The Lions have just confirmed that Finn Russell and Allan Dell have been called up.
Meanwhile, here’s Gatland: “It was pretty good, wasn’t it? Territory and possession, we dominated things. A couple of stupid penalties in the first half but we played some good rugby and squeezed the life out of them.
“We’re really pleased with that performance. We are benefiting from the quality of the sides we’re playing against and hopefully that sets us up for what looks like it will be a cracking series.”
That’s about all from me. As ever, thanks for reading. Join me again on Tuesday for the Chiefs v the Lions. Cheerio!
Updated
Match report
Here’s a spot of reaction from Gregor Townsend after Scotland’s impressive victory over Australia in Sydney.
Amusing …
@gerard_meagher no messin about with The Tullow Tank with or without the ball. Hardy farmer from Carlow. Superb performance by him & PO'M pic.twitter.com/V9JBIJUQbi
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) June 17, 2017
Peter O'Mahony reacts
“We were building on the set piece,” says O’Mahony, another who enhanced his chances of a Test spot. “Scrum and lineout were good today on both sides of the ball. The weather, we played it tactically well, but we’ve plenty to do. There’s a big game on Tuesday and it’s good timing for a good win.”
Full time! Maori All Blacks 10-32 Lions
Just what the doctor ordered for the Lions. Precisely the kind of comprehensive victory Gatland will have wanted with increasing scrutiny off the field. The Lions put the squeeze on the second have and the Maori All Blacks couldn’t live with it.
As a blueprint for what they will do next week, it was perfect really. Halfpenny kicked all of his goals and a number of players have given Gatland selection headaches. Front of that queue is Itoje, who was probably behind Alun Wyn Jones in the pecking order but can’t feasibly be left out now. O’Brien must be favourite for the No7 jersey too.
All in all, an excellent night’s work for the Lions.
80 mins: It’s another Lions scrum in the final minute, it’s a penalty to the Lions as the hooter goes. Will they remember to tap this time? Indeed they do.
79 mins: The Lions are delighted with themselves after holding up the Maori ABs maul. We’ll have a scrum to the Lions, near their 22. Te’o carries hard yet again.
78 mins: Free-kick to the Maori and Thompson carries well. West fires it to Ngatai and the Maori are on a rare foray into the Lions half. There’s scrap on the floor all the while – Biggar is involved … O’Brien too. Lowe also plays his part and it looks like maybe Ngatai too. No conclusive pictures though so we’ll restart with a scrum to the Maori All Blacks.
76 mins: In it goes, out it comes finally and eventually Owens fumbles.
74 mins: 14 phases and counting for the Lions, really good ball retention. And they have the advantage for a knock-on. Scrum.
Updated
73 mins: The Maori ABs scramble though so the Lions are back on the 22. Henderson takes them into it, and O’Brien a bit further.
72 mins: Lowe kicks out on the full after a clever pass from Milner-Skudder. Lions lineout just inside the Maori All Blacks half. Te’o bursts through a gap this time. He’s been trying all day and finally gets away.
71 mins: The Lions are into the 30s for the first time on this tour. West, on for McKenzie, gets us going again. Laidlaw clears but the Maori have it near halfway.
70 mins: Another Lions maul, Laidlaw directing his forwards around. Watson tries to slip away after coming in from his wing. Faletau nearly gets clear and offloads, O’Brien can’t hold it but it’s another penalty for the Lions. Halfpenny will take aim … he’s not missed on the tour yet and he keeps that record up.
67 mins: The Maori are bundled into touch on the left, just running out of space. The Lions really do have their foot to the pedal at the moment.
Biggar and Laidlaw on for Sexton and Murray.
66 mins: Sinckler and Owens are on for George and Furlong. The maul is creeping rather then rolling but the Lions are turned over. The Maori clear but so does Daly.
64 mins: O’Mahony is in a bit of trouble as Daly replaces North. Warburton comes on O’Mahony. No point taking risks with him, he’s been excellent. A Test starter on the back of that. He jogged off so should hopefully be OK.
