Lucky Lions lap up 23-21 victory over Wallabies in first test
While tourists lap up victory in opening test, injury-ravaged Wallabies are left licking their wounds ... and ruing late penalty miss by Beale
Warren Gatland's initial feeling when the whistle blew on the British & Irish Lions' 23-21 victory over Australia yesterday might have been one of relief, but it was quickly replaced by a quiet sense of satisfaction.
Two late penalty attempts from Kurtley Beale, including a fluffed kick in the final seconds, kept the 52,500 crowd on tenterhooks to the very end, but the Lions emerged with a 1-0 advantage in the three-test series and perhaps evidence that they had a little bit of luck on their side.
In what was always going to be a tight three-match contest, such tiny shifts in fortune could help the tourists to a first series win since 1997.
In his duties as coach of Wales, Gatland has become all too familiar with losing to Australia on the last kick of the game and he was clearly delighted to finally finish up a winner.
"My first initial reaction was, 'This is not going to happen again' after the last three times in the last couple of minutes, but they only kick those goals against Wales," he said with a chuckle.
"It was a relief, but we deserved to win that game. I thought we went out there and tried to play a bit of rugby and we played a little too much rugby in the first half."
