That was not pretty….
It was the Lions’ dullest performance so far, but they scraped through with a 24-19 win.
Certain players had a chance to force their way into the second Test 23, but few, if any, did.
Pierre Schoeman – 5.5
Scrum didn’t go as planned, and failed to make much of an impact around the field.
Made a turnover and eight tackles, however.
Jamie George – 6
Started the game very well, with the lineout looking solid.
However, Pasifika begam to get the upper hand at set piece.
Probably didn’t do enough to make the Test 23.
Finlay Bealham – 5
A disappointing showing.
Failed to make an impact around the pitch, while the scrum got dominated.
James Ryan – 5.5
Left most of the lineout duties to Scott Cummings, and was yellow carded as he failed to prevent Pasifika’s first try.
Came off after 54 minutes.
Scott Cummings – 7
Another good showing from the Scot, particularly in the lineout.
Could have been an option to replace the doubtful Joe McCarthy for the second Test, but this is unlikely as he played the entire match.
Jac Morgan – 7
Was the pick of the backrow, with eight tackles, five carries, and one turnover in 51 minutes.
Has a chance of making the 23 for the second Test if McCarthy is unavailable.
Josh van der Flier – 6.5
Another tireless performance with 15 tackles.
Made the most metres of anyone in the pack with 32.
Henry Pollock – 6.5
Had a quiet game for his standards, until he won a crucial breakdown turnover in the final minute with the game in the balance.
Ben White – 7.5
The Lions’ best player on the day.
Was relatively error free, looked lively, and had an excellent 50/22 in the second-half.
Fin Smith – 7
A couple of wayward kicks out of hand but his passing was strong.
The Englishman relishes the defensive side of the game, and chipped in with a remarkable 15 tackles.
Duhan van der Merwe – 6
Didn’t see much ball but was solid whenever he did.
If you’re under pressure, the big man is a good option to offload the ball to.
Owen Farrell – 7.5
Such a solid option at centre and a calming presence.
The triple playmaker selection, with Smith and Kinghorn, reaped rewards early in the game and for Osborne’s second try.
A brilliant dummy set up Van der Merwe for his second-half score.
Garry Ringrose – 6
Came in for Darcy Graham, who had made his mark in the 17 minutes that he was on the field.
Was solid, but nothing more.
Jamie Osborne – 7
Could not have done much more, scoring two tries, and showing good decision making throughout.
His versatility came in handy when Graham was forced off early and he was able to move to the wing.
Blair Kinghorn – 5
Blew hot and very cold.
Would have seen the game as a chance to force his way into the Test team, but threw two interceptions, one of which gave the opposition a try out of nothing.
His assist for Osborne’s second try was very good.
Replacements:
Ewan Ashman – 5
Rory Sutherland – 5
Thomas Clarkson – 5
Gregor Brown – 5
Ben Earl – 6
Alex Mitchell – 5
Marcus Smith – 4
