The British & Irish Lions survived a late comeback from the Wallabies to secure a 27–19 victory and take an early lead in the series opener in Brisbane.
Flyhalf Finn Russell was instrumental for the visitors, guiding them to an early lead with his vision and composure.
A spectacular solo effort from Max Jorgensen brought the Wallabies back into the contest, but tries on either side of halftime gave the Lions a commanding lead—one the hosts were ultimately unable to overcome, despite two late tries.
The Lions made a fast start, with Russell kicking the opening penalty inside two minutes before setting up Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu with a looping pass that led to the first try of the series.
The visitors looked to extend their lead when Jonah Lowe broke down the wing and offloaded to Huw Jones, who touched down—but the try was disallowed after a superb recovery tackle by Jorgensen, with Jones penalised for a second movement.
Jorgensen soon turned the game with one of the great Lions-Test tries, leaping to strip Hugo Keenan near the 22 before sprinting away to score Australia’s first points.
The Lions hit back with Tom Curry diving over for a try four minutes before the break, giving them a 17–5 halftime lead.
They extended that margin to 24–5 within a minute of the second half, as hooker Dan Sheehan crossed the line.
The Wallabies mounted a spirited comeback with tries from Carlos Tizzano and Tate McDermott, but the Lions defence held strong in the final minutes to preserve their unbeaten record in Brisbane.
The second Test between the Wallabies and the British & Irish Lions kicks off at 10pm next Saturday in Melbourne.
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