TRYUMPH
GAT’S GOT IT ALL TO DO NOW O’brien scores one of the greatest tries in history... but tourists are battered by ruthless All Blacks
RUGBY UNION FIRST TEST: NEW ZEALAND 30 It’s not as though they have played champagne rugby
up for it all the time and expecting everything. But, for that try, I probably fell asleep a little bit.”
More than 20,000 Lions fans descended on Eden Park in the hope of seeing the tourists repeat their historic 1971 series win over the Kiwis.
What they witnessed was a masterclass from the back-to-back World Champions – and a Lions performance that veered from dream try to nightmare finish.
Daly added: “We gave away too many penalties and turnovers, whereas they had three chances and took them.”
The manner of victory was particularly sweet for New Zealand after hearing the Lions talk up their forward power.
Coach Steve Hansen said: “I always find it amusing when people tell us they are going to beat us up in the tight five.
“You don’t become the No.1 side in the world without having a quality tight five. We can play down-and-dirty rugby too, if we have to.”
The Lions, who at least finished on a positive note with Rhys Webb’s late try, insist the series is still alive and kicking.
“We 100 per cent believe we can turn it around,” said Daly. “We were not that far away. We know we have to win next week and we are looking forward to it.”
Hansen vowed to take nothing for granted, saying: “The job isn’t done. It’s a threematch series.
“Winning one gives an advantage. But if we don’t prepare properly, we’ll come second.” When the trash talk stopped at Eden Park yesterday, Warren Gatland’s players did manage to score the try of the century. A length-of-the-field move – reminiscent of the Barbarians’ epic score against the same opposition in 1973 – which All Blacks boss Steve Hansen hailed as “one of the best Test tries I’ve ever seen, one of the best in the annals of Test rugby”. But, for all its brilliance, it provided little consolation as New Zealand ran out easy winners to take a stranglehold on the best-of-three series.
Beaten more comprehensively than the scoreline suggests, the Lions need now to win both remaining games to repeat their series triumph in Australia, four years ago.
Only once in the last 100 years have they managed that – and it was not against this mighty rugby nation.
Outclassed, outmuscled, outsmarted, the tourists were given a lesson in finishing by the Kiwis’ second-choice hooker Codie Taylor, picking a pass off his boot laces to brilliantly score the opening try.
Also by kid dynamite Rieko Ioane, a 20-year-old marking his first start for his country with two tries clinically finished after the break.
Boss Gatland (left) said: “We need to be much more physical next week. There are several areas we need to be better at. We need to be tough on ourselves and honest in our performance.
“But a lot of those things are fixable. The All Blacks were very physical up front, but it’s not as though they have played champagne rugby and thrown the ball all over the place.”
It was the Lions who produced the fizz, with full-back Liam Williams vindicating Gatland’s decision to pick him with a moment of magic.
With the Lions 10 points adrift, the Welshman received the ball in a desperate defensive position under his own posts.
Under pressure to clear his lines, he instead bobbed and weaved past two All Blacks and worked his way up to halfway before offloading to Jonathan