British and Irish Lions player ratings v Reds: Excellence from ‘glistening’ Jac Morgan and ‘pest’ Maro Itoje stands out but Tom Curry ‘out of sync’ again
Jac Morgan celebrating Lions try v the Lions and fellow flanker Tom Curry.
Here is how we rated Andy Farrell’s side in their eight-try, 52-12 win over the Queensland Reds in Brisbane.
British and Irish Lions player ratings
15 Elliot Daly: Hugo Keenan’s bug paved the way at the 11th hour for Daly to make his 11th consecutive Lions appearance. Butchered a 16th-minute try chance but rebounded by giving a super assist for Tommy Freeman to open their team’s account just minutes later. Continued to link positively after that, but a forearm injury sustained when attempting a 62nd-minute tackle pained him and he exited not long after. 6
14 Tommy Freeman: This was a different type of outing for him as an aerial battle didn’t materialise, but he showed up well with his trademark finishing. Two tries – neat finishes on 20 and 60 minutes – were his lot, but there would have been a hat-trick had he not been agonisingly short of the line on 29 minutes. A confident, effective display. 7
13 Huw Jones: His first tour start was capped by his swashbuckling 66th-minute pilfering of a Reds kick on the Lions’ 10-metre line, possession he galloped away with to the try line. This wasn’t his only moment of bullish running, but it wasn’t the type of overall impressive performance that made him a must-start Test series No.13. There is much more work to be done on that front. 6
12 Bundee Aki: Endured an error-strewn beginning, flapping at a pass, getting held up over the line carrying at a maul and then giving an ill-advised knocked-on pass to Tom Curry. Eventually settled with a slick pass in the opening Lions score and things clicked better from there until his 67th-minute exit. Check out his pass to Jac Morgan in the genesis of the second Freeman score. 6
11 Duhan van der Merwe: To his credit, he ended the opening half by firing into the corner to help the Lions to their 21-12 interval lead. However, he looked unusually shaky before that, a nervousness visible in the way he got into trouble defending a 23rd-minute crosskick. Good improvisation got him out of trouble on that occasion but there was no safety net three minutes later when sucked by the grubber kick for Josh Flook’s try. His display was the sort that enhanced the Test series credentials of rival James Lowe. 5
10 Finn Russell: Up against a 2024 Australian U20s pick, Russell was composed throughout his 51 minutes, capably laying the foundation for the win. Ran just once in possession but his brisk passing was top notch, and it got his team on the attack when the match was there to be won. Kicked all four of his conversion kicks. Lions fans with a worrying disposition, though, won’t have liked seeing him nursing his wrist with an ice pack while on the bench. 7
9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Leinster’s June 7 win over Glasgow was his last time in a match due to a glute issue, and that lay-off showed at times in a 51-minute performance where the energy and the slickness of his play weren’t what you normally see from him. An example was the crazy moment just before the break when he opted not to catch a restart kick and it nearly led to a Reds try. Was at his best, though, when darting and giving the assist for Maro Itoje’s try. 6
Lions forwards
8 Jack Conan: Had his best moments in the opening 50 minutes when there was a bristle about the challenge posed by the Reds. Made some important momentum-generating carries, noticeably accelerating into the contact as it arrived. Capped this effort with his assist in the Van der Merwe score and, with positional rival Ben Earl stationed in midfield during his run from the bench, Conan is primed to be a Lions Test starter. 7
7 Jac Morgan: Blotted his copy with the hand in the ruck penalty concession that gave the Reds territory for their second try, but was otherwise excellent. Announced himself with a 14th-minute steal at a time when the mistake-making Lions were in the heat of a battle. It was exactly what the Lions needed to power clear in the second half. Added a try on 56 minutes, and his immense effort glistened with the one-handed offload after slipping in the genesis of Freeman’s second score. Put his hand up here to face the Wallabies. 8
6 Tom Curry: What is eating away at England’s back-rower? He was off the pace as a starter against Argentina 12 days ago, and he similarly failed to wield positive influence here. His tackle count did rally in the second half but in the first, when the energetic Reds needed to be subdued, he didn’t shine and looked out of sync with what his teammates were looking to do. 4
5 Ollie Chessum: Can be blamed for not getting low enough with his goal-line tackle to prevent the Reds’ opening try, but he prospered after that and his grunt in his 58 minutes on the field was important in getting the Lions to a position of 35-12 comfort on the scoreboard. Two contributions stood out: the way he latched on to help Andrew Porter over the line to score, while there was also a lovely pop pass to Conan in the Van der Merwe try. 6
4 Maro Itoje: Claimed on Monday he was refreshed despite his monster number of playing minutes this season, and he definitely walked the talk with the calibre of his quality performance. He was a complete pest for the Reds, messing their lineout ball in the early stages, and it was his steal in general play on 19 minutes that got the Lions the possession from which to strike for their nerves-settling score after they had gone behind. Continued to lead with his actions in the second half, scoring as well as making an intercept to help the Lions clear from their 22 in the play that led to Jones’ score. Excellent stuff. 8
3 Will Stuart: His first Lions start began terribly with a scrum penalty concession followed by getting busted by Hunter Paisami when defending in the line with Porter, an error that sparked the move for the Reds’ opening score. Put in a more joined-up effort after that, which included a scrum penalty win just before the break and an appetite to get on the ball. However, he exited on 51 minutes as the most penalised Lions with three penalties conceded. Not a good look. 5
2 Ronan Kelleher: The other player, along with Daly and sub Alex Mitchell, to feature in all three tour matches so far, but you can’t see him challenging Dan Sheehan for the Test starter shirt on this evidence. The Lions’ first lineout going astray was concerning, as was a flawed one-handed grasp when trying to take a pass from Jones. He rolled with those punches to come up with some decent moments here and there, but they were never enough for you to say: “Ronan is the man”. 5
1 Andrew Porter: A clear favourite to be a Test starter coming into the tour, but now you can’t be sure. Ellis Genge, who was a sub in Brisbane, is a proper rival for the berth, particularly as Porter’s scrummaging isn’t impressing – he was penalised for a collapsed scrum on 17 minutes. Hit back with a pick-and-drive score 12 minutes later, but his 51-minute display wasn’t up to scratch, and he has a selection battle on his hands. 5
Replacements: Ahead 28-12, the Lions changed five in one go on 51 minutes, altering their entire front-row and their half-backs. Up went the tempo, and the scoring of four tries – with none conceded – was a good endorsement of what these subs brought to the fray. The quality of passion from Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith stood out, and midfielder Garry Ringrose bagged himself a score in added time playing as a winger. Most curious was playing No.8 Earl at inside centre. The jury is out on the effectiveness of this tactic. 7
READ MORE: Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions, AS IT HAPPENED: How the tourists won in Brisbane
