Lions get a dose of Blues in New Zealand

This was meant to be an easy one but Lions get a dose of the Blues

T HE LIONS’ defiant message in the aftermath of defeat yesterday was that they will keep getting better, which is just as well, because so will the opposition.

This tour has already lurched into dangerous territory and escaping it won’t be easy. Today, Warren Gatland’s chastened squad will head south to Christchurch — straight into another ambush.

There, waiting for them, are the Crusaders; unbeaten all season, on a roll, battle-hardened and desperate to join the Blues in claiming the prized British-andIrish scalp.

After that come the Highlanders in Dunedin, the Maori in Rotorua — regarded as the unofficial ‘fourth Test’ — and the Chiefs in Hamilton, when the Lions will collectively have one eye on the series opener against the All Blacks four days later.

Going into this fixture at Eden Park, the Blues had lost six Super Rugby matches this season, leaving them bottom of the New Zealand conference. The next three provincial sides in the tourists’ path have that many defeats between them in 2017.

While the party line is that there is no cause for alarm and that lessons are being learned, that process cannot happen fast enough. Momentum matters, too.

Confidence is a vital asset. The Lions will need to go into their first encounter with the All Blacks armed with a conviction that the force is with them, which it certainly won’t be if they already have three or four defeats.

In Whangarei last Saturday, Gatland’s jet-lagged team made hard work of beating an assorted collection of fringe club players and part-timers. Yesterday, they were certainly better in many ways — that internal assessment is fair — but the upward curve must be steep on these tours and it was not steep enough.

The good news was the scrum, and the lineout, until a calamitous late malfunction which sealed the Lions’ fate. Equally positive was that some Test contenders put down a strong marker, not least England lock pair Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes, along with Wales scrum-half Rhys Webb and his compatriot, Ken Owens, who took a figurative hold on the No2 shirt.

On the minus side, the visitors’ discipline let them down to the point that a game they appeared to be controlling early in the second quarter turned into one they were forced to chase.

From a 10-5 lead the Lions were unable to score a point for 41 minutes.

Along the way they lost Dan Biggar, who failed a head injury assessment, on a night when at least the lack of casualties was a relief. Put aside Sonny Bill Williams’ debatable try right on half time — which could have been ruled out for a knock-on — and the primary scoring moments told a tale about a contrast in cultures.

The Lions struck through CJ Stander from a close-range lineout drive, having gone behind to a turbo-charged finish by Rieko Ioane, from a delightful long pass by No10 Stephen Perofeta.

For long periods, the tourists battered away, creating openings, but couldn’t deliver a finish, whereas the Blues won the match with a stunning demonstration of long-range efficiency.

Bristol-bound Steven Luatua’s off-load released Williams to blast through in midfield, he popped up the ball and Ihaia West did the rest. West converted his own try, before a last-minute lineout over-throw by Rory Best ended any Lions hope of a late score.

‘We have played a lot better here,’ said Gatland. ‘Saturday is going to be another tough encounter but I expect to see an improvement from this again.

‘There is a massive amount of strength in depth here. I don’t think there is going to be a lot of difference between Super Rugby sides and the All Blacks. These guys have been together for seven months and the All Blacks are coming together cold.’

Ireland prop Jack McGrath said: ‘There are going to be a few bumps on the road. This is our second stepping stone towards those three Tests, we’re getting better every time we train and play.

‘It’s frustrating but we have to put it to bed.’

However, when Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny was asked whether the result or the performance will matter against the Crusaders on Saturday, he said: ‘We play this game to win. We’re judged on results and we prepare each day to win, so that’ll be the focus for the next game.’

In Christchurch, Gatland will field the bulk of those he believes will be in his first-choice Test team.

The chosen men will need to perform or this tour could start unravelling. Improvements and lessons must happen fast.

The Lions somehow have to resemble a thunderous juggernaut by the time they next roll into Eden Park. For now, that is a distant vision.