The British and Irish Lions clawed their way back from a 23-5 deficit to seal a dramatic 29-26 win over Australia in Melbourne which gave them a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Andy Farrell’s tourists were 1-0 up after a 27-19 win last weekend – but the return of Australia lock Will Skelton and Rob Valetini gave the Wallabies a more physical presence which the Lions struggled to cope with in the first 30 minutes at a raucous MCG.
Australia coach Joe Schmidt got his tactics spot on and Skelton and Valetini battered the Lions’ defence, helping the hosts to dominate the first half and move into a 23-5 lead.
But Farrell’s troops recovered their composure as half-time loomed and scored tries through Tom Curry and Huw Jones to reduce the deficit heading into the interval.
Nine-point lead
A penalty from Tom Lynagh gave the Wallabies a nine-point lead in the second half – but a fourth Lions try from Tadhg Beirne pulled them within two points of the Aussies.
And that set the stage for a late spell of pressure from the Lions, who saw Hugo Keegan cross for a last-minute try which secured the series win with a game to spare.
Keegan told Sky Sports: “I’m absolutely delighted. It came off the back of countless phases of hard work from the lads.
“It was a pretty cool moment – one I’ll definitely savour.”
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Finding a way
Lions captain Maro Itoje admits his players ‘weren’t great’ in the first half, telling Sky Sports: “It feels a little surreal.
“The first 20 minutes we weren’t great, weren’t physical enough.
“We managed to find a way in the second half of the first half.
“The second half, again it wasn’t perfect, but we just managed to fight, got close and big Faz (Andy Farrell) was just telling us to play big all the time, to believe in ourselves.
“I give a load of credit to the bench – all the guys that came on made a massive difference.”
‘What a finish’
Lions head coach Andy Farrell agreed with Itoje’s assessment, saying after the match: “It wasn’t great, especially in the first half.
“We started with back-to-back penalties and yellow cards, and it really cost us on the scoreboard.
“But we found a way back into the game, and that gave us confidence heading into the second half. And, wow – what a finish!
“When we were able to build pressure, we rolled pretty nicely.
“Every time we got into the 22, we came away with something.
“We had solid belief at half-time and knew we could win if we controlled our discipline.”
Incredibly proud
Australia coach Schmidt was pleased with the response from his players, saying: “I’m incredibly proud of the players – they responded after last week’s result and showed real mettle.
“They showed they can play. We found space on the edges and through the middle, and looked like a real attacking threat.”
The third Test will be played in Sydney on Saturday, August 2 – with the Wallabies hoping to avoid a series whitewash for the first time since 1904.
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