BRISBANE, Australia: Head coach Warren Gatland praised a gutsy effort by the British and Irish Lions yesterday after they held off a fierce assault by the Queensland Reds to register their third straight win.
Gatland said the tough 22-12 victory, in a Test-style atmosphere at the venue where the Lions will play Australia on June 22, was just what his players needed after two big scorelines against the Barbarians and Western Force.
“It was exactly what we wanted,” Gatland said. “We knew we were going to be a little bit heavy, or flat physically in the legs. It was a reminder to the players of what it means to an opposition team playing against the Lions.”
Scrum-half Nick Frisby also went over in the second half as the Reds scored two tries to the Lions’ one. But a steady six-from-six kicking performance from fly-half Owen Farrell helped the visitors over the line.
“They came at us at 100 miles an hour in that first 20 minutes and the boys soaked up the pressure,” Gatland said after yesterday’s match. AFP
