Andy Bull's thoughts from Eden Park
NZ media reaction …
Well that’s about it from me. It’s been a brilliant series and it ended, in the words of Jonathan Davies, with one hell of a Test match. Stick around on the site for lots of reaction from Eden Park, and I’ll leave you with Rob Kitson’s match report. Bye!
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And Warren Gatland adds on his future: “I’m undefeated as a coach, I suppose. I’m focused on getting back with Wales.” He doesn’t rule out another stint with the Lions, in South Africa in four years.
Warren Gatland speaks: “The message at half-time was ‘we’re still in this game’. The players said the ball was very slippery which is probably why there were mistakes on both sides.” On the accidental penalty at the end: “In fairness to Sam [Warburton] he’s got the referee and he’s said it has to be accidental. We got the scrum and we held on. I’m really proud of the boys, they represented their four home countries brilliantly as tourists.”
And here’s Beauden Barrett: “It’s not the result either team wanted. It was a great spectacle, it would have been good to see a result. They played well and Owen [Farrell] kicked really well.” He adds that he would like to have seen extra-time, “one hundred per cent”.
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Jamie George reveals he is disappointed with his lineouts today, two of which were penalised for not being straight. But he adds that it’s been an honour to wear the shirt. Jonathan Davies says that “it was one hell of Test match. Credit it to New Zealand, they built and lead but we came back. It might have been a fair result, I don’t know.” Scott Quinnell and Will Greenwood ask him for his assessment of his own performance and he says “I did OK”. They tell him he’s been brilliant, and he grins.
Lions’ backs coach Rob Howley is a little more upbeat than his players: “What these guys have achieved over the last seven weeks, it’s a great moment for us and the boys will savour it. We were trying to play rugby, trying to get to the outside edge. We’ve got back into the game and showed spirit that’s the 2017 Lions for you.”
What has been able to shine through in this vacuum of emotion is the respect between the two sets of players, and it’s lovely to see. They embrace and chat before taking a walk around Eden Park to applaud the fans.
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Both captains are presented with the trophy! They lift it together, Read wearing his silver cap and sheepish grin, Warburton offering a friendly smile. Everyone’s a winner. Sort of.
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Read represents everything that’s great about the All Blacks, and rugby union in general. A warrior and a gentleman all at once. Warburton steps up and says both teams deserved not to lose, before thanking the army of Lions fans.
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Keven Mealamu presents Kieran Read with his 100th cap, a lovely silver number. Read holds back the tears as he pays tribute to Mealamu, the Lions, his family, the fans and finally his fellow All Blacks. “You lads are very special to me. I know you fought your hearts out tonight and I can’t thank you enough for that.”
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Now for the presentation. There is a trophy in the middle of the makeshift stage. I’m not sure who’s getting that.
My favourite part of the post-match interviews was Sam Warburton revealing that Kieran Read said to him in the final minutes of the match: “This is rugby, mate.” And you know exactly what he meant.
Maro Itoje is interviewed and he starts with “Aaah, ummm, aaah,” summing up just about everybody’s reaction without actually uttering a word.
And here’s Kieran Read, who was asked how he felt: “Pretty hollow to be honest. We’ll walk away with a draw which doesn’t mean much. In my view it’s a penalty [at the end of the game], he ruled it correctly from the start. That wasn’t the reason why we lost [drew!] the game. It didn’t click for us and we stuck at it and I’m proud of the lads. It’s just one of those ones.”
Here’s our initial match report:
The Lions captain, Sam Warburton: “It’s better than losing I guess. I was ready to go to extra-time! We’ve come to the double world champs and to not get beat is something. We can take some positives but obviously as players you’re gutted to miss out on that win.”
There aren’t many matches of so much significance which end with no celebration, at all. It’s a rather weird and anti-climactic finish and yet somehow it feels about right, both teams utterly drained but unbeaten.
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Full-time: New Zealand 15-15 Lions
The All Blacks spread it right and Jordie Barrett charges to the corner, but he’s stopped a couple of metres before the line! The Lions barge him off the field and it’s all over. The match is drawn. The series is drawn. Now breathe.
80 min All Blacks put in. They spread it and come forward one last time...
80 min The Lions turn the scrum and pinch the ball! Webb charges away but his quick pass is knocked on and the moment is gone.
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79 min Accidental offside, Romain Poite decides. Wow, it’s a huge decision. No penalty but the All Blacks will still have a scrum in the Lions half.
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But first the referee wants to check that Kieran Read didn’t take out Liam Williams in the air. Clock stopped.
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78 min New Zealand restart. They try a short one and it works, with the Lions given offside! Penalty to the All Blacks.
