Like a bear with a sore head
Grizzled All Blacks steeled for response
The Lions reckon they’ve poked the bear, and there was certainly plenty of grizzly to the All Blacks’ mindsets as they stepped up preparations for Saturday’s monumental series decider in Auckland.
After their first training run of the week in west Auckland, assistant coach Ian Foster conveyed an attitude that was exactly what you would expect from a team that had just been kicked up the backside a few days earlier, when the British and Irish Lions levelled the series with a 24-21 second-test upset.
Of course the Lions had been aided significantly by the 25th-minute sendingoff of All Blacks second five-eighth Sonny Bill Williams. Other calls didn’t go the New Zealanders’ way, and the Lions deservedly grabbed victory when they finished over the top of their tiring hosts with two tries in the final quarter.
But there was no temptation by the All Blacks to wallow in any gallant-loser satisfaction from Wellington. Quite the opposite. Even numerically disadvantaged, they were bitterly disappointed not to have closed out the series, and that has been their attitude on resumption in Auckland where they will put their 38-test, 23-year Eden Park winning streak on the line.
‘‘We’ve lost before, so it’s not like it’s foreign territory,’’ said Foster of Monday’s review which set an urgent tone for the week. ‘‘The goal has always been to play as well as we can, and we didn’t. We’ve highlighted some areas and we’ll go work on them.’’
Foster never once in a protracted back and forth with the media went anywhere near the All Blacks being hard done by in Wellington. Williams’ red card and subsequent suspension has been universally acknowledged as fair, and he steadfastly avoided getting dragged into a debate about whether Lions prop Maka Vunipola had been lucky to escape a similar fate.
‘‘That’s a naughty question, isn’t it,’’ growled Foster. ‘‘I spent all Sunday at the judiciary, and it is what it is.’’
The fact of the matter was the All Blacks were outplayed when it mattered by the Lions, which Foster said was the clear message delivered this week.
‘‘We dealt with a set of circumstances we haven’t had to deal with for a long, long time,’’ he said of the first All Black to be sent off in a test in 50 years. ‘‘It certainly impacted on us. We didn’t operate with the same freedom we’d like to.
‘‘We’re also proud of the effort. With 20 minutes to go we led 18-9 and were doing things pretty well. But the Lions finished over the top of us and kept playing and stretching us.
‘‘I’m sure they are pretty comfortable with the result and it’s not all doom and gloom for us. We’ve been there before. It’s one-all in the series and it’s a pretty exciting this week.’’
Foster and the big bear, Steve Hansen, have a bit to ponder. With Ryan Crotty still out with his hamstring strain, there is a decision to make in midfield, and possibly the back three too with Waisake Naholo still under head-knock protocols.
The drums are beating for late callup Malakai Fekitoa to come straight in and revive his 2016 midfield partnership with Anton Lienert-Brown. But Foster indicated they had not been too concerned by a defensive miscue or two from debutant Ngani Laumape in a tough situation off the bench.
‘‘In those circumstances he did really well. He should be proud of what he did out there. He was still able to express himself and do what he likes doing.
‘‘We’ve got a number of guys who are ready to go, and we’re getting Mala [Fekitoa] up to speed. There was a bit of chopping and changing today but we’ve got a pretty good idea.’’
Julian Savea shapes as a ready-made replacement for Naholo on the wing, if needed. Whoever gets the nod, Foster said improvement wasn’t just an ambition, but a necessity.
‘‘We’ve done some good stuff the last two weeks, yet it’s pretty clear there’s more in us.
‘‘We’ve got to make sure, whether it’s wet, cold, windy or whatever, we are still able to express ourselves the way we want to.
‘‘We’ve proven we can get parity and front-foot ball and we’ve got to make sure we’re smart in using that.’’
So not so much grizzly bear, as Yogi Bear. Smarter than the average.
‘‘The goal has always been to play as well as we can, and we didn’t.’’ All Blacks assistant Ian Foster