Tomos Williams started very well but was forced from the field with an injury.
Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams has received rave reviews from the British and Irish media after his performance against Western Force, leaving everyone hoping his injury doesn’t rule him out of action.
The British and Irish Lions played the Super Rugby side in the first touring match on Australian soil, with Williams the starting scrum-half. Despite Force starting well against the Lions, aided by a number of high quality internationals like Nic White and Ben Donaldson, Andy Farrell’s outfit were ultimately too strong for them. The Lions scored eight tries, with former Cardiff Rugby man Williams grabbing two of them.
Williams was the sole Welshman in the match day squad, with Farrell switching up selection for the second game of the 2025 tour, as Jac Morgan dropped out of the game day collective. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
The Gloucester Rugby number nine certainly flew the flag for Wales, producing a superb performance in Lions red. However, he clutched his hamstring following the second score, which led to him being withdrawn from the field.
England international Jack van Poortvliet previously trained with the Lions after Jamison Gibson-Park’s injury with Leinster, and is currently with England in Argentina for their summer tour, so is an option for Farrell. Reports this morning, however, suggest Scotland’s Ben White is on standby.
Despite only playing just over half the match, he has earned some positive reviews from the media
Balls.ie, an Irish publication, gave Williams a 9/10 for his performance. A wayward box-kick was recognised, but his game as a whole outweighed the negatives for them.
“Nice support line got him a try, on 16 minutes,” they wrote. “Teamed up with Lowe, up the right wing, for a brilliant second try.”
MailOnline gave him a 7/10 and described him as a “Test contender if fit”.
“His injury scare will worry the Lions coaches. Scored two tries, tidy box-kicking and maintained attacking tempo,” read the MailOnline rating. Sir Clive Woodward, the 2005 Lions coach, also hopes the injury isn’t as bad as feared.
“I was really impressed by Williams,” he said in the Mail. “So I hope the fact he limped off after his second try with a hamstring problem isn’t a serious injury.”
The Daily Express also noted how Williams added tempo to the Lions, giving him an 8/10.
The Telegraph handed out another 7/10 for his efforts, while recognising the Welshman’s box-kicking “wasn’t always on the money”.
“Everyone will be hoping the apparent hamstring injury is not too serious because Williams is electric as he showed with his two excellent tries,” wrote The Telegraph.
Planet Rugby praised Finn Russell and Williams as a half-back partnership. “Russell and Williams treated us to an inspirational display of playing off both nine and ten, the same system that Bath thrive upon and one that changes the point of attack and the phase continuity to confuse the very best blitz defences,” they wrote.
They added: “The Lions yanked him off after his try as the Welshman showed a tight hamstring, but he laid down a serious marker for Test selection.”
Ireland lock Joe McCarthy had a stormer against Force and his contributions have been acknowledge by the press. The Telegraph gave him a big 9/10, stating he has taken a “massive step towards the Test team”.
The Times went on to state McCarthy had “locked down his Test spot” following a performance epitomised by his physicality and threat at the breakdown.
“Joe McCarthy delivered from first to last. In the final quarter of the game he was still stealing lineouts, still picking and carrying, still popping up at breakdowns as the first scrum half, skilfully maintaining the late momentum,” wrote The Times.
Finn Russell, James Lowe and Henry Pollock also received positive reviews from the press.
Speaking about Pollock, Planet Rugby wrote: “His chip, chase and regather was a real high of his game while he kept the Force defence honest with his running lines and aggressive carries. He was busy defensively too. The bolter has really laid down a marker for the Test squad in his first two games. An outrageous performance.”
