Lions thrash Western Force: Russell shines and the team shows its power

The British & Irish Lions Achieve Their First Victory in 2025

The British and Irish Lions secured their first victory of 2025 with a resounding 54-7 win over the Western Force in Perth. It was a much more solid performance compared to the match against Argentina, showcasing positive aspects in both attack and defense. After analyzing the performance of most players, here are three key takeaways from the victory in Western Australia.

• Domain in the scoreboard: The Lions won with a score of 54-7 over the Western Force, demonstrating their superiority.
• Match analysis: The development of the match could be followed live, to have a complete perspective.

Finn Russell: A Firm Step to Secure His Place

While Finn Russell is widely expected to be the starter at fly-half in the test matches, no one can ever be ruled out before the game starts, especially with Fin Smith and Marcus Smith waiting for their chance. However, his performance against the Force demonstrates why Russell is considered one of the best, if not the best, in the world right now. His audacity and vision to throw the cross-pass that set up the first try were a display of his skill.

He controlled the match from the first contact to the last and felt completely at ease in Perth. In addition, he demonstrated foresight and rugby intelligence in the Lions’ third try, where he took a quick tap while Force seemed to be taking a breather, and the rest was an inevitable conclusion. That kind of quick thinking can make the difference on a Lions tour, and Russell executed it to perfection. Despite it being only their second match and the time difference still potentially affecting them, apart from Russell and captain Maro Itoje, no one else is expected to have a guaranteed starting position in the test matches. Not because of a lack of talent, but because there is plenty. James Lowe and Mack Hansen were impressive on the wings, but Tommy Freeman and Duhan van der Merwe will have another chance to prove their worth. Sione Tuipulotu has impressed having played both matches and may be the closest player to securing a starting position, but center is another competitive area. Tomos Williams, who retired with a hamstring injury, showed energy, but we haven’t yet seen the injured Jamison Gibson-Park at scrum-half. Joe McCarthy made a big impression at second row, and it will be interesting to see how Farrell uses him and Beirne, given that Itoje will occupy one of the second row positions. It was also great to see Henry Pollock bring his fearless attitude to the field on his debut. If that continues, he’ll be well in the mix for a starting position.

The Western Force Demonstrates its Physicality

Wallabies and Force scrum-half Nic White warned the Lions that Super Rugby teams would seek to bring a lot of physicality to their matches, even if the scoreline runs up. His prediction came true, especially in the first 50 minutes on Saturday. Don’t expect the Lions to have it all their own way in these tour matches, with pride on the line and players undoubtedly looking to make an impression on Australian coach Joe Schmidt. The Force never took a backward step and were always up for the battle… Expect more of the same in the other five warm-up matches.

…