Test Match 1: All Blacks v British & Irish Lions (Auckland)

[Ground We Won]

What did everyone think of kaino? Watched it in a pub in Melbourne and there were a couple of hundred kiwis who forgot he was on the field and we're very glad to see him sub'd

I thought he was terrific in the first half. Made some good runs and pick and goes, got to the breakdowns with speed and was cleaning out well securing ball. Kaino was one of the stand outs for me. I definitely think he has the next RWC in him.

 

[Larksea]

McKenzie has been called into the AB's as cover for Bender.

 

[GoTheNaki]

I reckon the Lions just throw in their good forward runners and have at it. Itoje, Lawes, Stander. Have at it. Keep everything else the same. Tell Murray to focus on something other than box-kicking.

 

[Ground We Won]

Aaron Smith kicked really well, wish he'd do that for the Highlanders lol.

 

[Skylinerd1]

I reckon the Lions just throw in their good forward runners and have at it. Itoje, Lawes, Stander. Have at it. Keep everything else the same. Tell Murray to focus on something other than box-kicking.

Thats what I thought aswell Murray way over did those box kicks. He had a bit of success early on but then just kept spamming it and not getting much if any good result. The AB's varyied their kicking more but due to lineout issues couldnt really just focus on kicking out for field position.

I would expect the lions to do exactly what you said better ball runners and kick for field position with their maybe better lineout. (most of the AB's problems seemed to be throwing in or just dumb over complicated lineout moves).

Our lineout issues was one of the major things stopping us from steam rolling them earlier imo.

 

[Truth]

Tell Murray to focus on something other than box-kicking.

When Murray does run he looks dangerous and the only All Blacks only need to cast their minds to the Irish test in Chicago to remember that. IMO the All Blacks can never forget his cocky face in that game and so thats one of the reasons I think the All Blacks approach him with bad intentions like we saw yesterday.

Back to the box kick, first of all, Murray probably didn't see them going forward much with their phases so out comes the box kick. With that, they did put some effective pressure on Ben Smith as he didn't catch them all. I think Ben got concussed from one of those aerial contests. I wonder if part of the the box kicks purpose was to rattle Ben because if that was the tactic, then well done Gatland. Not only did he rattle Ben but he got rid of him. I'm assuming it's Gatlands orders to box kick so maybe Murray isn't entirely to blame, I don't know. Barrett at fullback might have been worth testing in the air as I don't remember him contesting bombs much.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Watched the game late last night not knowing the result. Difficult day in the office for us. In a strange way the scoreboard just felt irrelevant; New Zealand just looked super comfortable all day, it could have remained 13 - 8 and would have felt just as comfortable.

It was clear pretty soon we had problems because we never seemed to be coping with the pace at which NZ were playing and seemed out on our feet too early on.

The engine room of all good performances so far has been the second row performances with some massive showings from Lawes and Itoje. Today the second row was really poor and that affected quite a few areas. The opposite numbers just showed our duo up big time with their relentlessness and impact.

At the breakdown they were all all over us. Cane was magnificent there as well as Read. I felt that a few times Peyper was very quick to call away our competition on a few occasions when it looked like we might have a sniff. The most disappointing thing was seeing us not putting enough men in for the clear out when the all blacks were trying to win the ball. We didn't react and sometimes our forwards were guilty of ruck watching.

The All blacks ball retention was the key to their winning. If you can keep the ball long enough and make the defence work, opportunities occur. We looked knackered early on because we tackled and tackled and only Sean O Brien had any luck from memory with the jackle. If you look at the stats, NZ had many more 7+ phases of play. They didn't make many mistakes at all, they varied the play nicely, and dependably moved forward. We couldn't turn the ball over.

Although the battle was possibly lost up front there were some annoying and costly errors from our backs. Daly got caught positionally for one try, Watson from memory for another, and Williams failed a few high ball tests. I still don't get why every coach wants to play Daly on the wing. Both Farrell and Sexton distributed shakily. Both need to stop with these bullet passes.

