By Aidan Leo
The British and Irish Lions continued their rampant run over the Australian franchises when they trounced the Queensland Reds 52-12 at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday, July 2.
Through head coach Andy Farrell’s own admission, the Lions were relatively hit-and-miss all night, but the quality and strength in depth of the team shone through.
The evening would have been hampered by the injury to star England full-back Elliot Daly, who is now set to withdraw from the tour after thoroughly impressing in all of the matches he’s featured in thus far.
Match report
Dynamism on the wing was prevalent for the Lions, with both Tommy Freeman and Duhan van der Merwe charging onto the scoresheet.
Freeman walked away with a brace of tries on the night.
Centres Huw Jones and Garry Ringrose also delivered the goods with a try apiece, as well as the vastly experienced hooker-lock duo of Ireland’s Andrew Porter and Lions captain Maro Itoje.
Furthermore, Wales’ sole representative in the squad, Jac Morgan, was a menace all game, particularly around the fringes and via his breakdown work.
He also dotted down for the Lions.
Creative maestro Finn Russell added to the Reds’ woes with four conversions.
England fly-half Fin Smith, delivered a standout performance off the bench through his creativity, precision in decision-making, and tempo acceleration.
He also contributed off the tee with two conversions.
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Farrell’s reaction to Lions’ rout
“It was a bit of everything, I don’t think it was flowing, it was a little bit stop-start. But when we were flowing, we played some really good stuff,” Farrell told Sky Sports.
“We got over a bit of a slow start, the Reds came out of the blocks pretty aggressive and dominated that first 10, 15 minutes. That was good for us. We settled down well and played some good stuff.
“When the game was won we got a little bit stop-start, the continuity of our game wasn’t quite as we wanted it to be. We defended pretty well, our collision work was pretty good, hence why we kept them out in the second half.”
Captain’s take on the big win
Itoje, who is growing in confidence as captain and in his performances in the engine room, spoke on being pleased with the commanding display of his team and the development and cohesion they experience with every outing.
“We’re happy, it was a good all-round performance.
“The first half was tough. It was heavily contested but we stayed consistent and were just generally better.
“It’s more a high-pressured situation but you learn more in games. It’s a blessing in disguise we have so many games in succession.
“As a team, we just wanted to be better, that’s the mantra, and I think we were.
“We have to be better rugby players. We need to be sharper and more accurate. We broke the line a number of times and not all the time we were accurate enough to score.
“I’m loving being apart of this team. I’m enjoying the challenge and spending time with all these great players that we’ve spent years battling. I’m enjoying the process and long may it continue.”
Big injury news, an English icon the replacement
The 112-Test-capped veteran fly-half Owen Farrell is set to be called up to replace his injured countryman Elliot Daly.
Daly sustained an unfortunate knock to his forearm midway through the second half after offering valuable contributions throughout the encounter against the Reds.
Farrell struggled to make his mark at Racing 92 this past season, but will be looking to make a noticeable impact to fill the void Daly’s injury has left.
The iconic Test fly-half has not played international rugby since the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Should Farrell be confirmed to replace Daly, this Lions tour will be registered as his fourth consecutive one.
“An experienced player like that, going for his fourth tour, you cover all bases that’s for sure with the leadership qualities,” Andy Farrell said on his son’s potential naming in the squad back in May.
The Lions head to New South Wales next to lock horns with the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, on Saturday, July 5.
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Geoffrey H. Latayan