By Michael Davey
The British & Irish Lions laboured to an error-strewn but gutsy 24-19 win over a First Nations & Pasifika XV in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Jamie Osborne (twice), Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe crossed the whitewash for the tourists at the Marvel Stadium, while Triston Reilly, Seru Uru, and Rob Leota scored tries for the hosts.
Coach Farrell highlights ‘food for thought’
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Lions head coach Andy Farrell was optimistic about what lies ahead.
He said: “There were some great performances by some individuals. I thought Ben White was very good, Jamie Osborne and some lads coming in and playing their first games for us.
“There is always food for thought. We do what we always do, review this game, and select the side [for the second Test].
“It doesn’t get any bigger or any more exciting. We know what’s coming. We’ll enjoy this together, there’s a rest for us, and then it’s all hands on deck Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.”
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Captain Farrell laments ‘frantic’ Melbourne game
The tourists’ stand-in captain, Owen Farrell, was relieved to get the job done but gave credit to the home side for a tough clash.
“It was probably too tight. Massive credit must go to them; they came out and fired into us,” he told Sky Sports.
“We got a great start, but we didn’t manage to get a foothold in the last 60 minutes. Thankfully, we got the job done in the end.
“It felt a bit frantic at times, if we could have been calmer we could have settled into what we do better.
“We regrouped at half-time and managed to be a bit more direct, but they found their way back into the game again.”
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Beale calls Pasifika XV a ‘dream pathway’
Despite the loss, First Nations & Pasifika XV captain Kurtley Beale was proud of his team’s fight and made a plea for the outfit’s existence to continue.
“I am very proud of the guys,” the Australian said in an interview with Sky Sports.
“We came around a week ago and we were able to come together, connect, and get a good understanding.
“We are representing people out there and young generations wanting to play. We won’t give up and we are hoping we give them something to look forward to in their rugby journeys.
“It’s a dream pathway and it’s a jersey that symbolises and represents those kids. I want this to be a fixture that sticks in the annual calendar.”
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