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Penalty! New Zealand 15-15 Lions (Farrell, 77 min)
He makes it!
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Farrell will take on the kick. It’s dead straight, but very long...
76 min Webb is impeded at the breakdown near the centre of the field – penalty!
75 min Sensational power from the Lions pack who blast forwards, black shirts crumpling, and earn a penalty. Farrell punts to halfway. Lions lineout. Tense?
74 min The scrum collapses, and resets. The Lions’ front five cannot afford to give up a penalty now.
73 min The Lions fight at the breakdown with Rhys Webb doing good work initially to hold up the man, and they earn a scrum deep in their own half. “Now is not the time for soundbites,” emails Simon McMahon, “but I feel the hand of history on our shoulders ...”.
72 min It’s a scrappy minute or so as both teams try to gain the advantage. New Zealand do the better job and when Aaron Smith kicks to Liam Williams, the full-back can’t collect a tricky bobbler and knocks on. Watson off, Nowell on.
71 min The All Blacks come again, before Barrett kicks deep. Watson collects it near the corner but keeps his composure brilliantly to beat Savea and make 10 yards. Webb kicks down Jordie Barrett’s throat, who comes running back down the field...
70 min Jamie George’s throw isn’t straight for a second time in this half. Scrum to New Zealand, and he’s immediately replaced by Ken Owens. Gatland can take no chances in the final 10 minutes.
69 min Lions kick-off, Smith box-kicks and the Lions will have a lineout near halfway. Rhys Webb is on for Conor Murray who’s played well once more.
Penalty! New Zealand 15-12 Lions (Barrett, 68 min)
Slotted over, and the All Blacks lead again.
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67 min New Zealand heave, the scrum falls, and the All Blacks have penalty! It’s under the posts and that is a huge win for their front five. It was the replacement Kyle Sinckler who was penalised.
Sam Warburton is taken off for a head injury assessment. Jones is back on, for now.
67 min …but it’s a brilliantly won turnover by the immovable by Faletau just as the Lions were looking vulnerable. That man. Scrum to the Lions deep in their own territory.
66 min Lions secure the lineout and Murray’s box-kick is enormous to find touch. New Zealand run their lineout and suddenly they look ominous. Savea flies down the wing but Watson hauls him down. Back they come...
64 min The Lions have ball in hand once more. Murray decides to test Jordie Barrett with a high kick and the full-back passes it with a fine catch. A moment later his big brother fires a low one to the corner and New Zealand have won that little battle.
On the touchline, Scott Quinnell might explode.
62 min Daly breaks down the left wing after gathering a loose ball, and he sets up a Lions attack. Sexton and Farrell do their switch move again but yet another knock-on – Lawes this time – releases the huge pressure they had created.
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61 min New Zealand knock-on in the centre of the field by Laumape under huge pressure from Warburton, who has been brilliant again. Lions scrum. Kaino returns to the game, it’s 15 v 15.
Penalty! New Zealand 12-12 Lions (Farrell, 60 min)
I’ve no idea how we’ve got here, but with 20 minutes to go this series is all square. That was some kick, by the way.
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59 min The Lions turnover and burst forward, the returning Sexton combining once again with Farrell before a high tackle on Lawes hands them another long-range penalty. Daly again? No, Farrell will take this one.
57 min Aaron Smith’s huge kick is fumbled into touch by Daly running backwards. A needless error by the wing. Crockett and Faumuina come on for New Zealand at prop.
@lawrenceostlere massive 10 minutes 4 both side! Have the Lions got that All Black killer instinct? Make it happen Lions. It's now or never
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) July 8, 2017
56 min When the All Blacks do move the ball from the scrum Jonathan Davies comes in with a clever block on Barrett’s kick. The Lions get hold of the ball and pick up inches through the forwards – until yet another knock-on.
55 min New Zealand scrum, and a couple of minutes are soaked up as Poite resets time and again.
@lawrenceostlere if the late great Bill McL was commentating he'd have said "Wooof that's a howitzer" Thorburnesque kick from Daly
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) July 8, 2017
Refreshing change watching a sport and listening to a Sir Ian who's actually informative #Lions2017
— Charlie Reynolds (@cwjreynolds) July 8, 2017
53 min The Lions work the phases, then suddenly switch wide to Watson. He offloads brilliantly to Liam Williams but it’s called forward! The full-back’s eyes lit up for a moment there as he sprinted down the right wing.
52 min Elliot Daly booms a kick into the air and Jordie Barrett chooses to volley it back the other way, soccer style. A few more kicks exchanged, and the Lions will have a lineout in the All Blacks half.