The scrum is a bit of a messy and the Lions have been turned over. McKenzie clears.
63 mins: The Lions have the advantage, Murray can’t get there so we’ll come back for another scrum.
61 mins: Henderson again and the Lions are just a metre or two … and the Lions will have another scrum a few metres out. Another try and the Maori ABs are done for, if not already.
60 mins: Changes for the Lions – Henderson and McGrath are on for Kruis and Vunipola.
The Lions make a bit of a mess of the lineout though so the Maori have it but McKenzie is swapped. He’s having a bit of a nightmare and O’Brien turns the ball over. Henderson rumbles down the left.
Updated
59 mins: Here comes the driving maul now, George still has it, inside the 22. Murray finds Sexton, then Te’o who almost gets through. O’Brien next but he loses it in contact and McKenzie clears.
58 mins: Everything is going the way of the Lions. Lowe is pinged for blocking so Sexton is going to look for touch on the left. It’s conservative, but it’s there. Kerr-Barlow is back on.
Try! Maori All Blacks 10-29 Lions (Itoje)
56 mins: The Maori scrum holds up well this time but while Faletau can’t quite get there, Itoje does. The Lions are cruising as Halfpenny adds the conversion.
Updated
54 mins: Proctor goes off with a nasty looking arm injury, replaced by Thompson. Scrum time, the Lions have the foot on the throat at the moment.
53 mins: Davies grubbers down the left for North but Lowe does well to clean up and McKenzie’s chip over the top is terrible. Ioane is under pressure near his own line after another Davies grubber and so it’s another Lions scrum five metres out.
52 mins: Things looking very good for the Lions now, they’d love to add a bit of gloss in the last half an hour.
Try! Maori All Blacks 10-22 Lions (penalty)
51 mins: It’s another penalty – it’s a penalty try! Seven points of course now, no need to convert.
Updated
50 mins: The Lions’ shove is good. Murray thinks he can get there, he can’t but the Lions have a penalty. This is just the kind of situation where the Lions must come away with a try. We’ll come back for another scrum though.
49 mins: It’s right in the corner so Sexton punts the penalty out and while have the lineout on the five-metre line. George hits Kruis, Te’o comes flying up, he’s not quite there but the Lions think they have scored … we’ll go upstairs.
It’s George, who thinks he’s scored. Peyper asks, try or no try. It doesn’t look like he’s anywhere near. We’ll have a five-metre scrum.
48 mins: Faletau picks up, finds Murray who moves it on to Halfpenny. He’s brought down, a few metres out. The referee wants to have a look at something … Kerr-Barlow’s tackle on Halfpenny is being looked out. There’s debate over whether he’s used his arms … Kerr-Barlow is in a spot of bother here. Yellow card.
46 mins: Sexton launches the ball high and Lowe, under no pressure, spills it in his own 22. This really isn’t very pretty but it’s working for the Lions – this is just what they’ll be hoping for next week.
45 mins: McKenzie goes short with the restart, too short. Scrum on halfway.
Maori All Blacks 10-15 Lions (Halfpenny)
44 mins: Five out of five for Halfpenny and the Lions lead by five.
Updated
43 mins: George hits Faletau and Te’o busts up the middle into traffic. Kerr-Barlow concedes a silly penalty just by his 22. Halfpenny will go at goal as Peyper gives Dixon a ticking off.
Peeeeeeeeeep!
41 mins: McKenzie gets us up and running again, Kruis takes it and the Lions maul makes good ground. Sexton looks for North with the cross-kick. It doesn’t find it’s target but the Lions have advantage. The weather is filthy, fyi …
Here’s what our man on the ground makes of the first half …
Lions doing a lot of good things but still prone to frustrating errors. May well need to find a way over the try-line at some stage too...
— robert kitson (@robkitson) June 17, 2017
Half-time! Maori All Blacks 10-12 Lions
Evenly-poised and in truth really quite scrappy. The Lions will be happy enough, especially with their defensive work – we’ve seen practically nothing in a freeflowing sense from the Maori ABs. Rieko Ioane has had a particularly off night but the home side have scored the only try through Messam after North made a mess of the ball.
