The Lions have won a thrilling clash with the Queensland Reds, with a scoreline of 22-12, and an injury to Tommy Bowe that may keep the Ulster wing out of the remainder of the tour.

The hosts started the game well, with a couple of early chances thwarted by a stretched Lions defence. The message from the Reds was clear, however. They were here to play some exciting rugby and had intentions of running at the Lions defence whenever possible.

Owen Farrell opened the scoring with a penalty, but Luke Morahan duly responded with a try for the Reds, to put Gatland’s men behind 7-3 and knowing they were in a battle for the first time since their tour began.

Tom Youngs crossed to put the tourists back on top, and another couple of kicks from Farrell saw the Lions reach the break with a 16-7 advantage.

Bowe injured his arm early in the second half and was replaced by Sexton. At the time of writing there is no word on Bowe’s fitness, although he was on the Lions bench with his arm in a sling.

The second half was a lifeless affair in comparison with the full blooded, all action first half. It was brought to life in the 62nsd minute however, as Mike Frisby touched down to make it 19-12. Incredibly, despite Frisby carrying the ball to within feet of the post, Mike Harris somehow missed his conversion.

The Reds persevered with their running game but the warm, tropical conditions sucked the energy from the gam in the dying stages. Farrell added another 3 points and the Lions walked off the field knowing they had faced their first stern test, and passed.

Update: Warren Gatland has confirmed that Tommy Bowe will require surgery on a broken bone in his hand, with potential replacements to be dicussed shortly

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