Leinster duo Sean O’Brien and Brian O’Driscoll were amongst the try scorers as the British & Irish Lions maintained their winning start to the tour Down Under with a comprehensive 64-0 victory over Combined Country in Newcastle on Tuesday…
Speaking after the game, O’Driscoll said: ‘We didn’t know what to expect with the opposition, but they put up a fight until the end. One of the pleasing things was keeping it to zero and we scored 10 tries – that’s good against any opposition. The team is going to grow with games. Hopefully there is more to come. We’re enjoying each other’s company and we’re hoping to express that on the pitch.’
George North’s first-half brace helped the Lions lead 38-0 at the break, with Alex Cuthbert, Conor Murray, Stuart Hogg and Richard Hibbard also crossing.
O’Driscoll, Leigh Halfpenny, O’Brien and Jonathan Davies scored second-half tries while Scotland’s Hogg kicked four conversions, with Halfpenny adding three more.
As an interesting foot-note, Combined Country’s replacement out-half Shaun McCarthy previously played with Wicklow RFC before joining St. Mary’s College RFC several seasons ago.
The Lions will next face ex Leinster Coach Michael Cheika’s Waratahs outfit in Sydney on Saturday (KO: 10.30am Irish time).