You have to look at the lack of a plan B really for the game. We executed our kicking game pretty well on the whole, the difference is that where the super rugby sides were dropping the ball and knocking it on, the all blacks were just entirely comfortable. When that pressure plan wasn't working we really don't have anything because we had no phase play creativity, it was just plan Te'o. And in that senses, the bench was really not what we needed; bringing on Halfpenny was just a joke. Te'o should never have come off. Warburton, not his fault, had nothing to bring especially as Peyper wasn't giving us a chance to compete. Tipuric would have been a much better option.

Overall, we can't have any complaints. No particular contingent let the lions down or anything, it was a team failure. But being able to finish opportunities is still costly it turns out, and when you can't bully the opposition pack, it turns out the result doesn't just take care of itself. Who knew!?

Gatland now has some extremely difficult selection choices to make. Apart from the locks which should change, we're also facing a troubled scrum, a breakdown-poor backrow and a shitty midfield system. There's not much we can do about the first problem unless Adam Jones is hiding in someones suitcase, not much about the second unless Warburton suddenly gets some form, and I can't see the 10-12-13 axis being changed since that appears to be the sand upon which our gameplan was built.

 

[The Jones Boy]

I thought it was a great game.
Kaino was massive in the first half, his physicality is jaw dropping. Read came into his own in the second half. The pick up from the ruck was golden, his legal hit on Farrell was massive, it crumpled Farrell like a cardboard box, and Farrell is no shrinking violet.
ALB looked worth his place when he came on after Crotty was injured.
Reiko Ioane looked like he grew in confidence as the game went on. He can be very proud of his efforts.
Codie Taylor put a marker down in the sand.
Our locks are the best in the world. When Retallick and Whitelock come to town, look out, those boys are awesome. Wow did they front up yesterday.

I want to see Lawes and Itoje given the start because they are both fast and physical as well. I've rated Lawes for years and Itoje is a kid who has taken to top level rugby like a duck to water. Give him the chance Gatland.
The AB's play at a punishing tempo and AWJ isn't up to it sadly. He's a wonderful player but the pace the AB's set is just too strong for him. Kruis really struggled as well.
The Irish flankers were good but when Kaino and Read are on song it's hard for any team in the world to do much about it.
I'm still not sure about Sam Cane, but, he is trying fill an enormous pair of boots left behind by Captain Fantastic. Ardie Savea was fizzing when he got on, he was tackled a lot but he just keeps bouncing up like an ever ready battery. That kid asks a lot of questions and thats a great starting place.
Israel Dagg. I'm not a fan, however, I take my hat off to him, he played very well and was well worth the faith placed in him by Hansen.
I would still like to see Naholo given an attacking role against the Lions.

Daly. He has got to be dropped like a stone. He had a shocker.
How did he not get passed little Israel Dagg and start the game off with a roar. The Lions and their fans would have been charged if he had done his job and gone lower. You just can't miss those gilt edged opportunities against the AB's, you just can't.
George North would have scored that try from that range but Daly didn't do it and in so doing provided an enormous disservice to his own team.
They missed first blood on the scoreboard with a 5 pointer and the kicking calibre in the Lions means that any 5 pointer is a likely 7.
Correspondingly, at the other end of the park Daly was responsible for not being able to take out the AB hooker in a foot race for the line.
Poor defensive positioning, poor awareness.
Schoolboy error.
Thats a 14 point turnaround and the game right there.
Then the chance to stop Reiko Ioane from sealing the victory in a footrace, Daly looked pedestrian in comparison.
Daly is NOT a winger, at least not at this level. He's a fullback, and a good one. If he can't play full back then drop him out of the squad and get a pacey finisher in.
George North has to be given a chance ahead of Daly.
Those kind of errors cannot be rewarded.
I like Daly and he has been in sparkling form for England during the 6 Nations but he was God awful yesterday.

