Māori All Blacks 10
Lions 32
Murray Kinsella reports from Rotorua International Stadium
THE LIONS PACK sent out a muscular message to the Steve Hansen’s All Blacks a week out from the first Test at Eden Park by impressively dismantling the Māori All Blacks in Rotorua.
It was always likely that Warren Gatland’s men would be reliant on the set-piece and tight exchanges if they were to be successful in New Zealand and after this dominant performance up front, it is now a certainty.
While Hansen said last night that the All Blacks have been written off unfairly at set-piece since he first became involved in 2004, there must be slight concern there given the sheer brute force this Lions pack can bring.
The All Blacks did, of course, score 12 stunning tries in tearing Samoa apart last night and they will provide a thrilling test of the Lions’ defence, but it does at least look like we may have a competitive Test series.
With Mako Vunipola, Jamie George and Tadhg Furlong essentially nailing down their Test places, the Lions scrum earned a penalty try in Rotorua and laid the platform for Maro Itoje’s try soon after, as the Lions clinically scored 14 points while Māori scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow was in the sin bin for a high tackle that could have brought red.
As out-half Jonathan Sexton linked promisingly with outside centre Jonathan Davies, the Lions’ backs looked sharper too, even if they couldn’t quite put that missing finishing touch on a number of busts.
Sexton was all class in the 10 shirt, threatening the defensive line, offloading and providing some excellent kicking. Conor Murray at nine gave a similarly brilliant display with the boot as his box kicks caused serious problems.
Leigh Halfpenny confirmed his place as the Test fullback with an assured display at the back, aerially strong, adding more in attack after Gatland challenged him to do so, and also slotting 100% of his place kicks to provide confidence in that area.
The back row of Sean O’Brien, Taulupe Faletau and captain Peter O’Mahony – brilliantly communicative with referee Jaco Peyper – looked balanced and was effective once again, and now must surely start the Test series together.
Meanwhile, a huge performance from Itoje – excusing one needless penalty – leaves a question mark around the second row. George Kruis will start as the lineout leader, but it is difficult to make a call between Itoje and Alun Wyn Jones for the other slot. A welcome headache.
Ben Te’o carried powerfully all day in the 12 shirt, beating tacklers with ease, but if Owen Farrell proves to be fit and ready for the All Blacks, it appears that he will slot into the XV outside Sexton.
On a hugely positive evening for the Lions – which came after the controversy of their six new call-ups earlier today – one of the few down points was the poor performance of left wing George North, who was timid again and whose error gave the Māori their only try of the game. The wing spots will be big calls for Gatland.
That try went to hometown hero Liam Messam, but the Māori All Blacks had no cohesion in the set-piece, and the likes of Damian McKenzie and Nehe Milner-Skudder were largely quiet against Lions’ stifling defence.
After a stunning haka from the Māori in the smoke left by the pre-match fireworks, and with the atmosphere in Rotorua absolutely crackling, the Lions made an efficient start and built to a penalty for Messam failing to roll away, Halfpenny slotting it off the tee.
The Wales fullback added a second after 10 minutes when Murray’s superb box kick caused Leinster-bound fullback James Lowe to knock-on and the Māori were done for offside as they attempted to pick up the ball.
But an error from North – only minutes after dropping a high ball – allowed the hosts to scorch in for the first try.
Colin Cooper’s side had lifted the tempo with two quick lineouts, and then Milner-Skudder’s grubber down the right was spilled by the retreating North, the pill slipping between Halfpenny’s legs and into the path of Messam, who hacked it ahead and beat the dead ball line to the ball to dot down.
McKenzie converted but Halfpenny put the Lions back in front on the quarter mark with a penalty after Elliot Dixon had strayed offside following a big Davies break – the outside centre ignoring a possible scoring pass to North on his left.
Itoje gave up a silly penalty when he petulantly failed to hand over the ball following an excellent choke tackle on him by Akira Ioane, with McKenzie putting the Maori back in front at 10-9.
The Lions ground out a penalty in the Māori 22 after Vunipola’s turnover allowed them to build territory, Halfpenny nudging the Lions back in front as they continued to take their points.
McKenzie had a long-range shot after Itoje was pinged at the breakdown coming towards the break, but was wide to the left, and the Māori couldn’t convert pressure into point just before the half-time whistle after Furlong gave up another breakdown penalty.
With the rain resuming after the interval, Kerr-Barlow came through to tackle halfback Murray for an easy three points to the Lions and it signalled the start of them pulling clear.
Lowe spilled a Sexton bomb in his own to pile pressure on his side, with Kerr-Barlow’s yellow card coming off the subsequent scrum. Halfpenny darted forward and as he was tackled, the Māori scrum-half connected with the Lions fullback’s face.
TMO Ian Smith confirmed that contact and though it could have been red, the officials cited the “mitigating factor” that Halfpenny was dipping into the tackle.
Hooker George thought he had a try after the Lions opted to kick to the corner, but the TMO review couldn’t confirm a score. Undeterred, the Lions forced their way over from the resulting scrum – the packing firing up brilliantly to earn the penalty try.
With the new laws stating that a penalty try needs no conversion, the Lions had an immediate seven points and the five-metre scrum platform delivered for them again just minutes later, after a clever grubber from Davies saw the Māori tackled over their own tryline.
This time, Faletau picked and drove from the base, before lock Itoje powered over impressively from close-range for a try Halfpenny converted.
Kerr-Barlow returned from the sin bin with the Lions having scored 14 points and built a comfortable 29-10 and Gatland was able to empty his bench in the final quarter, holding back some energy in key players like Sexton, Furlong, Murray and Kruis for next weekend.
Halfpenny put the icing on the cake with a penalty heading into the final 10 on what was an encouraging evening for Gatland.
Māori scorers:
Tries: Liam Messam
Conversions: Damian McKenzie [1 from 1]
Penalties: Damian McKenzie [1 from 1]
Lions scorers:
Tries: Penalty try, Maro Itoje
Conversions: Leigh Halfpenny [2 from 2]
Penalties: Leigh Halfpenny [6 from 6], penalty try [1 from 1]
MAORI ALL BLACKS: James Lowe; Nehe Milner-Skudder, Matt Proctor (Rob Thomson ’54), Charlie Ngatai, Rieko Ioane; Damian McKenzie (Ihaia West ’72), Tawera Kerr-Barlow (yellow card ’48 to ’58) (Bryn Hall ’74); Kane Hames (Chris Eves ’61), Ash Dixon (captain) (Hika Elliot ’70), Ben May (Marcel Renata ’70); Joe Wheeler (Leighton Price ’70), Tom Franklin; Akira Ioane, Elliot Dixon (Kara Pryor ’72), Liam Messam.
LIONS: Leigh Halfpenny; Anthony Watson, Jonathan Davies, Ben Te’o, George North (Elliot Daly ’63); Johnny Sexton (Dan Biggar ’67), Conor Murray (Greig Laidlaw ’67); Mako Vunipola (Jack McGrath ’60), Jamie George (Ken Owens ’65), Tadhg Furlong (Kyle Sinckler ’65); Maro Itoje, George Kruis (Iain Henderson ’60); Peter O’Mahony (captain) (Sam Warburton ’63), Sean O’Brien, Taulupe Faletau.
Referee: Jaco Peyper [SARU].
Attendance: 28,177.
- This article was updated at 12.25pm to correct an error that had seen Dan Biggar listed twice as a replacement.
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