50 min Courtney Lawes replaces Alun Wyn Jones.
Yellow card! Jerome Kaino, New Zealand (49 min)
Clock stopped. It was actually Kaino’s arm which slammed into the face of Jones. What does Romain Poite reckon? He doesn’t like it and the Lions will have an extra man for 10 minutes.
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49 min The Lions pack dominates at the scrum but a moment later Alun Wyn Jones is clattered by Whitelock while carrying in midfield. The referee wants a look at the replay.
48 min Johnny Sexton is down receiving more treatment, and this time he is forced off for a head injury assessment. Ben Te’o replaces him and Farrell steps across to 10.
47 min A maul forms and players fly in from either side. In the midst of it Jerome Kaino rips the ball from Faletau and the All Blacks eventually earn a scrum. Brilliant by the flanker.
45 min Knock-on by Savea in the centre of the field. A Lions scrum.
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44 min New Zealand seemed to have created another wonderful try directly from the lineout but the final pass to Savea is called forward, saving the Lions.
43 min Very quickly the Lions concede another penalty. It’s kickable, but perhaps with his form in front of the posts in mind Barrett elects to go for the corner, with Read’s approval. It’s a brilliant punt right to the flag.
Penalty! New Zealand 12-9 Lions (Daly, 42 min)
Monstrous kick. Game on.
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41 min The Lions are immediately handed a penalty after Beauden Barrett’s poor kick-off, when Read dragged back Williams off the ball. Daly steps forward and elects to kick from just within his own half. Huge moment...
The players are back on the field. CJ Stander is on to make his Lions debut, replacing flanker Sean O’Brien who took a knock towards the end of the half.
There are two ways to look at that half, from the Lions’ perspective. They’ve been utterly outplayed, conceding two tries and not looking likely to respond with one of their own. But then again, a couple of knock-ons and missed kicks by Beauden Barrett have kept them in the contest and they are still within a score of the All Blacks. One thing is for sure, the Lions are going to need a special final 40 minutes at the end of this tour to clinch the series.
Half-time: New Zealand 12-6 Lions
Romain Poite brings a thrilling half of rugby to an end with the All Blacks in charge.
39 min They don’t succeed, and instead give away a penalty at the next breakdown. It will be the All Blacks who finish this breathless half with the ball.
38 min Sexton drills a clever kick into the corner and with a minute or so to go the Lions will try to steal the lineout.
Beauden Barrett misses the two points from out wide.
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Try! New Zealand 12-6 Lions (J Barrett, 35 min)
From a lineout the All Blacks secure the ball before working it to Laumape whose offload to Lienert-Brown is exquisite. He draws Watson and Williams before flinging the ball for Jordie Barrett overlapping on the left wing, who cruises over the line. Stunning try.
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The clock is stopped with Sexton down receiving treatment for what looks like a painful knee injury.
34 min Sexton smashes into Beauden Barrett in the centre of the field and the crowd roar. Farrell tries a high kick and Watson wins it brilliantly, setting up an attack, and Sexton and Farrell combine to make a little break but the final pass is missing. After a one-sided half the Lions are starting to settle, but they concede a penalty and the All Blacks are off the hook.
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Penalty! New Zealand 7-6 Lions (Farrell, 32 min)
The huge collisions are leaving their mark. Two of the toughest men on the pitch, Kieran Read and Sean O’Brien, are both down receiving treatment. They are soon back in the game, however, to see Farrell make his kick.
31 min The Lions opt for a quick tap and run the penalty, which was near halfway. Bold, and it pays off as they nab another penalty near the 22 for hands in the ruck, I believe.
30 min New Zealand win the ball and work it to Jordie Barrett via a poor pass, who has to check and is clattered by Jonathan Davies, a huge hit. The red forwards power in Warburton steals the ball brilliantly, winning a penalty.
29 min Savea’s power has given the All Blacks another dimension in this third Test. He makes another 15 yards and they are back in the Lions’ half once more, until a forward pass hands the tourists a scrum.
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27 min New Zealand use Savea to punch through the middle before the forwards gain a few extra yards. They work it right and the Lions repel near the corner, then left and it’s intercepted! Anthony Watson can’t quite find the space to scamper clear. The Lions breathe.
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25 min A penalty at the following scrum relieves the pressure on the Lions’ 22, but it’s back on a moment later when Liam Williams spills a high kick under huge pressure from Dagg. All Blacks scrum.
23 min The All Blacks pinch the Lions scrum with an enormous shunt and only a fumbled pass to Beauden Barrett prevents another try. The Lions are clinging on a little here.
