Lions dominate early to down Wallabies 27-19 in first test

Thomson Reuters

The British & Irish Lions rode a rampant first-half display to a 27-19 victory over Australia in the first test on Saturday, running in three tries in the first 41 minutes and holding off a late Wallabies fightback for a comfortable victory.

Superior in all facets of the game in the first hour, the Lions scored tries through Sione Tuipulotu, Tom Curry and Ireland's Dan Sheehan, while Finn Russell added nine points from the kicking tee.

Max Jorgensen crossed in the first half for the Wallabies and they improved when they cleared the bench in the second half but tries from replacements Carlo Tizzano and Tate McDermott were too little, too late.

The second test is at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next weekend and the series concludes at Sydney's Stadium Australia on August 2nd.