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Winning start for British and Irish Lions

The British and Irish Lions start their summer tour with a 59-8 win over the Barbarians.

The British and Irish Lions have won the first match of their summer tour, beating the Barbarians 59-8 in Hong Kong.

British and Irish Lions' Mike Phillips scores a try against the Barbarians on June 1, 2013© AP Photos

The Lions had an early advantage when Schalk Brits was sent to the sin bin for punching Owen Farrell, but the British side failed to increase their score.

Warren Gatland's side dominated possession in the first half, and some late pressure led to tries for Paul O'Connell and Mike Phillips shortly before the break.

Phillips added a second just after the restart, but the Barbarians began to hit their stride, and the Lions had to work hard in defence, but could not prevent Kahn Fotuali'i from crossing the whitewash.

An aggressive three-minute spell from the Lions saw Wales internationals Jonathan Davies and Alex Cuthbert put the result beyond doubt, putting the side 42-8 up.

Inside the last 10 minutes, Cuthbert completed his brace before Dan Lydiate and Alun-Wyn Jones rounded off the try-scoring for the Lions.

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Gloucester Rugby captain Jim Hamilton on December 2, 2012
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