Lions vs Waratahs Match Report

This was a very impressive performance from a Lions team that selectively, was as close as possible to next week’s first test match. Warren Gatland will be very happy the way his team played against a tough-ish Waratahs side.

The Lions set off ferociously and just 40 seconds in, recent call-up Simon Zebo nearly had the dream start he had been craving. The Lions countered from a clearance kick and Jamie Roberts sucked in two players to allow Zebo the run of the wing, but Drew Mitchell did well to get back and just force the Irishman into touch.

Leigh Halfpenny then kicked an early penalty as the Lions defence threw themselves at the Tahs, eventually forcing a poor kick from Mitchell, which again, the Lions were more than happy to run back. Zebo fed the ball out wide to Jonathan Davies who drew in the defence before offloading inside to Jonny Sexton for the game’s first try. Halfpenny converting.

Tahs eventually got themselves into the game though, and a quick lineout from their own five-metre line allowed Bernard Foley to show some southern hemisphere flair. His cross-field kick was gathered by Peter Betham who got past Sean Maitland, and a beautiful one-handed inside pass set up Tom Carter to score. Brendan McKibbin adding the extras.

Zebo was like a man possessed in the first half, regularly taking the ball in or standing at first receiver for the big players like Alun-Wyn Jones to run off him. Halfpenny scored another penalty before Tahs should have added a second. Another quick lineout, this time on the Lions five-metre line, let behemoth Will Skelton drive over but he ended up losing the ball in contact.

Just like Zebo, Foley was looking impressive, if Robbie Deans is searching for a new fly-half, then he just might have found him.

Halfpenny and McKibbin exchanged penalties before the Lions defence stood firm once more. Tahs went through the phases and spread the ball across the pitch but couldn’t get past the red jerseys who soaked up the pressure, Dave Dennis eventually penalised for holding on.

Before half-time, Lions got on the scoreboard again. A-W Jones, Paul O’Connell and Jamie Heaslip crashing through the centre of the opposition defence before the ball went through the hands for Halfpenny to go over, the Welshman converting his own try and taking the score to 23-10 at the break.

The Lions and Halfpenny started the second half just like the first. Roberts switched with Sexton before a nice little offload to Davies put him one-on-one with Mitchell and he simply gave it to Halfpenny for his second. Again, the Welshman converting his own try.

Tahs hit back from the off though, and it was the big man Skelton that led to the Lions conceding. A penalty allowed the Aussie team to kick for touch and from the resulting lineout, Skelton peeled off and fed it to Carter to crash over. McKibbin converting.

The Lions class started to show and they slowly edged themselves out of the Tahs’ reach. Davies intercepted a pass and it went through the hands for a typical Tom Croft try, handing off the inside defender then galloping down the wing. Halfpenny as faultless as ever with the conversion.

Davies then deservedly got the final try of the match. Ben Youngs got in behind the defence and Davies was unmarked on the blindside to stroll over. Substitute Farrell adding the conversion and leaving the final score at 47-17, the only sour note being Roberts leaving the field late on with a hamstring injury.

The Lions looked well-structured during the match. The set pieces functioned well, the backs flowed and they started to look, and play, like a real team.  Zebo looked extremely lively, Halfpenny and Sexton were as faultless as ever but it was Davies that ran the show and he deserves to be in that first test team.  In the forwards, Croft put himself in contention, O’Connell and Jones led from the front and Sam Warburton put last week’s game behind him.