A big surprise for me, and a real disappointment was Toby Faletau.
He just disappeared.
I know working at the breakdown to secure possession or keep possession isn't his best feature but you can't do the flashy running off the back of the scrum and ruck with the ball if you don't get the ball first. He disappeared into rucks and became a sleeping policeman.
I'd be calling up someone like Ben Morgan to add grunt to the clear out. Faletau for me was non existent and a shadow under the lights.
Either that or get a front five that can compete more effectively at the breakdown than the AB's front 5. If they can do the haerd work that might give Faletau the chance to run off the back... opening up opportunities for Davies and Te'o.

Joe Marler needs to be given a run. He can be a silly boy occasionally but the Lions need more grunt up front, they need more aggression. To beat the AB's you MUST get in their face.
Wellington is the only chance now to win the series.
Gatland has to throw the kitchen sink at it.
Get the kitchen Sinkler on earlier. he really gives it some and asks questions.
Use Mako off the bench.
Strangley, Farrell was a passenger, his influence was subdued, he has to go to the bench, get Sexton on and give him a run. No guts no glory.
Stander comes onto the bench ahead of Warburton. Attack the line like a wounded bull or bugger off home.
Anthony Watson, that kid is a rising star, I'm a fan, he is great to watch. Confident, pacey, strong game. Nailed on for the second test.
Liam Williams. That moment of magic where he used his pace and step to glide through AB counter attacking defenders was sublime. It reminded me of the great Bruce Robertson, Phillippe Sella, Jeremy Guscott... it was first class top of the drawer pure magical running. Talent and flair to the fore and gas to burn. What a magnificent try.
If ever there was a reason for keeping the Lions as a concept, surely this must be it. Jonathan Davies did a lot of clever work and showed Daly how to turn a defending winger inside out. Sean O'Brien showed great gas to get up in support to finish.

Wellington.

The Lions can win the second test.
But to get that result...

Bring out all the big guns and fire it into the AB's face.
Gatland, you have to... because you know that the AB's are historically rusty at this time of year. We saw a strong effort from individuals in the AB's yesterday, but historically they are still gelling as a team this early in the international season.
Pounce quick and hard.
It's your only chance in the boneyard before you head head back to the Garden of Eden.
Stop this box kicking nonsense, gifting the ball to the AB's.
Let your boys play with the ball in hand. From Te'o and Davies out to Watson and Williams they looked great. Trust to them, get them some more possession and let them run.
Fortune favours the bold.
The Lions botched some serious attacking moves particularly early in the game, that cost them dearly.

 

[Which Tyler]

Having reviewed the match this morning (I watched it with the British SKY commentary; we can to this in NZ), I have a few comments to make about the five tries scored in last night's match.

The 1st All Blacks try
Not a forward pass by Dagg to Taylor. Yes, the ball drifted forward, but as we all know the path of the ball over the ground is NOT the criteria, it drifted forward with the forward momentum of the passer. Dagg clearly throws the ball backwards out of the hand.

The 1st Lions try
What an absolute rip-snorter, That has to be right up there with Dan Carter's try down the right side in 2005, and Ian Kirkpatrick's try in 1971 as one of the very best in the history of this series.

The 2nd All Blacks try
Despite what you will read in some media, Kieran Read did not knock the ball on in the scrum. It went forward from a kick by Connor Murray (correctly called by the English commentators, and wrongly called by the NZ commentators who thought it was Warburton). In point of fact, Murray was lucky not be be yellow carded. Not only did he kick the ball while it was still in the scrum - Law 20.9 (g), he did so from an offside position; the non-ball winning scrum half must keep both feet behind the ball - Law 20.12 (c).

The 3rd All Blacks try
Came from kick pressure. Liam Williams missed the catch, it bounced kindly for Reiko Ioane - game over. He was the quickest player on the park. Daly tried hard but couldn't catch him.

The 2nd Lions Try
Came from pressure, partly created by the Lions, but also thanks to some stupid unforced infringements by the All Blacks, particularly Crockett. The All Blacks will be pissed off they let that one in. It made the Lions look closer than they really were.

