Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions responded in emphatic fashion to last week’s loss to Argentina, cruising to a commanding 54–7 victory over the Western Force in Perth to notch their first win of the 2025 tour.
The Lions ran in eight tries in their first outing on Australian soil, showcasing attacking intent and superior class against a spirited but outmatched Force side.
Fly-half Finn Russell made an early impact, setting up Dan Sheehan’s opening try just four minutes in with a pinpoint cross-kick to James Lowe. The hosts briefly rallied as Nic White wriggled over from close range to level the scores.
Western Force enjoyed early pressure and territory but were repeatedly turned over in key areas, with man-of-the-match Joe McCarthy stealing a crucial line-out to halt their momentum.
In the 16th minute, the Lions punished the Force’s errors, with Ciaran Frawley combining with Josh van der Flier before offloading to Tom Williams for a sharp finish. The Lions’ accuracy continued to show just before halftime when Russell took a quick tap and combined with Frawley and Elliot Daly. Russell was dragged down just short, but Daly finished the move to extend the lead.
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Pollock’s provocative celebration near Force flanker Nick Champion de Crespigny sparked a heated scuffle, and the England back-rower was shown a yellow card—partly due to repeated team infringements.
Despite being a man down, the Lions remained in control. Early in the second half, a sweeping counter-attack involving Mack Hansen and Lowe set up Williams for his second try.
With Force’s defence tiring, Garry Ringrose crossed next after a clean assist from Hansen. Pollock returned to play and soon made an impact, sparking another counter-attack off a loose ball that ended with McCarthy scoring his well-earned try.
Marcus Smith, on for Russell at fly-half, kept the tempo high and sent Daly over for his second before Alex Mitchell capped off the scoring with the final try.
It was a statement performance from the Lions, who now shift their focus to building further momentum as the tour progresses in Australia.
Western Force: (7) 7
Try: White Con: Donaldson
British and Irish Lions: (21) 54
Tries: Sheehan, Williams 2, Daly 2, Ringrose, McCarthy, Mitchell Cons: Russell 5, M Smith 2
