Lions and All Blacks can’t be separated as amazing 15-15 draw ties series
Would you believe it? Three weeks, matches, 240-plus minutes, and still they can’t be separated. The British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand ended in surreal fashion last night when Liam Williams bundled Jordie Barrett into touch, deep in the Lions 22. Referee Romain Poite blew for time and that was it, 15-15 – a drawn 3rd Test, and a drawn series.
However, the last serious piece of action prior to the final whistle resulted in a scrum, when an All Black penalty looked likely, which, had it been scored, was the series winner. But to the mass consternation of the All Black nation, Poite changed his mind, and there was to be no penalty. More of which later.
Post-match, both sides didn’t quite know what to do. Nobody had won, and nobody had lost. The boy Kipling had good advice about dealing with winning and losing, but where was his wisdom on drawing? Both camps could have seriously done with a steer on that.
What a piece of sporting theatre this was. Those who doubt the need, viability or purpose of future British & Irish Lions should hang their heads in shame. The only thing wrong with these tours is that we have to wait four years for each one to come round.
The Lions started the game unchanged after their victory in Wellington a week ago – Warren Gatland’s confidence in his men commendable. New Zealand, however, switched their back line around – once again showing the depths of talent at Head Cooach Steve Hansen’s disposal.
Israel Dagg switched from full-back to right-wing, replacing Waisake Naholo. Jordie Barrett, brother of course of Beauden and Scott, came in for his Test start to replace Dagg, while another first time starter, Ngani Laumape, replaced the suspended Sonny Bill Williams at inside centre. Straight out of the embarrassment of riches catalogue came their final change – Rieko Ioane, who starred in the first Test with two tries, being replaced by hulking wing Julian Savea, and his startling record of 46 tries in 53 matches.
And battle commenced. The All Blacks started well, enjoying a spirited and purposeful first ten minutes, but missed the first chance of the game – the utterly thrilling but inconsistent Beauden Barrett skewing wide from a 2nd minute penalty. Let-off for the lions. New Zealand’s profligacy continued, Savea – of all people – dropping the ball in a very promising wing position, which looked a nailed-on try. Lucky Lions once again.
Meanwhile, although lock Maro Itoje wasn’t quite wearing a red cape with a large “S” on his chest, he was once again doing his best impression of Clark Kent’s alter-ego, geeing up teammates, winning turnovers, and crashing into opponents – all with his trademark athleticism.
The lions were warming to their task. A terrific 15-phase move saw them banging at the door of the All Blacks try-line, after superb work by Owen Farrell, Jonny Sexton and many others – only for all this good work to be undone in an instant, when Beauden Barrett intercepted a long and risky pass from Farrell, intended for wing Anthony Watson, and sprinted clear. He made impressive ground, until centre Jonathan Davies chased and hauled him down superbly. Danger signs once again for the Lions.
More good work followed from Savea and Laumape ending with centre Jonathan Davies nailing him just inside the Lions 22 – thankfully, wing Anthony Watson was on hand to clean up, before promptly being hammered by Savea. Three ensuing rucks finally saw scrum-half Conor Murray kick to safety – a thrilling few minutes of play.
It seemed to inspire new Zealand. They crossed the line a couple of minutes later, a Barrett brothers’ production, indeed. From a ruck about 8 meters out and quite central, Beauden kicked beautifully to Jordie Barrett on the right-wing, who palmed the ball down neatly to Ngani Laumape, who didn’t miss from there. Lions wing Eliot Daly had the impossible job of covering both Jordie Barrett and Laumape and the try was inevitable. Beauden converted for a 7-0 lead.
On 18 minutes, the Lions finally found some points – Farrell’s penalty doing the honours, 7-3. Shortly afterwards New Zealand bungled another chance which would normally have been taken. Savea bulldozed Williams and Owen Farrell on the right-wing, and the ensuing scrap led to a scrum. Beauden Barrett enjoyed scrum-half Aaron Smith’s quick ball and looked set to touch down, only for Lions flanker Toby Faletau to tackle just in time, causing a knock-on.