The Lions have been very solid defensively, Sexton is playing with authority but it was a familiar story when Davies made a line-break – the Lions could not finish off their chances. Halfpenny is four from four from the tee though and a bit more precision from the Lions should see them comfortably home. You’d expect the Maori to improve after the break though.
Half-time reading for you … x3
40 mins: Oh dear, the penalty is kicked straight out, rather than tapped, so the ball is still live. Kruis takes the lineout though and Murray then kicks out for half-time.
40 mins: It’s a messy lineout but the Maori have it on the Lions 22. Wheeler drives them forward and the Maori keep it with the forwards and play edges towards the left. The hooter goes and it’s a penalty to the Lions and that will be that for the first half. Faletau it was, who won the penalty.
Updated
39 mins: Milner-Skudder nearly gets free down the right but Davies does well to haul him down. Furlong gives away a penalty at the breakdown though. It’s closer in, but on the right. He kicks to the corner.
37 mins: Both sides knock-on, the Maori first. Sums it up really. It’s a scrappy contest.
36 mins: He had the distance, but not the accuracy.
35 mins: The Maori ABs haven’t clicked yet but McKenzie tries to get them going. O’Brien almost forces the turnover but at the next breakdown, the Lions are penalised. It’s near halfway but inside the Maori half. McKenzie wants a shot a goal though …
Penalty! Maori All Blacks 10-12 Lions (Halfpenny)
33 mins: It’s straight in front of the posts and it’s penalty No4 for Halfpenny.
32 mins: O’Brien has a powerful carry, the Lions have advantage, Sexton chips over the top, looking for Davies and/or Te’o but neither can get there. Back we come for the penalty.
31 mins: Lions lineout in the Maori ABs’ 22. Here comes the maul, but it’s going sideways. Murray goes himself but he’s caught by Messam.
30 mins: The Maori ABs have it with Akira Ioane in centre field, but Vunipola executes the perfect turnover. Textbook. Sexton decides to go for the corner.
28 mins: McKenzie does not find touch tough so here comes North up the middle. Sexton works it well to the right, Faletau breaks the gain-line but loses the ball, Ngatai kicks and chases, North is under pressure but does well to mop up near his own line.
27 mins: Lowe kicks long to Halfpenny, who goes to the skies and collects his kick, very bravely. Sexton then looks for the right-hand corner, and it’s pin-point. The Maori will have lineout five metres out but they go quickly … they almost make a mess of it but the Lions are penalised.
25 mins: Itoje rumbles up the middle, Sexton throws a dummy then finds Davies, but he knocks on. Proctor it was with the defensive work, and excellent it was too. We’ll have a scrum near the Maori 22, but it’s going to be reset.
Updated
23 mins: Kruis charges down Kerr-Barlow’s kick but the Maori ABs scramble and Lowe clears. McKenzie takes a high ball and Milner-Skudder clears only as far as North on half way.
Penalty! Maori All Blacks 10-9 Lions (McKenzie)
22 mins: A trademark smile from McKenzie and through the posts it goes.
21 mins: The Maori ABs turn the Lions over after the restart – Itoje can’t get down to the ground so it’s a penalty for the Maori. McKenzie will have a shot at goal.
Penalty! Maori All Blacks 7-9 Lions (Halfpenny)
20 mins: After a bit of debate, the Lions go for the posts. Halfpenny makes it three from three and the Lions lead again.
18 mins: Lowe chips this time, he thinks he’s been taken late, but we’ll play on for now and the Lions have it through Furlong. Kruis now, then Davies shows and goes! He’s hauled down a metre or two short. The Lions have advantage though – Sexton prised open that gap for Davies but he couldn’t quite get there.
With the forwards now but back we come for the penalty. It was a great break from Davies but it goes down as another chance the Lions have failed to convert.
Updated
16 mins: Dixon finds Franklin from the lineout but the Lions have turned it over. Murray kicks clear and Rieko Ioane takes the high ball under pressure. McKenzie kicks into North’s corner again, he returns … and Lowe looks to go over Watson’s shoulder.
