The British & Irish Lions have come away with a 21-10 win over the NSW Waratahs at Allianz Stadium.
It was far from the best from the Lions but they showed enough attacking class to get the job done.
Final tickets still available! Get your tickets for the British & Irish Lions tour here
Centre Huw Jones finished with a double after two early tries, while English half Alex Mitchell was a clear player of the year.
Waratahs flanker Charlie Gamble had a career-making game with several turnovers in a world class performance alongside Darby Lancaster.
The Lions move on to Canberra to face the ACT Brumbies on Wednesday.
FOLLOW ALL THE ACTION IN THE LIVE BLOG BELOW OR THE MATCH CENTRE
80+1' NSW 10 BIL 21 One last attacking raid from the Lions comes up short. Even after the win, it sums up their night as Duhan van der Merwe is bundled into touch by a sea of Waratahs defenders.
78' NSW 10 BIL 21 The fumbles continue as the Waratahs drop the ball trying to spread it around for their third try. Scrum to the Lions 35 metres out, but then they drop the ball and give the penalty away for not rolling away.
78' NSW 10 BIL 21 Lions go to the corner, and appear to have scored… but we have obstruction and no try, penalty to the Waratahs. They survive again. Lions try to go quickly off the lineout but Tahs shut them down well, however Williams pings the Tahs. Marcus Smith goes to the corner… but he's kicked it dead! Scrum to Tahs as we enter the last two minutes.
75' NSW 10 BIL 21 Tahs concede a scrum penalty and the Lions go to the corner, but Gamble gets yet another penalty. They try to throw it wide, but knock it on. Scrum on their 22. Lions earn an advantage but knock it on, they go to the corner again. Into the final five minutes.
70' NSW 10 BIL 21 A great passage of play after the Lions win a scrum penalty. Tahs go wide and kick ahead, the ball just beats all into touch. Lions lineout, but they are deep in their own territory. They go wide and attack, but Lancaster earns a penalty, isolating the Lions. Into the final ten minutes.
66' NSW 10 BIL 21 Tahs earn a scrum penalty and enter Lions territory, win the lineout, but knock it on in the 22… The ref stops to have a look, and it's a scrum for the Tahs. Official crowd number, 40,568. Largest union crowd at this venue, and the fifth largest of all time at this venue.
64' NSW 10 BIL 21 Sinclair leaves the field, Adamson comes on. Lions try to attack again, but are tackled into touch. Into the final 20 minutes. Edmed clears, and Lions attack in Tah territory. Hansen is in space, but is pinged for not releasing. Amatasero returns after passing his HIA.
60' NSW 10 BIL 21 Tupou is off, as well as Bowen, with Edmed and Botha on. Waratahs get the ball back, but knock it on. Scrum on halfway. Lions try to go ahead but concede a penalty for holding on. Tahs try to kick it out, but can't find the line. Lions attack and go quickly… and it looks to have scored. TMO calls it… it's knocked on. No try. Goal line drop out.
56' NSW 10 BIL 21 Tahs earn a free kick off the scrum for the Lions pushing early. Tupou clears it… but Williams pulls it for incorrect play of the play. Scrum to Lions… and they earn a penalty for collapsing the scrum. They go the corner. The maul is strong, but Mitchell finds a gap and scores! Smith converts
52' NSW 10 BIL 14 Vailanu and Foketi comes on for their last matches in sky blue. Lions have a scrum on the Tahs and attack well. Hansen tries to kick but can't regather. The Lions unleash their reserves now too, new front bench. They try to get on the front foot and knock it on. Scrum to the Tahs. Philip also comes on for his debut.
48' NSW 10 BIL 14 Tahs clear and Lions go on the attack. They've got a breal, and Mitchell tries to link, but van der Flier can't score thanks to Tom Lambert. Goal line drop out. The Lions attack but the Tahs pressure leads to another knock on. The Tahs win it and clear. Lions go again but the Tahs shut it down, but concede a knock on.
44' NSW 10 BIL 14 Lions give away an early penalty for obstruction, Tahs go to the corner. Tahs hit the maul, and get a try! What a way to start the half. Ethan Dobbins comes up. Bowen misses the conversion.
40' NSW 5 BIL 14 The teams are back out on the field and we are back underway.
40+1' NSW 5 BIL 14 Lions fling it around are making good progress. The siren sounds. Tahs defence is holding. They've stolen and Joey Walton kicks it out. That's the half.
39' NSW 5 BIL 14 The Lions look threatening, but the Tahs win it back and kick long. The Lions recover well and kick long, the Tahs clear to their 22. Into the final minute.
36' NSW 5 BIL 14 The Tahs build well off the kick-off, Tupou spots a blindside gap, and they link up! Lancaster breaks the tackle… and scores! Tahs are back in it… or are they? The ref has stopped play though for foul, and is looking again! The crowd is not liking it! They've called no foul play - try stands! Bowen misses, but what a half of drama!
34' NSW 0 BIL 14 The Lions build the phases, and Jones scores a second! A brief pause, the ref is checking something, but it's all good. Smith converts.
32' NSW 0 BIL 7 The Lions win the lineout and go on the attack, but Hansen loses it forward. The Tahs try to build phases but the Lions are applying good pressure, and earn a penalty for the Tahs offside. They go to the corner.
31' NSW 0 BIL 7 Tahs go to the corner again… and they won't be denied this time! Gamble scores! Tahs are on the board… or are they? Might be done for obstruction. The TMO is checking. No try, the crowd is furious. The Lions survive.
