Lions toil in unimpressive win against Waratahs

5th Jul 2025 | Source: BBC

Jones' footwork and power helped him get over the line for his second try

Huw Jones scored two tries as the error-ridden British and Irish Lions stumbled to an unconvincing victory against an understrength Waratahs side in Sydney.

Both of the Scotland centre's tries came in the opening half and Fin Smith converted each time to put the Lions into a 14-0 lead.

Waratahs wing Darby Lancaster responded just before half-time and hooker Ethan Dobbins barged over just after the break to make it a four-point game.

The Lions were playing frantically and without accuracy, but did find their range through the impressive Alex Mitchell, who dummied his way over for the tourists' third try midway through the second half.

Smith made it three from three with the boot but the disjointed Lions could not build on the cushion.

The driven Waratahs, missing a clutch of their best players at the end of a disappointing season, made it a frustrating night for Andy Farrell's team, despite the Lions winning a third successive game on Australian soil.

Darby Lancaster breaks free from Hugo Keenan's attempted tackle to score for the Waratahs

As was the case in Perth on Wednesday, there was a late change for the Lions, Henry Pollock withdrawing with a tight calf as a precaution.

That resulted in captain Tadhg Beirne moving from lock to blindside flanker, with Scott Cummings promoted from the bench.

Duhan van der Merwe was brought into the 23 for an unexpected chance.

In many ways it was a repeat of what had gone before with the 2025 Lions, with lots of possession, lots of promising field position but not nearly enough to show for it.

The mistake count was off the scale. The amount of dropped balls and turnovers lost was concerning for a team that is now four games into the tour and with the Test series looming large in just two weeks' time.

They had the Waratahs scrum in trouble for much of the evening - a rare positive - but their handling errors checked their progress and their discipline weakened badly.

At times it felt as if they were firing it around indiscriminately with little thought about building pressure and momentum. Against a notably weakened Waratahs side, it was pretty underwhelming.

The Lions had made a promising start when Sione Tuipulotu came up as first receiver and found his Scotland and Glasgow midfield partner Jones on his shoulder.

Jones glided over with ease and when Smith converted, it looked promising.

Mitchell tried to spark the Lions into life in the second half

Despite that good start, there was a desperation to the Lions' play that led to errors. They were lateral and error-prone - and with each bout of angst, the Waratahs' belief started to rise.

Midway through the first half they set up camp in the Lions 22, one penalty giving way to another then another. In that passage the tourists were penalised four times, but escaped a yellow card. The majority of the crowd inside Allianz Stadium did not approve, to say the least.

The Waratahs thought they had punished the Lions when Charlie Gamble blasted over in the corner, but the home side were penalised for obstruction. It was another lucky escape for the Lions following the avoidance of yellow card.

Jones got his second try when the siege was lifted - his lovely footwork from close range taking him outside his defender. Smith's conversion put a gloss on the scoreboard, which read 14-0 to the Lions.

That did not last. The next time the Waratahs had a chance, they took it. Taniela Tupou and Rob Leota did brilliantly in the lead-up as they put Lancaster in down the left.

Keenan, in an awful moment on a rough night for the Ireland full-back, missed his tackle and Lancaster scored. The try was a touch fortunate. It looked as if Mack Hansen had been taken out illegally earlier in the move.

They struck again early in the second half when hooker Dobbins got on the end of a rumble and reached out to score. Again, the Waratahs failed with the extras, which was just as well for the Lions. They were leading 14-10 but toiling badly.

Mitchell, who was excellent, dummied his way over for the Lions' third after the Waratahs made a mess of a tap penalty.

Mitchell was clinical in taking his chance and Smith added the conversion.

Things were beginning to look a little more like it but then the error mountain came again. Turnover upon turnover, scattergun stuff after scattergun stuff.

The victory was secured, but the Wallabies watching on will have enjoyed every second of it with the first Test in a fortnight's time.

Owen Farrell joined the Lions for the first time after arriving in Australia as a replacement for Elliot Daly

Line-ups

NSW Waratahs: Creighton; Kellaway, Foketi, Walton, Lancaster; Bowen, Wilson; Lambert, Dobbins, Tupou, Lee-Warner, Amatosero, Leota, Gamble, Sinclair.

Replacements: Vailanu, Barrett, Botha, Philip, Adamson, Grant, Edmed, O'Donnell.

British and Irish Lions: Keenan; Hansen, Jones, Tuipulotu, Kinghorn; Smith, Mitchell; Schoeman, Cowan-Dickie, Bealham, Cummings, Ryan, Beirne, Van der Flier, Earl.

Replacements: Sheehan, Genge, Furlong, McCarthy, Morgan, White, M Smith, Van der Merwe.