Key Takeaways From Lions' Dominant Win Over Reds In Brisbane
Key Takeaways From Lions' Dominant Win Over Reds In Brisbane
Andy Farrell’s Lions remain unbeaten with a gritty win over the Reds, as key combinations emerge and injury setbacks begin to impact tour preparations.
Andy Farrell’s Lions wore down a game Reds side in Brisbane to secure a hard-fought win and remain unbeaten Down Under.
Despite the victory, there were plenty of areas for improvement for the Lions on a day when they looked to lay down a marker against one of the strongest sides they will face before the test series begins.
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Here are the key takeaways from Thursday's clash at Suncorp Stadium:
Combinations Remain Open
Acknowledging that we are still in the early days of the tour, the Lions will be hoping that certain combinations begin to settle.
Of Thursday's pairings, the one that stood out was the key playmaking axis of Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell.
Immediately gelling, the experienced duo were instrumental in directing the Lions around the park. This combination, along with the Northampton pairing of Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith, gives Farrell two in-sync options to rotate between.
Come the first test, the same set-up appears to be the more likely, with Gibson-Park and Russell starting, and the Saints duo on the bench.
Elsewhere, the replacement prop pairing of Ellis Genge and Finlay Bealham impressed once again and no doubt will get a run with Dan Sheehan over the next few matches.
Beyond these partnerships, no other combinations did enough today to firmly lock themselves in.
Key Positions Secured
While some combinations remain undecided, certain positions were all but nailed down by those who played and those who didn’t.
At tighthead prop, Finlay Bealham has gone from a late call-up to clear first choice after another top-notch performance.
Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter are the two preferred looseheads, if fit, with Genge appearing to be slightly ahead.
At hooker, Dan Sheehan is far and away the first choice, with Ronan Kelleher and Luke Cowan-Dickie closely matched for the bench role.
In the second row, the debate continues over who will partner Maro Itoje. Tadhg Beirne is the front-runner, but Joe McCarthy is not far behind, given his carrying power.
In the back row, Jack Conan is the only nailed-on starter, with Josh van der Flier just edging Jac Morgan for the openside role.
Blindside remains unsettled, and it will be interesting to see if Ollie Chessum gets a run in the bruiser role, especially as Tom Curry has yet to hit his stride.
The halfback pairing of Gibson-Park and Russell looked exceptional in their first outing together and now is a firm front-runner.
In the centers, Sione Tuipulotu and Bundee Aki are closely matched, with the Scottish skipper currently edging it.
At outside center, Huw Jones had a few moments, but Garry Ringrose appears more assured in defense—currently the deciding factor.
In the back three, if fit, Elliot Daly clearly is ahead at fullback, given that neither Hugo Keenan nor Blair Kinghorn has featured yet.
That said, Kinghorn is a strong candidate to claim the role.
On the wings, James Lowe is locked in on the left flank, with Tommy Freeman and Mack Hansen in a straight shootout for the No. 14 jersey.
If the test match were tomorrow, our Lions team would be:
1. Ellis Genge, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Finlay Bealham, 4. Maro Itoje, 5. Tadhg Beirne, 6. Ollie Chessum, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Jack Conan, 9. Jamison Gibson Park, 10. Finn Russell, 11. James Lowe, 12. Sione Tuipulotu, 13. Garry Ringrose, 14. Tommy Freeman, 15. Blair Kinghorn.
Replacements: 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17. Andrew Porter, 18. Tadhg Furlong, 19. Joe McCarthy, 20. Jac Morgan, 21. Alex Mitchell, 22. Fin Smith, 23. Mack Hansen
Room For Growth
Unsurprisingly, after just 240 minutes of rugby, and with the bulk of the squad still being rotated, the Lions still are searching for a complete 80-minute performance.
A key concern for Farrell and his staff will be the relatively slow starts, conceding tries inside the opening eight minutes in all three matches so far.
These early lapses may be due to the testing of combinations, but they are a concerning trend to watch.
Another issue was the Lions’ handling of kickoffs, which led to several unnecessarily stressful moments.
One particularly alarming incident involved a communication breakdown between Gibson-Park, Duhan van der Merwe and Jack Conan, forcing the scrumhalf into a hurried clearing kick that was charged down, nearly resulting in a Reds try.
On Saturday in Perth, the kickoff issues were obvious; in Brisbane, they were more subtle but still present.
If unaddressed, the Wallabies could easily exploit this, especially with dominant aerial threats like Joseph Sua’ali’i and Tom Wright.
Finally, the line-out remains an area needing improvement.
The timing between jumpers and hookers is still slightly off, and while things improved somewhat in the second half, the set-piece has yet to become the attacking platform the coaches would have hoped for at this stage.
A War Of Attrition
Three matches in, and the injuries already are starting to mount.
First came the loss of Tomos Williams, who suffered what initially appeared to be a minor hamstring issue, but he has since departed the tour.
Against the Reds, both Elliot Daly and Finn Russell picked up knocks, with Daly appearing to suffer a significant arm injury.
Daly has been one of the stars of the tour, delivering back-to-back standout performances at fullback. If he is ruled out, it will increase the pressure on Kinghorn and Keenan—both yet to feature—to quickly find form.
Should Daly's injury prove serious, likely replacements include Freddie Steward, Darcy Graham, Blair Murray and Jamie Osborne.
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