The British & Irish Lions were made to work, but eased to a 36-24 win over a depleted ACT Brumbies team in Canberra on Wednesday in a victory soured by another backline injury.
Lions fullback Blair Kinghorn came off early in the first half and spent the rest of the match icing his left knee at Canberra Stadium.
Kinghorn's injury is another headache for coach Andy Farrell ahead of the first Wallabies test next week, having already lost Elliot Daly for the three-match series.
With lock Maro Itoje recalled as captain and flyhalf Finn Russell directing traffic, Farrell fielded a lineup tipped to match his team for the series-opener.
They had a poor start, conceding a try in the opening minutes, but scored five themselves to notch their fourth successive win on their Australian tour following victories over Western Force, Queensland Reds and the New South Wales Waratahs.
Ollie Chessum, James Lowe and Marcus Smith scored tries in the first half, with Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier crossing after the break.
"The Brumbies were very good today. They challenged us throughout the whole game," said Itoje.
"Obviously, things for us to work on, things for us to tidy up. We need to be a bit more accurate in the opposition 22, but I think a step forward."
The Brumbies were lacking virtually all of their Wallabies players but produced a contest on a cold night in Canberra, with tries from Tuaina Taii Tualima, Corey Toole, Hudson Creighton and Liam Bowron.
Pre-match, Itoje urged the Lions forwards to bang down the "front door" of the Brumbies but the hosts stormed forward for the first try to number eight Tualima.
With Lions hooker Dan Sheehan penalised in the first minute for impeding under a high ball, the Brumbies pushed to the try-line with a maul, then bashed away until Tualima launched himself over a ruck to score.
The Lions settled with a dominant scrum that released Bundee Aki for a defence-shredding dart at the line.
Scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park shifted tack to the left, finding Russell whose quick hands put Chessum over the line at the corner.
The Lions kept probing along the left flank and it nearly paid off when Lowe crossed but the try was scratched off, with Brumbies fullback Andy Muirhead having slid a leg under the ball.
It was only a brief reprieve for the hosts, as Lowe jogged over at the same corner soon after following a brilliant string of passes.
Beaten in the collisions, the Brumbies reverted to the boot and were rewarded when the Lions were penalised at the lineout behind their 22-metre line.
With replacement fullback Smith giving Toole too much space, the winger took a long ball and ran over to trim the lead to 12-10.
But the Brumbies squandered the momentum with a poor kick from a goal-line drop-out.
Russell made them pay, setting up Smith for a try after the halftime siren and slotting his second conversion.
Ringrose doubled down with the punishment seven minutes after the restart after sharp strike-play from a lineout.
Passing off to Smith, Ringrose chased down the England playmaker's grubber kick for another try to blow out the lead.
But the Brumbies hung in there.
With options either side of an attacking scrum, Ryan Lonergan passed to Muirhead on the blindside who set up a charging Creighton for their third try.
Lonergan converted to trim the deficit to nine points but the rally soon petered out.
Van der Flier's try from the back of the maul 12 minutes from time settled the debate, though Bowron gave the home fans
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