28' NSW 0 BIL 7 Tahs go on the attack, and earn another penalty inside the Lions 22 for hands in the ruck. They go the corner. The maul works but falls short of the line. The big boys get to work - and the Lions are done for offside. The Tahs are gonna tap and go, Lions are penalised again for offside. The warning has come.
25' NSW 0 BIL 7 The Lions go to the maul, it fails. They go wide, the Tahs still hold. The Lions knock it on. Great pressure. Scrum to the Tahs as we have a break in play. We restart and have a scrum reset. Tahs win and take a few phases, then clear, but Bowen shanks it and only makes it to the 22. The Lions try to go ahead, but the Tahs defence prevails again and they clear it, then earn a penalty for the Lions holding on!
20' NSW 0 BIL 7 Tahs survive the raid and a kicking battle ensues. Tahs go to work on their side of halfway, but knock it on trying to link up. Lions try to go wide off the scrum, earn a penalty and go to the corner, they go the maul, earn an advantage, but lose the ball. They go the corner again.
16' NSW 0 BIL 7 Tahs earn a penalty off the restart for Lions obstruction, they go to the corner immediately. They win the lineout and get to work - but knock it on. the Lions clear to the 22, then win the lineout and they are on the attack!
13' NSW 0 BIL 7 Lions go to the maul, but they go nowhere, however, they fling it and Huw Jones goes through to score! Smith converts.
11' NSW 0 BIL 0 The side trade some blows, the Lions are trying to go wide but the Tahs are absorbing the pressure well. Some very good hits coming from the men in sky blue, but they concede a knock on in the process. Lions win a scrum penalty for the Tahs standing up, and they go to the corner.
8' NSW 0 BIL 0 The Lions earn a scrum penalty for hinging, and go into Tah territory for the first time. They kick through, but the ball misses everyone and the it's a Tahs lineout. They win, clear and the Lions try to go wide but lose the ball forward. Scrum to the Tahs. Owen Farrell is on screen and gets a massive boo from the crowd!
4' NSW 0 BIL 0 Tahs manage the kick-off well and clear. Lions go on the attack, but the lose the ball and Lancaster scoops it up! They nearly run it in and try to link up but a Lions hand gets in the way. They recover and clear, and the Tahs win the lineout before the ref calls it for not straight. First scrum of the match.
0' NSW 0 BIL 0 Paul Williams blows his whistle and we begin!
KO T-MIN 2: The teams are out on the field. The wait is over. Lets roll!
KO T-MIN 5: The teams are being read out, and there is plenty of love unsurprisingly for Mack Hansen and Sione Tuipolotu, as well as Josh van der Flier for the Lions. Andrew Kellaway, Hugh Sinclair and Taniela Tupou getting a lot of love from the local crowd.
KO T-MIN 10: Teams are wrapping up training and heading down the tunnel. Crowd is still streaming in. It's going to be loud in Sydney tonight.
KO T-MIN 20: A number to keep in mind - 41,906. That's the ground record for the new Allianz Stadium, which has a reported capacity of 42,500. 38,292 is the record for Rugby Union in 2022 between the Wallabies and Springboks.
KO T-MIN 30: Both teams are out and training on the field. The fans are steaming in and the bottom tier is filling up quickly. Current reports are a sellout crowd is expected for tonight's match.
KO T-MIN 60: Coin toss is happening now on the field, and... Lions have won the toss, will kick off, and the Waratahs will run from south to north. Captains shake hands, and the players come out to commence preparations - with several Lions, as always, leading the way.
KO T-MIN 70: Conditions are a little chilly here in Sydney as the fans stream in, however we should be in for a perfect night for evening rugby - with clear skies, no wind and not a single bit of rain in sight on the radar.
KO T-MIN 80: Big change for the Lions with Henry Pollock ruled out (calf tightness). Captain Tadhg Beirne moves to blindside flanker and Scott Cummings comes into the second-row. Duhan van der Merwe is the new man on the bench.
KO T-MIN 90: Hi everyone, and welcome to Rugby.com.au's coverage of the Waratahs-Lions match at Allianz Stadium. It's expected to be a big crowd at Allianz Stadium, with a sell-out on the cards and a potential record crowd to watch if NSW can cause an almighty upset.
Tries: Lancaster, Dobbins
Con: Bowen 0/2
Tries: Jones 2, Mitchell
Con: F. Smith 3/3
WARATAHS (15-1): Lawson Creighton; Andrew Kellaway, Lalakai Foketi, Joey Walton, Darby Lancaster; Jack Bowen, Teddy Wilson; Hugh Sinclair (capt), Charlie Gamble, Rob Leota; Miles Amatosero, Fergus Lee-Warner; Taniela Tupou, Ethan Dobbins, Tom Lambert
Replacements: Mahe Vailanu, Jack Barrett, Daniel Botha, Matt Philip, Jamie Adamson, Jack Grant, Tane Edmed, Henry O'Donnell
LIONS (15-1): Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Blair Kinghorn, Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell, Ben Earl, Josh van der Flier, Tadhg Beirne (c), James Ryan, Scott Cummings, Finlay Bealham, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Ellis Genge, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, Duhan van der Merwe, Jac Morgan, Ben White, Marcus Smith
Referee: Paul Williams (NZR)
Assistant Referees: James Doleman (NZR), Angus Mabey (NZR)
TMO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
FPRO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
The Lions' clash with the NSW Waratahs will be shown LIVE on Stan Sport.
Coverage will be live and ad-free on Stan Sport, slated to start at 7:00 pm for the UK coverage and 7:30 pm for the Australian coverage.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:45 pm but expect it to be closer to 8:00 pm.
