Player ratings from Lions’ turgid win over Waratahs
It was far from an inspirational performance by the Lions in Sydney as they struggled to put away the Waratahs.
Despite two first half tries from Huw Jones the Lions looked very sloppy, making more and more handling errors which are becoming a theme of this tour. The Waratahs were actually able to claw it back to 14-10 just after halftime and if it wasn’t for Alex Mitchell’s try, the Lions could’ve had a much more nervy finish.
One positive Farrell can take from this game however is that a number of players stepped up and put in a shift and maybe even played their way into test match contention. There doesn’t seem to be a clear first choice in many position so spots are still up for grabs.
Tadhg Furlong of the British and Irish Lions Pic: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
Player ratings from the Lions in narrow win over Waratahs
Pierre Schoeman: 6
He got the better of Taniela Tupou in scrum battle. Did his bit around the pitch as well
Luke Cowan-Dickie: 6
Lineouts were the best they have been on the tour so far. Not fully down to LCD but he deserves his credit for it.
Finlay Bealham: 7
Did well in the scrums that helped Lions get territory in first half. Bealham is definitely the in-form 3 heading into tests.
Scott Cummings: 9
Brought into starting lineup late but was very good. Amazing workrate and some speed for a big man.
Scott Cummings of the British and Irish Lions passes the ball Pic: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
James Ryan: 6
Yet to make his mark on this tour so far. Some good energy and tackling though.
Tadhg Beirne: 6
Was shifted to flanker just before kick off which didn’t help. Wasn’t his best display.
Josh van der Flier: 7
Another solid performance from the Leinster man, Farrell will have a headache picking between him and Morgan.
Josh van der Flier of the British & Irish Lions Pic: David Rogers/Getty Images
Ben Earl: 8
Some great carries that got the Lions out of some sticky situations. His energy was one that was lacking throughout the rest of the team.
Alex Mitchell: 9
Really stepped up in the second half and got the crucial try to see out the game.
Fin Smith: 6
Slotted all of his kicks but couldn’t get much of a foothold in the game.
Alex Mitchell of the British & Irish Lions dives to score Pic: David Rogers/Getty Images
Huw Jones of the British & Irish Lions dives in to score his first try Pic: David Rogers/Getty Images
Mack Hansen: 6
Some weird kicks and by far his worst performance on this tour. Still offers a lot in attack, though.
Hugo Keenan: 5
Looked very off it, had a poor tackle for the first Waratahs try and didn’t do his test chances any good.
Substitutes: 6
We didn’t get to see the 6/2 split as Duhan van der Merwe was called in after Pollock’s injury. The likes of McCarthy and Genge gave good energy, but they weren’t really able to turn the tide and get the Lions firing on all cylinders.
Andy Farrell, the British & Irish Lions head coach Pic: David Rogers/Getty Images
Andy Farrell: 5
The same problems keep cropping up again and again and Farrell has got to find a solution to sort it out. Restarts are a major issue and the handling errors are getting out of control. With just two weeks to go until the first test against the Wallabies, the Lions have an awful amount of things to work on.
