British and Irish Lions player ratings: ‘Gladiatorial’ Maro Itoje powers tourists to series victory despite Andy Farrell’s ‘mystifying’ decision

Following the British and Irish Lions’ 26-29 victory over the Wallabies to win the series with a game to spare, here is how we rated Andy Farrell’s charges at the MCG.

British and Irish Lions player ratings v Wallabies

15 Hugo Keenan: Did brilliantly to deny the Wallabies a 50/22 while he contested extremely well under the high ball, applying the pressure on Tom Lynagh. That came off the back of a poor first half where he butchered a try and looked largely off the pace. He grew into the game and came up in the clutch with the match-winning try. 7

14 Tommy Freeman: Was the last Lion to be guilty on defence and spent 10 minutes in the sin bin. But outside of that, it was another solid performance from the Englishman. 6

13 Huw Jones: Grabbed an important try in the context of the match and the series, powering through two defenders off the shoulder of Keenan. Defensively, he was solid, and the decision to replace him in the second half was somewhat surprising. 6

12 Bundee Aki: Caught out defensively by both Jake Gordon and Joseph Suaalii and conceded a penalty that Lynagh duly slotted. He made an incredible break which led to Tadhg Beirne’s try, but it was rather mystifying that he went the full 80 minutes today as he was a long way off his best. 3

11 James Lowe: His try assist was the highlight of an otherwise poor performance from the winger who missed three of his seven tackle attempts, conceded a penalty and struggled in the air. He is a big moments player and produced that with a brutal fend and offload, but far from a complete performance. 4

10 Finn Russell: A catalyst for the come-from-behind victory as he made good decisions with ball in hand and kicked well too. He did have the odd error too like a kick out on the full but he steered the Lions to victory with a commanding performance. 7

9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Some poor decision-making leading to errors from the Lions but he pitched in at key moments to get the Lions over the line. 6

British and Irish Lions storm back to win series with dramatic victory over wonderful Wallabies

The forward pack

8 Jack Conan: He was bumped off quite often in the first half, notably by scrum-half-cum-wing Tate McDermott, but that didn’t stop him from racking up a mammoth 24 tackles in the series-decider. He also claimed a turnover, and his brilliant hands sent Curry over for a score which was a real momentum swing in the match. 8

7 Tom Curry: Vindicated his selection last week and did the same in Test II with his brilliant finish out wide, helping the tourists cut the deficit and gain some ascendancy. He was combative yet again and racked up a respectable 15 tackles before his number was called, with his final act being a sensational clutch try-saving tackle on Suaalii. 8

6 Tadhg Beirne: Superb in the wider channels and brilliantly finished off his try scoring opportunity to put the Lions within striking distance in the final quarter of the match. Relentless in all facets of the game as he proved his quality yet again when it mattered. 8

5 Ollie Chessum: Quietly went about his performance but was accurate and efficient in doing so. He stayed on the right side of the referee’s whistle but was guilty of four missed tackles and conceded a turnover. Replaced on 55 minutes. 5

4 Maro Itoje (c): A true captain’s knock after a poor start to the match, conceding two penalties. Itoje didn’t just grow into the game, he started to dominate it and came up time and time again with match-defining interventions. Only Conan made more tackles than the Lions skipper today, who also weighed in with two turnovers and won three lineouts. A gladiatorial shift from the second-row who etches his name into the Lions’ history books and confirms his legendary status in the red jersey. 9

3 Tadhg Furlong: Strong in the scrums but looked sluggish around the park and was also at fault for Jake Gordon’s try. The veteran prop has enjoyed a fantastic tour so far, but today, he was rather underwhelming. 5

2 Dan Sheehan: His try was certainly controversial, but a smart bit of play and roll of the dice which paid off. Accurate at the set-pieces and quality around the park. One of the best in business in the world in his position and showed it again. 8

1 Andrew Porter: Beaten for two of the Wallabies’ tries in the first half as he watched Gordon sprint past him before missing a tap tackle on Suaalii in the build-up to Tom Wright’s try. Conceded a penalty, and while his work-rate was top tier, his mistakes were costly. He was fortunate not to be penalised at scrum time too. 4

Replacements: Having trailed all game long, the Lions needed their bench to turn the tide, and they did just that to seal the series with a game to spare. Ellis Genge turned the screws at scrum time to finally force the referee’s hand while he was powerful in the carries too, along with his fellow front-rower Will Stuart. Ronan Kelleher was crucially accurate in the lineouts while Owen Farrell and Blair Kinghorn made a real difference in the backline in dictating proceedings. James Ryan and Jac Morgan were also excellent at ruck time and strong with ball in hand. The bench really rose to the occasion to blast the Lions to victory. 9

READ MORE: Wallabies v British & Irish Lions, AS IT HAPPENED: How the series was won in Melbourne