British And Irish Lions Player Ratings From 54-7 Win Over Western Force
British And Irish Lions Player Ratings From 54-7 Win Over Western Force
The British and Irish Lions crushed the Western Force 54-7 in Perth, led by Irish stars and Finn Russell, bouncing back strong after loss to Argentina.
After a turbulent start to their tour with last week’s deflating loss to Argentina in Dublin, the British and Irish Lions answered in emphatic fashion on Friday, dismantling the Western Force 54-7 in a performance brimming with intent, cohesion and, above all, clarity.
The result not only resets the tone of their 2025 campaign, it also delivers a strong message to their critics: this squad is far from a work in progress.
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Central to the Lions’ resurgence was their Irish contingent and the mercurial presence of fly-half Finn Russell.
The Irish players, led by captain Dan Sheehan, injected steel and sharpness across the pitch, while Russell orchestrated play with calm precision and flashes of genius that kept the Force guessing all evening.
From breakdown dominance to attacking fluidity, the Lions looked a far cry from the side that faltered in Dublin.
The blend of power and flair, particularly through the spine of the team, offered glimpses of the test XV taking shape. And while the final scoreline reflects a team in control, the individual performances, especially among the Irish core, it hints at even greater potential ahead.
Here is how the Lions players fared in Perth, Australia:
1. Pierre Schoeman - 6
One third of a dominant front-row scrummaging performance, the Scotland loosehead got through a mountain of work in the tight exchanges.
To date, he hasn’t fully exploded in the carrying game as many know he can, but it was a solid showing without being spectacular.
2. Dan Sheehan (c) – 9
Leading with aplomb, the skipper was immense in every sense of the word.
His willingness to work hard and get a second touch led to his try in the first half.
He got up high in the air to receive a cross kick from Russell, before popping the ball to Lowe, and then subsequently getting the ball back from his winger, before racing over the line.
At line-out time, his link with his jumpers afforded the Lions plenty of clean set-piece ball.
3. Tadhg Furlong – 6
Rocking and rolling at scrum time, Furlong got through his set-piece work with aplomb.
Overall, he is still a tick or two below his best in open play, but he no doubt will continue to get better as the series rolls on.
4. Scott Cummings - 7
Getting through the dirty work so those around him could shine, Cummings was ferocious in his pursuit of loose balls.
One area in which he and his fellow jumpers will look to improve will be the kickoffs, where the Lions were exposed on a handful of occasions.
5. Joe McCarthy – 8.5
Topping the carry charts for the Lions’ forwards, ‘Big Joe’ sent out a big message that he is a contender amongst the stacked Lions’ lock stocks.
Undeniably the most powerful carrier the Lions have in the second row, McCarthy made his presence felt with 11 carries, a line break and an offload.
6. Tadhg Beirne – 7
Playing a second consecutive match on the tour, this time shifting to the back row, Beirne was another of the forwards who got through plenty of work without flashing his usual moments of brilliance.
Overall, at 33-years-old, he looks far more suited to the second row than the back row. Still, it was a good showing, but probably not quite enough to get him into contention for the No. 6 shirt.
7. Josh van der Flier – 9
Another player who firmly put himself ahead of his competition, the former World Player of the Year was sublime.
Displaying his carrying ability with a few big carries and offloads (two) to go with huge defensive efforts (23 tackles), van der Flier was unplayable at times for the hosts.
8. Henry Pollock – 7.5
Yellow card aside, Pollock had himself a day in the wide channels and appeared to be relishing playing alongside the quick thinking of Finn Russell.
Constantly involved with the attack, Pollock’s quick thinking and ability to hit the perfect line had him ripping off chunk play after chunk play.
Sure, people may nitpick his work rate in the less glamorous areas, but there is no denying he is a special talent who routinely does spectacular things, as he topped the defenders beaten charts.
9. Tomos Williams – 8
Dotting down to finish off a superb try in which he had multiple touches was the cherry on top of a supremely impressive showing.
Whipping the ball around the park and linking beautifully with Russell, Williams picked up where he left off in Dublin.
Hopefully, his hamstring will not be too much of an issue, as at the current moment, he is the ninth in the squad.
10. Finn Russell – 8.5
Cool, calm and collected, the Scottish fly-half was clinical in his first run out with the Lions in 2025.
