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British & Irish Lions player ratings vs Australia | 2025 Lions series
By Ian Cameron at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
British & Irish Lions player ratings: So first blood to Lions, but the truth is Andy Farrell’s side didn’t need to work too hard for this 27-19 victory in Brisbane.
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An error-strewn performance in front of a whopping crowd of 52,229 at Suncorp was all the Lions needed to march on to Melbourne with a victory under their belt.
Here’s how we rated the British & Irish Lions:
1. Ellis Genge – 6
Carried hard and frequently early doors, but things didn’t go totally to plan at scrumtime, where it was pretty much a 50:50 affair, if not one of the few departments where the Wallabies might have edged it.
2. Dan Sheehan – 7.5
Solid darts and put in a defensive shift, although there was little in the way of the highlight reel carrying for which he is known. Right place at the right time for his obligatory try in the corner, just after the break.
3. Tadhg Furlong – 6
Got pinged early for holding on the ground but generally looked more like his old self with ball in hand. One hinging peno aside, had a reasonably solid outing at scrumtime, against his run of form this season. Got away with a dodgy clearout on Ikitau.
4. Maro Itoje – 6
The Lions skipper gave away a couple of sloppy penalties in, at best, an average first forty, that was more defined by grunt work than spectacle. Still, job done.
5. Joe McCarthy – 8
Threw himself around in the first half, collecting Wallabies ball-carriers like a Predator hunting special forces members in the Bolivian jungle. Botched a Finn Russell crossfield kick but it was but a blotch on an otherwise stirring display. Subbed just after the break.
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6. Tadhg Beirne – 8
Put in a number of big hits and ended the night on a Lions-high 24 tackles. Brought his masterful ground game to bear on the Aussies for three turnovers. Other than one knock-on, his detractors will have little fodder to work with.
7. Tom Curry – 8.5
Some raised eyebrows at his selection, but he showed why he still commands trust, starting the game with a huge hit on James Slipper and began doling them out at the rate of one every five minutes. His pick-and-jam try before the break was well deserved, even if he was lucky to get away with an air tackle on Tom Lynagh a few minutes later. Proved his doubters wrong.
8. Jack Conan – 6
A relatively quiet outing for Conan, who had a decent return on running metres without really standing out. Broke clear for one linebreak gallop in the second half but his teammates weren’t alive to it.
9. Jamison Gibson-Park – 7
Tried to buy an early penalty for the Lions with a theatrical dive but aside from that, ran the yard with a quiet efficiency. Didn’t need to break out the flashy stuff against a lacklustre Wallabies outfit.
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10. Finn Russell – 8
Set the tone with some slick kicking out of hand and threw a world-class pass for Tuipulotu’s try. One very obvious knock-on aside, a pretty impressive affair for the Messi of rugby.
11. James Lowe – 5
A few loose moments in the air in the early exchanges and overcooked a corner punt to gift the Wallabies rare field position. Nearly set up a try with a superb fend on Jorgensen before finding Jones on his inside, only for the five-pointer to be rubbed off. Got stripped of the ball with the line beckoning on 34 minutes.
12. Sione Tuipulotu – 7
Took his try well and was one of the tidier Lions backline in the first forty. Maybe the best starting back for the Lions.
13. Huw Jones – 6
Even accounting for his disallowed try, the Scot proved an effective attacker for the Lions. Some questionable decisions with his draw-and-pass, but a decent shift.
14. Tommy Freeman – 5
Part of a Lions back-three that had a sketchy day fielding the ball and he was a contributor on that front, albeit to a lesser extent than his comrades.
15. Hugo Keenan – 5
The Leinsterman was plagued under the high ball. Got the rub of the green when the officials missed a touch on a corner flag punt; it would have been but one of a number of high-profile errors for the fullback. Had a few decent moments in attack, but not enough to account for a defensive shocker.
REPLACEMENTS:
16. Ronan Kelleher – NA
Picked up where Sheehan left off without having a huge impact on proceedings.
17. Andrew Porter – 6
Ticked over at the set-piece but didn’t pull up any trees. He didn’t need to.
18. Will Stuart – 6
A decent showing after coming on for Furlong.
19. Ollie Chessum – 7
Won a penalty off Jake Gordon after coming on early for McCarthy and brought a bit of energy.
20. Ben Earl – 6.5
Threw himself about after coming on, even if you might argue he was lucky to get away with a daisy-cutter tackle on Joseph Suaalii.
21. Alex Mitchell – NA
Not on long enough to rate.
22. Marcus Smith – NA
Not on long enough to rate after coming on for Russell on 66 minutes.
23. Bundee Aki – 7
Got in amongst it and proved a problem for the Wallabies’ midfield.