Lions give the Reds a good mauling

By CHRIS HEWETT

British and Irish Lions 42 Queensland Reds 8

BRISBANE - Graham Henry wanted to "see the wrinkles" in his Lions side, and he duly located them at Ballymore last night: a featherweight scrummage, an element of imprecision at the breakdown and the lack of a killer instinct in the final quarter.

But the rest of the tourists' performance in the third match of their Australian tour was as smooth and blemish-free as a supermodel's complexion.

For a golden half-hour, Henry's charges gave Queensland a seeing-to of serious proportions and, in so doing, challenged the Wallabies to do their worst in the forthcoming Test series.

Having scored 199 points in their opening two matches, neither of which amounted to much in the competitive sense, the Lions were prepared for a dogfight against the recent Super 12 semi-finalists from the acknowledged smithy of Wallaby rugby.

They were given a fight all right, but it was the Lions who set the dogs running. After provoking two highly pugilistic differences of opinion in the early stages, Queensland found themselves on the wrong end of four tries between the 17th minute and first-half injury time.

A fifth Lions strike shortly after the interval topped and tailed proceedings, and the visitors returned to their skyscraper hotel in hale and hearty mood.

Henry, the chief coach, was disappointed by his front row's effort in the set-pieces.

"We were exposed at times; certainly, we struggled a wee bit at the scrum," said the New Zealander, aiming public criticism at his players for the first time on tour. "It was a shame, because I imagined we would be a bit better in that area."

Given that the Queensland props, Nick Stiles and Glenn Panoho, are favoured to make the Wallaby front row for the first Test here in 13 days' time, it appears that Darren Morris, the powerful scrummager from Swansea, is now a strong runner for a place among the élite.

Elsewhere, though, Henry saw his selectorial difficulties resolved in decisive fashion. Rob Howley turned in a vintage display at halfback ­- quick-witted and quicksilver in equal measure -­ before disappearing from view with a rib injury.

Assuming the Welshman stays fit, he will win the Lions Test cap cruelly denied him South Africa four years ago.

His partner at first-five, Jonny Wilkinson, was equally impressive. Wilkinson brought the firm smack of authority to the Lions' attacking act, mixing up his game with great cunning. Needless to say, he was also utterly dependable in defence.

There were big performances from Martin Johnson and Danny Grewcock, a pair of locks mean enough to grace the most impenetrable of dark alleys, and from Richard Hill on the flank.

Happily, Martin Corry also found his Lions legs in the back row after flying in from the England tour of North America and then turning out against the Queensland President's XV in Townsville within 48 hours of passing through customs.

"Corry is putting his hand up for Test selection in a big way," announced Henry, adding the Leicester No 8's name to those of Scott Quinnell and Lawrence Dallaglio, who expects to make his tour debut against Australia A in Gosford on Tuesday night.

The likes of Johnson and Corry, rough handfuls both, were in their element in the opening seconds as the solids collided with the ventilation system in a big way.

Armed with a tough, physical pack with added attitude -­ Michael Foley, the hooker, was overtly aggressive, and drew plenty of support from his east-coast confrères -­ Queensland ripped into the Lions from the kick-off and pressed the red button when Hill waded into a ruck boots first.

Mark Connors missed Grewcock with a right hook, which took some doing given the size of the target he was aiming at, but Foley made no mistake with the follow-up assault.

When Johnson and Stiles decided to "go the biff", to use the quaint Wallaby phrase, a few minutes later, the Australian Test referee Stuart Dickinson feared that he might have a real humdinger on his hands.

It did not pan out that way, largely because the Lions killed the game off in remarkably short order.

Wilkinson, his attacking antennae perfectly attuned to the surroundings, manufactured a comfortable run-in for Dan Luger by sliding the most cultured of kicks towards the left corner.

Iain Balshaw, for whom precious little happened, went close to scoring a second try when another diagonal kick from Wilkinson put Michael Tabrett and Junior Pelesasa in all manner of strife, but a fumble at the death denied the Bath full-back. No matter.

Wilkinson added a penalty before Corry charged down a laboured clearance from Elton Flatley, thereby creating the chaos from which Rob Henderson claimed his fourth try in two starts.

Twelve points clear and laughing all the way to the bank, the Lions continued their hot streak when, following another Wilkinson penalty, Dafydd James chased a hack ahead from Keith Wood and found Foley all at sea as the last line of a pitifully disorganised defence.

When Hill, surely the most protean loose forward of his generation, maximised some incisive half-back work with a try in injury time, the Lions were over the hills and far away at 32-3.

If they failed to generate the same degree of heat in the second half, they at least put one blinding try past the Queenslanders by way of re-emphasising their superiority.

Wilkinson was at the control panel for this one, too; the young maestro from Newcastle took receipt of Corry's quality line-out delivery, flummoxed the home defence with a show of the ball, steamed through a gap and released Brian O'Driscoll on the kind of angle that convinces geometrists that there is indeed a heaven.

To add insult to Australian injury, O'Driscoll broke open the powerful Wallaby Daniel Herbert en route to the line ­ quite a result, given the proximity of the opening Test.

Naturally, the Queensland hierarchy were quick to point out that key figures had been missing from their line-up. And to be fair, Chris Latham and Ben Tune, not to mention a certain John Eales, are major losses in anyone's language.

But the Lions can only play, and subdue, the opponents who happen to be on the other side of halfway, and the fact they have yet to be stretched has not prevented them building up a fair head of steam.

Tuesday night's game has a whiff of danger about it, and dear old Bob Dwyer is capable of plotting something very clever on behalf of his native New South Wales in Sydney next weekend. All things considered, though, the tourists are in prime shape.

British and Irish Lions 42 (D Luger R Henderson D James, R Hill B O'Driscoll tries; J Wilkinson 4 con, 3 pen)

Queensland Reds 8 (S Cordingley try, E Flatley pen).

Halftime: 32-3.

- INDEPENDENT