It is an opinions game, they say. The only problem is that when everyone has a view on virtually everything, what currency do those views hold?

Facts are sacred, of course, and the statistics do not lie when it comes to the live discussion over Andy Farrell’s British & Irish Lions back-row choices.

The fun of a Lions Tour lies in the debate, and there has been no more dissected dilemma than Farrell’s selections for his starting flankers.

Tadhg Beirne, Ollie Chessum, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Josh van der Flier, Henry Pollock and even Ben Earl have all strengthened their cases with recent performances in Australia. The embarrassment of riches is not lost on the Lions coaching team.

Farrell was in no mood to be jubilant after the opening 27–19 Test win over Australia, but there was a sense of satisfaction that his decision to go with Beirne and Curry, alongside Jack Conan at No 8, was emphatically vindicated with two stand-out performances.

Player of the match Beirne relentlessly scrapped for turnovers, Conan exerted physical dominance, and Curry’s work off the ball was exceptional. He scored one try and intercepted a line-out to set up another.

“The back row was immense,” said Farrell, who had described the decision between Curry and Morgan before the match as his ‘biggest call’. “It was a talking point all week, and they stood up when they needed to.”

Curry left the pitch after 55 minutes, mission accomplished, to receive treatment on his wrist. His twin brother, Ben, who is currently playing for England in the United States, had described criticism of his sibling’s selection as ‘gobsmacking’ and rallied to the defence of a ‘Test-match animal’.

Curry duly lived up to that label in what was arguably his best international performance since England’s World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand in 2019. He was everywhere - repeatedly repelling the Wallabies in defence, then leaving them flat-footed with ball in hand.

His game may be built on power, but there was plenty of guile too: an interception, an offload and a deft final pass, all in the space of 20 seconds, as he orchestrated Dan Sheehan’s second-half score.

Beirne simply ran himself into the ground. He made 22 tackles and flew out of the traps to win a penalty in the opening seconds, establishing an advantage the Lions never lost. He thought he had done the hard work for the Lions’ second try too, only to see it chalked off by the officials.

“Getting the nod for this game was a huge honour,” Beirne said. “Hopefully I did it justice and get to go again next week.

“That was a proper Test match, and in that last quarter we were in a real battle. They will take some confidence from how they finished the game, and that is something we need to look at.

“Overall, we stacked up, got the job done and roll on next week. Our discipline needs to be a big focus, but I think we controlled the game, especially in the first half.”

What is surely beyond debate is the quality of the Lions half-back combination of Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell.

Gibson-Park’s ability to choose the right option under the most intense pressure is remarkable, and when Russell was humming, the Lions looked relentless. Together, their partnership looks gilt-edged and may prove the lynchpin for what lies ahead in Melbourne and Sydney.

“It felt really natural out there. We were all seeing the same space,” Russell said.

“Even though it is the highest level, it is still just a game of rugby and about having a bit of fun. You have to enjoy the game. I’m 32 and I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to go on a tour like this again.”