The British and Irish Lions overcame the toughest test of their Australian tour with a comfortable 24-19 victory over the First Nations and Pasifika XV in Melbourne.
For the first time in seven matches, there was a sense of danger in Australia as a short-handed opposition line-up containing Indigenous or Pacific Island players threatened to cause a stir at Marvel Stadium.
In the 64th minute, Duhan van der Merwe gave the Lions a 10-point lead at what looked like a key moment, but the powerful FNP were not about to give up and fired past Rob Leota again to set up a tense finish to the match.
The final exchange of balls belonged to FNP, who replaced the Melbourne Rebels after the Super Rugby franchise went into administration, and when they blocked the final pass, the Lions had to weather one last storm.
Owen Farrell captained the Lions for the first time in four tours and although he was reliable, few players showed any desire to be in the squad for the second Test against the Wallabies on Saturday.
Jack Morgan and James Ryan were substituted early in the second half, suggesting they might be involved in the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but in terms of play, all the stars were in white and none stood out more than their brilliant opener Charlie Gamble.
If the Lions had been lulled into a false sense of security by early tries from Jamie Osborne and Darcy Graham, they were soon woken up.
Graham, one of nine substitutes called up at the end of the matchday 23, played an action-packed 16 minutes, with two chances in the game, finishing an easy third and being on the receiving end of a dangerous tackle from Triston Reilly.
Reilly was ejected for his actions and soon after Graham limped away, probably from an ankle injury.
The Lions were too persistent and the situation quickly changed when Reilly, whose yellow card was not extended after review, capitalised on a poor pass from Blair Kinghorn to score a touchdown.
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Sourse: breakingnews.ie
