Australia vs British & Irish Lions – Test series: Live score, news and updates with fired-up visitors back on top after Wallabies closed gap on commanding early lead – and Andy Farrell’s side had try chalked off

The Sale flanker clatters into Tom Lynagh while he was in the air and the crowd have gone berserk inside the Suncorp Stadium.

Lynagh crashes to the floor and the Aussie players are remonstrating with the referee here as he makes his mind up about the challenge.

Tom Curry waits nervously but remarkably gets off very, very lightly, with the referee only awarding a penalty against the flanker.

That could have been a lot worse for the Englishman as he lets out a big sigh of relief.

Australia go long for the touchline with the resulting kick and the referee blows for half-time.

The Lions have been dominant so far in this clash, with Sione Tuipulotu and Curry crossing over for the tourists. A try for Wallabies flyer Max Jorgensen saw Joe Schmidt’s side pull some points back in the match, but they have struggled to cope with the Lions pack so far in Brisbane.

Fantastic response from the Lions here!

They’ve crashed the ball back upfield and are knocking on Australia’s try line and they’ve won a penalty.

Dan Sheehan and Ellis Genge crash the ball up and give the Lions a platform. With the Australian line broken, Tom Curry picks up the ball at the back of the breakdown and pushes his way over the tryline to extend the Lions’ lead.

I think that what you might call against the run of play…

The Wallabies bite back! Max Jorgensen crosses over in the corner!

Hugo Keenan has been brilliant so far, but it’s a poor mistake from the Irishman at the back.

A box kick comes up and Keenan is beaten in the air by the Aussie flyer, who grabs the ball off him and sprints towards the try line to get the Wallabies on the board.

Caxton Street was a buzz of fans ahead of tonight’s big clash!

A sea of red has descended on the Suncorp stadium with a pocket of Lions fans all sat at one end of the stadium!

They’ll be lapping up this performance from their team, with Andy Farrell’s side being dominant so far.

However, Australia are growing into this match, winning a penalty at a scrum on the halfway line, with Ellis Genge collapsing to the floor.

It’s the first scrum penalty that the Lions have conceded in the whole of the tour. Lynagh goes for the corner and sets Australia up with some good field position.

Wales and British and Irish Lions legend Dan Biggar has opened up on how he thinks Andy Farrell’s side will look to pick apart the Wallabies in their own backyard.

With Joe Schmidt being forced into switching up his squad due to injuries, the former fly-half believes there are several areas that the Lions can look to exploit, including Tom Lynagh, who is making his debut at No 10.

‘He’ll be playing behind an underpowered pack and that could be dangerous. Lynagh will need his scrum-halves — Jake Gordon and Tate McDermott — to guide him through the game,’ Biggar writes for Mail Sport.

Find out the other four key areas in which Biggar believes the Lions can dismantle the Wallabies here:

The Lions looked as though they had another try, but the TMO has ruled it out!

James Lowe makes a break down the left wing and releases Scottish centre Huw Jones inside.

Jones gets brought down just before the five-metre line, but bounced back to his feet and jumped over the line to score.

However, the officials deemed that he had made a double movement – a fairly clear and obvious one at that, and they’ve chalked the try!

The sheer genius of Finn Russell is already shining through here. His shrewd tactical kick presented the Lions with an attacking platform to launch their attack and then his handling was simply sublime. First came the trademark half-break and off-load, then that outrageous lateral run and long, looping assist to Sione Tuipulotu.

What a player. Brilliant. While the Scottish maestro is calling the tune superbly, Ellis Genge’s impact in the build-up to that first Lions try was significant. He is carrying like he means business here…

Eight minutes in and the Lions are dominting Australia. They’ve laid a marker on the game already dominating the contact areas and forcing Australia to make several handling errors.

Ellis Genge crashes the ball up towards the try line. The Lions spin the ball out to the right, with Finn Russell throwing a stunning looping pass out to Sioine Tuipulotu who finds the space and crosses the white wash!

Andy Farrell will be chuffed with how his team have started here. The Lions have been totally dominant and they are bounding in confidence!

It’s a penalty at the first breakdown. They go high off the kick off and it’s Tadhg Beirne who gets stuck into the breakdown to steal the ball back.

It gives Finn Russell a chance to have a crack at goal and he slots the kick to give the Lions a 3-0 lead.

Ahead of the match, Lions captain Maro Itoje spoke on the gravity of this occasion.

The Saracens second-row will lead the team out for the first time in a Test match on Saturday evening at the Suncorp Stadium, but ahead of the match he delivered his take on what this game means for the team.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:

What’s special? What’s different? The first game of a Test series. Lions tours happen every four years, so this is something me and the entire squad are excited for. It’s a grand occasion. The opportunity to perform is great and one we are looking forward to.

As athletes, you always rely on your preparation. The work we’ve done, we’ve had a good week’s prep, as well as the work in the weeks before that.

The atmosphere is so much better tonight than it has been for all of the build-up tour matches. During those fixtures, the crowds have been quiet and stadium authorities have played music regularly in an attempt to create some noise, whereas there is a raucous sing-a-long going on this time.

There was plenty of volume from the stands and dancing too when 500 Miles by The Proclaimers was played a few moments ago. It’s really rocking now, but still plenty of empty seats to fill with less than a quarter-of-an-hour until kick-off.

Hold on tight for the next few hours as we’re set to kick off here in Brisbane in the next few minutes!

But if you’ve been wondering what the Lions have been getting upto in the build up to the opening Test at the Suncorp Stadium, we’ve got you covered.

