Lions player ratings – Two Irish stars shine in 40-point victory over Queensland Reds
Daire Walsh
Here’s how the British and Irish Lions rated in their 52-12 victory over Queensland Reds in Brisbane.
Elliot Daly – 7
Drafted in at the 11th hour to replace Hugo Keenan, Daly (who was withdrawn with an injury inside the final-quarter) was a dependable presence once again in the Lions back-three.
Tommy Freeman – 8
Crossed the whitewash for tries in each half and with an excellent tally of 74 metres off 13 carries, he bolstered his claims for Test match selection against the Wallabies.
Huw Jones – 7
Aiming to build on his lively showing off the bench against Western Force on Saturday, Jones displayed plenty of intent throughout and bagged an exceptional breakaway try on 65 minutes.
Bundee Aki – 7
Tried to force passes in the opening half as the Lions sought to break down the Reds defence, before carrying with purpose as the tourists seized control on the resumption.
Duhan van der Merwe – 7
A mixed bag from the Scottish winger. Some shaky defensive moments, but also rounded off an intricate Lions attack for a first half try and carried for 95 metres overall.
Finn Russell – 7
Another solid outing from the experienced fly-half, who was successful with all four of his kicks at goal – including a tricky touchline conversion to supplement van der Merwe’s try.
Jamison Gibson-Park – 8
An impressive 51-minute shift from Ireland’s influential number nine. Delivered some crisp passes in attack and offloaded to good effect for Maro Itoje to cross over in the second half.
Andrew Porter – 7
Promoted to the starting line-up after a cameo appearance against Western Force, Porter was a busy presence in the Lions front-row and took his 29th minute try with considerable aplomb.
Ronan Kelleher – 6
Put under pressure by the Reds with his first line-out throw, Kelleher subsequently dug in effectively and executed 15 successful tackles in his 51 minutes on the field of play.
Will Stuart – 6
Conceded three of the nine penalties that the Lions gave away in the contest, but the English tighthead nevertheless played a crucial role in setting his side up for victory.
Maro Itoje – 8
An assured performance from the captain on his return to the side. A second half try-scorer, he missed just one tackle from 19 and was an effective line-out operator throughout.
Ollie Chessum – 7
Perhaps not as eye-catching as his second-row partner Itoje, but Chessum played his part in a successful Lions outing and was involved in the build-up to van der Merwe’s try.
Tom Curry – 7
Starting his second game of the Tour – he also featured from the starting against Argentina in Dublin – England’s Curry linked up nicely with Morgan and Conan in the Lions back-row.
Jac Morgan – 8
The sole Welsh player in the Lions set-up after Tomos Williams suffered a tour-ending injury against Western Force, Morgan rounded off an excellent individual display with the Lions’ fifth try.
Jack Conan – 8
Bringing physicality to the Lions pack, Conan came away with 11 successful tackles in the first half and also displayed his attacking prowess by making 36 metres off 12 carries.
Head Coach: Andy Farrell – 7
Wouldn’t have been pleased with nine handling errors in the first half, but much like against Western Force, he got a greater tune out of his charges on the restart.
Replacements – 7
The Lions established a 28-12 lead by the time Farrell looked towards his bench on 51 minutes, but Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith and try-scorer Garry Ringrose brought plenty of energy.