Andy Farrell hailed the "immense" contributions of both Tadhg Beirne and Tom Curry as the British and Irish Lions secured a commanding 27-19 win in their first Test against Australia in Brisbane.
The duo more than justified their selections with a pair of vintage displays at Suncorp Stadium, with Curry scoring a try and setting up another, while Beirne was named man of the match after a typically menacing performance at the breakdown.
Both players, and Farrell, were under scrutiny coming into the game, with many suggesting Jac Morgan and Ollie Chessum were the form candidates to partner Jack Conan in the back row.
But after backing the pair publicly on Thursday, Farrell couldn't hide his delight at their roles in this first Test win.
"Immense, absolutely immense," he said of their performances.
"Big game players who were probably challenged by a good few. I think it told a story, Tom Curry (above) put in some really nice shots defensively and Tadhg Beirne got the turnover very early doors and set the tone really and I don't think it stopped there, it carried on the same the whole game.
"Jack Conan’s carrying was very much on the front foot so those three guys I am sure they will be delighted with the way they responded to selection."
The eight-point margin of victory flattered the hosts, who had been 24-5 down early in the second half, only to run in a pair of late tries to put some gloss on the scoreboard.
The foundation for that dominant first half came up front, where the Lions pack bullied the Wallabies with relentless, direct carrying, while behind them Finn Russell orchestrated the backline.
"I felt we started the game pretty well, certainly physically and that gave us a bit of momentum into how we played that first half on the back of that," said Farrell.
"Our game control was pretty good, I have no doubt in the second half Australia would have been pretty pleased with their physicality as well.
"Each game is different and the second game will take care of itself."
And the head coach says he’s been pleased with their more direct approach, after some error-strewn earlier tour wins.
He said: "You could see the difference in our game, as I’ve said all along. The hardest part about any team coming together is gelling in attack because it takes a lot of cohesion for that to happen.
"We are trying to find out about ourselves in that regard, but as far as the game control and how you play Test matches that’s something we’ve always been working on in the background and conscious of.
"That’s a given, really, for what Test match rugby should be about because you respect the game."
While the Lions looked a class above the Wallabies this week, Joe Schmidt’s side will be welcoming back influential forwards Rob Valetini and Will Skelton for the second Test in Melbourne.
The Lions may have injury concerns over Joe McCarthy (below) who was removed early in the second half, with Farrell confirming the second row has been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his foot.
The Lions coach is also wary from the previous tour he was part of in 2013, where the Wallabies hit back with a second Test win in Melbourne.
And although he was thrilled with the manner of his side’s victory, he expects Joe Schmidt’s side to come back firing at the MCG.
"These football teams would have been desperate for it today and to get off to a winning start is huge. Obviously, that puts the pressure on for next week and it keeps us in the tour certainly up until the last game, that is guaranteed.
"Absolutely delighted, big occasion, big game, we know what coming to Suncorp means to Australia so they would have been targeting this, so delighted to come away with this victory.
PLAYER RATINGS: Beirne the clear standout
"Part of it is a realisation of what is coming next week.
"Not only is that Australia’s second game and they’ll be much better because of that, but also because of what it means to them and how proud they are. It’ll mean the world to them.
"We need to make sure we are ready for them to be at their best.
"I suppose it will take a better performance than what we’ve shown today to make sure we get a win next week."
