Van der Merwe scores hat-trick in eight-try Lions win

5 hours ago 3

BBC Sport at Adelaide Oval

Invitational AU & NZ (0) 0

British and Irish Lions (17) 48

Tries: Van der Merwe 3, White, Tuipulotu,Cummings, Kelleher, Pollock Cons: F Smith 2 M Smith 2

Duhan van der Merwe scored a hat-trick as the British and Irish Lions ran in eight tries in a rout of the AUNZ Invitational XV in their last game before the first Test against the Wallabies next weekend.

On an eventful night in Adelaide Owen Farrell came on as a second-half substitute, with news also emerging of a suspected head injury to Garry Ringrose, putting him in danger of missing the match in Brisbane on Saturday.

Van der Merwe scored two of his three tries in the opening half with Ben White sniping for another. In the second half, which was one-way traffic against an Invitational side taken to the cleaners, Sione Tuipulotu, Scott Cummings and Van der Merwe made it six tries - with all six coming from Scottish players.

As the Lions turned up the heat, Ireland's Ronan Kelleher added a seventh and England's Henry Pollock an eighth, a first of the tour for the Northampton tyro.

A downside for the Lions, however, was the knee to the head suffered by Luke Cowan Dickie, which saw him taken off on a stretcher just before the break.

Line-ups

AUNZ XV: Stevenson; Lam, Laumape, Havili (co-capt), Koroibete; Edmed, Fakatava; Ross, Paenga-Amosa, Toomaga-Allen, Salakaia-Loto (co-capt), Blyth, Frizell, Samu, Sotutu.

Replacements: Eklund, Fusitu'a, Dyer, Philip, Brial, Thomas, McLaughlin-Phillips, Campbell.

British and Irish Lions: Keenan; Hansen, Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe; F Smith, White; Schoeman, Cowan-Dickie, Stuart, Ryan, Beirne (capt), Pollock, Morgan, Earl.

Replacements; Kelleher, Porter, Bealham, Cummings, Van der Flier, Mitchell, M Smith, Farrell.