Western Force vs Lions takes: Lions lack bite up front, Pollock muscles up

Optus Stadium played host to the opening game of the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, and it was a tone-setter from the visitors in Perth.

The first half was relatively even, with some toe-to-toe rugby seeing both sides make highlight plays. The Lions were the more accurate side in the open field, though, and finished where their opponents faltered.

A Man of the Match effort from Joe McCarthy led the way for the men in red, especially in the second half when the scoreline started to fly. While a 21-7 Lions lead at the break kept the game within reach for the hosts, blow after blow in the second 40 saw the Lions grow and grow until a full-time scoreline of 54-7 was reached.

Here are some takeaways from the tour opener.

Lions lack bite up front

The Lions’ starters couldn’t disrupt the Force’s set piece, with both sides operating at 100 per cent throughout the opening half.

Where did the Western Force rank this Super Rugby Pacific season in scrum success? Dead last.

Which team was by far the most likely to lose a scrum via penalty? The Force.

It won’t get any easier for the Lions, with the Queensland Reds (95.8%) and ACT Brumbies (97.0%) both boasting top-five numbers in terms of scrum success rate across not just Super Rugby Pacific, but also the URC, Top 14 and Gallagher Premiership.

The reserves battle was comfortably won by the Lions, with Andrew Porter making his presence felt in a surging effort in his scrums. The Irish loosehead needed to make a statement after English counterpart Ellis Genge’s performance against Argentina, and he did just that.

The No.1 jersey will be one of the most hotly contested ahead of game one against the Wallabies.

Points Flow Chart

British & Irish Lions win +47

Time in lead

0

Mins in lead

71

0%

% Of Game In Lead

87%

65%

Possession Last 10 min

35%

0

Points Last 10 min

14

The race for 10 is not yet run

An all-star cast deserves an all-star playmaker, and that’s exactly what Finn Russell is.

The Scotsman had the Force doing circles by finding space with his boot early, something that not only kept the Force line honest but helped his outsides get a step on the defence.

A true triple-threat playmaker can do that, but was it enough to secure Russell the top job? Marcus Smith came on late, and the Lions’ momentum hardly softened.

There’s no lack of triple-threat attacking 10s in this Lions squad, and while Russell’s playmaking and game management set his team up well, he will need to find yet another gear to snap up that 10 jersey.

Russell certainly seems to have the endorsement of Wallaby Ben Donaldson, who referred to the mercurial 10 as “probably the best 10 in the world” after the match.

Finishers a class above

The Force had their moments early in this game, not that the scoreline suggests it.

But that finishing flair, that elite execution, that superstar sauce… that is what the Lions brought to this game.

When it came to finishing the highlight plays, the Lions were there in numbers, running off shoulders and making the offloads stick. James Lowe had four offloads, while Elliot Daly and Mack Hansen had three apiece.

Unlike in the Argentina game, the Lions’ best moments came about thanks to their defence. While the Dublin exhibition was a tale of defensive incohesion, Perth saw a much more connected line from men in red that absorbed the Force’s best efforts and waited patiently for a mistake.

Dylan Pietsch did his best to bring the Force into the contest, with nine defenders beaten on the night, but his X-factor couldn’t be complemented by his running mates.

If there was one criticism of the defensive effort, it might be the lack of breakdown steals from the Lions, who were kept out of the breakdown contest.

Pollock muscles up

Maybe the hottest name in international rugby, Henry Pollock made his first Lions start a winner, despite a yellow card just shy of halftime.

The play that saw the youngster sent off wasn’t the most egregious of penalties, but it did come on the back of some poor discipline from the side.

Post-match, Lions coach Andy Farrell labelled the No.8’s first-half performance “a little bit desperate” as he tried to impose himself on the game without the discipline a Lions contest demands.

In the second 40, as the game opened up, Pollock was at his best while playing with front-foot ball. That open-field play will do wonders for the sensation finding his feet in a new environment, while some accountability for his early play is sure to be emphasised by his coach.

By the game’s end, Pollock’s shoulders were well and truly warm, and his energy was felt across the field. Some skirmishes got the crowd on their feet, too.