The New Zealand pressure mounted. – it was attritional stuff. Beauden Barrett found Laumape who, incredibly, also knocked-on. The Lions fans were trying their best to rouse their heroes with some lusty singing, as the frantic pace of the game perhaps dipped slightly, as all 30 players took a collective breath.
The ever-reliable Farrell slotted another penalty when given the opportunity on 32 minutes, to make it 7-6. The pace quickened once more. Sexton had a foot injury strapped and looked in trouble. Itoje was still everywhere. The Lions forwards fought for everything. Lions skipper Sam Warburton remained a calming presence as well as putting in a huge shift in the engine room. The All Blacks were playing at a frightening pace – the game was intense and incredibly gripping.
The All Black magic conjured another try on 35 minutes. Lock Brodie Retallick won a line-out and before you knew it a series of quick-fire passes -Aaron Smith to Beauden Barrett, to Ngani Laumape, who offloaded smartly to his centre-in-crime Anton Lienert Brown, and one sublime final pass to Jordie Barrett later, the full-back dived over imperiously. But yet again, Beauden Barrett showed his brittle side with his kicking, and an easy-ish conversion was missed. But it was still a New Zealand lead at half-time, 12-6.
In truth, the Lions must have been pretty relieved at this. But for some uncharacteristic All Black errors and Barrett’s errant boot, this could have been a far worse score from their point of view, after a tough as hell 40 minutes at the coalface. Eight All Black handling errors in the first half, double that of the Lions, told a story indeed.
Second half. All to play for. Could the Lions claw back the deficit and impose themselves? They certainly got an early chance. Beauden Barrett made a hash of the restart, hitting a soft, underpowered kick that didn’t make 10 metres. What a Jekyll and Hyde player the All Black fly-half is. It lead to a penalty, probably around 55 metres out, allowing for the angle – and we all know who likes those, don’t we?
Elliot Daly stepped forward, looking purposeful. With minimal fuss and preparation, his short run-up and perfect contact thumped the ball between the New Zealand posts, clearing the crossbar with a bit to spare. What a distance kicker this player is – his technique looks flawless and he radiates confidence whenever he’s teeing up. 12-9 to New Zealand.
At 42 minutes the All Blacks somehow contrived to botch another good chance. Eschewing a kickable penalty, Beauden Barrett found touch. An ensuing maul saw Beauden pass to Jordie, as Savea sprinted clear on the left-wing, but Jordie’s pass was forward – and full credit to Liam Williams for his tackle on the All Black at the crucial moment. Yet another good chance going begging for the hosts.
Meanwhile, The physicality and intensity of this match were at action-movie levels. Lions lock Alun Wyn Jones took a crunching double-hit from flanker Jerome Kaino on his left side, swiftly followed by a whack from lock Sam Whitelock on his right – sending him off for the inevitable HIA. This was akin to Mount Everest colliding with you on one side and K2 on the other. Romain Poite took a dim view of Kaino’s actions, and showed the yellow card. Could the Lions take advantage of the extra man period?
Ebb and flow, and all still to play for. And on 58 minutes, Lions joy. Farrell slots a long-range penalty after Retallick’s clumsy high tackle on replacement lock Courtney Lawes – and it’s now 12-12.
The game becomes an arm-wrestle as the clock ticks down – it’s about territory and possession now, with a lack of the earlier free-running rugby on show – and who can blame these two magnificent teams, both of whom are now looking tired and rather bruised.
But on 66 minutes, it was advantage All Blacks once again. A scrum goes down and Lions replacement prop Kyle Sinckler is pinged for collapsing – and he looks distraught. Beauden Barrett nails it for a 15-12 lead. It feels like time is beginning to run out for the Lions.
Less than ten minutes left, and the intensity is amazing. This is two super-heavyweights trying to find one last giant haymaker as they enter the final round – but crucially, one of them has a very slight lead.
