Lions player ratings v All Blacks: ‘Lovely watch’ a standout but insufficient ‘bench energy’ ends dream of ‘famous upset win’
Lions midfielder Henco van Wyk tackles Richie Mo'unga and, inset, player of the match Siba Mahashe
After their agonising 41-35 defeat in Tuesday’s Greatest Rivalry tour clash against the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, here’s how we rated the courageous Lions players.
Lions player ratings v All Blacks
15 Quan Horn: Released from the Springboks squad to feature here, Horn was invaluable in the team collective that had the Lions 14-0 up early on and then 18 points ahead at one stage in the second half. Produced some moments of lovely running and while there was frustration with an unsuccessful first half 50:22, his nose for attack and cover tackling was strong. 7
14 Kelly Mpeku: Had very little opportunity in attack but still made a huge impact, scoring with an impressive dive on 33 minutes and then kicking ahead to win an early second-half penalty. Also tried hard in defence. 7
13 Henco van Wyk: Wasn’t a contributor on the ball but his defending was important in keeping the Lions out in front for so long during his 72 minutes. 6
12 Richard Kriel: Produced a healthy number of tackles but defensively won’t have enjoyed assisting Rieko Ioane’s second-half prominence, buying a dummy for one try and then gifting an intercept for another. Rolled with the punches, though, as he picked up a penalty-winning turnover not long after that second concession. 6
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11 Erich Cronje: Enjoyed highlight-reel moments, including a 23rd-minute penalty-winning turnover on Patrick Tuipulotu and then the aerial take and support line to score in the second half. Some missed tackles were an issue, though. 7
10 Chris Smith: Was at the heart of making the Lions a United Rugby Championship force at Ellis Park earlier this year, and he continued in that vein here with an intelligent performance where he kept his forwards on the front foot, inspired his backs to have a go and invited the big attendance to rumbustiously cheer along. 9
9 Nico Steyn: Given the start with Morne van den Berg tied up with the Springboks and his 54-minute effort gave the All Blacks multiple headaches. Scored the fifth-minute opening try and while he won’t want to revisit the hand-off suffered when Emoni Narawa set up Noah Hotham’s score, he went on to give an overhead assist for the Lions’ third and his perfect box kick was integral to the fourth. Also won an exquisite turnover penalty two minutes before exiting. 8
The forwards
8 Francke Horn (c): The skipper was fantastic throughout his 64 minutes and he was in the groove with his early work, leading a maul and cannily kicking ahead out wide. It set the tone for his team to be expressive and fully deserving of the lead they held for so long. That advantage included Horn’s superbly-taken score seven minutes into the second half, the No.8 brilliantly controlling the ball with his foot in an advancing scrum. 8
7 Batho Hlekani: He was brutally caught napping at a ruck, his hands grabbing his shorts for a breather rather than sensing the danger that produced an 11th-minute New Zealand try. That aberration apart, though, he was good value across his 64 minutes, playing a decent part in a team display that had the Lions sniffing what would have been a famous upset win. 7
6 Siba Mahashe: Few will quibble that the 22-year-old was awarded the sponsor’s player of the match award. He was a lovely watch, beginning with the seventh-minute intercept and run from the All Blacks’ 10-metre line that put the Lions in dreamland, two tries to the good. His silky carrying was evident again in his involvement in the Lions’ fourth try, but he was also a defensive rock whose robustness had the tourists very worried. 9
5 Ruan Delport: The glue player who quietly but effectively tied it all together for the Lions upfront. His refusal to bend was a prime reason why the Johannesburg franchise finished closest of the four teams to producing a surprise result. 8
4 Etienne Oosthuizen: Only played 19 minutes due to injury but he certainly helped to lay down a feisty opening quarter challenge to the All Blacks, especially with the calibre of his tackling. 7
3 Sebastian Lombard: Part of a starting pack that was 58kg lighter than the All Blacks, he would have been thrilled that a solid scrum five metres out was the platform for the Lions’ opening try and that a penalty advantage led to the pushover score on 47 minutes. A very positive night’s work. 7
2 PJ Botha: We had been critical of his lineout throwing during his team’s URC flourish earlier this year, but his range and accuracy were greatly improved here. Produced 53 worthy minutes before exiting with his fellow front row starters with their team 35-24 in front. 7
Lions v All Blacks, RESULT: Stats, details and scorers
1 SJ Kotze: Another who trooped off 13 minutes into the second half with his head held very high. Scrummaged well, winning a penalty on the stroke of half-time, and was extremely mobile in defence to help the Lions lead and dream big. 7
Replacements: The debut-making Hyron Andrews was ushered into the fray early and didn’t disappoint, but the same couldn’t be said about the front row subs that arrived on 53 minutes. RF Schoeman had a brief, late first-half taster with involvement in a scrum penalty win, but the cover props were detrimental in the closing second-half salvo, as two scrum penalties led to the All Blacks securing their win. Sub back-rower JC Pretorius was a busy bee after his 64th-minute introduction, but overall there wasn’t enough bench energy to make the telling difference. 4