Brumbies v British and Irish Lions: Five takeaways as four players ‘nail down’ Test starts but ‘problem position’ emerges
British and Irish Lions players during Brumbies clash and head coach Andy Farrell.
Following a 36-24 victory for the British & Irish Lions over the Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday, here’s our five takeaways from the tour clash at GIO Stadium.
The top line
After the disappointment of the Waratahs performance, the British and Irish Lions once again produced an underwhelming display in their victory over the Brumbies.
Against Australia’s best performing franchise, there were improvements in certain areas, such as lineout and in the decision-making around when to pass or kick, but there were still far too many errors with ball in hand.
Head coach Andy Farrell will also not be happy with their defence as they conceded four tries with Tuaina Taii Tualima, Corey Toole, Hudson Creighton and Liam Bowron going over for the hosts. With 25 minutes remaining, the Lions held just a nine-point lead, but they managed to keep their opponents at arm’s length and see out a relatively comfortable win.
In attack, there were glimpses of quality with ball in hand, as evidenced by the scores from Marcus Smith, James Lowe, Ollie Chessum and Garry Ringrose, which were all well worked. They also managed to get a rumble on in the maul on occasions, with one such drive leading to Josh van der Flier touching down, but ultimately there is plenty they need to fix ahead of the first Test.
Those Lions starts
Throughout the tour, Farrell’s men have found themselves under pressure early on before showing their extra class, power and depth to move away from their opponents, and once again the Australians brought the intensity in the opening exchanges.
After the Western Force, Reds and Waratahs all began well in their respective matches, the Brumbies followed suit and put the visitors in reverse. Their impressive start was rewarded with a try for Tualima and, although the Lions responded, the hosts were still in the game at the break thanks to Toole’s score.
While the tourists would expect their opponents to come out and play with no fear, it will be a concern that they have yet to stamp their mark on a game in the first quarter. You would expect the intensity to be there from the start when the Test matches come around but, at the moment, they are far too slack from the kick-off.
On a positive note, they grew into the game and never looked like losing in the second period, but they have certainly not hit their stride so far.
Real issues at full-back
When Elliot Daly was impressing at the start of the tour, it appeared to be an area of strength, knowing that Hugo Keenan was waiting in the wings and Blair Kinghorn was set to arrive following the end of the Top 14 season.
However, it has turned into a problem position for the visitors. Daly suffered a tour-ending injury before Keenan’s illness delayed his involvement and now Kinghorn, who was impressive against the Waratahs, saw his game end early on Wednesday due to a knee issue.
It remains to be seen how long he will be out for but, with the first Test just a week-and-a-half away, it is another setback in the Lions’ preparations. What’s more, Keenan has looked rusty in his appearances so far, leaving them with no clear-cut option heading into the series.
Errors and standards
One of the suggestions that has made for Owen Farrell’s call-up has been the playmaker’s leadership and his refusal to let standards slip and, after watching the Lions stumble through another clash, it rather gives further credence to that.
Once again, they made far too many errors, which wasted chances and enabled the Brumbies to remain in the contest. It is one thing to try things but another to continually make mistakes and they found themselves overplaying on too many occasions, particularly in the first half.
Tom Curry and Bundee Aki were two big culprits for that and you wonder how their execution of the pass will affect their Test chances. You have to admire the Lions’ ambition but they certainly have to tighten up their game when they face the Wallabies.
It is what they did to some degree in the second period, which included Russell kicking a rare penalty, and it is not a surprise that they looked slightly better as a result. At what point do they cut their losses and stop pushing the 50/50s or do they hope that the attitude, focus and intensity Test match rugby inevitably brings will eradicate those errors?
Test watch
It was certainly not perfect but there were performances from individuals that nailed down a few positions for Farrell. The majority of those were favourites for the shirt but Wednesday’s game surely put it beyond doubt for the likes of Dan Sheehan, Maro Itoje, Joe McCarthy and Finn Russell.
While Itoje, as captain, was always likely to start, his displays have been among the Lions’ best and he was once again superb by leading from the front. Sheehan also looked back to his best, with McCarthy and Russell continuing the fine form they have shown throughout the tour.
Elsewhere, it is less certain, although plenty of the players who featured in Canberra should start – or at least be in the 23 – in the first Test. In the front-row, Ellis Genge had a strong day in the set-piece while his prop colleague, Tadhg Furlong, looked much better and appears to be getting closer to match fitness.
At flanker, Ollie Chessum has arguably been the Lions’ best lineout forward and he combined that with some abrasive work around the field. After Tadhg Beirne’s shocker in Sydney, Chessum could well fill that blindside role against the Wallabies. Back-row partner Jack Conan will also be content with how he performed and could be in that number eight jersey next weekend.
Behind the scrum, Jamison Gibson-Park, despite a few errors, dovetailed nicely with Russell and they will almost certainly combine in the series opener, with James Lowe and Tommy Freeman the likely wings. Those two were not quite as impressive as in previous games, but they have been the best of the options on tour and do the basics so well.
Selection is slightly muddied in other positions, though. You cannot doubt Tom Curry’s effort levels, but he has not put in a good performance on tour and almost appears to be trying too hard, while at centre Aki’s execution has been mixed. What will make it frustrating for Farrell is that Garry Ringrose has arguably been the Lions’ best 13, so the head coach may not go with an all-Ireland or all-Scotland combination and instead have Sione Tuipulotu alongside Ringrose.