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N. Steyn (4'), S. Mahashe (6'), K. Mpeku (32'), E. Cronje (40'), F. Horn (46')
Tries
N. Hotham (10'), E. Narawa (24', 79'), E. Blackadder (35', 61'), R. Ioane (49', 55')
C. Smith (5', 7', 33', 41', 47')
Conversions
B. Barrett (10'), R. Mo'unga (50', 56')
The Lions came closer than anyone expected to ending New Zealand's perfect run against the South African franchises, but the All Blacks found a way. A 41-35 scoreline doesn't really explain how uncomfortable this was for New Zealand. The Lions led for most of the night, stretched their advantage to 18 points after half-time and played with the sort of pace and aggression that the All Blacks hadn't really faced in the previous provincial games. New Zealand had to dig themselves out of it, and in the end that probably made this one of their more valuable wins of the tour.
For the Lions, one of the biggest stories was Sibabalwe Mahashe. The Player of the Match was superb and looked completely at home at this level. His speed around the field immediately stood out, but so did his physicality. He put in some massive hits, carried hard and seemed to be involved whenever the Lions managed to disrupt New Zealand's rhythm. At 22, he looks like a serious prospect. There will obviously be much bigger tests ahead, but doing that against the All Blacks is a pretty good way to make people take notice.
The Lions' start in general was excellent. They attacked New Zealand rather than waiting to see what the All Blacks would do, and Nico Steyn was a big part of that at scrum-half. He gave them tempo, made good decisions around the breakdown and was prepared to have a go himself, scoring the opening try. That speed suited the Lions. Mahashe added another before Kelly Mpeku crossed, and suddenly New Zealand were dealing with a side that genuinely believed they could win. Even at 21-17 down at half-time, though, the All Blacks had managed to stay attached, and that became important.
The Lions came out after the break and pushed the lead even further, with Erich Cronje and Francke Horn scoring as the hosts moved 35-17 ahead. At that point New Zealand were in real trouble, but they didn't panic. They stuck in the contest and slowly started to find the areas where they could hurt the Lions. The scrum, which had caused them problems earlier in the game, started to improve in the second half and gave them a much better platform to work from.
Rieko Ioane and Timoci Tavatavanawai were excellent together in midfield. Tavatavanawai gave New Zealand the direct carrying option you expect from him, constantly asking defenders to make difficult tackles, while Ioane looked dangerous whenever he found space. Ioane's two tries became a major part of the comeback and the combination gave the All Blacks a good balance between power and pace through the middle. Emoni Narawa was another who looked sharp. He scored twice, was dangerous whenever New Zealand managed to get the ball into space and consistently gave the Lions something to worry about out wide.
Then there was Ethan Blackadder. If this match was supposed to be a final opportunity for players to make a case for Cape Town, Blackadder probably did enough to at least make the Test selection conversation uncomfortable. The two tries obviously stand out, but his work around the field was just as important. He brought physicality, kept working when New Zealand were struggling and was still heavily involved when the game moved into the final quarter. Against a Springbok side that will come after New Zealand physically again on Saturday, that sort of performance is difficult to ignore. Whether it gets him into the 23 is another question, but he couldn't have done much more with the opportunity.
The Lions didn't quite get the same impact from their bench. Haashim Pead came on with plenty of expectation but didn't really add much. That was made more noticeable by how well Steyn had played before him. Steyn had given the Lions control and tempo from nine, and once he left the field some of that influence disappeared at exactly the point where the Lions needed to manage the game. With an 18-point lead, they didn't necessarily need to keep chasing New Zealand. They needed to make the All Blacks work for everything, control territory and find a way to kill some of the momentum that was starting to build.
Instead, New Zealand kept coming. Ioane's second try brought them back within touching distance, Narawa's second levelled things and Blackadder eventually scored at the death to complete a comeback that had looked extremely unlikely earlier in the half. The All Blacks weren't at their best, but there is something to be said for staying in a game when almost everything is going against you and then having enough quality and fitness to take it away late.
It means New Zealand finish the provincial section of the tour four from four after beating the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls and now Lions. This one will probably tell them more than some of the comfortable wins did. Their scrum struggled before improving, their defence was opened up, they found themselves 18 points behind and for long periods the Lions were the better side. They still won.
For the Lions, the defeat will hurt because they genuinely had this game. But Mahashe announced himself in a big way, Steyn showed he can control a game against this level of opposition and the Lions gave New Zealand their biggest provincial examination of the tour. For the All Blacks, attention now turns back to the Springboks, and after performances from Blackadder, Tavatavanawai, Ioane and Narawa, there are a few players who have given the coaches something to think about before Cape Town.
