The British and Irish Lions have played their first game officially on tour, a 54-7 win over the Western Force in Perth.
It follows up a defeat in Dublin against Argentina last week, and there have already been a few performances worth noting in both games.
Some players have stepped up to the Lions’ title, whilst others have seemed to wilt under the pressure.
Andy Farrell already has some selection decisions to make, but there is plenty of rugby yet to be played until the three-Test series against the Wallabies.
Here, Charlie Elliott looks at some of the more notable performances so far.
Positive performances
Henry Pollock
The game against the Force really felt like Pollock at his absolute best.
He was not only outstanding in terms of his actual rugby play but also brought heaps of personality off the ball and managed to get under a few players’ skin.
With an assist for Tomos Williams that came after a marauding run forward and taking an extra second to pick out the right offload, he was mature in a lot of ways.
His chip and chase in the build-up to Joe McCarthy’s try oozed confidence and was a sign of the type of player that he is.
As mentioned, he had some antics off the ball, one of which resulted in a yellow card that some may deem as immature play.
It wasn’t a perfect performance, but the positives far outweighed the negatives.
Joe McCarthy
McCarthy could well be on his way to playing himself into a Test shirt in the second row.
While many see him as being behind Tadhg Beirne in the pecking order (with captain Maro Itoje almost nailed on as the other lock), these past two games have helped his chances of playing against the Wallabies.
Against the Force, he was a brilliant defensive presence with some great play at the breakdown as well as 17 tackles in total.
He was also good on the ball, making a total of 15 carries and scoring a try.
If he keeps it up, he may bench Beirne or shift him to the back row.
Elliot Daly
Many doubted Daly’s inclusion in the squad as a whole, but he is silencing the critics and proving that he is a valuable member of this squad.
He started at 15 against Force and showed his experience with a well-rounded shift that showed that he is worthy of being a Lion this year.
His kicks from deep were nearly impeccable and provided a good relief of pressure during some moments when the Lions were struggling for territory.
Daly bagged a try in each half too, with some good support play, something which is not to be scoffed at.
With versatility being a huge asset of his, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that he could start a Test.
Negative performances
Tadhg Furlong
Tadhg Furlong’s performance for the Lions has raised concerns, especially given his limited game time in 2025.
While the goal remains to have him fully fit for the Test series against Australia, his recent outing didn’t show enough to secure the starting tighthead spot.
Starting against Force after coming off the bench against Argentina, he was solid but far from his best in the match.
He held his own in the scrum but didn’t dominate or provide a clear edge.
For a player of his experience, more is expected, and the lack of impact could open the door for another tighthead to start the Tests.
With competition building and Will Stuart doing well off the bench, Furlong will need to show significant improvement quickly to retain his place in the starting lineup.
Tadhg Beirne
If you had spoken to people before the tour started, Tadhg Beirne would have likely been in the majority’s Test starting XV.
That is starting to change after a couple of poor performances against Argentina and Western Force.
Had more joy this weekend starting in the back row as opposed to the second row last week, but still didn’t offer much.
He did strengthen the lineout with his size in the back row, which is the only real positive from either game.
With McCarthy playing well, Beirne must step up.
There is plenty of rugby still to be played, and he will almost certainly improve.
Scott Cummings
The first couple of kick-off returns from Cummings were absolutely shocking and allowed the Force to dangerously attack, preventing the Lions from gaining any momentum.
Managed to get better as the game progressed and made a fair few tackles, but still conceded a couple of penalties that were pretty needless.
Overall, you can’t fault Cummings’ effort and endeavour; however, he looks a long way from playing in the Tests at the moment.
Squad Updates
Blair Kinghorn will join up with the squad following his Top 14 title win for Toulouse, which took place on Saturday night.
He played all 100 minutes against Bordeaux-Begles, after his side triumphed in extra time at the Stade de France.
Andy Farrell confirmed that he will join up with the squad on Monday (today), but he has unsurprisingly not been selected in the 23 for Wednesday’s game against Queensland Reds.
While he is the only player plying his trade in France that has been selected for the Lions (before Ben White’s injury replacement call-up), many believe that teammate Jack Willis should have also been on the plane.
Willis was unbelievable for Toulouse in the final and put out a huge statement to Farrell that he should have been selected.
With none of the number seven’s impressing yet on the tour, Willis will believe that he could have done better for the squad.
Tomos Williams Out
There is bad news for Wales fans as they are left with only one representative in the Lions after Tomos Williams’ hamstring injury has been confirmed as meaning that he will miss the rest of the tour.
He came off early against Force, but the full extent has now been revealed, and he is set for a spell on the sidelines.
His replacement is Scotland and Toulon scrum-half Ben White, only the second Top 14 player to be involved in the squad, alongside Kinghorn.
White was already in New Zealand, so it is unclear how much geography influenced his selection, with Jack van Poortvliet and Ben Spencer both in Argentina with England.
By Charlie Elliott
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