Great eight rule in the rain as Lions get confidence lift
IN conditions right out of a rain-drenched British and Irish winter landscape, a Lions side that was for the most part a first Test prototype made sure it was the Maori All Blacks who were swamped.
They did it with an accomplished display of wet-weather rugby based on grinding forward power and astute guidance from the Irish half-back pairing of Conor Murray and Jonny Sexton, whose tactical kicking kept the home side pegged in the parts of the field where they did not want to be.
After the match you could not blame Warren Gatland for flagging up his pre-tour declaration that the Lions would be prepared to lose a couple of matches along the way to arrive at the Test series in good order. He said that the 2017 squad had met his target by putting the squeeze on a Maori side stacked with dangerous attacking runners, so that the threat of Super Rugby dazzlers like Damian McKenzie, Reiko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder and James Lowe was almost totally eradicated.
If Murray and Sexton were a tonic for Lions fans, an even more important statement was that made by a pack which deserves to be very close to the one selected for Saturday’s opening Test at Eden Park.
The Lions eight weathered the early Maori adrenaline rush to establish dominance in almost every area of the forward battle and gave their halfbacks a steady stream of front foot ball on the treacherous surface.
It was a stark contrast to the tribulations of the Lions pack that was rumbled by the Highlanders, and will certainly give the All Blacks food for thought, because the Maoris were not seen as a soft touch.
By the end their scrum had been battered, their line-out uprooted, and the menace of loose forwards with the pedigree of Liam Messam had been all but snuffed out. In the process it was tight-head Tadgh Furlong who gave the Maori front row more than they could handle, rather than the other way round as All Black coach Steve Hansen had predicted.
Gatland must also be thanking his lucky stars that the Saracens contingent of Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, Maro Itoje and George Kruis have risen to the Lions challenge, because the four of them were at the epicentre of a victory that was both timely and emphatic.
Another plus was a flawless goal-kicking display by Leigh Halfpenny, right, who made the pressure count with a seven from seven return which saw the Lions edge ahead to 12-10 at halftime, before two second-half tries from the forwards carried them clear of a Maori side which ultimately struggled to contain their physicality.
Taulupe Faletau and Sean O’Brien were in the vanguard as carriers up front, and the Leinster flanker may have done enough to consign tour captain Sam Warburton to the bench at the weekend. They were matched for penetration in the backs by the powerful midfield pairing of Ben Te’o and Jonathan Davies, who made a series of clean breaks between them which were not finished off. However, while the Lions support play will have to improve against the All Blacks, the Lions handling and overall control of the slippery ball was not to be sneered at.
The Lions started the match briskly in front of a full house in Rotorua which clearly anticipated another upset, despite the majority of this Lions line-up having been involved in the win over the Crusaders. Early pressure saw them take a 6-0 lead thanks to two Halfpenny penalties, before the Lions conceded the opening try.
It came from a clever chip infield from the touchline by Milner-Skudder which saw George North cover back only for the ball to squirt through his hands as he slid on his knees to snare it. With Halfpenny wrong-footed by a ricochet, Messam followed up to hack the ball into the ingoal area and win the chase to touch it down. McKenzie converted for a 7-6 lead, and the home side retained their one point advantage when a penalty exchange between the fly-half and Halfpenny left it at 10-9 midway through the half. Yet, it was the visitors who finished the half stronger
with Sexton and Davies challenging the Maori midfield defence, and a further Halfpenny strike from a breakdown infringement giving the tourists their half-time lead.
When another Halfpenny penalty made it 15-10 just after the break the momentum shift to the Lions gathered pace. They were given a helping hand when Tawera Kerr-Barlow was sin-binned for a high noarms hit on Halfpenny– and the scrum-half had to look on as the Lions took full advantage to score two tries against his depleted team-mates.
The Lions laid siege and appeared to have scored when George plunged over, but for the TMO to rule it out because there was no footage to confirm it was over the line. However, with the hosts struggling to contain the Lions scrum they exploited their advantage when, from the second of two 5 metre scrums, the Maori disintegrated and referee Jaco Peyper immediately awarded a penalty try. A few minutes later a Davies grubber saw the Lions camped back on the Maori line, with a fierce kick-chase forcing another 5m scrum. When Faletau’s blindside charge was stopped it was Itoje who took the initiative, shunting over from short-range.
After Halfpenny added the conversion the Lions were fully in control at 29-10, and approaching the final quarter their 70 percent domination of territory and possession was emphasised by a relent- less 20 metre line-out drive.
With the pressure gauge moving into the red – and the Maori conceding 15 penalties to the Lions four – Halfpenny shut the door on a late rally with another strike to make it 32-10 with 11 minutes remaining. Thereafter, with both benches being emptied, there was no further scoring, although a 20 metre break by Te’o deserved better.
There was the satisfaction for the Lions of a record win over a team that lowered their colours on their last visit 12 years ago – as well as a timely confidence-boost going into the First Test.