Western Force 7-54 British & Irish Lions: Andy Farrell's side run in eight tries and cruise to big victory as floodgates open in tour opener Down Under

The Lions got their tour off to a winning start in the place they call the FIFO city. Home to a history of gold rushes, Perth is where miners fly-in and fly-out in search of their bounty.

Well, Andy Farrell's side got what they came for. They flew in and flew out with a victory, although not the 24-carot outcome they hoped for. There were silky tries – eight in total – but there were errors, penalties and, most concerningly, a hamstring injury for Tomos Williams.

The touring side will be back at the airport on Sunday, alongside the miners in their bright orange overalls, ready to continue their travels to Brisbane. But contingency plans are already underway, with Ben White and Jack van Poortvliet on red alert to join the squad.

Ultimately, the scoreline was a blow-out. The Western Force battled for 40 minutes but were blown away by the power of the Lions bench. You suspect it could become a theme over the next few weeks, as they build towards the three Test series against the Wallabies.

There was needle, of course. These provincial sides are desperate to leave a few bruises, be it to bodies or egos. The stadium announcer had the first go as he read out the teams.

'The Aussie at No 14, Mack Hansen.'

'Another Aussie at No 12, Sione Tuipulotu.'

'At No 11, the Kiwi turned Irishman, James Lowe.'

'At prop, the former SA schoolboy now Scotsman, Pierre Schoeman.'

Within 97 seconds of kick-off, Lowe, the Kiwi turned Irishman, was the one laughing. Skipper Maro Itoje had blasted the 'tippy tappy' rugby they played in defeat by Argentina and those frustratingly loose touches were ironed out early on.

Big lock Joe McCarthy carried the ball like a tractor in the opening attack and the Lions scored from their first possession on Australian soil. 

A few direct charges into the guts of the Force midfield created space out wide, where Finn Russell guided a silky cross-field kick. Hooker Dan Sheehan jumped highest to tap the ball into Lowe's path, linking up with the winger for a captain's try.

Cohesion in the Lions ranks will develop over the coming weeks. But here, their catching pods on the kick-offs were stressed to breaking point. Dylan Pietsch pinched restarts, looking every inch a Wallaby. You suspect Joe Schmidt will take note for the Test series, given he has arch-stealer Joseph Suaalii in his ranks.

Nic White looked for holes in Farrell's aggressive defence and, 14 phases after Sheehan's opening try, the moustachioed scrum-half levelled things on the scoreboard.

The penalty count ramped up against the tourists. Such ill-discipline would be heavily punished in a Test match but the Western Force let them off the hook. 

They had 80 per cent of the early territory and won the penalty count, but lacked the attacking edge to make it pay. 

All eyes were on Henry Pollock and the tyro No 8 had some influential moments. He linked up with Josh van der Flier to cut open the defence. He sprinted clear and offloaded from the deck for Williams to score.

The Lions are not blessed with speed on the wings and Pollock compensated for their deficiencies. There were dog-legged holes in the Farrell's defensive line but the tactical nous of Elliot Daly often got them out of trouble.

With 36 minutes on the clock, Russell was awarded a penalty near the 22. Everyone in the stadium expected him to kick at goal, but the maverick No 10 tapped and ran. He cut through the defence, offloading for Daly to score his side's third try.

Pollock caused a rumble after the try and the youngster was shown a yellow card on the stroke of half time for not releasing the tackled player.

The last time the Lions stepped out for a tour match, they were playing in the empty Cape Town Stadium. It was played in the dark, ghostly recess of a covid lockdown and the stands were empty.

There were 46,656 here in Perth and they watched the Lions run riot in the second half. After White's early try, the Lions scored 44 unanswered points, with 33 of those coming as they unloaded their bench.

Their passes stuck down the flanks and the tries came thick and fast. 

Williams scored down the right wing but limped off holding his hamstring. He spent the remainder of the match sat on the sidelines with ice on his right leg, watching on as holes opened-up.

The industrious Mack Hansen offloaded to Garry Ringrose for another, as the jet-lag began to flush out of the British and Irish legs. 

Pollock's chip and chase created space for McCarthy to score, before Daly and Alex Mitchell took the scoreline beyond the half-century.