Possession is scrapped for, hits are made, it’s all hands to the pumps now at every ruck, and the last thing anyone wants to do now is make a silly error. But for New Zealand, an error was indeed about to be made. Lions replacement scrum-half Rhys Webb was impeded at the breakdown, gifting a lifeline to the men in red. It’s a straight kick, but a long way out. Farrell’s composure is once again astonishing, and he slots it – it’s 15-15 with about two minutes to go. Does sport get any better than this?
And then we had the final Referee’s call of this game, that will be debated for years to come. The kick-off from the re-start bounces off Liam Williams and travels forwards. Lions replacement hooker Ken Owens cannot get out of the way of the ball, and looks perilously close to being offside. It no doubt seemed clear-cut to the All Blacks and all their supporters – they thought they had a relatively easy penalty to win the match, and the series.
But Romain Poite then decided to check with the TMO – did Kieran Read take out Williams in the air before the Owens offside question? Both Captains were at Poite’s shoulder, knowing the whole series was in the balance with this call. Their calmness was testimony to their professionalism, with Sam Warburton very astute in the polite, passive way he asked Poite about other possible outcomes of the incident.
Poite finally concluded that Owens was indeed offside, but accidentally so, and awarded a scrum instead of the penalty initially given to New Zealand. What a call, what drama. A huge let-off for the Lions? Yes – it certainly seemed so, although there are a number of former players, journalists and fans who believe Poite was correct with his final decision.
Read kept his cool impressively, and whilst publicly accepting Poite’s decision with equanimity – questioning Poite in only slightly raised tones – what was going on inside his head, and what he really thought, can only be imagined.
It does seem that the Lions were rather lucky with Poite’s interpretation of the incident. The fact that he changed his mind, after firstly awarding the penalty, will only add to the fury of the whole of New Zealand – and they’re probably rueing the very creation of the TMO system itself.
But there was still a game to finish – even though 80 minutes had been passed. The Lions managed to turn the scrum and make a steal – Webb charged away but his pass was knocked on, and the chance was gone. Another scrum. All Black ball, with Jordie Barrett heading towards the corner, but he was tackled just short, and as Liam Williams propels him into touch, it’s game over. What an incredible finish.
The drawn series, of course, feels like an anti-climax. It’s a rarity and no-one is really accustomed to such a thing. As for the players – well, just imagine putting your body on the line like they did, going through a battle like this, and ending up with no result?
A few things to note before we leave this game. The sportsmanship on display was outstanding – full credit to both teams. All Black skipper Kieran Read earned his 100th cap and – if possible – enhanced his reputation even further – a class act on every level. Ditto Sam Warburton – a fine, impressive skipper who led his troops superbly, just as Read did his.
Rugby at this level remains a joy to watch, and the skills on display often defy both physics and logic. The Lions are an institution that should be cherished and preserved in perpetuity. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. These Lions, the 2017 vintage, can be very proud of what they’ve done here. Of course, they didn’t win the series, but they didn’t lose it either.
Critics will, rightly, point to the fact the lions only led this entire series for a grand total of 3 minutes. But you could argue that very fact makes the achievement of not losing it – after clearly being under the pump for so much of it – even better?
When the dust settles, we’ll remember this series with total admiration for the levels of skill, physicality, drama – and the sheer intensity of the three Tests. It was epic. The ending may have been unusual and ultimately disappointing in terms of not providing a winner, but just remember what we saw to get us to that very point.
The collective noun for these Lions is so apt – they are indeed a pride. The task of coming together in just six weeks, gelling sufficiently quickly and then facing the World Champions – in their own backyard – is pretty much herculean. But they did it – and they didn’t lose. Warren Gatland will be rightly proud of all his players.
They say New Zealanders think that sport is their therapist, and friendship is their god. Well, all I can say after this magnificent series is that their therapy is working brilliantly, and god has provided them many more friends as a result. Thank you, New Zealand – and thank you, our British & Irish Lions 2017.
By Chris Tribe
8th July 2017
Copyright © 2017 Chris Tribe. All Rights Reserved.
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