Lions dominate early to down Wallabies in first rugby Test

British & Irish Lions rode a dominant first-half display to a 27-19 win over Australia in the first test on Saturday, holding off a late Wallabies fightback for a comfortable victory to take a 1-O lead in the three-match series.

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The superiority of the tourists in all facets of the game in the first hour is certain to lead to more questions about the competitiveness of a series between the best of British and Irish rugby and an Australian team ranked sixth in the world.

The Lions bullied the Wallabies mercilessly at the breakdown and will have thought they were worth more than the three tries they scored in the first 41 minutes through Sione Tuipulotu, Tom Curry and Dan Sheehan.

"I thought we started the game pretty well, certainly physically. I thought we let them back into the game in regards to a lack of discipline in the second half, which gave them a bit of a sniff," said Lions coach Andy Farrell.

"To get off to a winning start is huge ... it keeps us in the tour up until the last game, that's guaranteed, so absolutely delighted."

Max Jorgensen crossed in the first half with a superb individual effort for the Wallabies and they improved when the bench was cleared in the second half but tries from replacements Carlo Tizzano and Tate McDermott were too little, too late.