The Second
Test was a tense affair with much less flowing attacking rugby from deep and
more negative, defensive rugby played with a strong kick-chase and a focus on
the breakdown. Australia just edged the battle in the scrum with Mako Vunipola
struggling against the mighty Ben Alexander. The Lions had the edge in the
driving maul in the early stages, however, Tom Youngs’ delivery in to the
line-out was poor and the visitors could not secure possession at crucial
periods of the game. The match was a real battle between the goal kickers with Christian Leali'ifano for
Australia and Leigh Halfpenny for the Lions; however, Ashley-Cooper’s
score just gave the home side the edge meaning the final test in Sydney decides
the series.
The Lions edged the first half with Halfpenny
slotting four penalty kicks to Leali’ifano’s three. The Welsh goal kicking marksman
missed one attempt in the first period, with a long-range effort just
rebounding off the bar. The Lions won early favour with referee Craig Joubert,
his ruling at the breakdown favoured the visitors initially and he credited the
powerful driving maul with penalties when it was cynically dragged down twice
in the first half by the Wallabies.
Jonathan Sexton was kicking well out of hand
and the returning Tommy Bowe on the right wing was chasing and competing for
the high ball, causing problems for Kurtley Beale at full back. This gave the
Lions a few chances in the first half, but the visitors could not find the pass
needed to unlock the Aussie defence. Warren Gatland’s side struggled to put together
many phases with simple unforced errors creeping in to their attacking play.
Brian O’Driscoll put in some fine hits in the
first 40 minutes, however, he nearly gave away a costly score as a miss-guided
pass went straight in to the giant hands of Israel Folau. The two-time
try scorer from the first test galloped up-field, however, the Lions pulled him
down and gave away a penalty instead of a try.
The first half finished with the Lions
holding a slender 12-9 lead without having impressed in the set-piece.
The intensity increased in the second half,
with both sides keen to win the physical battle at the breakdown and on the
gain-line. Connor Murray came on for Ben Youngs and scrum-half and immediately won
a crucial turnover and penalty for the Lions. The most galvanising moment of
the match for the crowd was when the monstrous winger George North collided
with Folau and proceeded to pick up his opposite number and drive him
backwards. The former Scarlet nearly injured himself in the process, but he got
one over his opposite number and will make the highlight reel this week.
Must be something in the water in Wales: North lifts Folau with ease
The Lions found their feet with a well-driven
scrum and Halfpenny extended the visitors’ lead to six points after 64 minutes.
Travelling support knew that this lead would not hold and hoped for a try to
close-out the game.
In the final ten minutes of the game, the
Australians threw everything at the Lions and for several minutes were just meters
away from the try-line. A stoic effort from the likes of Sam Warburton – who sadly
limped off injured after being cleared out by three Australian loose-forwards
and Jamie Heaslip could not prevent the inevitable.
Utility back James O’Connor who still is yet
to prove himself as an international No.10, managed to hold Jonathan Davies’
attention for long enough before finding Adam Ashley Cooper in the wide channel,
who crashed over from five metres out. Sadly, Davies did not trust O’Driscoll –
his inside man, and did not drift in defence to cover the NSW Waratahs 79-time-cap
Wallaby.
With just minutes remaining on the clock, Leali'ifano had to nail the conversion to seal the
match for the Wallabies. He split the uprights, giving the visitors only a few
phases of play to try and win-back the match. It was a pleasing comeback for
the centre - who lasted only 45 seconds in the first test before succumbing to
injury.
The Lions won promising field position after
Will Genia – who had a fantastic game for the home side, passed the ball back
in to the 22 and Australia cleared the ball on the full. However, the visitors
could not secure possession from the line-out and the Australians cleared the
ball long after winning a penalty at the breakdown.
Despite this, the Lions had one more chance
after Murray took a penalty quickly and edged Gatland’s pride towards the
Australian half. Joubert awarded the visitors a penalty and Halfpenny stepped
up to take the 53 metre kick. Personally, I felt this was the wrong call as the
Cardiff full back had hit the bar with an effort from approximately 48 metres
out. The Lions should have tried to play on and force a penalty from ten metres
closer to the posts.
However, with adrenalin pumping and a spot of
luck, anything could happen. Sadly Halfpenny – who should deservedly be named ‘Man
of the Series’ struck the ball well and on the right line, but did not quite
have the legs to carry the full distance. Genia kicked the ball dead and the
hosts won their first test of the series.
Full time: Australia
16 British & Irish Lions 14.
Man of the match: Christian Leali'ifano (Australia) after the Wallabies lost the First Test missing
14 points from the tee, the centre held his nerve on his comeback match in the
biggest game of his career. Three penalties and the winning conversion made the
difference on the night for the Australians. Leali’ifano also made himself a
nuisance in the breakdown and put in some terrific tackles to prevent the Lions
from advancing at key stages.
What did you make of the
Second Test? Do you think Australia deserved to win? Who will win the final
test? Comment below or send me a message on twitter @tommyd91
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