The British and Irish Lions maintained their unbeaten streak on the 2025 summer tour of Australia with a 36-24 victory over the ACT Brumbies at GIO Stadium in Canberra on July 9, 2025. Despite the win, head coach Andy Farrell and captain Maro Itoje acknowledged that the team’s performance was a mixed bag, with improvements urgently needed ahead of the looming three-Test series against the Wallabies starting in Brisbane on July 19.
Farrell named a side that looked very close to the Test team for the match, signaling his intent to seize the opportunity against Australia’s strongest Super Rugby franchise. The Lions ran in five tries, scored by Ollie Chessum, James Lowe, Marcus Smith, Garry Ringrose, and Josh van der Flier, with Finn Russell adding 11 points from the boot. However, the team’s attacking cohesion remained patchy, and their struggles at the breakdown persisted, a recurring theme throughout the tour so far.
Early on, the Brumbies set the tone with a try from Tuaina Taii Tualima, taking advantage of some communication issues within the Lions’ backline. Blair Kinghorn, who started at full-back, was forced off inside half an hour after sustaining a knee injury. Farrell confirmed post-match that Kinghorn was "in good spirits" and would have his knee assessed, but the injury leaves the full-back position uncertain ahead of the Test series. Marcus Smith stepped up to fill the void, scoring a crucial try just before halftime after a brilliant offload from Tom Curry.
Despite the Lions’ dominance in territory, possession, and set-piece, they failed to fully capitalize on their opportunities. They crossed the try line three additional times but were held up, including a close call for Ollie Chessum late in the game that was eventually disallowed after a TMO review. The Lions’ inability to finish clinically kept the Brumbies in the contest longer than expected.
Captain Maro Itoje reflected on the performance, saying, "I think it was a step forward. We left a few tries out there. We wanted to be a bit more clinical, and we invited a lot of pressure back on ourselves. But we are playing rugby against good teams, we are learning on the go so we’ll take it. You are always happy to win. We know there is loads more. We know we can be better. That is the exciting challenge and opportunity for us. We’ve got another tough game on Saturday then the real fun begins."
The Brumbies, missing eight Wallabies, showed tremendous spirit and resilience. Tries from Corey Toole, Hudson Creighton, and Liam Bowron kept the hosts competitive, with Bowron scoring late in the 76th minute to narrow the deficit. The Brumbies’ flanker Tom Hooper was sin-binned in the 80th minute for a deliberate knock-on, which gave the Lions a final attacking platform to close out the game.
Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park earned man of the match honors, acknowledging the mixed nature of the performance. "We are happy with the result. It was a patchy performance. In that respect, we have to give it to the Brumbies, they came with some nice plans and executed them well. It was a little bit stop start. We had some nice passages of play, but I think there will be plenty to review. There is a little bit of a funny feeling in the camp. We wanted to execute better. But there will be plenty to review to get better for Saturday. There is plenty to work on, both sides of the ball," he said.
Farrell was candid in his post-match assessment: "There was some really good stuff, but on the flip side, we kept them in the game. I think I am right in saying that we dominated field position but we kept them in with a sniff, especially when you get over the line three times and don’t score. Congratulations to the Brumbies, they came out of the blocks really well and stayed in the fight until the last minute. The breakdown has been fiercely contested over the last couple of weeks. We’ve just got to make sure we do our job properly. It’s tough in there when people are flying all over the place." He also confirmed the Lions would now focus on their next warm-up game against an Australia and New Zealand Invitational XV in Adelaide on July 12, giving fringe players one last chance to push for Test selection.
The breakdown remains the Lions’ biggest concern, with repeated issues in securing and attacking possession. Farrell highlighted the challenge: "Sometimes it is a mess, we have got to make sure we keep asking for clarity as far as that is concerned because we don’t want the game managed, we just want the game to be said as it is but first things first we need to look after our own ruck."
Captain Itoje emphasized the need for accuracy and control: "We just need to be a little bit more accurate. We need to remove the contest from the referee or the Brumbies or whoever the opposition is so that’s an area of the game that we’ll continue to get better at." The back row, featuring Ollie Chessum, Tom Curry, and Jack Conan, showed promise but lacked cohesion, with Farrell possibly considering reconfigurations ahead of the Tests.
Defensively, the Lions conceded 11 penalties compared to nine by the Brumbies, a statistic that will concern Farrell and his coaching staff. Former England wing Chris Ashton, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, remarked, "They have no option other than to get it right in 10 days time. You would think their set-piece is the easiest part to get right, it is just about practice because it is the main part of what they are doing during the week. They still should not be dropping so many balls. The Brumbies have also done them a bit of a favour in blasting them at the breakdown."
Finn Russell’s kicking was a bright spot, contributing 11 points, including conversions and penalties, but even he expressed frustration at the team’s handling errors and the scrappy nature of the game: "It is frustrating but when you put new connection together mistakes are always going to happen. Trying to not get frustrated out there is probably the clear thing. I am usually pretty chilled but tonight was more frustrating than the other games we have had."
The Lions’ set-piece dominance, particularly in the scrum and line-out, and physicality in contact were encouraging signs. The partnership between Gibson-Park and Russell is growing, and the forwards showed their strength. Yet the lack of attacking fluency and finishing ruthlessness remains a significant concern.
Looking ahead, the Lions have one more tour match before the Test series begins: a clash against a composite Australia and New Zealand XV in Adelaide on July 12. This game will be crucial for finalizing the Test lineup and ironing out the issues that have plagued the team, especially at the breakdown and in attack.
As Farrell put it, "We are in a good place in the sense that we are doing well in certain aspects of the game and in fits and starts. But we need to improve in all areas. We can see that surely winning and seeing where those improvements are is a good place to be for the next 10 days."
With the first Test against the Wallabies just ten days away, the Lions face a challenging task to sharpen their performance, address their weaknesses, and deliver the kind of dominant display their fans expect. The tour has so far been a slow burn, offering glimpses of brilliance amid bouts of inconsistency. The upcoming fixtures and the Test series will reveal whether this Lions side can truly rise to the occasion.
