Lions tour of New Zealand – Player Ratings
The Lions tour was full of mixed results. A slow start saw them narrowly beat the NZ Barbarians before they suffered a shock loss to the Auckland Blues.
An impressive defensive performance saw them beat the Crusaders 3-12 but the midweek team stuttered again with a 23-22 loss to the Highlanders.
The unofficial ‘fourth test’ gave the Lions a boost with a 10-32 win over the Maori All Blacks and the final warm up before the first test saw the best performance on tour when the Lions won 6-34.
A disappointing first test gave a result many predicted, a New Zealand win. The final midweek game produced the best match on the tour, an enthralling 31-31 draw with the Hurricanes.
In arguably the biggest performance in Lions history, the All Blacks were stunned after a 21-24 loss. This set up the third test as the Lions hunted for an historic series win.
In a game which the All Blacks appeared to have in their control, their penalty count was uncharacteristically high and kicks from Owen Farrell and Elliot Daly meant the match, and the test series, was drawn.
An exciting tour with an anticlimatic end which was disappointing to many but more than many expected from the Lions. There were many big performances and many which were underwhelming. With plenty of matches to consider, let’s look at how the players rated: