Display of guts and spirit will put the All Blacks on alert
Lift-off for the Lions. The beleaguered midweek team gave the senior side the perfect springboard into the first Test against the All Blacks on Saturday with a brisk, intelligent, high-tempo performance against another of New Zealand’s highly regarded Super franchises.
The written-off Lions are beginning to pen an entirely different narrative in a country where praise is only ever begrudgingly given. The win, forged on the back of three tries in a 12-minute spell in the second half, featured several splendid sequences of play, including a sweeping length-of-the-field collective try by Jack Nowell, his second of the night, that would have had the world genuflecting if it had been scored by the All Blacks, as if pace, imagination and daring are the sole preserve of Kiwis.
Nowell showed up well, as did his fellow wing, Elliot Daly, part of that try-scoring movement. Daly was substituted shortly afterwards, suggesting that he will have a part to play at Eden Park in three days’ time, albeit he did return late on for a Jared Payne head assessment. There was also significant input from second row Courtney Lawes, a colossal presence.
Above all, this was a test of the Lions’ one-for-all ethos. Did it really exist or was it just marketing guff? It existed all right. There was enough evidence throughout the match of spirit and guts and togetherness to suggest that the entire group are on-message. The Test team will take great heart from the manner and the measure of this performance.
New Zealanders are on alert. A cracking series is in prospect.
No one in the squad appears the least bit put out by the contentious decisions to summon half a dozen Welsh and Scots to do bench duty, a sticking-plaster solution to the demands of the schedule, the Bandaid Lions. But there was nothing but solidarity and support from the established Lions, prop Allan Dell getting a flurry of pats on the back for helping win a penalty at the scrum in a threatening position. Dell was a temporary replacement when loosehead Joe Marler was sent to the sin-bin in the 14th minute for an off-the-ball late clatter on his opposite number, Nepo Laulala.
The second-half sparkle of the Lions attack will have been noted by New Zealand, a shaft of light in what had been a monochrome canvas before yesterday, the Lions’ defence providing the heft across the difficult opening weeks.
Once again, the Lions gave ’em nowt, keeping a clean sheet against vaunted opposition. The tourists have conceded only one try across three of their last four matches. The Chiefs, suffocated at source by another consummate forwards performance from the red-shirted pack in opposition, barely mustered an attack of note.
Daly and Liam Williams are strong challengers for the Test squad, but it was the Wasps centre who had the more complete allround display, even if Williams’s slicing run did generate the last score for Payne.
On the night another contender revealed himself in Nowell, finally putting himself out there with the sort of high-energy game that has marked his play for club and coun- try. Nowell had already made a decisive impact in the 25th minute to make best use of Dan Biggar’s snappy little stepping break to pick up and dive over. His second try in the 59th minute was an absolute belter. Flanker Justin Tipuric began the move when he snaffled an over-
thrown line-out in his own 22 and fired the ball quickly to the left, where it was taken on vigorously, Daly injecting real gas. His infield pass was well timed, Payne and Robbie Henshaw linking well. There was still work to be done, and it was done with lock Iain Henderson sending a long ball to Nowell, who stepped and wove his way to the try-line.
The pack put in a big shift. Lawes illustrated the strength in depth the Lions have at lock, the Northampton player nicking the first Chiefs line-out, tap-tackling dangerous wing Toni Pulu (who was injured in the process) and had an all-court involvement.
In mitigation, this was a belowstrength Chiefs side who were without nine front-line players away with the All Blacks and Maori. Even so, scrum-half Finlay Christie, whose Scottish roots were in evidence through his name, ginger hair and pale complexion, was their stand-out player.
The Chiefs came out for the second half trailing 13-6 and with their dander up, trying to summon the fury that had enabled them to beat Wales 40-7 here last year, never mind the Waikato win over the Lions in 1993 when a certain Warren Gatland scored a try. Their aggression was not to trouble the Lions unduly.
In the 54th minute they showed their muscle and cohesion when driving a line-out towards the Chiefs line, only stemmed by being pulled down by the opposition, referee Jérôme Garcès having no hesitation in awarding a penalty try. The floodgates had been prised open, Nowell touching down for his wonder effort seven minutes later before Payne rounded off a mesmerising run by full-back Williams.
At the final whistle, there was a significant huddle of the midweek team. They had done their bit. Now it is up to the Test team.