B&I Lions' top stats performers: tackles, turnovers & more

The 2021 British & Irish Lions did battle for the first time last weekend when they squared off against Japan at Murrayfield. 

It was a costly warm-up game as they were dispossessed of their inspirational captain, Alun Wyn Jones, who left the field early on with a dislocated shoulder while Justin Tipuric was also taken off injured. 

However, the Lions managed a pretty solid 28-10 victory over the Japanese to give themselves momentum going into South Africa. 

Here, we take a look at the top stats performers from the match. 

Tackles: 

Courtney Lawes held true to his bruising defensive reputation by topping the tackle count with 18 after replacing AWJ. 

Robbie Henshaw worked hard in the backs and managed 16 tackles while Taulupe Faletau notched up 15. 

Metres gained: 

It was a good day for debutant Duhan van der Merwe who ran in a try and also gained the most metres for his side with 72. 

Interestingly, it was two loose-forwards who snagged 2nd and 3rd spots; Tadhg Beirne and Jack Conan running in 49 and 36 metres respectively. 

Carries:  

Conan was hungry to get in on the action and managed to come on top in the ‘carries’ section with 16. 

Likewise with Beirne, who contributed 10 while van der Merwe came in third with 8. 

Turnovers won: 

Conan and inside centre, Bundee Aki, were in fine form at the breakdown and managed to win 3 turnovers apiece. 

Defenders beaten: 

Van der Merwe proved once again that he is a hard man to stop as he beat a total of 4 defenders – the most of any other player in his side. A good effort against a Japanese side who were sharp with their tackling. 

Beirne appears yet again after managing to get past 3 while Anthony Watson, Josh Adams and Liam Williams all beat 2 each.