It was a promising start for the British and Irish Lions, who dominated for long periods in the first Test against Australia.
The docile Wallabies took over an hour to wake up on home soil, but did show they could cause real problems to the tourists despite going down 27-19 in Brisbane.
The Lions went 24-5 ahead early in the second-half thanks to the power of their brilliant back row of man of the match Tadhg Beirne and try scorer Tom Curry, who proved head coach Andy Farrell was right to hand him the No.7 jersey.
With Finn Russell pulling the tactical strings and eclipsing opposite number Tom Lynagh, who had a difficult first start for the Wallabies, it seemed a case of how many points the Lions wanted to win by.
However, the decision to make wholesale changes and empty the replacements bench backfired on the Lions who lost their way in the final quarter as the Wallabies showed they could compete in a game that saw a number of flash points.
The arrival of scrum half Tate McDermott, who scored the Wallabies’ final try, showed that the Lions will have to improve, particularly in the way they finish off their scoring chances, as the home side are set to recall big carriers Will Skelton and Rob Valentini for the sold out second Test at the MCG in Melbourne.
The Lions established their superiority in an impressive first-half that brought tries to Sione Tuipulotu from a brilliant Russell pass and the tireless Curry.
The England and Sale Sharks star set the tone for the excellent opening 40 showing from the touring side with big hits in an all-action performance.
With Beirne stealing ball at the breakdown and line out, the Wallabies were living off scraps.
It was only when the Lions made those changes following Dan Sheehan's try that the Wallabies were allowed to get onto the front foot and feed off the penalties their pressure created.
The Lions were warned about their discipline and this will be a real area of concern heading into that second Test.
Wallabies wing Max Jorgensen scored a great solo try, winning the ball in the air in a rare first-half success, but with replacements Carlo Tizzano and McDermott grabbing tries the home side has reasons to be confident of bouncing back in Melbourne.
The Lions on talkSPORT
talkSPORT has all of the British and Irish Lions matches live across the network. Eddie Jones is among the star-studded line-up leading the coverage Down Under
June 20, Dublin: Lions 24–28 Argentina
June 28, Perth: Lions 54-7 Western Force
July 2, Brisbane: Lions 52-12 Queensland Reds
July 5, Sydney: Lions 21-10 New South Wales Waratahs
July 9, Canberra: Lions 36-24 ACT Brumbies
July 12, Adelaide: Lions 48-0 ANZAC XV
July 12, Brisbane: Lions v Wallabies
July 22, Melbourne: Lions v First Nations and Pasifika XV
July 26, Melbourne: Lions v Wallabies
August 2, Sydney: Lions v Wallabies
Head coach Farrell praised his players for that first-half performance and knows that his team have a wonderful chance to wrap up the series.
But, only if they are more ruthless in attack and ensure the replacements add to the momentum.
After the win, 2005 British and Irish Lion and talkSPORT rugby pundit Ben Kay has examined and dissected the performances of Andy Farrell's men in his player ratings…
Beirne and Curry make critics look foolish
Giving Curry a 7/10, Kay said: “In the build-up to the first Test everyone was saying Jac Morgan should have been in the team, but Tom Curry produced a great game at openside.”
As for Beirne, who he awarded an 8/10 to, Kay remarked: “Tadhg Beirne was the star, for me, and obviously got the Man of the Match award. He was outstanding, 23 tackles – he stole a line out as well.
“People were saying perhaps it should be Ollie Chessum in there starting the game, but he proved all his critics wrong and it was a fantastic game for him.”
Starting duo disappointing
Both James Lowe and Joe McCarthy received 5/10, with their performances leaving Kay less than impressed.
He stated: “James Lowe and Joe McCarthy both didn't deliver in this first Test.
“Lowe was the most disappointing for the Lions, he's just lacking confidence and he's a little bit hesitant when he gets the ball with an attacking opportunity.
“McCarthy was also a little bit disappointing. Obviously, he came off, whether that's an injury, just after the break.”
Negative impact
“The Lions bench. Obviously, the Lions didn't play as well in the second half.
“So for all of the replacements, apart from Marcus Smith [6/10] and Bundee Aki [7/10], it was disappointing.
“I thought Smith and Aki made a bit of a difference when they came on.”
Ben Kay's British and Irish Lions player ratings
15 Hugo Keenan – 6
14 Tommy Freeman -6
13 Huw Jones – 7
12 Sione Tuipulotu – 6
11 James Lowe – 5
10 Finn Russell – 8
9 Jamison Gibson-Park – 6
1 Ellis Genge – 7
2 Dan Sheehan – 6
3 Tadhg Furlong – 6
4 Maro Itoje – 6
5 Joe McCarthy – 5
6 Tadhg Beirne – 8 (Star Player)
7 Tom Curry – 7
8 Jack Conan – 6
Bench
Ronan Kelleher – 5
Andrew Porter – 5
Will Stuart – 5
Ollie Chessum – 5
Ben Earl – 5
Alex Mitchell – 5
Marcus Smith – 6
Bundee Aki – 7
Replacements:
16 Ronan Kelleher (60' for Sheehan)
17 Andrew Porter (48' for Genge)
18 Will Stuart (57' for Furlong)
19 Ollie Chessum (43' for McCarthy)
20 Ben Earl (57' for Curry)
21 Alex Mitchell (74' for Gibson-Park)
22 Marcus Smith (66' for Russell)
23 Bundee Aki (57' for Tuipulotu)