Two different Lions players are down receiving treatment as the referee pauses the clock. The All Blacks have brought another level of physicality to Eden Park, just as we thought they would.
22 min The All Blacks win a brilliantly crafted kick-off, then work an even more ingenious cross-kick to Savea who charges towards the corner. Williams gets his body in the way, taking a smash in the process, and eventually the move falls down with a knock-on in the centre, but that was some stunning rugby.
Penalty! New Zealand 7-3 Lions (Farrell, 20 min)
Owen Farrell slots cooly from a slight angle and the Lions are on the board.
Not sure Specsavers have a good deal sponsoring officials who need to check everything with the TMO @lawrenceostlere
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) July 8, 2017
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19 min Beauden Barrett is penalised for not moving away on the floor and the Lions choose to go for the posts.
17 min Davies uses his left foot to kick down the wing for Daly to chase. Barrett covers well but he has nowhere to go and Daly bumps him into touch inside the New Zealand 22.
16 min The video replay shows no knock-on and the try stands. Barrett has another test of his kicking from close to the touchline – and it’s perfect. New Zealand 7-0 Lions.
Try! New Zealand 5-0 Lions (Laumape, 15 min)
After the counterattack, New Zealand keep up the pressure, before the Barrett brothers combine. Beauden cross-kicks for Jordie in the corner who pats down cleverly for Ngani Laumape to grab and power into the corner. A brilliant try... but Romain Poite is checking something first.
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13 min Savea charges down the pitch and the crowd roar, but the Lions manage to pull him down.
12 min Elliot Daly catches a Murray up-and-under and finally the Lions enjoy some ball in the All Blacks half. Sexton makes half a break, then Itoje makes a full one, hauled down at five metres, the Lions are closing in here... No, intercepted!
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10 min They go blindside and Beauden Barrett makes a ten yard gain. Suddenly Maro Itoje comes away with it, a crucial steal, but Farrell undoes his good work with a kick straight to touch.
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9 min This is utter dominance of the ball by New Zealand, and when the Lions seem to pinch a turnover via Warburton, Owen Farrell knocks on attempting a kick. The All Blacks will have a scrum on the Lions 22 and the pressure on the tourists is cranking up.
7 min The first scrum of the match is a Lions put in and they work it well, with Conor Murray kicking close to the halfway line for an All Blacks lineout.
5 min What a chance for Savea on his return to the side! Beauden Barrett picks a brilliant line before offloading to his brother Jordie, but Savea couldn’t hold the final pass on the wing with the try-line calling.
4 min The All Blacks are straight back on the front foo,t working it wide before Taylor checks back inside. Laumape tries a little chip down the right wing but Daly does brilliantly on the turn to calmly collect, spin, and set up Murray for a long box-kick to touch.
3 min Barrett shanks it well wide and that is a huge miss.
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2 min An early call from Romain Poite, penalising Warburton for hands in the ruck after it looked like he’d won a turnover for the Lions. Huge shout. Barrett will kick from perhaps 40 yards, straight.
Kick-off!
Johnny Sexton belts one deep and Aaron Smith fires back with an excellent kick to touch just inside the Lions half.
Kieran Read’s eyes. That had feeling. Flames fire into the sky as the two teams retreat. The decider. Here we go!
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The atmosphere is something else, as if you needed telling. Here comes the Haka.
When supporting the Lions, always look good doing it.
@lawrenceostlere compulsory lions stash? check ✔️🦁 pic.twitter.com/zimV8RixyI
— Dean Rodrigues (@djrodrigues23) July 8, 2017
Sam Warburton leads out the Lions, intimidation factor only slightly impinged by the large cuddly lion under his arm. And here comes Kieran Read, out on his own to soak up the applause on his 100th cap before his team eventually follow. He looks fierce, nothing cuddly here.
A couple of giant crested flags are wheeled out on to the pitch. The players are next. It’s easy to forget in all the buildup and on Kieran Read’s 100th cap that Ngani Laumape is making his first start in an All Blacks jersey. Some occasion to do it.
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Ten minutes to kick-off. It’s getting awfully close. Yikes.
This is big isn't it @lawrenceostlere? Empire State Human big - https://t.co/sMmI5lwuut. The flight home might be a bit quiet or rather loud
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) July 8, 2017
The players are going through their warm-ups in front of a packed Eden Park crowd with swathes of red covering huge parts. John McEnerney has his game face on and his war cry ready:
@lawrenceostlere 3 words 4 The Lions 'Whatever it takes" they were the last words the 2nd Test 97 Lions heard leaving the dressing room!
