British and Irish Lions news: Lions crush Western Force with second-half onslaught
After a tasty introduction in Dublin against Argentina, Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions took on the quality and iconic Perth-based Western Force on Saturday, June 28.
In the aftermath of the tour-opener in Dublin there were certainly more questions than answers for Farrell and his coaching team.
A lot was made of the lack of directness and poor cohesion in the loose and in the set piece in the side’s first outing against the Pumas.
Sports News Blitz’s rugby writer Jacob Garrett gives his assessment on what we learned from the opener Down Under.
Dublin issues answered?
The main issues involved two key areas — directness in attack and efficacy of the set piece.
It was interesting to see how these areas fared against the Force, with there evidently being an improvement post Dublin.
The directness of the attack was evident from the opening minutes, with the opening try coming courtesy of debutant skipper Dan Sheehan.
With Scottish star Finn Russell at the helm at 10, we saw a much more confident and assertive attacking approach.
In the opening minutes we saw the likes of Joe McCarthy (who was excellent all game), Pierre Schoeman and Josh Van Der Flier carrying hard, whether off the base from Tomas Williams or through the hands of Russell.
Despite only gaining a small amount of yards, these direct carries were demanding two or even three-man tackles.
Thus, drawing in players from the wider defensive line, forcing them to tuck in.
Russell then spots and sticks in a delightful cross-field kick to his skipper, who plays a one-two with fellow Irishman James Lowe, putting Sheehan under the sticks for an opening score.
After the attacking style against Argentina being described by tour captain Maro Itoje as too “tippy tappy,” the directness on display against the Force was a big tick for the progression of this team.
This direct approach continued as the Force could not handle the physicality of the Lions, especially as the game progressed and substitutions entered the fray.
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Set-piece improvements
There was an interesting structural change in Farrell’s forward-pack selection as he went from having three athletic back rowers in Tom Curry, Henry Pollock and Ben Earl to a more lineout and structurally centred one, with Tadhg Beirne moving to blindside flanker.
Meaning, there were three quality lineout options in the pack.
Of the 15 lineouts, only two of them were stolen by the Western Force (90% success rate).
This is a vast improvement from Dublin (44% completion rate from starting hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie).
The Force are a good lineout side, featuring Wallabies such as Darcy Swain.
Therefore, the Lions’ set-piece performance was worth its weight in gold.
I think this improvement will lead to Farrell using a similar forward-pack configuration in the Tests against Australia.
With the likes of Ollie Chessum and Beirne continuing to impress - the Leicester Tiger was also one to highlight after his impressive outing off the bench.
Issues surrounding the ‘third set-piece’
There are two primary set-pieces in rugby — the scrum and the lineout.
However, with the rise of high-ball athletes, there has been an emergence of the ‘third set-piece’ — the kick-off.
Kick-off receiving was a key point of focus for the Lions in this game, thanks to ex-Exeter Chief star Nic White.
Many players struggled to judge the trajectory of the ball mid-flight, meaning the ball either fell short or flew over their heads, often swept up by Force wingers.
Notably, Force winger Dylan Pietsch often caused trouble for the Lions in this instance.
This is a key issue for Farrell to address.
The value of the points you score in rugby is measured by your ability to not concede after kick-off. As maintaining control at this juncture is paramount to continue putting pressure on your opponent.
With the likes of Joseph Suaalii raring to go, and ready to fly (literally at times with his vertical capabilities) to collect high-balls from kick-offs, the Lions will need to address this area going into the Wallabies Tests.
The backline
I really enjoyed the backline performance this week — a much more balanced, cohesive and complete performance from the brains in midfield and speed on the outside.
The half-back partnership of Tomas Williams and Russell was excellent, their ability to facilitate the tempo of the attack with a mixture of flair was brilliant to see.
It is a real shame to see Williams injured in this game, as the Welshman has been the stand-out scrum-half so far - with star Jamison Gibson-Park yet to don the red shirt.
The centres were also excellent.
Sione Tuipulotu has not been at his best, but was good against the Force, especially alongside Garry Ringrose who quietly went about his business on both sides of the ball, earning himself a try.
The back three was really nicely balanced.
The two Irishmen on the perimeter exhibited Farrell’s style of play tremendously, as both Lowe and Mack Hansen came into the first or second receiver-channel to facilitate attacking shapes.
Their general work rate was also excellent, especially Hansen’s, which was captured perfectly in one of his kick-chase efforts which led to a knock-on just outside the opposition's 22.
“This is what makes a Lion,” Farrell proclaimed, referring to his effort level.
Finally, Elliot Daly was his superb self.
After a few questions arose surrounding his inclusion on the tour, the Saracen showed exactly why he was on the plane in the venture to the Land Down Under.
His positional sense was perfect and some of his touches were high quality, especially his pass for Williams' try early in the second half.
With his versatility and reliability, I would not be surprised if he made his way into the 23-shirt come the Wallabies Tests.