Agreed on all of these except one thing - the assumption that we'd see a lot of articles on Read knocking the ball on in the scrum - it was clear from the 21nd camera angle that Murray kicked the ball (whilst offside), not Read's hands. More to the point though, Stuart Barnes actually got a thing right and said as much during commentary - therefore even the idiot press watching should know that it wasn't a knock-on. Besides, I don't really read the rugby media, so I'm unlikely to come across anything suggesting he did.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

I thought it was a great game.
Kaino was massive in the first half, his physicality is jaw dropping. Read came into his own in the second half. The pick up from the ruck was golden, his legal hit on Farrell was massive, it crumpled Farrell like a cardboard box, and Farrell is no shrinking violet.
ALB looked worth his place when he came on after Crotty was injured.
Reiko Ioane looked like he grew in confidence as the game went on. He can be very proud of his efforts.
Codie Taylor put a marker down in the sand.
Our locks are the best in the world. When Retallick and Whitelock come to town, look out, those boys are awesome. Wow did they front up yesterday.

I want to see Lawes and Itoje given the start because they are both fast and physical as well. I've rated Lawes for years and Itoje is a kid who has taken to top level rugby like a duck to water. Give him the chance Gatland.
The AB's play at a punishing tempo and AWJ isn't up to it sadly. He's a wonderful player but the pace the AB's set is just too strong for him. Kruis really struggled as well.
The Irish flankers were good but when Kaino and Read are on song it's hard for any team in the world to do much about it.
I'm still not sure about Sam Cane, but, he is trying fill an enormous pair of boots left behind by Captain Fantastic. Ardie Savea was fizzing when he got on, he was tackled a lot but he just keeps bouncing up like an ever ready battery. That kid asks a lot of questions and thats a great starting place.
Israel Dagg. I'm not a fan, however, I take my hat off to him, he played very well and was well worth the faith placed in him by Hansen.
I would still like to see Naholo given an attacking role against the Lions.

Daly. He has got to be dropped like a stone. He had a shocker.
How did he not get passed little Israel Dagg and start the game off with a roar. The Lions and their fans would have been charged if he had done his job and gone lower. You just can't miss those gilt edged opportunities against the AB's, you just can't.
George North would have scored that try from that range but Daly didn't do it and in so doing provided an enormous disservice to his own team.
They missed first blood on the scoreboard with a 5 pointer and the kicking calibre in the Lions means that any 5 pointer is a likely 7.
Correspondingly, at the other end of the park Daly was responsible for not being able to take out the AB hooker in a foot race for the line.
Poor defensive positioning, poor awareness.
Schoolboy error.
Thats a 14 point turnaround and the game right there.
Then the chance to stop Reiko Ioane from sealing the victory in a footrace, Daly looked pedestrian in comparison.
Daly is NOT a winger, at least not at this level. He's a fullback, and a good one. If he can't play full back then drop him out of the squad and get a pacey finisher in.
George North has to be given a chance ahead of Daly.
Those kind of errors cannot be rewarded.
I like Daly and he has been in sparkling form for England during the 6 Nations but he was God awful yesterday.

A big surprise for me, and a real disappointment was Toby Faletau.
He just disappeared.
I know working at the breakdown to secure possession or keep possession isn't his best feature but you can't do the flashy running off the back of the scrum and ruck with the ball if you don't get the ball first. He disappeared into rucks and became a sleeping policeman.
I'd be calling up someone like Ben Morgan to add grunt to the clear out. Faletau for me was non existent and a shadow under the lights.
Either that or get a front five that can compete more effectively at the breakdown than the AB's front 5. If they can do the haerd work that might give Faletau the chance to run off the back... opening up opportunities for Davies and Te'o.

