BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — The British and Irish Lions already had the win secured deep in stoppage time when Maro Itoje had the choice of either finishing off on a cool, windy Wednesday night or pushing for one more try and a 50-plus tally against the Queensland Reds.
“Why would we not?” Lions skipper Itoje said. “We were leading, we had the opportunity to score. So we just wanted to play, wanted to attack. We’re not getting much training, so we need to max out matches.
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Tommy Freeman, centre, of the British & Irish Lions is congratulated by teammates' Duhan van der Merwe and Elliot Daly, right, after scoring his team's first try during their game against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)
Queensland Reds' Seru Uru is tackled by Tom Curry of the British & Irish Lions during their game in Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)
Tommy Freeman, left, of the British & Irish Lions scores his team's first try as teammate Duhan van der Merwe reacts during their game against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)
Jac Morgan of the British & Irish Lions runs at the defence during their game against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)
Maro Itoje of the British & Irish Lions is tackled by a defender during their game against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)
Seconds later, Garry Ringrose scored in the corner to complete a 52-12 win for the Lions, who had conceded two early tries to the Reds and trailed 12-7 in the first half.
The Lions are now two from two in five days in Australia after a 54-7 tour-opening win over Western Force in Perth. The back-to-back wins followed a 28-24 loss to Argentina in a warmup in Dublin before the Lions traveled to Australia for a nine-game tour, which includes three tests against the Wallabies on July 19, 26 and Aug. 2.
Next up: The New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday night in Sydney, where a big crowd is expected. The combined attendance for the two games in Australia is 93,000.
“We have five (tour) games in two weeks. We don’t have loads of time on the training field but what we do have is loads of games,” Itoje said. “You improve and you learn probably more so in games than you do in training, so it’s a blessing in disguise.”
The Lions have scored five unanswered tries in both of their games in Australia.
Skipper Itoje, who was rested for the first game, ran powerfully onto an inside pass from scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park five minutes into the second half Wednesday to crack the game open.
The Lions were determined to play with pace and high-tempo, spreading the ball to the edges regularly and maintaining a positive attacking shape to generate space and scoring opportunities.
Winger Tommy Freeman was a beneficiary, scoring two tries. Flyhalf Finn Russell again orchestrated the Lions attack before he was rested after 55 minutes, while Bundy Ake created opportunities in midfield.
Openside flanker Jac Morgan put in a player-of-the-match performance in a dominant forward pack, including scoring a try.
Huw Jones plucked an attempted chip kick out of the air and sprinted 60 meters to make it 47-12 near the end and Ringrose capped it off with a try five minutes into stoppage time.
“We just wanted to be better today, take a step forward. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a step in the right direction,” Itoje said. "We were a little bit more clinical, sharper, a little bit more accurate on the ball.
“We still made quite a few errors ball in hand, but I thought it was better in that regard.”
Elliot Daly hurt his left forearm in a tackle late in the second half and had to be taken for medical scans. He was supposed to have the night off and he'd completed a gym session before getting a call from head coach Andy Farrell to let him know he'd be rushed into the starting XV because Irish fullback Hugo Keenan had a stomach bug.
“We've got our fingers crossed for him,” Farrell said.
The injury comes days after Welsh scrumhalf Tomos Williams was forced out of the tour with a hamstring injury sustained while scoring a long-range try against the Force.
The Reds stunned the Lions when prop Jeff Toomaga-Allen powered through the defense and reached over to score the opener in the ninth minute.
The Lions missed two clear opportunies when Ake was held up over the line and Daly's pass went astray with the tryline open before Freeman equalized with a try in the 20th minute.
The Reds, playing in maroon and navy colors, were missing a host of starting players on duty for Australia's test against Fiji on Sunday, but still threatened regularly.
Center Josh Flook swooped onto Kalani Thomas's short grubber kick to give the Reds a 12-7 lead after 25 minutes but it was all Lions after that, with the visitors scoring the next seven tries.
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Tommy Freeman, centre, of the British & Irish Lions is congratulated by teammates' Duhan van der Merwe and Elliot Daly, right, after scoring his team's first try during their game against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)
Queensland Reds' Seru Uru is tackled by Tom Curry of the British & Irish Lions during their game in Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)
Tommy Freeman, left, of the British & Irish Lions scores his team's first try as teammate Duhan van der Merwe reacts during their game against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)
Jac Morgan of the British & Irish Lions runs at the defence during their game against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)
Maro Itoje of the British & Irish Lions is tackled by a defender during their game against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)
HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.
The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.
But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.
“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”
U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.
The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.
Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.
Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.
Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”
About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.
The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.
But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.
At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.
Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.
Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”
Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
