British and Irish Lions Player Ratings v The Lions
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Three debutants marked their British and Irish Lions bows with tries and Josh Adams added four in a dominant 56-14 win over the Lions in Johannesburg.
Here is how we rated Warren Gatland's charges.
15. Stuart Hogg - 7.5
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He was outstanding under the high ball in the opening minutes of the game and that continued throughout the game. Made an excellent try saving tackle on Lions flanker Sibusiso Sangweni.
14. Louis Rees-Zammit - 6.5
Did his test chances little harm as he chased down Chris Harris' kick to score three minutes into his Lions debut.
Looked assured on either side of the ball but probably didn't see enough ball.
13. Chris Harri - 8
Did well to assist Louis Rees-Zammit with an excellent chip over the top for the first try of the game.
Combined nicely with Farrell and co. on attack and defended well with no missed tackles.
Made metres regularly with the ball in hand and put in a performance that will put the other centres in the squad on notice.
How good 🤤 #LIOvBIL #LionsRugby pic.twitter.com/Nk7yU2jwWP
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) July 3, 2021
12. Owen Farrell - 7.5
A perfect day from the tee for the England captain and while he wasn't the standout back for the tourists, the fact that the others performed well around him is a good indication for an outside centre.
He combined superbly with Finn Russell but was caught napping on defence in the build up to Vincent Tshituka's try. He did make up for it as he made the cover tackle and was otherwise sharp on defence.
Four tries in a single Lions appearance! Almost set Jamie George up for a try with a wonderful dink through.
Lethal with ball in hand and solid on defence. Couldn't have asked for more from him and looks to be a certain starter at this stage.
10. Finn Russell - 7.5
Linked up nicely with Owen Farrell on attack. Mixed up his approach nicely and was pinpoint with his cross kick for one of Josh Adams' four tries.
Finn Russell pulling the strings 🎯 #LionsRugby
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) July 3, 2021
pic.twitter.com/XDbL6X387x
9. Ali Price - 7.5
His first kick of the game troubled the hosts and he continued to kick well before being replaced by Gareth Davies in the second half.
Kept the attack ticking over and took his try nicely as he dummied the Lions defence.
1. Wyn Jones - 7
Solid defensively and strong enough in the scrums. Denied a try after a Courtney Lawes' neck roll.
2. Jamie George - 7.5
A big defensive shift from the English hooker while he was incredibly close to scoring from kick by Josh Adams. Accurate in the set pieces too.
3. Kyle Sinckler -7
A threat with ball in hand making over 20 running metres while weighing on defence with 12 tackles too.
4. Maro Itoje - 7.5
Effective in all facets of the game as he made 10 tackles, passed well, carried strongly into contact and called the lineout well.
Not quite at his best but could be there with a few more minutes under his belt.
5. Jonny Hill - 7
Threw his weight around in the same fashion as Itoje but was guilty of giving up possession on a couple of occasions.
6.Courtney Lawes - 7
His fellow back-rowers stole the spotlight but Lawes produced an effective performance besides his silly neck roll.
7. Hamish Watson - 8.5
Top tackler in the game, Watson was just as potent on attack making over 20 running metres and scored a try.
8. Taulupe Faletau - 8
Excellent on defence and just as good on attack. Did his core roles well and looks to be the favourite for the test jumper - that may still change.
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie - 6: Solid 11 minute stint as he got stuck in on either side of the mall.
17. Mako Vunipola - 6: Some nice passes on attack and held up the scrummaging effort against the hefty Carlu Sadie.
18. Zander Fagerson - 5: Didn't put a foot wrong in his short stint.
19. Iain Henderson - 5: Relatively quiet in his 11 minutes.
20. Sam Simmonds - 6: Lucky to escape his challenge without a card. Made good meres with his four carries.
21.Gareth Davies - 7: Took his try well and sped up the attack once he came on.
22. Bundee Aki - 5: Quiet 11 minutes after replacing Harris.
23. Elliot Daly - 6.5: Set up Davies nicely with his footwork. Beat four defenders and made a clean break.