Lions keep their 100% record but not with out a hard fight
The Lions win 12-22 against a strong Queensland Reds side.
With the Reds collecting their best starting XV in preparation for their match against the Lions everybody knew that today's game was going to be the first real test the British and Irish players were going to face on tour. The Reds did not disappoint and to the request of Gatland and Warburton they came out will all cylinders firing. The first 5 minutes saw the Queensland Reds retaining 90% possession of the ball. With supreme fluidity the Australians were piling on the pressure with great long passes from captain Cooper out wide allowing the wings to storm their way towards the Lions' try line. If flanker, Beau Robinson, had retained his grip on the ball and not knocked it forward around five meters from the Lions try line in then it would have been likely to see the Reds add five more points to their current in the first five minutes.
The blistering start from the home team made the Lions lose their composure for a second. In a post match interview Richie Gray confessed that the team did not react quickly enough to the pressure they were under in the first twenty minutes. This was most evident at the break down. Whenever Hogg or Bowe broke through the Reds defence, support was slow in protecting and recycling the ball at the break down. Throughout the majority of the first half the Queensland Reds were great at the break down and managed to turn the ball over from Lions hands multiple times.
Bowe had an awesome first half, sidestepping his way through defence while leaving to tacklers fall to the ground behind him. The Ulsterman, from that performance, has been named by many rugby pundits as an almost definite starter against the Wallabies. This makes the news of his probable departure from the tour even more bitter. Bowe left the field during the second half and was later seen sporting a heavily strapped hand with a suspected broken hand. Lions head coach Warren Gatland stated - "It doesn't look too good. The doctors say he probably needs an operation,". Bowe will, most probably, be accompanying forwards Gethin Jenkins and Cian Healy on the plane back home.
17 minutes in to the game the Lions finally cracked under the immense pressure of the Reds attack and wing Luke Morahan powered over the line to make it 7-3 to the home team. The visitors soon hit back as fly half Farrell kicked the Lions to within a point of the leaders.
Scrum half Ben Youngs gave a good performance but the physicality of Mike Phillips was evidently missing from the game as the Reds were able to control the game and play it on their own terms. To increase this physicality George North, who was described by Will Greenwood last week as a "moving house", came on to replace an injured Tuilagi at centre. The young Scarlet player's presence was immediately felt as he put in some big hits that stopped the Reds in their tracks. With just over 30 minutes gone in the first half North carried out two magnificently majestic runs towards the try line. The first was offloaded to Farrell who failed to touch the ball down over the whitewash after it being knocked out of his hands. The second run that occurred just before half time was extraordinary and if Warburton had been able to hold off the great tackles from the Reds defence then it would have been the try of the tournament thus far. A seemingly controversial question has been thrown around the feeds of many people on twitter this afternoon - " Is George North playing himself into the 13 shirt?" We will have to wait and see.
The second half saw weather conditions deteriorate with rain poring down from the heavens. This allowed the Lions to control the game by tightening the play. They stuck to forward centric phases that gave Youngs quality ball to play off. The forwards controlled the game with giants such as Paul O'Connell ruling the breakdown.
Warburton managed 74 minutes of the game before fellow Welshman, Justin Tipuric, came on in his place. Warburton's game at times reflected the fact that he has had very little game time over the last few months. Despite this he had a good game and as Sky Sports pundit and Lions legend Ieuan Evans stated, Gatland should start Warburton in as many games as possible before the first test versus the Wallabies in order for the captain to become match fit.
Lions retain their 100% record on this 2013 tour as the final whistle blasted with the Lions beating the Reds 12-22. Gray, Warburton and Youngs all stated that the game would be immensely beneficial for them as the mistakes they made during the game will allow them to strengthen their game much more effectively than what they have been able to do over the last week or so.
The set piece was very successful for the Lions today with them not losing a single line out and with the forwards bossing the scrum. There were plenty of mistakes within this British and Irish Lions XV but as Ian Mcgeechan stated " we can't forget that this is a new [Lions] side again". This Lions team that went out to face the Reds had never played all together before and as Gatland begins to pick his combinations and give them game time we will see the side strengthen.
Next up to face the Lions are Combined Country on the 11th of June in the Hunter Stadium.
Reds: Ben Lucas; Rod Davies; Ben Tapuai; Anthony Fainga'a; Luke Morahan; Quade Cooper; Nick Frisby; Ben Daley, James Hanson, Greg Holmes, Ed O'Donoghue, Adam Wallace-Harrison, Eddie Quirk, Beau Robinson, Jake Schatz.
Replacements: Albert Anae (for Daley, 24), Sam Denny, Jono Owen (for Holmes, blood 36-40, 69), Jarrad Butler (for Robinson, 55), Radike Samo (blood, for O'Donoghue, 12-19, for Wallace-Harrison, 55), Jono Lance (for Frisby, 68, Frisby for Lucas, 70), Mike Harris (for Fainga'a, 53), Dom Shipperley (for Morahan, 44).
Lions: Stuart Hogg; Alex Cuthbert, Manu Tuilagi, Jonathan Davies, Tommy Bowe; Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs; Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs, Matt Stevens, Richie Gray, Geoff Parling, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton, Toby Faletau.
Replacements: Richard Hibbard (for T Youngs, 64, Dan Cole (for Vunipola, 64), Adam Jones (for Stevens, 64), Paul O'Connell (for Gray, 64), Justin Tipuric (for Warburton, 74), Conor Murray, Jonathan Sexton (for Bowe, 46), George North (for Tuilagi, 20).
