The British and Irish Lions kicked off their much-anticipated 2025 Australia tour with a commanding 54-7 victory over the Western Force at Perth's Optus Stadium, igniting hopes of their first series win since 2013. The Lions, rebounding strongly after a narrow 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin last week, showcased a blend of ruthless finishing and promising individual performances, despite the worrying injury to Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams.
The atmosphere was electric, with a crowd exceeding 40,000 fans filling the 60,000-capacity stadium, eager to witness the Lions' first warm-up clash on Australian soil. The home side, Western Force, known as the weakest of Australia's Super Rugby franchises and finishing ninth out of eleven last season, nevertheless put up a spirited fight in the first half, challenging the visitors with their physical pack and high-pressure tactics.
The Lions got off to a dream start. A cleverly timed cross-kick from fly-half Finn Russell found hooker Dan Sheehan on the edge, who cleverly tapped the ball back to wing James Lowe. Lowe’s deft offload returned to Sheehan, who powered over for the opening try, with Russell converting to give the Lions an early 7-0 lead. However, the Western Force responded fiercely, applying intense pressure in the Lions’ 22. Their forwards made significant post-contact metres, and their quick offloads unsettled the Lions’ defence, culminating in scrum-half Nic White, a former Wallabies player and the Force captain, sneaking under the posts to score. Ben Donaldson’s conversion leveled the score at 7-7.
Despite conceding four penalties in a tense ten-minute spell that put them under pressure, the Lions weathered the storm. A crucial turnover from second-row Joe McCarthy during a dangerous driving lineout prevented the Force from scoring again before the Lions struck back with a stunning try. England’s Henry Pollock, making his first start for the Lions, made a blistering 35-metre break before offloading to Tomos Williams, who finished emphatically. Russell’s conversion restored the lead at 14-7.
The Lions continued to build momentum with a quick penalty tap from Russell that caught the Force off guard, allowing Elliot Daly to finish in the corner. Despite this, discipline remained a concern as Pollock was sent to the sin bin late in the first half for killing the ball at the breakdown. The Force capitalized on the numerical advantage, opting for a lineout rather than a kickable penalty, but their efforts were thwarted by Scott Cummings, who heroically held the home side up over the line, maintaining the Lions’ 21-7 lead at halftime.
The second half saw the Lions flex their muscles. Early on, Force lock Sam Carter spilled the ball in the Lions’ 22, sparking a counterattack. Mack Hansen, the winger praised by Lions head coach Andy Farrell for his relentless spirit, offloaded to Lowe, who combined with Williams for a brilliant try in the corner. Unfortunately, Williams limped off with a suspected hamstring injury during the act of scoring, raising concerns about the Lions’ scrum-half depth, especially with Jamison Gibson-Park sidelined due to a glute problem.
The Lions’ backline clicked beautifully thereafter. Finn Russell orchestrated some exquisite passing moves involving James Lowe, Mack Hansen, and Elliot Daly to create space for Garry Ringrose to cross. Pollock, returning from his yellow card, continued his impressive form by regathering a chip over the top of the Force defence, setting up Joe McCarthy for a try in the corner, which Russell converted.
Daly added his second try following a neat pass from Marcus Smith, and the Lions capped off their dominant display with a long-range try from replacement scrum-half Alex Mitchell, who scored after a break created by Sione Tuipulotu and Mack Hansen. The final whistle confirmed a comprehensive 54-7 victory, a significant statement of intent for the touring side.
Coach Andy Farrell highlighted the team's growth and resilience, saying, "Again, a new-ish team. Plenty of learning from last week and the same again from this week. When we got our composure in the second half, we were able to be nice and calm. The Force took it to us. I thought they played a tough high-percentage game. They kept the ball really well, and we kept them in good field position through our ill discipline. It was a real good test for us in that first half, glad how we composed ourselves at half-time and kept our composure throughout the second half. It is nice to get tries on the board and a few good individual performances. That is all good for the future, and we have to keep pushing one another. If you want to look at what a Lion should do for his teammates, when Mack Hansen went up and down the field and fought for his teammates, that's the sort of spirit we want." Farrell also cautiously addressed Williams’ injury: "Tight hamstring. You don't know what these things are like. We will assess that."
Captain Dan Sheehan, who scored in the opening minutes, described the day as "really special" but acknowledged the team’s ongoing challenges. "Happy with that result, but there is plenty for us to work on. We started really well, but our discipline let them back in. We were inaccurate with their restarts. We are still getting used to each other and those new combinations. From here on in, it is coming thick and fast. Every team we come up against will be hungrier than ever."
Joe McCarthy, named player of the match, reflected on the physicality and pace of the game: "It was tough. A lot of kicking, Australians like to play ball and play quickly. It was great fun. We felt like we had them, and they came back hard and a bit of discipline let them back into it - we will get better with it. We want to be a ruthless side but there’s plenty more to improve on. I think I blew the cobwebs off - I should be flying through the tour now."
Western Force captain Nic White praised Henry Pollock’s impact and the Force’s competitive spirit in the first half. "Towards the end, the Lions were able to stay at that intensity longer than us, as expected with four international sides together. We thought we put them under pressure but just couldn't take some of the opportunities we had. We certainly enjoyed it a lot. We are disappointed it fell away a bit at the end but that is what a quality Lions side can do. Henry Pollock certainly lived up to the hype. From 50 minutes plus they kept the intensity and he came into his own. It was so exciting for our guys to go up against them and in front of a record crowd it was unbelievable. There were some moments we were quite happy with but they showed their class. We did ourselves proud in the first 40-50 minutes and we will enjoy it now, we will share a jersey and a beer with them. What a way to start the tour."
The Lions fielded a record-breaking squad with nine players from Leinster, including key figures such as Dan Sheehan, Garry Ringrose, Joe McCarthy, James Lowe, Josh van der Flier, and Tadhg Furlong, underscoring the Irish province’s dominance in the touring party.
Looking ahead, the Lions will hope Tomos Williams recovers swiftly to maintain depth at scrum-half, a position now precariously thin with Jamison Gibson-Park sidelined. The emphatic win sets a strong tone for the challenging series ahead as the Lions aim to claim their first series victory in Australia in over a decade.
