Five takeaways from Wellington

Editor

Following an epic 31-31 draw between the Hurricanes and British & Irish Lions, here are five takeaways from the game in Wellington.

It was a seven-try clash at Westpac Stadium as a handful of players stood out while others unfortunately saw their Test hopes falter. 

Henderson shows his worth

The ruck clearout aside, that was a special performance from the British & Irish Lions second-row as he thrust his case forward for a spot in Warren Gatland's matchday squad for the second Test. The competition for lock places is fierce at the moment as Courtney Lawes is also pushing Maro Itoje, George Kruis and Alun Wyn Jones hard, but Henderson's performance against the Hurricanes has surely seen him shoot up the pecking order. 13 carries for 48 metres and a lovely offload for George North's try as his efforts meant he was our man-of-the-match.

Not much hope for Stander

In contrast it was a disappointing night for Henderson's Ireland team-mate Stander. While he made the most carries for his outfit – which now feels like a forgone conclusion in games – those 16 only saw him make a measly 28 metres. It was noticeable that the number eight was unable to alter his game in order to unlock the 'Canes defence and that hasn't done his chances of making the Test bench any good at all.

How to stop the train Laumape?

Knowing what's coming from Laumape and trying to stop it are two very different things. The centre who has taken Super Rugby by storm this year with 14 tries thus far was his usual destructive self with ball in hand, giving Dan Biggar a tough evening throughout. Credit to the fly-half who never shirked a tackle, but he felt the power of Laumape when he ran over him to the whitewash. 11 carries for an impressive 119 metres has given Steve Hansen another reminder that he is ready for Test rugby. It's not impossible he could sneak into Saturday's 23.

Gatland meant it about bench

Speaking of benches, Gatland was not kidding about those controversial squad call-ups from Wales and Scotland. The head coach stated they would "sit on the bench" in the midweek games and that's exactly what happened, with only prop Allan Dell and fly-half Finn Russell coming onto the field against the Chiefs and Hurricanes respectively – Russell's appearance was during Biggar's HIA. A penny for their thoughts…

Savea and North didn't do enough

With Rieko Ioane shining on debut for the All Blacks last weekend, the prospect of Savea forcing his way back into the Test line-up seemed unlikely. While he set up a slick try for Laumape, running a smart angle before firing out the pass, he was for the most part contained by the Lions in Wellington. North, while coming close to a brace, enjoyed a good outing but again it's unlikely he'll usurp the Lions' Test starters.