By far the biggest game on tour was played at Westpac Stadium in Wellington. The conditions were awful and it was apparent that the kicking game would be a big factor in deciding the outcome.
With the scores tied at 3-3, a dangerous shoulder charge from Sonny Bill Williams on Anthony Watson saw him receive a red card and it was advantage Lions. After Barrett and Farrell traded penalties, the scores were level at 9-9 at halftime.
Barrett kicked the All Blacks 18-9 into the lead and a Mako Vunipola yellow card cancelled the Lions’ one man advantage. However, Faletau beat Israel Dagg in the corner to make the score 18-14 with 20 minutes to go. Barrett kicked again to extend the lead to 7 points but a great finish by Conor Murray and a conversion by Farrell meant the game was level going into the final 10 minutes. With 2 minutes to go Farrell slotted a penalty to give the Lions the lead and a famous victory.
A win against New Zealand is a great achievement but the Lions made hard work of it playing against just 14 men. There is plenty to improve on for the decisive test and with that let’s see how the players rated.
1. Mako Vunipola
4
Worst performance of anyone on tour, capped off with a yellow card.
2. Jamie George
6
Quiet game but rarely made any errors.
3. Tadhg Furlong
6
Little impact apart from a strong run in the first half.
4. Maro Itoje
7
Made a few mistakes but helped to disrupt the ball on a number of occasions.
5. Alun Wyn Jones
5
Yet again, nothing to justify his selection.
6. Sam Warburton
6
Played well but wasn’t as a good as O’Mahony at the lineout.
7. Sean O'Brien
7
Helped slow down the ball at the ruck and made some important tackles.
8. Taulupe Faletau
7
His try is the only thing boosting his rating. Quiet for 80 minutes.
9. Conor Murray
8
Finished his try excellently and controlled the game at the breakdown.
10. Johnny Sexton
6
Poor start but got better as the game progressed.
11. Elliot Daly
6
Did nothing impactful, but did nothing wrong.
12. Owen Farrell
6
Him and Sexton were a good partnership but needed more of a cutting edge.
13. Jonathan Davies
6
Rarely got his hands on the ball but defended well.
14. Anthony Watson
6
Looked dangerous with the ball, better than his first test.
15. Liam Williams
7
Dropped a number of balls but the conditions were tough. Also made a number of good runs.
Subs
Not many subs made. Nowell’s cameo featured a good kick and the replacement props helped solidify the scrum.