Constantly poking and probing the Force defense with an array of short kicks and passes, Russell had his side making good yardage.
His quick thinking with a long-range tap that led to Elliot Daly was an insight into how sharp Russell is at this stage in his career.
11. James Lowe - 9
Proving why he is a near certainty to start in the No. 11 shirt, Lowe was at his rampaging best as he went searching for work.
Getting on the end of cross kicks from Russell, operating as a first receiver off line-outs and finding several offloads, Lowe was everywhere.
From the boot, his tactical kicking was on point and got the Lions on the front foot, deep in the Force’s territory.
12. Sione Tuipulotu – 8.5
Far more assured in his preferred position of 12, the Scotland captain formed a mind meld with Finn Russell.
His ability to both make yards in the carry and act as a decoy with subtle passes and grubber kicks just gives the Lions’ attack an x-factor and ability to get the ball into the wide channels.
Overall, 16 carries, some telling offloads and line breaks were a very productive showing for Tuipulotu.
13. Garry Ringrose – 8
Solidifying the midfield as a true outside center, Ringrose’s pressure in defense was a crushing presence on the Force attack.
Getting his timing perfectly with a few shots that stopped the hosts in their tracks has given Ringrose the first notch on the board as the test 13.
In attack, he linked brilliantly with Tuipulotu and Russell in the playmaking axis, which really brought the back three into the game.
14. Mack Hansen – 9
Work rate personified, Hansen was everywhere and, like Lowe, continually popped up in playmaking positions as a distributor.
His pace and ability to cover the backfield shored up the deficiencies the Lions had there against Los Pumas.
In the air, he had a good battle with Dylan Pietsch and generally came out on top.
Ending his day with a brilliant break before finding Alex Mitchell for the score that took the Lions over 50 points was the perfect final note to leave in the coaches' minds.
15. Elliot Daly – 8.5
Rock solid in his coverage of the backfield, the England veteran immediately linked with his Irish wingers in attack.
Time and again, he made meters in returning kicks and found a sprinkling of brilliant offloads.
Although he might not be as flashy as some of his competitors, Daly is just so intelligent, as he always made the right call, both with his kicking and running games.
He closed his account as the top carrier with 94 meters made, three offloads and a line break.
Replacements
16. Ronan Kelleher – 7.5
Kelleher almost raced away for a try with his first touch.
He also didn’t miss a beat when entering the action.
While he is not the attacking threat Sheehan is, his ability to get over the ball at the breakdown and dominate at set-piece time is a real weapon for the Lions on the bench.
17. Andrew Porter – 7
Super physical as ever, Porter looked fresh, only having to play 32 minutes, rather than his usual 75+.
Smashing Force carriers in and around the breakdown and smashing through breakdowns ensured the Lions had good front-foot ball, while their hosts were stuck in first gear.
18. Will Stuart – 7
The perfect scrummaging impact operator, Stuart was a monster at scrum time and similar to Porter, he got through a ton of work at the breakdown.
As a carrier, he is a real strong option in the tight exchanges, making him the perfect safety net to get his team on the front foot.
19. Ollie Chessum – 8
Bringing oomph from the bench, Chessum had some big carries, one of which brought him within inches of a try.
At line-out time, he was a banker for Sheehan.
His versatility and explosive power make him a real option at either six or on the bench come test time.
20. Jack Conan – 6.5
Not quite the impact that the Leinster captain would’ve wanted, but no doubt he will pick things up as the tour goes on.
Slotting in on the blindside with Pollock remaining at 8 perhaps denied him a few carrying opportunities.
Defensively, Conan still flashed what he can bring to the team with two big, dominant tackles.
21. Alex Mitchell – 7
Closed his account with a perfect scrumhalf trail running try as he followed Mack Hansen’s break perfectly.
Picking up where the impressive Tomos Williams left off, Mitchell had a far better run this week than he did against Los Pumas.
22. Huw Jones – 7
Immediately made an impact with an interception and a well-placed grubber kick that had the Force scrambling.
His link with Tuipulotu was seamless as he ran some superb short lines to get over the gainline.
23. Marcus Smith – 7
Replacing Finn Russell with 20 minutes to go, Smith reaffirmed the notion that he is a fly-half and not a fullback.
Slotting in perfectly to the Lions’ complex multiphase attacking game, his performance was a real confidence booster.
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