutes.
40th Minute
The Force kept probing at the Lions’ line. Another driving maul was defended from the Lions as they held up their opposition.
Half Time. Lions 21-7 Western Force.
41st Minute
Western Force kicked off. The Lions made a mess of it and gave the ball straight back. Scruffy from the 4 nations.
43rd Minute
Penalty Lions. A let off for the travellers. The Force had momentum coming up to the 22 metre line.
45th Minute
Western Force once again crept into its opposition’s 22 metre lion.
46th Minute
Sensational try! Tomos Williams scored his second of the fixture! Lowe and Williams bossed it by themselves all the way down the right hand side of the pitch. Williams injured himself diving into the corner. Mitchell was the substitute.
51st Minute
Ringrose try! A 4 on 3, and quick hands, gave the Irishman a walk in. The Lions started to gain momentum.
53rd Minute
A Pollock chip and chase; is this becoming a trademark? Recycled ball allowed McCarthy to slide into the corner. A brilliant try. Lions 40-7 Western Force.
57th Minute
Huw Jones made his Lions debut in style. He was only 20 seconds onto the pitch when he made a brilliant interception and kicked the ball down the field. Good vision from the Scotsman.
61st minute
The Lions kicked to the corner and retained possession. Huw Jones was just snagged by a fabulous tackle denying the centre of his first score in a Lions jersey. He knocked on.63rd Minute. Lions knocked on again. A problem for them in this first tour fixture.
70th Minute
Elliot Daly try! So much room for the fullback. Question marks were raised over his selection, but the Englishman was classy in the 15 shirt today. Lions 47- 7 Western Force.
75th Minute
Western Force penalty on the half way line; they kicked to the corner.
80th Minute
Alex Mitchell Try! The Lions reached the half century. A promising result in this first fixture in Australian territory.
Final Score 54-7. Mccarthy was player of the match. One injury concern for Tomos Williams. A hamstring problem for the scrum half.
