First Nations & Pasifika XV v British & Irish Lions: Five takeaways as ‘door opens’ for Owen Farrell after tourists given ‘toughest test’
Owen Farrell in action for the British and Irish Lions and Rob Leota celebrates try for FNP.
Following a 24-19 victory for the British & Irish Lions over a First Nations & Pasifika XV in Melbourne on Tuesday, here’s our five takeaways from the tour clash at Marvel Stadium.
The top line
The British & Irish Lions were given their toughest test since arriving in Australia as they edged to an unconvincing victory over a First Nations & Pasifika XV.
It seemed like another easy victory was on the cards when Jamie Osborne and Darcy Graham went over on their Lions debuts, opening up a 14-point buffer after 11 minutes, but the tourists then became loose and FNP pounced.
Scores from Triston Reilly and Seru Uru levelled matters at the break and left the visitors with plenty to ponder going into the second period. The Lions did react, however, and controlled the subsequent 25 minutes, crossing the whitewash twice through Osborne and Duhan van der Merwe.
That was ultimately enough to win them the match but it did not come without a fright as Rob Leota went over to set up a thrilling finale. The visitors would hold on to remain unbeaten since heading down under, but it was a hell of an effort from FNP.
Lions lull
It was all a bit too easy for the Lions initially. Ben White’s service was swift and the playmaking duo of Fin Smith and Owen Farrell were ticking nicely, giving chances out wide to Blair Kinghorn, Graham and Van der Merwe. FNP looked a disorganised unit and their lack of time together was being exposed by the tourists.
Andy Farrell’s men touched down twice in the opening 10 minutes and, such was the ease they were breaching their opponents’ line, you rather expected a mauling. But perhaps that crept into the minds of the Lions, whose intensity dropped off significantly.
It certainly did for Kinghorn as the full-back threw an overly ambitious pass that was intercepted by Reilly. That started an abysmal 22 minutes for Kinghorn and the team as they completely lost control of the encounter.
Immense credit must go to FNP for their resilience and spirit as they grew in confidence and put the Lions under significant pressure, with their pack particularly fronting up nicely. The scrum went well while their back five were an absolute menace at close quarters.
Farrell’s men then managed to reassert their authority, crossing the whitewash twice and opening up what seemed a match-winning lead, but once again the hosts never relented and almost caused a massive shock.
The case for Jamie George
The initial selection of Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ronan Kelleher alongside the obvious hooking choice Dan Sheehan never felt wrong per se, but midway through the tour, it became evident that their set-piece weakness could become an issue.
In reality, Cowan-Dickie and Kelleher are similarly dynamic in the loose but the visitors have lacked a lineout specialist, and that’s where George comes into the equation this weekend. A lot of the Lions’ issues in the second half of the opening Test stemmed from their inability to win their own ball.
On Tuesday, albeit against a weaker side, the Englishman was generally accurate in the set-piece, despite only having two out-and-out jumpers. Henry Pollock, like he has done all tour, acted as an auxiliary option and did an effective job in that regard, but it was George’s execution which particularly stood out, despite losing a couple in the second period.
He also did plenty of fine work in the loose, something which was evident during England’s first Test in Argentina, and of all the players that featured on Tuesday, the 34-year-old arguably stated the biggest case for inclusion this weekend. Perhaps the only concern was that he went almost the full 80 and therefore was not held back for the second Test.
Lions back-row
It has been a significant talking point all tour and it rather came to a head following the decision to select Tom Curry over the brilliant Josh van der Flier at openside. Curry then confounded the critics with a brilliant all-action effort, putting the pressure back on Van der Flier and Jac Morgan, as well as Pollock, to make a statement at Marvel Stadium.
To be perfectly honest, it was a difficult game to shine in but the Welshman certainly didn’t do his chances any harm and the fact that he came off early in the second period is a good sign for his Test hopes. He was excellent at the breakdown and dominant in the carry and, with northern hemisphere referees – including Tuesday’s official Nika Amashukeli – taking charge of the next two matches, Morgan would be an asset over the next two weeks.
As for the other two, they didn’t do anything wrong, but that was probably not enough as they needed blockbuster displays. Pollock would still be a great bench option and he keeps coming up with important moments, such as the key turnover in the 79th minute, but the Lions would likely have to go with a 6-2 split for him to get a shot in the Test team.
Other Test hopefuls
In truth, it was the fringe Wallabies that enhanced their claims more than the Lions, particularly up front. Out of the starting forward eight, only Taniela Tupou is in the current Australia squad, but he showed why he could be a useful player for Joe Schmidt this weekend.
Tupou has endured a difficult couple of years, but he scrummaged well in Melbourne and carried well at close quarters. With the Wallabies struggling for ball carriers, the tighthead would certainly bolster them in that regard and Schmidt must surely consider him for a bench role.
The other FNP forwards also stood up impressively and, while they are not fancied by the Australian boss at the moment, they could get chances later in the year. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto is one of those after a superb display, while Charlie Gamble is another after giving the Lions more problems at the contact area.
As for the tourists, there were few real standouts but Owen Farrell displayed enough control, leadership and classy touches to suggest that he could be involved this weekend. Marcus Smith’s late head injury has also opened the door wider for the head coach’s son and it seems inevitable that he will play some part in the Test series.
Kinghorn may have something to say about that, though. Despite a terrible 20 minutes, which saw him intercepted twice, the Toulouse back displayed his range of skills and ability to get the ball into the wider channels. He also covers 10, 15 and wing, giving the coaches an option of having an extra forward among the replacements.
Kinghorn could conceivably be joined by White, with the Scottish scrum-half being namechecked by Andy Farrell after the game, while their international team-mate Scott Cummings continues to impress after enduring a shocking start to the tour. With Joe McCarthy potentially out with injury, on form alone, Cummings deserves to be in that 23 but, as we’ve seen with the likes of Morgan and Van der Flier, that is not a guarantee of selection.
READ MORE: British and Irish Lions survive First Nations & Pasifika XV scare in Melbourne