The Wallabies came from behind to score a late try and give Christian Leali’ifano a match winning shot at goal with just minutes left in the second Test against the Lions. The Brumbies playmaker calmly slotted the conversion, giving the hosts a 16-15 win.
Leai’ifano was knocked out just seconds into the first Test, but today he showed how valuable he may have been last weekend, handly the big game pressure with aplomb to seal the win.
In what was somewhat of a reverse of what happened last week, the Lions had a last minute opportunity to kick at goal to win the game, but it was just outside of Leigh Halfpenny’s range.
Not quite up there with the thrilling nature of the Brisbane Test, the game was tense and tight with many errors from both sides, but the Lions edged it at halftime, leading 12-9.
Another Halfpenny penalty gave them a 15-9 lead and with less than ten minutes left and the Wallabies hot on attack, a penalty was awarded but James Horwill and Will Genia made the big call to go for a scrum close to the line, rather than take the three points.
What followed was a famous try for Adam Ashley-Cooper, as the Lions defence finally parted and the first and only try of the game was scored with just a few minutes left on the clock.
“It was really important to retain that belief we’ve been working on for so many years. Six points down, there was a lot of frustration out there because possession was letting us down in terms of ball security,” said the Wallabies’ Mr dependable, Ashley-Cooper.
“In the end, Test match football is about grinding it out and going to the 80th minute. Fortunately for us, we were able to get the points. The key messages were possession and ball security.
“We had to get in the Lions half, hold onto the ball and build pressure. We had to get over the gain line and we knew points would come through penalties or through space.”
For neutrals, the series is set up perfectly as it’s now 1-1 with the decider to come next week.
“It’s really going to make for a cracking final next week in Sydney,” added Ashley-Cooper.
What are your thoughts on the game, and after watching today, how do you see things panning out in Sydney next weekend?
Time: 15:01
Credit: ttrugbyvids
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