British and Irish Lions dominate early and hang on for a 27-19 win over Australia

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Flyhalf Finn Russell kicked a penalty, landed three conversions and set up the first try as the British and Irish Lions dominated early and then held on for a 27-19 win over Australia in Saturday's series-opening test.

In their first test match in Australia in 12 years, the Lions took control from the opening kickoff and led 17-5 at halftime following tries to Australia-born center Sione Tuipulotu in the 9th minute and flanker Tom Curry in the 36th.

A blowout was looming when hooker Dan Sheehan scored two minutes into the second half to make it 24-5, but the Lions lost some momentum and the Australians rallied with two late tries to close the gap.

Ireland flanker Tadhg Beirne was voted player of the match in a forward pack that set the platform for the Lions by getting on top in the early collisions.

“Incredible win,” he said. "I thought our defense was very good for the most part. The last quarter there we started leaking a lot of penalties (so) we’re certainly going to have to fix up those areas.”

The Lions go to Melbourne with a chance to clinch victory in the three-test rugby series next Saturday and retain the trophy they won here in 2013.

“It’s huge. It puts the pressure on (Australia) for next week and it keeps us in the tour certainly to the last game, that’s guaranteed,” Lions coach Andy Farrell said. “We started the game unbelievably well (when) we were able to play the type of rugby that we wanted to play.”

In the second half, he said, "we made a few errors and we lost a few collisions on the back of that, which gave them a sniff in the game."

The Lions were consistently dangerous in attack in the first 50 minutes, led by halves pairing Jamison Gibson-Park and Russell, and played with better structure than the Australians.

Australia's only points of the first half were against the run of play in the 29th, cutting the margin to 10-5, when winger Max Jorgensen contested Jake Gordon's high box kick in the air, stripped fullback Hugo Keenan of possession and sprinted 22 meters to score in the right corner.

The Wallabies, playing their second test of the season, warmed into the game. After having a try by Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i disallowed on the hour, scored late tries via replacements backrower Carlo Tizzano and scrumhalf Tate McDermott either side of Marcus Smith's penalty goal for the Lions.

The Lions are now 6-0 in their Australian tour after wins over Super Rugby franchises Western Force,Queensland Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies and an Australia-New Zealand invitational XV.

The Lions scored two tries, had one disallowed and went close to scoring three other tries in a first half that set the tone.

Australia's Nick Champion de Crespigny bravely took an aerial catch from the kickoff for his first touch in international rugby but things started going badly for the home team two phases later when Sua’ali’i was penalized for not releasing in the tackle.

Russell slotted the goal from 30 meters out to give the Lions a 3-0 and, seven minutes later, he sent Tuipulotu in for a try and converted it for a 10-0 margin.

It looked almost too easy when, after a series of rucks in the attacking quarter, Russell ran left to right and floated a long cut-out pass to Tuipulotu in open space and the former Australia Under-20 player strolled over to score.

The scoreboard briefly registered 15-0 when center Huw Jones crossed in the 19th minute, but the try was disallowed on review when the Television Match Official ruled that the Scottish midfielder didn’t release the ball when he was dragged down in a tackle five yards out before regaining his feet to score.

The Lions went close to scoring a few times before Curry muscled his way over from the back of a ruck following a succession of penalties in the attacking quarter.

The Wallabies will get a full week to recover and regroup ahead of the second test in Melbourne next Saturday — and expect to have backrower Rob Valetini and lock Will Skelton returning from injuries to add some size and weight.

“A margin of eight points, I think is testament to the character of the players and the way they fought back,” Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said. “There are some positives for us to take away.”

The Lions take on a First Nations and Pasifika lineup on Tuesday night in Melbourne, their last tour game before the second and third tests.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Sione Tuipulotu of the British & Irish Lions, left, gets past Australia's Harry Potter to score a try during their first rugby union test in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Huw Jones of the British & Irish Lions, right, is tackled by Australia's Max Jorgensen and has his try disallowed for not releasing the ball during their first rugby union test in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Huw Jones of the British & Irish Lions, top, is tackled by Australia's Max Jorgensen and has his try disallowed for not releasing the ball during their first rugby union test in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Tommy Freeman of the British & Irish Lions, center, looks to go past Australia's Max Jorgensen during their first rugby union test in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Jack Conan of the British & Irish Lions, center, celebrates with teammates after their win over Australia in their first rugby union test in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Sione Tuipulotu of the British & Irish Lions, left, gets past Australia's Harry Potter to score a try during their first rugby union test in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Huw Jones of the British & Irish Lions, right, is tackled by Australia's Max Jorgensen and has his try disallowed for not releasing the ball during their first rugby union test in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Huw Jones of the British & Irish Lions, top, is tackled by Australia's Max Jorgensen and has his try disallowed for not releasing the ball during their first rugby union test in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Tommy Freeman of the British & Irish Lions, center, looks to go past Australia's Max Jorgensen during their first rugby union test in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — First responders on Sunday entered a contested neighborhood in Syria’ s northern city of Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish-led forces. Syrian state media said the military was deployed in large numbers.

The clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge the SDF into the national army. Security forces captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.

The fighting between the two sides was the most intense since the fall of then-President Bashar Assad to insurgents in December 2024. At least 23 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced amid shelling and drone strikes.

The U.S.-backed SDF, which have played a key role in combating the Islamic State group in large swaths of eastern Syria, are the largest force yet to be absorbed into Syria's national army. Some of the factions that make up the army, however, were previously Turkish-backed insurgent groups that have a long history of clashing with Kurdish forces.

The Kurdish fighters have now evacuated from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the SDF. However, they said in a statement they will continue to fight now that the wounded and civilians have been evacuated, in what they called a “partial ceasefire.”

The neighborhood appeared calm Sunday. The United Nations said it was trying to dispatch more convoys to the neighborhoods with food, fuel, blankets and other urgent supplies.

Government security forces brought journalists to tour the devastated area, showing them the damaged Khalid al-Fajer Hospital and a military position belonging to the SDF’s security forces that government forces had targeted.

The SDF statement accused the government of targeting the hospital “dozens of times” before patients were evacuated. Damascus accused the Kurdish-led group of using the hospital and other civilian facilities as military positions.

On one street, Syrian Red Crescent first responders spoke to a resident surrounded by charred cars and badly damaged residential buildings.

Some residents told The Associated Press that SDF forces did not allow their cars through checkpoints to leave.

“We lived a night of horror. I still cannot believe that I am right here standing on my own two feet,” said Ahmad Shaikho. “So far the situation has been calm. There hasn’t been any gunfire.”

Syrian Civil Defense first responders have been disarming improvised mines that they say were left by the Kurdish forces as booby traps.

Residents who fled are not being allowed back into the neighborhood until all the mines are cleared. Some were reminded of the displacement during Syria’s long civil war.

“I want to go back to my home, I beg you,” said Hoda Alnasiri.

Associated Press journalist Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

Sandbag barriers used as fighting positions by Kurdish fighters, left inside a destroyed mosque in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Burned vehicles at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

People flee the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A Syrian military police convoy enters the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Burned vehicles and ammunitions left at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)