Ahead of Saturday's clash in Perth, Rugby World takes a look back at what happened 12 years ago when the Lions played the Force

This Saturday night the British & Irish Lions will play the Western Force in their first Tour match in Australia.

After tasting defeat to Argentina in Dublin last Friday night, Andy Farrell will be hoping that this weekend’s clash in Perth can put that 28-24 loss in the rearview mirror and get the wheels in motion for success Down Under.

Much like in 2013 when the Lions last began their preparations for the Wallabies, the Western Force were the first team that the tourists took on in Australia after a 59-8 drubbing of the Barbarians in Hong Kong four days earlier.

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With five days until a sea of red jerseys takes over Western Australia, Rugby World have decided to take a look at what happened last time these two teams met.

Who played in the game?

A quick glance at Warren Gatland’s squad for their outing in Perth and there are seven players in the starting 15 that took on Australia in the first Test.

Leigh Halfpenny, Brian O’Driscoll, George North, Johnny Sexton, Jamie Heaslip, Tom Croft and Alun Wyn Jones all started the opening Test in Brisbane, while Dan Cole, Geoff Parling, Ben Youngs and Owen Farrell were in the matchday 23.

There were also starts for Tommy Bowe, Manu Tuilagi, Conor Murray, Sean O’Brien, Ian Evans and Rory Best, who all vied for Test spots as the tour went on.

It was also a match that set the wheels in motion for one of the Lions’ greatest late call-up stories.

Gatland had not previously considered England loosehead prop Alex Corbisiero for selection due to his injury problems.

But when Cian Healy lay stricken 36 minutes into this game, it paved the way for Corbisiero’s arrival in Australia. It is safe to say that went well.

What happened in the match?

To follow on from their dominant win over the Barbarians the Lions subjected the Force to a 69-17 loss in front of 35,000 supporters.

Leigh Halfpenny scored two first half penalties and converted the tries of Johnny Sexton, Brian O’Driscoll and Tom Croft, while the Force could only muster a response in the form of a Brett Sheehan shot at goal.

Western Force did enjoy a more positive second half with converted Richard Brown and Lachlan McCaffrey tries, but were powerless in preventing Heaslip, Mako Vunipola, Bowe, O’Driscoll, Owen Farrell and Parling from breaching the try line.

In total Halfpenny racked up 24 points in that one game. By the Tour’s end the Wales full-back was Player of the Series after he bagged 114 points on the way to Test series victory.

During the game, Irish prop Cian Healey suffered an injury that ruled him out of the remainder of the tour. Alex Corbisiero was called up as his replacement and eventually started two of the three tests, scoring a try in the third-game decider.

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What else happened on the Tour?

During the 2013 Tour of Australia the Lions only lost two of their 10 games.

It took until the eve of the Test series with Australia for the Lions to experience defeat after their wins against the Barbarians, Western Force, Queensland Reds, Combined NSW-QLD and Waratahs.

Losing 14-12 at the hands of the Brumbies in Canberra, four penalties from Stuart Hogg and Owen Farrell were drowned out by Tevita Kuridrani’s try and trio of Jesse Mogg penalties.

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But after such a long wait, the Tests finally got underway and exploded into life.

Whether it was George North and Alex Cuthbert firing the Lions to first Test victory in Brisbane, the Wallabies bouncing back in Melbourne or a mesmeric Sydney win, there was plenty to sink your teeth into.

That third Test is perhaps the most memorable. With the series finely poised at 1-1, Gatland made the decision to drop talismanic centre Brian O’Driscoll from the matchday 23 and everything was on the line.

To relieve any jitters Alex Corbisiero helped the Lions to a fast start with a first minute try, while three penalty goals for Leigh Halfpenny helped the visitors to a healthy half-time lead.

In front of every 80,000 ravenous supporters an Sydney, there was nothing but dominance from Gatland’s side in the second half as Johnny Sexton, North and Jamie Roberts all helped secure a 41-16 win and 2-1 series success.

On their return to Australia the Lions are looking to have Test series success again Down Under. And it all starts with a trip to Perth, again.


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