HOW THE ALL BLACKS RATED
Ben Smith 4: Poor start, dropping his first three high balls and didn’t look right. Off in the 27th minute for a concussion test and didn’t return in a big worry for the All Blacks. Israel Dagg 8: A big presence with an early try-saving tackle, powerful boot and lively counter-attack. Brilliant offload for Rieko Ioane’s first try. Top night’s work at the back. Ryan Crotty 6: Busy start and combined effectively with Sonny Bill Williams on attack and defence. Off with a hamstring injury in the 33rd minute. Sonny Bill Williams 7: Ran headlong into the Lions’ midfield all night and defended stoutly. Few trademark offloads but provided the physical presence the All Blacks needed and got them rolling forward. Rieko Ioane 7: Saw very little ball in the first half, then took his two chances superbly. Pace a huge asset, and it was no mean feat to burn off Elliot Daly for the matchsealing try. Beauden Barrett 7.5: Well contained by the Lions defence but showed some magical touches and strong in the air when he switched to fullback. Perfect night off the kicking tee a highlight. Aaron Smith 7.5: Picked for his speed of mind and pass, and delivered with a busy, decisive performance. Directed the attack well and his quick taps helped with some killer blows. Kieran Read 8.5: A colossus. Six weeks off? Who cares. Carried endlessly and produced one jolting tackle to snuff out a Lions raid that shook Eden Park. Wonderful touch off the scrum for Ioane’s first try, and got given the final three minutes off. Sam Cane 8: Huge workrate and kept pace with his skipper. Everywhere on defence, forced turnovers and ripped the ball from George Kruis like he was a 10-yearold. Jerome Kaino 5: Rarely sighted in the first half and off in the 46th minute after colliding with Cane. Sam Whitelock 7: Early poor read on defence but then reverted to type with an energetic performance around the park in tandem with Retallick. Brodie Retallick 8: Massive first half and helped the All Blacks gain ascendancy. Carried, offloaded and forced turnovers with his gadget arms. Highly influential. Owen Franks 6.5: Scrum was strong on his watch, conceded one potentially costly penalty. Subbed in the 54th minute. Codie Taylor 7: Throwing fell away late as the lineout wobbled but pretty good all-round. Stunning pickup for his try and copped a powerful fend during a Lions raid. Joe Moody 7: Solid performance, one storming run and the scrum was very good. Joined his mate Franks wandering off in the 54th.
RESERVES:
(54th minute): Arrived and the All Blacks produced a monster scrum to set up a try. Solid as usual.
(54th): Handy double act off the bench with Crockett and lifted the powerful All Blacks forward display.
(46th): Did his job and a menace at the breakdown as the game tilted the All Blacks’ way, added punch and energy.
(57th): Made an impact, again. Kicked accurately for Ioane’s second try and pinched a turnover. Busy and effective, the ideal bench halfback.
(27th): Shaky early, then grew into the game strongly. Excellent vision and set up his outsides well. Solid night at the office, earlier than expected.
(33rd): Unlucky to be benched in the first place and didn’t let anyone down. With Crotty’s injury probably starts next week. Not rated: Nathan Harris, Scott Barrett.