Lions v All Blacks: Winners and losers as ‘unplayable’ wing scores two but veteran playmaker left ‘frustrated’
The All Blacks squeezed past the Lions on Tuesday to continue their unbeaten tour of South Africa.
The All Blacks squeezed past the Lions 41-35 on Tuesday to continue their unbeaten tour of South Africa. Here are our winners and losers from the game.
Winners
Nico Steyn: He may be just 24, but he played like a man 10 years his senior. He led the Lions attack with confidence, controlling backs and forwards with military precision at a pace that more than matched their international opponents. In fact, his opening try put the All Blacks on the back foot from the opening minutes, then backed it up with a superb box-kick clearance from the restart. He showed real maturity to nudge the ball out of play as the clock turned red, bringing an end to a scintillating first half. He’s only ever played for South Africa’s A team, but with further performances like that, a full squad call-up cannot be far off.
Siba Mahashe: He had the game of his life at 21. He made a brilliant interception from an early lineout, then showed excellent pace to race away from the covering All Black defence to score the Lions’ second try of the match. He later made a fantastic break down the left wing to set up the opening try of the second half, before later being right in the middle of the action as the Lions powered over from close range. Almost all of his actions were highlight-worthy, but his huge tackle on Samisoni Taukei’aho will make the cover reel.
Emoni Narawa: The Chiefs winger was utterly unplayable at times. His early break down the right wing set the tone for the rest of his evening. He was not satisfied with the odd touch of the ball, but insisted on popping up all over the field. His tenacity resulted in a try midway through the first half, collecting the ball after a brilliant team move. Later, in the final moments of the game, he stepped five players to score in the corner to confirm the All Blacks’ victory. He’s seen limited club action this past season due to a foot injury, but this performance gave a solid indication that he is truly back to his best. Despite being heralded as somewhat of a ‘surprise inclusion’ in the tour squad, he’s certainly playing like he deserves a spot in the Test team.
Rieko Ioane: The veteran All Black looked as though he didn’t have a care in the world, playing the sort of rugby that earned him international recognition many years ago. He exploited the Lions defence with pure pace, making 141 metres from just six carries, and showed excellent hands in the midfield to bring his teammates into the game. He stepped above the rest in the second half, showing unreal gas to score a brilliant solo try, just as the Lions were threatening to run away with the game. His defensive game cannot be understated either, making a team high of 10 tackles – although he did miss five. He scored his second in the final minutes, pouncing on loose play by the Lions to intercept the ball and outpace Quan Horn to touch down next to the right-hand post.
Quan Horn: He’s already appeared for the Springboks on a couple of occasions, and if he continues to play like that, he will certainly play for them again. Despite the Lions being on the back foot for most of the game, he showed signs of sheer electricity on the attack, giving the Lions some real go-forward ball. Although he was turned over a couple of times, and lost in a foot race to Ioane, he showed real promise against a tough opposition.
Ethan Blackadder: He certainly played his way back into Test contention with this performance. The Crusaders back-rower was superb in the breakdown, made some splendid runs while always looking for the supporting runner. He was rewarded for his persistence midway through the second half, when he showed excellent pace to race over the Lions try-line. The only negative: his left-handed passing is suspect.
Timoci Tavatavanawa: A brilliant running display at inside centre, beating eight defenders, making three line breaks, and running 138 metres. His low centre of gravity and exceptional leg drive made him a nightmare to deal with, plus his teamwork was excellent, making a team high of four offloads. Even without the ball, he was terrific, making two turnovers and running excellent dummy lines. The Highlanders star has but a handful of All Black caps to his name, but if he continues to play like that, then Dave Rennie will surely start to issue him more.
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
Losers
Lions fatigue: A long European season for the URC side showed in the latter stages of the game, when the previously energetic Lions started to make mistakes. Although they fought hard, lapses of concentration eventually caused their downfall, with their previously comprehensive lead being chipped away until there was nothing left in the tank.
Beauden Barrett: He didn’t play badly; he was just very unfortunate. A one-handed catch-and-kick ended up in a knock-on; an offload from Ioane didn’t quite go to hand, and he spent a fair proportion of his day on clean-up duty. All very frustrating, considering the 147-cap playmaker will have been desperate to impress as he sees his teammates take to the field on Saturday.
All Blacks indiscipline: They conceded eight penalties overall, and each one hurt them. Lions star Chris Smith’s boot was enough to turn a promising attacking position into devastating losses, as the visitors suffered from their overeagerness.
Noah Hotham: He was slow around the breakdown, giving Mo’unga leisurely ball which didn’t help with the early Lions onslaught. This all came after his first box-kick went straight into touch, from which he never really recovered. He’s inexperienced, which certainly explained the intercept pass to Mahashe, but he’ll be unlikely to see another black shirt for a while.
Batho Hlekani: Smashed in his first contact and knocked the ball on in his second catch attempt, before then being knocked backwards in his third big attempt at a charge. He never gave up, but the wind certainly looked like it had been taken out of his sails from then on