Referee: Jermoe Garces (Fra)
Attendance: 50,136
Stats from BBC Sport
With the Reds collecting their best starting XV in preparation for their match against the Lions everybody knew that today's game was going to be the first real test the British and Irish players were going to face on tour. The Reds did not disappoint and to the request of Gatland and Warburton they came out will all cylinders firing. The first 5 minutes saw the Queensland Reds retaining 90% possession of the ball. With supreme fluidity the Australians were piling on the pressure with great long passes from captain Cooper out wide allowing the wings to storm their way towards the Lions' try line. If flanker, Beau Robinson, had retained his grip on the ball and not knocked it forward around five meters from the Lions try line in then it would have been likely to see the Reds add five more points to their current in the first five minutes.
The blistering start from the home team made the Lions lose their composure for a second. In a post match interview Richie Gray confessed that the team did not react quickly enough to the pressure they were under in the first twenty minutes. This was most evident at the break down. Whenever Hogg or Bowe broke through the Reds defence, support was slow in protecting and recycling the ball at the break down. Throughout the majority of the first half the Queensland Reds were great at the break down and managed to turn the ball over from Lions hands multiple times.
Bowe had an awesome first half, sidestepping his way through defence while leaving to tacklers fall to the ground behind him. The Ulsterman, from that performance, has been named by many rugby pundits as an almost definite starter against the Wallabies. This makes the news of his probable departure from the tour even more bitter. Bowe left the field during the second half and was later seen sporting a heavily strapped hand with a suspected broken hand. Lions head coach Warren Gatland stated - "It doesn't look too good. The doctors say he probably needs an operation,". Bowe will, most probably, be accompanying forwards Gethin Jenkins and Cian Healy on the plane back home.
17 minutes in to the game the Lions finally cracked under the immense pressure of the Reds attack and wing Luke Morahan powered over the line to make it 7-3 to the home team. The visitors soon hit back as fly half Farrell kicked the Lions to within a point of the leaders.
Scrum half Ben Youngs gave a good performance but the physicality of Mike Phillips was evidently missing from the game as the Reds were able to control the game and play it on their own terms. To increase this physicality George North, who was described by Will Greenwood last week as a "moving house", came on to replace an injured Tuilagi at centre. The young Scarlet player's presence was immediately felt as he put in some big hits that stopped the Reds in their tracks. With just over 30 minutes gone in the first half North carried out two magnificently majestic runs towards the try line. The first was offloaded to Farrell who failed to touch the ball down over the whitewash after it being knocked out of his hands. The second run that occurred just before half time was extraordinary and if Warburton had been able to hold off the great tackles from the Reds defence then it would have been the try of the tournament thus far. A seemingly controversial question has been thrown around the feeds of many people on twitter this afternoon - " Is George North playing himself into the 13 shirt?" We will have to wait and see.
The second half saw weather conditions deteriorate with rain poring down from the heavens. This allowed the Lions to control the game by tightening the play. They stuck to forward centric phases that gave Youngs quality ball to play off. The forwards controlled the game with giants such as Paul O'Connell ruling the breakdown.
Warburton managed 74 minutes of the game before fellow Welshman, Justin Tipuric, came on in his place. Warburton's game at times reflected the fact that he has had very little game time over the last few months. Despite this he had a good game and as Sky Sports pundit and Lions legend Ieuan Evans stated, Gatland should start Warburton in as many games as possible before the first test versus the Wallabies in order for the captain to become match fit.
Lions retain their 100% record on this 2013 tour as the final whistle blasted with the Lions beating the Reds 12-22. Gray, Warburton and Youngs all stated that the game would be immensely beneficial for them as the mistakes they made during the game will allow them to strengthen their game much more effectively than what they have been able to do over the last week or so.
The set piece was very successful for the Lions today with them not losing a single line out and with the forwards bossing the scrum. There were plenty of mistakes within this British and Irish Lions XV but as Ian Mcgeechan stated " we can't forget that this is a new [Lions] side again". This Lions team that went out to face the Reds had never played all together before and as Gatland begins to pick his combinations and give them game time we will see the side strengthen.
Next up to face the Lions are Combined Country on the 11th of June in the Hunter Stadium.
Reds: Ben Lucas; Rod Davies; Ben Tapuai; Anthony Fainga'a; Luke Morahan; Quade Cooper; Nick Frisby; Ben Daley, James Hanson, Greg Holmes, Ed O'Donoghue, Adam Wallace-Harrison, Eddie Quirk, Beau Robinson, Jake Schatz.
Replacements: Albert Anae (for Daley, 24), Sam Denny, Jono Owen (for Holmes, blood 36-40, 69), Jarrad Butler (for Robinson, 55), Radike Samo (blood, for O'Donoghue, 12-19, for Wallace-Harrison, 55), Jono Lance (for Frisby, 68, Frisby for Lucas, 70), Mike Harris (for Fainga'a, 53), Dom Shipperley (for Morahan, 44).
Lions: Stuart Hogg; Alex Cuthbert, Manu Tuilagi, Jonathan Davies, Tommy Bowe; Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs; Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs, Matt Stevens, Richie Gray, Geoff Parling, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton, Toby Faletau.
Replacements: Richard Hibbard (for T Youngs, 64, Dan Cole (for Vunipola, 64), Adam Jones (for Stevens, 64), Paul O'Connell (for Gray, 64), Justin Tipuric (for Warburton, 74), Conor Murray, Jonathan Sexton (for Bowe, 46), George North (for Tuilagi, 20).
Referee: Jermoe Garces (Fra)
Attendance: 50,136
Stats from BBC Sport
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