BARBARIANS AT THE GATE
There was something unexpectedly miraculous in the Whangarei air when the British & Irish Lions played their first game in New Zealand for 12 years.
It seemed to dawn on everyone that the waiting was over and more amazingly, after 10 minutes or so, that having given the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians no chance at all – what with them being semiprofessional and all – there was a genuine chance of an upset.
Hopes of that increased when Barbarians captain Sam AndersonHeather managed to barge his way over the tryline midway through the first half.
It was a try very much with the run of play as for all the pre-match hype, the Lions were poor. They looked sluggish and lacking in ideas.
The Barbarians played all the rugby, made the more convincing linebreaks and held up extremely well in the contact areas and in the set piece.
Anderson-Heather's try was a moment many of the players will never forget, but despite having so much to be proud of, the Barbarians were ultimately disappointed they couldn't grab a famous victory.
Captain Sam Anderson-Heather thought, regardless of the result, it was still a massive achievement, but still felt disappointed with the outcome.
“For me, it was still disappointing,” said Anderson-Heather. “I have always believed from day one we could have won this game. We had an opportunity there [to win the game].
“They made the most of their opportunities and we were just not quite good enough on the night.”