Any hope of a Lions side – distracted by the furore surrounding Warren Gatland’s selection – making for a soft target in Sydney has been thoroughly dashed. The Lions worked up a 16 point lead within the first 25 minutes of the game, before a Walabies try – with the final action of the half – brought the hosts back into the game.
The Lions made a powerful, bold start to the final test. When Will Genia dropped Jonny Sexton’s kick off it made for a nerve settling start for the toursists. When Alex Corbisiero crossed beside the posts after just one minute of play it was a stride checking shock to the hosts.
Following Corbisiero’s score the Lions added 14 points through Leigh Halfpenny, with a dominant scrum hammering a Wallabies pack that looks uninspired and demoralised. The loss of Israel Felau – off with what appears to be a hamstring injury – threatened to further deepen the Aussie malaise.
The Wallabies responded positively to the initial shock of the Corbisiero try, but up to the 25th minute there was little by way of meaningful response to the incremental increases in the Lions’ tally. The end of the half saw the hosts stem the red tide and reverse the pattern of the game, finishing the period with sustained pressure leading to a James O’Connor try under the posts to send the sides in at 10-19.
Matt Williams is live tweeting from Sydney on the @OffTheBallNT twitter account so keep up to date there for the second half
