NZ Rugby World

All Blacks 3-0 British & Irish Lions

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Look, plenty of people will be picking the same outcome, but to be honest, most of them will have arrived at the right answer but for the wrong reasons.

It’s not that the Lions are without hope. They are not a bad side. But the reality of this tour is that they are arriving at a boom time for New Zealand rugby. Things are good and the skill levels across the board are unbelievab­ly high.

We can see the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Chiefs all beating the Lions and possibly the Highlander­s, too. The problem for the visitors is that they don’t have enough wow factor.

They haven’t brought any blow-your-socks-o gamebreake­rs. Lots of good, solid profession­als have come. Good players such as Owen Farrell, Jonathan Joseph and CJ Stander, but there is no Beauden Barrett in their mix. They have no Ben Smith or Sonny Bill Williams and it is hard to see them winning a test without that X-factor.

 ??  ?? The series with the Lions should be as physical as the All Blacks test with Ireland in Dublin last year. EPIC BATTLE
The series with the Lions should be as physical as the All Blacks test with Ireland in Dublin last year. EPIC BATTLE

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