Waratahs vs British & Irish Lions live: Result and reaction as error-strewn Lions edge hard-fought affair
Waratahs 10-21 Lions: A pretty poor performance from the Lions saw them escape with a narrow victory as few pressed their Test case
The British and Irish Lions stuttered to an unconvincing 21-10 victory over a dogged New South Wales Waratahs side, taking a step backwards with an error-prone performance on the third leg of their tour of Australia.
Centre Huw Jones crossed twice in the first half and Alex Mitchell added another try early in the second but the Lions were held scoreless for the final 26 minutes of the match on a frustrating night that saw few press their Test cases.
The Waratahs, roared on by the majority of a crowd of 40,568, scored tries through Darby Lancaster and Ethan Dobbins and trailed by only four points early in the second half. The Super Rugby side showed the Wallabies the way for the three-test series in late July and August with an uncompromising physicality all over the park that knocked the Lions off their stride.
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Error-strewn British and Irish Lions labour to victory over Waratahs
Owen Farrell watched from the stands as the British and Irish Lions laboured to a 21-10 victory over New South Wales Waratahs in what was comfortably their worst performance since arriving in Australia.
A fortnight out from the first Test against the Wallabies and the Lions struggled to put away a side that finished eighth in the Super Rugby table and had lost five of their last six matches.
Even the arrival of a heavyweight bench could not provide the lift Andy Farrell’s men needed at Allianz Stadium and a dismal second-half made for grim viewing with Alex Mitchell’s 55th-minute try at least providing some breathing space.
Error-strewn British and Irish Lions labour to victory over Waratahs
FT: Waratahs 10-21 Lions
A pretty honest assessment from Andy Farrell, as one would expect from the Lions head coach. Plenty to review on the flight to Canberra tomorrow.
Andy Farrell speaks to Sky Sports
“I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied. You have to celebrate every win but with the amount of territory and possession we had, we had so many dropped balls - to say we left a few out there would be an understatement.
“It’s a good learnning for us, a different type of game with it being close and under pressure. We didn’t come out of the blocks hard enough and we need to address that. The ground was wet for some reason, they played hard at the breakdown and with good linespeed and sometimes we overplayed. There are some good learnings either way.
“We obviously have to state the obvious - the Waratahs have been waiting a long time for this chance and we have to be ready for that. The Brumbies are a great side, so we know what we are in for there. Owen Farrell probably won’t be in the 23 because of the jet lag and the protocols, it normally takes a bit longer.”
And here's captain Tadhg Beirne, wearing a frown
“It probably wasn’t the step forward we were looking for,” Beirne admits to Sky Sports. “We took a step up in terms of our scrum and our line out but it’s a bit frustrating to not be as clinical as we wanted to be tonight.
“They were just individual errors. I dropped a couple of balls myself. They are easy fixes - on another day we catch all of those, but that’s the frustrating part.”
Lions scrum half Alex Mitchell speaks to Sky Sports
“It was a bit of a scrappy game, we struggled at the breakdown and in the air. Credit to the Tahs, they were quality today and made everything a fight.
“I think we just struggled with a bit of a greasy ball. The errors and discipline let them back into the game. It makes a game out of it. They’ve got some quality individuals and their jackal threat across the back row made by job really tough.
“As half-backs, we needed a bit more control - we were a bit loose with the ball. We got a bit of that but errors kept them in the game. We need to go again. Sydney has been amazing so far and I’m loving the tour, everyone’s been really nice.”
FT: Waratahs 10-21 Lions
Credit, though, must go to the Waratahs, who made that a real scrap and really did stay in the fight. Very good stuff from Charlie Gamble, Fergus-Lee Warner (mostly) and the rest of their pack, standing up to the Lions physically despite their scrum-time inferiority,
FT: Waratahs 10-21 Lions
Not the outing that Andy Farrell will have wanted from his side - though might that have clarified a few things with the Tests drawing near? It’s been a good couple of hours, you’d say, for those not involved, while the lack of direction and grasping of the contest perhaps underscored part of the reason why Owen Farrell is now on tour. Plenty to ponder, though, for the tourists as they prepare for the Brumbies on Wednesday, when we might well see a few combinations that will carry into the first Test in a fortnight.
Waratahs 10-21 Lions, 82 minutes
Duhan van der Merwe is lumberjacked by the touchline and the ball trundles into touch out of the ruck. That’ll do it - the end of a night that the Lions will probably hope to forget, even if victory is theirs.
Waratahs 10-21 Lions, 81 minutes
One last chance for the British and Irish Lions to find something to savour out of the Sydney slop with the Waratahs knocking on having tried to go the length in minute 80. Andy Farrell, spectacles on, furiously clicked his multi-coloured pen as he jots down a note.
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