Rugby Union - Six Nations Championship - Scotland v Italy - Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain - February 1, 2025 Scotland's Blair Kinghorn acknowledges the fans after the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
CANBERRA (Reuters) -British & Irish Lions fullback Blair Kinghorn's knee injury that marred a patchy win over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday did not seem serious, coach Andy Farrell has said.
The Lions had to work for their 36-24 win over a depleted Brumbies team, some of whose best players were absent at Australia's training camp.
Kinghorn came off early in the first half and spent the rest of the match icing his left knee.
Losing Kinghorn would pose problems for Farrell ahead of the first Wallabies test on July 19, given he is already without utility back Elliot Daly for the three-match series.
Asked after the match if he feared the worst for Kinghorn, Farrell said, "No".
The fullback had been singing on the bed where staff were assessing him, he said.
"He got a bang on the knee. He carried on for quite a bit but there was no need to keep him going ... he's in good spirits."
Marcus Smith, who came on for Kinghorn, performed well, scoring one of the Lions' five tries.
"He had some really nice touches," Farrell said. "He's dangerous with the ball in hand. It's good learnings for him."
Farrell fielded a lineup close to the one expected for the first Wallabies match, with lock Maro Itoje recalled as captain and flyhalf Finn Russell directing play.
The Lions had a poor start, conceding a try in the opening minutes, but imposed themselves for a fourth successive win on their Australian tour, following victories over Western Force, Queensland Reds and the New South Wales Waratahs.
"Our game control was pretty good tonight, which allowed us to keep the pressure on in the right end of the field. So that's a nice step forward," Farrell added.
"We're in a good place ... we're doing well in certain aspects of the game, in fits and starts and etc, but we need to improve in all areas."
"It's a good feeling," said Itoje, sitting next to Farrell at the post-match press conference.
"We know we're not the finished article, we know that we have to get better, we know that we have to improve. But I think that's a pretty good position for us to be in."
(Reporting by Peter Hobson; Editing by Ken Ferris)
