XV-a-Side rugby column: Finn Russell stars as Lions secure big win

WEEKLY ANSWERS

The Mystery Player was Craig Chalmers. And it was FALSE. Craig played for Melrose.

BACK ON TRACK

The Lions looked a much more cohesive unit especially in the second half and played some spectacular running rugby. Andy Farrell was quick to point out that there was still work to be done, and that Western Force were the weakest of the Australian franchises.

Tomas Williams was looking impressive, and it is to be hoped that the hamstring injury is not too serious. Ben White may yet be needed. There were outstanding performances from Joe McCarthy and Matt Hansen with Henry Pollock and Elliot Daly looking to stake a claim for a Test place.

Finn Russell controlled the game as expected and was involved in all the best moves. He also showed the defensive side of his game, especially during a torrid opening 15 minutes.

The most concerting aspect of the game was the Lions inability to control the restart and handing an attacking advantage to their opponents.

Match rating: 8. Team rating: 8. Opposition: 6. Best Lion: Matt Hansen.

A REAL MIGHTY MOUSE

Scotland lost a true great with the passing of Ian McLauchlan. His record in the game speaks for itself – as a player, official and genuine supporter of grassroots development. He deserved the name Mighty Mouse. When the disgraceful violent scenes in the game against Canterbury ended his friend Sandy Carmichael’s 1971 Lions tour, the All Blacks could never have imagined that the “replacement” would have proved so formidable. Despite his lack of height and weight, he was never bettered in the scrums and went on to play in all eight Tests on the Lions tours of 1971 and 1974. After retiring, he was elected SRU President in 2010 and was awarded an OBE in 2017.

3G FAMILY QUIZ

Last week’s answers:

First generation: Scotland- Jim Aitken, England- Peter Wheeler, Wales- Eddie Butler, France- Jean-Pierre Rives and Ireland- Willie Duggan and Ciaran Fitzgerald. Second generation: Gloucester, Chris Harris and Alex Craig. Third generation: Toulon, Ben White and Toulouse, Blair Kinghorn Mastermind: Wales beat England at Wembley as their new stadium was being built, and Scotland became champions after beating France in Paris the night before.

This week’s questions:

First generation (1970-1999): Which six Scots were in the 1997 Lions squad which toured South Africa? Second generation (2000-2020) In the 2015 Six Nations, the top points scorer and the top try scorer came from the same country, but they lost the tile on points difference. Which country did they come from? Third generation (2020-2025): Which Welshman was the youngest ever player to represent the British and Irish Lions when he was picked for the 2001 tour? Mastermind: Without using Google, who are Scotland playing (in order) on their Pacific Tour next month?

MYSTERY PLAYER

Who is this former Scotland player and SRU president?

TRUE OR FALSE?

Our Mystery Player attended Falkirk High?