Robinson and Charvis lead try blitz

13 April 2012

The Lions scorched through another vast tract of Australia's rugby outback here yesterday with a tropical extravaganza started by a Welsh flanker and finished by an English flier.

As statements of intent go, Colin Charvis and Jason Robinson, with five tries on his debut, made the biggest of all to warn the watching Wallabies that the Test series will take some winning.

The Lions may not have managed a second successive century but they were infinitely more impressive than in last week's frolic against Western Australia in Perth.

For a start this was a contest, or at least it was for 40 minutes, the Lions having to fight their way out of some tight corners made all the tighter by shoddy passing, basic errors and a line-out hampered by the loss of injured Welsh hooker Robin McBryde after seven minutes.

In those early crises against what was largely a Queensland reserve team, Charvis stood head and shoulders above the rest. He was the dominant force in ensuring a 10-6 lead at half-time.

Despite early tries for Charvis and his Wales captain Dai Young, the President's men would have been closer still had the aboriginal fly half Shane Drahm not missed a drop goal in between two penalties.

But never in Lions history had there been a second half like it, with tries at the rate of one every four minutes. They won it 73-0, a blitz far superior to last week's for the simple reason that the Queenslanders were several cuts above the whipping boys of Western Australia. Home coach Peter Grigg said: 'I don't know what they put in their drinks at half-time. It had some effect because their second half was just amazing.'

Fittingly, Charvis opened the floodgates with his second try, merely part of an overall performance which will have been digested by the Lions management as one of real significance.

Lawrence Dallaglio knows now that he has real competition at blindside flanker and must make an immediate response during his belated start to the tour next week or risk not making the team for the opening Test in Brisbane on June 30.

Charvis said: 'There are some great players on this tour and that meant I had to put pressure on everyone else right away.'

Dallaglio saw it all from the touchline where he spent the match ostensibly as a water-carrier for a thirsty night's work in high humidity. At the end, he was the first to congratulate Charvis.

Once the Swansea player had turned the tide with his second try, the Lions swept all before them with a dazzling concoction of power and invention.

Austin Healey had a devastating effect after replacing an uncertain Neil Jenkins at fly half. His first touch, a delicious pass, put Rob Henderson into acres of space for Robinson to complete his 20-minute hat-trick. In the limited time at his disposal, Healey made every second count to strengthen the conviction that coach Graham Henry leaves him out of the Test team at his peril.

Jason Leonard was another to score points in the reckoning for Test selection after replacing Tom Smith for most of the second half.

There were other plusses, Matt Perry at full back where he added a goalkicking string to his bow, Dafydd James who deserved at least one try for all his good work and Henderson, who scored a hat-trick of tries from centre.

Had Mark Taylor opted to pass outside instead of inside in the final seconds, Henderson's third try would have become Robinson's sixth, a feat achieved only twice before in Lions history. Instead, the phenomenal convert from rugby league had to be content with five on his debut.

Make no mistake, there is a great deal more to Robinson than eluding tackles and scoring tries. He is no slouch when it comes to defending his corner and while tougher hurdles lurk round the corner, nobody ought to be surprised if this was the night when he became a Test Lion.

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Robinson and Charvis lead try blitz

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