Brisbane heroes can lead Welsh clean sweep on Lions Tour

Warren Gatland’s Wales players were always supposed to have a big say in the British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia due to the sheer number of them, and they certainly followed the script in Brisbane.

George North’s stunning try, a fine dash to the line from Alex Cuthbert and the assured kicking of Leigh Halfpenny helped the Lions towards their dramatic 23-21 first Test victory, a win only confirmed by a missed late kick from the Wallabies’ Kurtley Beale.

Gatland’s starting XV included eight Welshmen, one short of the Lions record of nine which featured in the first Test in New Zealand in 1971 and the first and third Tests against the All Blacks in 1977.

This time around, North, Cuthbert and Halfpenny have all been rested for the midweek Tour match against the Melbourne Rebels, a contest which will see England’s Manu Tuilagi return from injury.

That suggests the Welsh wonders will all be in place for the second Test in Melbourne next Saturday, with Ladbrokes offering 5/1 for history to repeat itself and all of the Lions’ points to be scored by men from the Principality.

With players such as inside centre Jonathan Davies and scrum-half Mike Phillips to also take into consideration, that price is sure to tempt many.

For those even more confident in the importance of the Welsh players on tour, the 25/1 on a ‘Welsh Wash’ – all of the Lions’ points in the remaining two Tests to be scored by players from the current Six Nations holders – is also worth taking into consideration.

The Brisbane haul means that Welsh players have now scored 93 points in the last five Lions Tests, and with the likes of North, Cuthbert and Halfpenny around that total is only going to go up Down Under.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publication