Updated
15 mins: Akira Ioane has a powerful carry on the left from the restart … McKenzie clears but the Lions are penalised for offside. McKenzie finds a decent touch.
Conversion! Maori All Blacks 7-6 Lions (McKenzie)
13 mins: It was North and Halfpenny who combined to make a mess of that. It’s wet out there but still, rank average. That’s a boost for the Maori considering they had seen so little of the ball until that. McKenzie slots the conversion.
Updated
Try! Maori All Blacks 5-6 Lions (Messam)
12 mins: The Lions clear their lines, Messam flings a long lineout though and McKenzie has a burst. Again the Maori take it quickly but the Lions have turned it over near half way. The Maori have it back though and Milner-Skudder grubbers – the Lions make a mess of it and Messam splashes on to the loose ball.
Here’s a bit more reading for you – on England women’s victory against New Zealand earlier in Rotorua.
Penalty! Maori All Blacks 0-6 Lions (Halfpenny)
10 mins: It’s from out on the right this time, just outside the 22, but Halfpenny is on the money again.
Updated
8 mins: The Lions have the maul rolling, they’re up to the 10m line and Murray sends up an expert box-kick, right on the 22. The Maori ABs are pinged for offside so Halfpenny will go at goal again.
7 mins: North knocks on a short pass and Rieko Ioane briefly threatens on the left before Halfpenny snares him.
6 mins: Both sides are happy to send the ball skyward. Franklin knocks on Halfpenny’s bomb so the Lions have a scrum on half way.
Penalty! Maori All Blacks 0-3 Lions (Halfpenny)
5 mins: The penalty is from the left of the posts, but not very far out … and Halfpenny makes no mistake. Good start for the Lions.
3 mins: Sexton nips through a gap, Murray can’t quite free his arms to put Furlong away but the Lions have advantage so back we’ll come.
2 mins: Te’o straightens to bring the Lions to the Maori 22. Davies carries on the left - the Lions are going through the phases well. It’s with the forward, then out to the right. The Lions are keeping the ball well.
Peeeeeeeeeeeep!
1 min: Sexton kicks off and Kerr-Barlow wellies it clear. Sexton goes high again and Lowe punts clear – but straight out on the full. That will suit the Lions if it continues.
Hika Elliot leads a wonderful haka … and we’ll be up and running in just a few moments.
Updated
Here come the teams … there’s a minute’s silence for all those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.
We’ll have the New Zealand national anthem, the Maori ABs will be performing a haka and then we’ll be underway.
A bit of additional reading for you as well in the form of an Australia v Scotland match report and a preview of the Junior World Cup final between England and New Zealand tomorrow.
Confirmation that no Ireland players are among the call-ups this weekend …
Joe Schmidt confirms zero Irish call-ups. "That's the Lions prerogative but the decisions appear to have been made by proximity."
— Gavin Cummiskey (@Cumoski) June 17, 2017
Here’s what Nick Evans, our columnist for the duration of the Lions tour, has had to say before today’s match …
Gatland has been speaking further about the call-ups. He confirms that the six have been picked largely on geography, citing how Christian Wade struggled when coming in from Argentina four years ago. He also says that they six will be on their way after the Hurricanes match on Tuesday week
“It is a bit of geography. It was always part of the plan to bring in cover. When you look at the positions, it’s hard for players to sit on the bench on Tuesday and then play the Tests matches.”
Gatland’s selections are hugely polarising. How does Joe Launchbury feel at this stage? It’s a debate that will run and run but if it helps the Lions beat the All Blacks, it’ll all be forgotten.
Without stating the bleeding obvious, the Lions could desperately do with a win against the Maori ABs (as they will now be know for typing reasons). Twelve years ago, defeat in this match really knocked the stuffing out of the Lions and the Maori side is littered with players in and around the All Blacks squad. Damian McKenzie is at fly-half, James Lowe at full-back, Nehe Milner-Skudder and Rieko Ioane on the wings – it’s a remarkably talented back-line and the forwards, including Liam Messam, Elliot Dixon, Akira Ioane and Ash Dixon are no slouches either.
