British & Irish Lions suffer another huge injury scare in Brumbies win

Blair Kinghorn gave Andy Farrell's Lions another injury scare as the tourists made it four out of four down under with a five-try beating of Australia's best Super Rugby outfit.

Scotland full-back Kinghorn, a leading contender for next Saturday's first Test, limped off after 25 minutes with a left knee injury to give boss Farrell another headache.

He has already lost scrum-half Tomos Williams and utility back Elliot Daly to injury and this is another one he could do without.

The Scotsman arrived late on tour after winning the Top 14 with Toulouse, the ground when he got injured and looked disconsolate when he went down the tunnel.

Owen Farrell, the talk of the tour without playing a game, was involved in the warm-up and should be on parade against the AUNZ invitational side on Saturday in Adelaide.

The team for that one will be announced on Thursday but Farrell has some thinking to do over the full-back situation with Daly gone, Hugo Keenan just back from injury and illness and now Kinghorn in doubt.

He also has to put some thought into the Lions attacking game which did not fire in the first half, despite three tries, with passes not hitting their spot and players over running the ball.

The Brumbies had drawn first blood after just three minutes when No.8 Tuaina Taii Tuilima piled over to cap a period when the Lions were on the back foot throughout. So much for the fast start the tourists were looking for.

But the Lions were up and running on 15 minutes when Bundee Aki's charge set up field position and Finn Russell's soft hands put flanker Ollie Chessum over in the corner.

Wing James Lowe, who botched an earlier chance finished, an all-Ireland try for the second, on 28 minutes with Aki, Garry Ringrose and Dan Sheehan involved before the hooker gave the scoring pass.

Then the Brumbies were made to regret kicking a drop out short, Itoje took it and the half finished with Tom Curry feeding Marcus Smith, Kinghorn's replacement to score and the Lions 19-10 up.

Smith's kick through made a try for Ringrose but the Lions defence was ripped open by the hosts with Hudson Creighton finishing off the move and it was 26-17. Russell then kicked a penalty which did not go down well with the crowd before yet another Itoje line out catch set up a drive from which flanker Josh van der Flier scored.

Then the Lions got sloppy, started giving away penalties and the Brumbies went over for a fourth try, through replacement hooker Liam Bowron, which was a concern with the big stuff to come before Chessum nabbed his second at the death.

Scorers:

Brumbies: Tries: Tualima, Toole, Creighton, Bowron; Con: R.Lonergan (2)

Lions: Tries: Chessum, Lowe, Smith, Ringrose, Van der Flier; Cons: Russell (4); Pen: Russell