Lions open tour with emphatic win

Press, 12 June 1989, Page 23

Lions open tour with emphatic win

NZPA-AAP Perth The Irish centre, Brendan Mullin, scored a hat-trick of tries as the British Lions rugby team opened its 12match Australian tour with an emphatic 44-0 win over Western Australia yesterday. The tourists ran in nine tries at Perth’s Perry Lakes Stadium, seven in the second half, proving too strong and fast out wide for a determined W.A. side. Only a poor goal kicking performance early on by the Scottish full-back, Peter Dods, who missed his first five

conversions and two penalties, prevented the Lions amassing a much larger total. A W.A. side containing 12 New Zealanders put up a spirited performance against the tourists, who were held to an 8-0 lead at half-time. For many of the Lions it was their first full match in several weeks, and they struggled to shake off the cobwebs in the first half. "I was disappointed with the first 20 minutes,” admitted the Lions captain, Finlay Calder. But as the game wore, on the Lions forwards

trol, providing their fast back line with plenty of possession.

The coach, lan McGeechan, attributed the unconvincing first half performance of the Lions to over-eagerness. “They were so keen to do well — they were trying to do everything first off,” he said. The Lions management were pleased to begin their tour in convincing fashion and do not believe Paul Deans knee injury is serious. The tourists fly to Melbourne today for Wednesday’s game against a strong Australia B side.