Leigh Halfpenny (left) walks off the field after the test match against Australia in Melbourne, yesterday.

Leigh Halfpenny missed a last-minute penalty from halfway to hand Australia a 16-15 victory over the British and Irish Lions in the second test yesterday, sending the series to a mouthwatering decider in Sydney next week.

A scrappy match lacking in quality burst into life in a frenzied final five minutes when Adam Ashley-Cooper crashed over for a try and Christian Lealiifano slotted the conversion to give the Wallabies a one-point lead in front of a record 56,771 crowd at the Docklands Stadium.

The Lions were chasing a first test series win since 1997 after their 23-21 victory in the first test last week – a win secured when Kurtley Beale also missed a last minute kick – and they came storming back, pushing close to the home line and looking to catch and drive from a lineout.

However, in echoes of Australia lock Justin Harrison’s decisive intervention in the third test of the 2001 series, flanker Liam Gill snared Lions ball and looked to have sealed the Wallabies win.

The tourists, and referee Craig Joubert, were not done yet and the South African official blew for yet another penalty that would give Halfpenny the chance to win the match and earn a place in Lions’ history.

The Welsh fullback, who had been flawless in his kicking on tour, approached the ball with his usual calm but his strike did not have the legs to carry and Aussie celebrations broke out around the stadium.

Wallabies captain James Horwill, who could yet miss the decider because of a citing from the first test, acknowledged the game had not been of the highest quality but was delighted to get the result.

“Sometimes it’s not pretty, but we found a way to win and that’s the most important part,” he said.

“It’s square now. It’s sort of, you don’t worry about the last two, it’s now one game to win it. It’s like a grand final.”

Lions captain Sam Warburton, who put in his best performance of the tour so far, could also miss the Sydney test after departing the pitch with a hamstring problem in the 68th minute.

“With Australia... unless you are a couple of scores with a few minutes to go, you never settle down,” the flanker said.

“That’s something that we learned tonight, which was tough.

“But I thought Australia did well, to be fair, it was going to be whoever scored the first try who won the game, because both defences were so good, and Australia were the ones to find it.”