The Lions won comfortably in their first test against Australia by a score of 27 - 19. The game was less close than the scoreline suggests with the Lions being 24-5 up until late on. There was a clear difference between the sides but, with some players potentially returning next week, this series is far from over. With that being said, here are some players who stood out in the first game for a range of reasons.
Winners
Finn Russell
Russell was always going to be the key to success for the Lions in this series. On Saturday, he ran the game in the way that only Finn Russell can. He made his mark early on with some brilliant kicking and thus dominating the territory contest. With ball-in-hand, he varied his passing throughout and kept Australia guessing. His standout moment was a ridiculous pass to Sione Tuipulotu to set up a try but it was just one moment of many in this game.
Tom Curry
Many had questioned the inclusion of Tom Curry - myself included. I had Jac Morgan in my starting team but there is no doubt now that this was the correct decision. Curry hadn't been particularly impressive during the tour before being picked for the test team but he turned up for the big occasion as he always does. Clearly he was selected for his abrasiveness and physicality which shone through. He kicked off his impressive display with a crushing hit on James Slipper and continued in that vein. He made many more big hits and dominated the gain line throughout his time on the pitch. He also managed to get on the score-sheet with a short-range try which, once again, highlighted his strength.
Tadhg Beirne
Beirne, along with Curry, was the subject of much consternation when the side was announced for the first test. He was largely unconvincing during the games against Australia's watered-down Super Rugby Pacific teams. However, he was still obviously a classy player who is a key man for Andy Farrell. Chessum may have been in better form, but Beirne already had the credit in the bank. He, like Curry, is a player who is built for big occasions and that was on full display against the Wallabies. His performance can be summed up by two numbers - 24 and 3. Those are the number of tackles he made, the highest tackle count of any ions player, and the number of turnovers he created at the breakdown.
Losers
James Lowe, Hugo Keenan and Tommy Freeman
I've lumped the entirety of the British and Irish Lions' back three together to be my singular, combined loser. Keenan had perhaps the worst performance of the three. He had an absolute nightmare under the high ball which resulted in the Lions losing momentum on several occasions. This is particularly concerning given that he is known for being solid and reliable and hasn't lived up to that description once on this tour. If Kinghorn is fit, the Scot should probably start the next test. James Lowe also had a rough day. He, like Keenan, lost the aerial battle quite badly. He was also guilty of being too ambitious with his kicking which resulted in one particular kick going long in a promising situation. He also should've scored a try late on in the first half but inexplicably lost possession instead. Tommy Freeman was the best of the three but that isn't much of a complement. He failed to make an impact in this game and struggled with the same things as the other two - albeit, to a lesser extent.
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