It may not quite by the Lions’ first-choice side, but it is not far away. There is huge pressure on Jonathan Sexton to prove Owen Farrell’s injury is not terminal for the Lions and he should be helped by having Conor Murray inside him. Ben Te’o – a former Leinster team-mate of Sexton’s – is at 12 with Jonathan Davies at 13. With Leigh Halfpenny, Anthony Watson and George North comprising the back three – it is Gatland’s strongest back-line, Farrell aside.
Up front, it’s a fiercely strong pack – the same that beat the Crusaders apart from Maro Itoje in for Alun Wyn Jones.
British & Irish Lions L Halfpenny; A Watson, J Davies, B Te’o, G North; J Sexton, C Murray; M Vunipola, J George, T Furlong, G Kruis, M Itoje, P O’Mahony, S O’Brien, T Faletau. Replacements K Owens, J McGrath, K Sinckler, I Henderson, S Warburton, G Laidlaw, D Biggar, E Daly.
Maori All Blacks J Lowe; N Milner-Skudder, M Proctor, C Ngatai; RIoane; D McKenzie, T Kerr-Barlow; K Hames, A Dixon (captain), B May, J Wheeler, T Franklin, A Ioane, E Dixon, L Messam. Replacements H Elliot, C Eves, M Renata, L Price, K Pryor, B Hall, I West, R Thompson.
Scotland have beaten Australia 24-19! Huge result for Gregor Townsend’s men, a dismal result for the Wallabies. Elsewhere, Ireland have thumped Japan 50-22.
Here’s what Gatland says on the four Welsh call-ups …
We have said all along that we need to give ourselves the best chance of winning the Test series and that could potentially involve calling up players. Bringing in these players from an identical time zone, who can hit the ground running and step straight in rather than having to adjust following long-haul travel will help us manage players before the 1st Test, give us quality training numbers to prepare properly as well as offering us options for selection for the Chiefs match. These are players currently on international duty who we are looking forward to welcoming into the Tour party as we did with several players in 2013. I spoke to all the Home Union coaches prior to departure and explained our thinking and they were all supportive.”
Here’s news of a hugely impressive win for England women’s team against New Zealand …
FT | NZ 21-29 ENG
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) June 17, 2017
What a win for the Red Roses 🌹in Rotorua 👊
They have won all 3 games on tour now. 👏
Next stop... World Cup in August.
We’re approaching the last five minutes in Sydney and Scotland still lead. You can keep a closer eye on the action here …
Preamble
Hello!
And welcome to the fifth match of the British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand.
It is all go in Rotorua – so let’s have a quick recap. Warren Gatland has called up an additional four players to his squad with another two to follow in due course. The quartet he has added are all Welsh – Kristian Dacey, Cory Hill, Tomas Francis and Gareth Davies. He has come in for widespread criticism because, while the selections make obvious geographical sense, it’s fair to say that with the exception of perhaps Davies, they are not there on merit. Gatland is facing accusations of devaluing the Lions jersey, not that he will care, but it only heightens the pressure before today’s match against the Maori All Blacks.
The other two players set to added are Scotland’s Finn Russell and Allan Dell – provided they come through their match against Australia. There are just under 10 minutes remaining in Sydney and Scotland are leading 24-19 – though the Wallabies are battering away at present.
Additionally, Ross Moriarty has been ruled out of the Lions tour with a back injury but Gatland does not intend to call up any back-row cover. Moriarty played in the tour opener against the New Zealand Barbarians and his injury was compounded when, according to Gatland, spending too long sitting in one of the sponsors’ cars, fulfilling off-field commitments.
On top of all that, we have a game today … where the Lions must prove they can cope without Owen Farrell. His absence looms over the Lions today – despite a very strong side picked by Gatland. With New Zealand thrashing Samoa on Friday and Steve Hansen throwing a few more barbs in Gatland’s direction, how the Lions could do with an emphatic victory today.
Updated