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) July 8, 2017
@lawrenceostlere "......you'll be breathing through your a*se they'll be worse, they will be worse" MJ 01 1st Test https://t.co/FzjExVlUMN
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) July 8, 2017
Or if you prefer your buildups to be a little less poetic and a little more dramatic, I’ve just the thing:
Some recommended pre-match reading from our chief rugby correspondent, Robert Kitson:
One last spin of the roulette wheel and the 2017 British & Irish Lions will be history. This has already been a hell of a tour and everything now rests on the starkest of endgames. Red or black? It has the feel of one of those classic cinematic moments when the whole enthralled casino gathers round to watch the win-or-bust conclusion.
Peering over the players’ shoulders from afar, too, are the boys of 1971, the only Lions side in history to have conquered the oval-shaped Everest of a series victory in New Zealand.
Gareth Edwards, Barry John, Willie John McBride, JPR Williams … the current squad’s manager, John Spencer, has been receiving texts from every legendary Lion out there. Amid all the encouragement to go out and finish the job, Spencer reports one recurring theme: “All of them have been saying: ‘Get this monkey off our backs. We don’t want to die with the record around our necks.’”
Here’s the full piece:
Steve Hansen speaks! “It’s got to be a game that we win up front, as with all Test matches. It’ll be a great contest. We’ve just got to play, but we need to keep the ball in hand more than we have in the first two Tests.” He says the occasion of Kieran Read’s 100th cap here – only the seventh All Black to reach that milestone – has barely been mentioned this week in the New Zealand camp.
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If the Lions do go down in Auckland tonight, they’ll go down swinging both on and off the pitch:
Warren Gatland speaks! “It’s 46 years since 1971 – these guys can leave a legacy. They’re here, a lot of them, because they’ve been in big games in the past. Many were there four years ago in Australia, and have played Premiership finals, European Cup finals… I’ve told them this is their only chance. The only person who could possibly be back here in 12 years is Maro Itoje! No one else is going to be.”
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Preamble
Despite the All Blacks’ defeat last weekend, most of those ridiculous stats are still intact. They still haven’t lost a Lions series in 46 years, or an Eden Park Test for 23 years, or back-to-back matches for 19 years. Yet this week those numbers haven’t felt so important. Likewise the many imperfections in the Lions’ tour don’t seem to matter anymore, the memories of defeats and wasteful finishing all washed away by a knife-edge win in Wellington. Suddenly the only thing that matters is the deciding Test between the All Blacks and the Lions. Games of rugby don’t get much bigger than this one.
Not that you’d tell from Steve Hansen’s demeanour this week. The New Zealand coach has tried his best to play down its significance and stress that losing is no disaster, while Warren Gatland is now the one exuding impenetrable confidence and talking up the occasion. As the Lions coach put it this week: “I think you should all be excited for what is potentially going to be one hell of a Test match.”
That confidence is evinced in Gatland retaining the same team who won in Wellington, although he has admitted they will have to improve if they are to prosper a second time. Hansen brings in three new faces to his backs, with the ball of muscle that is Ngani Laumape replacing the suspended Sonny Bill Williams at 12, Beauden’s young brother Jordie Barrett at full-back, and the imposing Julian Savea starting on the wing. The pack is unchanged for a forward confrontation which will be enormous, and it may be the front five who retain their discipline in the heat of battle that prevails – Mako Vunipola will have been told.
For the Lions, it’s win or bust. Victory in Wellington earned some credit and ensured they avoid a humiliating whitewash, but it will mean little without a win at Eden park to go with it. After so much buildup on and off the field it all comes down to these 80 minutes. Either the Lions will be the team who wrote an astounding piece of history on New Zealand soil, or they will be just another bunch of tourists who failed to conquer the All Blacks.
Teams
New Zealand: J Barrett; I Dagg, A Lienert-Brown, N Laumape, J Savea; B Barrett, A Smith; J Moody, C Taylor, O Franks, B Retallick, S Whitelock, J Kaino, S Cane, K Read (capt).
Replacements: N Harris, W Crockett, C Faumuina, S Barrett, A Savea, TJ Perenara, A Cruden, M Fekitoa.
British & Irish Lions: L Williams; A Watson, J Davies, O Farrell, E Daly; J Sexton, C Murray; M Vunipola, J George, T Furlong, AW Jones, M Itoje, S Warburton (capt), S O’Brien, T Faletau.
Replacements: K Owens, J McGrath, K Sinckler, C Lawes, C Stander, R Webb, B Te’o, J Nowell.
Referee: R Poite (France)
Kick-off: 8.35am BST, 7.35pm in Auckland
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