Context:

The British and Irish Lions secured a 36-24 victory over the Brumbies in Canberra, marking an important win in their preparation for the upcoming three-test series against Australia. Despite the Brumbies' past success against the Lions in 2013, they struggled to match the Lions' size and depth this time, although they posed a challenge in the first half. Key performances included Ollie Chessum's try and Finn Russell's effective kicking, alongside Marcus Smith's try that extended the Lions' lead just before halftime. The Lions demonstrated strong field position and ball possession but faced challenges in cohesion, which allowed the Brumbies to score on their limited opportunities. The Lions will face the combined AUNZ invitational squad next as their final preparation before the test series begins on July 19.

Dive Deeper:

• The British and Irish Lions managed to fend off the Brumbies with a 36-24 win in Canberra, maintaining an undefeated streak since their loss to Argentina in Dublin, and building momentum for their nine-game tour in Australia.

• While the Brumbies had previously bested the Lions in 2013, this time they were outmatched in size and depth, despite testing the Lions' defense by scoring two tries in the first half whenever they entered the attacking quarter.

• Ollie Chessum opened the scoring for the Lions, and though one of his tries was disallowed, his and Finn Russell's contributions were crucial in setting the pace for the match.

• The Lions struggled with cohesion even though they held significant field position and ball possession, allowing the Brumbies to exploit opportunities, as seen with Hudson Creighton's try that closed the gap to 26-17 in the second half.

• Marcus Smith's try just before halftime was pivotal, extending the Lions' lead to 19-10, and Garry Ringrose's play in the second half further solidified their advantage, ultimately leading to a 36-24 final score.

• Josh van der Flier had a try disallowed before scoring from a maul, which was awarded, giving the Lions a decisive 36-17 lead that the Brumbies could not overcome.

• The Lions are set to face the combined AUNZ invitational squad next, aiming to fine-tune their performance in the final preparation before the test series against Australia starting on July 19.