Midweek Lions roll Chiefs
A happier homecoming this time, for Warren Gatland.
This time last year the proud Waikato man left Hamilton with a face as red as his Welsh lads’ jerseys after the Chiefs put them to the sword during their series against the All Blacks.
A year on, the cheeks will probably be described more as rosy, instead, after his British and Irish Lions midweekers kept the tourists’ momentum well in hand ahead of the all-important first test at Eden Park on Saturday, after dispatching the Chiefs 34-6 at FMG Stadium Waikato.
In reality, the result wasn’t going to mean much in the bigger scheme of things, but after their confidence-building win over the New Zealand Maori in Rotorua last weekend, these Lions didn’t want to surrender any of their newfound inspiration.
This was their 10th time playing in Hamilton, and having lost on the past two occasions – to the Maori in 2005 and to Waikato in 1993 when Gatland scored a try for the Mooloo men – they made amends big time, with a team featuring five of those Welshmen from last year.
The Chiefs’ laid down their challenge with that haka of theirs they’ve performed on several memorable occasions. But this time wasn’t to be one of those. For a side without six All Blacks and four Maori players, it was always going to take something special.
They hoped for the exuberance of youth, but in the end, they just had to tip their hat to a touring party who themselves had enough to play for, with all wanting to make their best impression for future test selection prospects.
The Chiefs were dominated massively at the set piece – their scrum shunted backwards on several occasions and their lineout faltering time and again, ever since Courtney Lawes snatched one in front of Dominic Bird on the first throw of the game. Then the hosts just struggled to split a solid Lions defensive line, with their usual gamebreakers not there to produce the normal spark.
But if the Lions didn’t leave Hamilton with bruised egos, they’ll at least be nursing some bruised bodies. There were some absolutely punishing hits out there, with the crunches reverberating all round a packed stadium, which featured various pockets of red, and that ‘‘Li-ons, Lions’’ chant that will only get louder over the next few weeks.
The Chiefs held the Lions to one try in the first half and a 13-6 scoreline at the break, with winger Jack Nowell scoring the first of his two tries on 26 minutes, with the tourists having spent 10 minutes without prop Joe Marler after his brain fade no arms late shot on Nepo Laulala.
As that was going on Chiefs winger Toni Pulu was getting a stretcher sent his way, with his unfortunate run with injury continuing, this time his knee giving way in a tackle and seeing him off after just 12 minutes.
But the second half belonged all to the tourists, stamping their mark with a 54th minute penalty try awarded by Jerome Garces after the Chiefs brought down that dangerous rolling maul, with Mitchell Brown also sin binned for the ordeal.
With a two-converted try buffer, we then saw the men in red at their most expansive they’ve been on tour, punishing yet another stray Chiefs lineout, moving the ball wide one way then the other, with Nowell producing a mighty fine finish for his double.
More was to come when