Lions called out by Sir Clive Woodward as England icon and Andy Farrell 'annoyed'

Sir Clive Woodward has dug out the British & Irish Lions for their performance against Western Force on Saturday. The Lions scored eight tries during a thumping 54-7 victory over the Perth-based outfit, but head coach Andy Farrell still cut a frustrated figure throughout the contest.

The match started in frantic fashion, with both sides having one try on the board after five minutes. Force gave as good as they got during a tight first half, which saw the tourists lead 21-7 at the break.

As the game went on and the hosts began to tire, the international experience of the Lions came to the fore, with Farrell's side scoring 33 points and conceding zero during the second period. Despite the commanding scoreline, Farrell demanded more from the players during his post-match debrief, with Woodward also quick to slam the team's performance.

Writing in his Daily Mail column, the England icon said: "Andy Farrell looked annoyed at half time despite his team being 21-7 up and I can understand why. Yes, of course, there were positives. But the basics of rugby are scrum, line-out and restarts and in all three aspects, the Lions had problems.

"That has to improve. Discipline was also an issue. Australia will capitalise in these areas in the Tests if they're not sorted. It was a fantastic occasion in Perth and it was great to see a sea of red with Lions supporters packing out Optus Stadium."

It's a quick turnaround for the Lions, who are back in action on Wednesday against Queensland Reds at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. It marks the second of six warm-up matches, including last week's defeat against Argentina, for the Lions ahead of their test against Australia.

Speaking after the win against Force, hooker Dan Sheehan said: "It's all sinking in. All week I've been focused on the game and making sure I don't lose the plot in the head. I've grown up wanting to play in this jersey, nevermind captaining, and there was a lot of lads wearing the jersey for the first time so we need to enjoy this.

"I thought we started really well but we were then on the back foot because of ill-discipline and some inaccuracy, especially at restart. I think it's improvement on the scoreline and especially how we closed out the game...but there's still things to work on, especially with our discipline."