Our men on the ground Nik Simon and Kevin Quigley have been touring around Australia and have been taking a look behind the scenes at what both the Lions and the Wallabies have been getting upto during their tour Down Under.

Check out Mail Sport’s new series Lions: Roar and Uncut below!

As the teams head back into the dressing room, all eyes will now turn to Maro Itoje who will deliver his first pre-match speech as the captain of the British and Irish Lions.

The astute lock forward has impressed us for many years with both his leadership abilities and his brilliance on the field.

And for that reason here’s why our man on the ground in Brisbane, CHRIS FOY, believes Itoje’s calm and composed demeanour will be pivotal to help the Lions keep their cool in the heat of battle.

Andy Farrell has picked an all-Scottish midfield ahead of this opening Test match in Brisbane.

This unit in the midfield know each other’s game inside and out.

Finn Russell will start at No 10 alongside a Scottish centre partnership of Sione Tuipolotu and Huw Jones.

Meanwhile, Farrell has opened up on how excited he is for Maro Itoje to lead the team out today.

‘We know how motivated the Wallabies will be and we know they are a well-organised and dangerous side,’ Farrell said.

‘It is a great occasion and a proud moment for Maro Itoje, who will captain the Test side, but also for those players who get the opportunity to represent the group on Saturday night.

‘We have seen a flood of Lions supporters on the streets of Brisbane this week and we are looking forward to seeing a Sea of Red in the stands of the Suncorp Stadium cheering on the team.’

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Bundee Aki.

Watching new Wallabies sensation Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii warm up is a fascinating spectacle which highlights his meticulous nature, as well as his remarkable range of skills.

One of the cross-code centre’s preferred routines is to stand bare-footed on the grass to ensure he feels ‘grounded’ on the pitch and there are also quiet spells of meditation and visualisation.

He has been doing a series of complex handling drills to sharpen reflexes, then practised handing-off defenders by thrusting his hand repeatedly into one post.

Next, Suaalii showcased his incredible leaping height to practise taking high catches and that is an aspect of his game which poses a big threat to the Lions here.

Joseph Suaalii returns to the centres alongside Len Ikitau. But the pair have a tough task ahead of them – stopping the bulldozing Sione Tuipulotu, who interestingly grew up in Frankston, Victoria.

The Scotland captain is now returning to Australia, having first headed overseas back in 2018 to pursue opportunities in Japan.

Tuipulotu enjoyed an excellent outing against Suaali at Murrayfield back in November, when Scotland claimed a 27-13 victory.

Suaalii notably hit Tuipulotu with a fierce tackle but suffered an injury in the process.

And tensions flared, with Suaalii biting back at a sledge from Tuipulotu, saying: ‘See you next time.’

Suaalii has refused to add more fuel to the fire this week, but there is no doubt the pair will be keen to land a few big hits on each other this week.

Read more on what Suaalii said on the situation below…

A string of injuries have forced Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt to re-shuffle his squad around for today’s match.

The big news is that Tom Lynagh has been selected to play at fly-half in the absence of Noah Lolesio, who suffered a neck injury during Australia’s warm-up matcha against Fiji. Lynagh will follow in the footsteps of his legendary father, Michael, who becomes the first Aussie player to follow his dad in pulling on the No 10 jersey against the Lions during the 1989 tour.

Meanwhile, Nick Champion de Crespigny will make his Test debut for the Wallabies at blindside flanker toda, with Rob Valentini being ruled out with a calf injury.

In the front row, James Slipper and Allan Alaalatoa line up in between hooker Matt Faessler, with Taniela Tupou missing out on selection.

6. Nick Champion de Crespigny**

13. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii

Just under an hour until kick-off here and Brisbane has turned red. There are so many thousands of Lions fans in the city now and they appear to significantly out-number the Wallabies supporters in gold.

Two days ago, it was still quiet in Queensland’s state capital but, in keeping with tradition, the British and Irish invasion has happened late, on a massive scale.

Pubs and bars on nearby Caxton Street have been thronging with spectators for hours. It feels like, after a relatively low-key first few weeks, this tour has ignited.

Here’s a sneak peek inside the Lions dressing room, which right now will be a hub of activity.

I wonder what Andy Farrell will be telling his team before they head out to warm up?

It’s pumping on Caxton Street outside the stadium. An atmosphere worthy of the occasion. There were a few empty seats in the warm-up games but tonight it really feels like the hottest ticket in town.

Just a month after the British and Irish Lions touched down in Australia the big day has finally arrived.

Twelve years after the Lions last travelled Down Under, they return to the Suncorp Stadium this evening to get their 2025 Test series underway and will be keen to get off to a fast start against the Wallabies.

Andy Farrell’s side come up against a weakened Wallabies side, who will be without several key players, including fly-half Noah Lolesio, Will Skelton and Rob Valetini, all being ruled out with injuries.

But the Lions boss is urging caution against the Wallabies, insisting his team are not getting ‘overconfident’.

‘There’s no overconfidence at all,’ he said ahead of the match.

‘It’s having an inner confidence within our group that we are going to go execute the plan when it matters.’

He added: ‘I haven’t played against many Australian sides that are underdogs. I’m sure they’ll want to prove a point in terms of that type of thing.

‘If you’re in a position where it comes down to this every 12 years and you get to pull the shirt on for the Wallabies and the privilege that goes with that, representing your country, they’ll be fighting tooth and nail.’

Stay with us, as we’ll be bringing you live updates, commentary and analysis from the Suncorp Stadium here at Mail Sport.