Joe Marler needs to be given a run. He can be a silly boy occasionally but the Lions need more grunt up front, they need more aggression. To beat the AB's you MUST get in their face.
Wellington is the only chance now to win the series.
Gatland has to throw the kitchen sink at it.
Get the kitchen Sinkler on earlier. he really gives it some and asks questions.
Use Mako off the bench.
Strangley, Farrell was a passenger, his influence was subdued, he has to go to the bench, get Sexton on and give him a run. No guts no glory.
Stander comes onto the bench ahead of Warburton. Attack the line like a wounded bull or bugger off home.
Anthony Watson, that kid is a rising star, I'm a fan, he is great to watch. Confident, pacey, strong game. Nailed on for the second test.
Liam Williams. That moment of magic where he used his pace and step to glide through AB counter attacking defenders was sublime. It reminded me of the great Bruce Robertson, Phillippe Sella, Jeremy Guscott... it was first class top of the drawer pure magical running. Talent and flair to the fore and gas to burn. What a magnificent try.
If ever there was a reason for keeping the Lions as a concept, surely this must be it. Jonathan Davies did a lot of clever work and showed Daly how to turn a defending winger inside out. Sean O'Brien showed great gas to get up in support to finish.

Wellington.

The Lions can win the second test.
But to get that result...

Bring out all the big guns and fire it into the AB's face.
Gatland, you have to... because you know that the AB's are historically rusty at this time of year. We saw a strong effort from individuals in the AB's yesterday, but historically they are still gelling as a team this early in the international season.
Pounce quick and hard.
It's your only chance in the boneyard before you head head back to the Garden of Eden.
Stop this box kicking nonsense, gifting the ball to the AB's.
Let your boys play with the ball in hand. From Te'o and Davies out to Watson and Williams they looked great. Trust to them, get them some more possession and let them run.
Fortune favours the bold.
The Lions botched some serious attacking moves particularly early in the game, that cost them dearly.

Mostly agree but a couple of points. Daly wasn't as bad as you say. I would have to see the missed try attempt again but from memory either his positioning to take the pass was off or the pass from Murray wasn't ideal. He certainly had to swivel when he caught the ball. I'm not sure he was best placed, Dagg had him one on one and by the time the pass had reached him Dagg was upon him. Agree North would have scored but that's only because of his greater power. In any case, Daly is not a winger and sometimes we see evidence of this in his finishing.

Faletau was quiet yesterday but he made something like 20 tackles. Unfortunately when you're constantly defending, there's little time for anything else.

Marler feels like a risk with some of his behaviour. But, he's very physical and a good defender. You may be onto something there.

 

[McTallshort]

Yeah fair enough. We have a number of journalists like that in New Zealand, particularly writing for the NZ Herald. Every country unfortunately has this sort of journalism sadly, that cater to people like the 'valley commando'.

I dont know, I have been following the Herald thoughout the tour and there only appears to be one contributor who is trotting out the click bait crap. Chris Rattue and Gregor Paul seem to be far more balanced in their writing than on previous Tests series/World cups/Lions tours.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

I'm wondering if we got some sort of censored version of the game in aus, everyone I talked to thought kaino was invisible and we were talking about who should come in next week

 

[Ground We Won]

I dont know, I have been following the Herald thoughout the tour and there only appears to be one contributor who is trotting out the click bait crap. Chris Rattue and Gregor Paul seem to be far more balanced in their writing than on previous Tests series/World cups/Lions tours.

Rattue is a genuine troll. Same goes for Mark 'Treason' who writes for 'stuff.co.nz'.

 

[anderton46]

As others have said I feel the game was lost in the forward battle,which was surprisingly one sided. Our backs held up their hands and kept is close and played well.

Unfortunately I just don't feel any combination of forwards is going to be enough to beat the AB's.

The lions have big strong forwards who are good at set pieces, and they have skillful open field styled forwards too. Unfortunately the AB's players tend to have both these skill sets.

How do the lions win the next test? They make a lot less errors, convert a higher % of chances and hope the AB's are having a bit of an off day. IMO.

 

[smartcooky]

Rattue is a genuine troll. Same goes for Mark 'Treason' who writes for 'stuff.co.nz'.

I agree. Rattue is a troll (he's the Stephen Jones of NZ Rugby writers). Reason is a useless prick, he should just bugr off back to England where he belongs. Gregor Paul is not quite as bad as the first two plonkers.

If you want a genuine balanced view from a NZ sports journalist try Marc Hinton, Senior sports writer at Fairfax Media

Another good one is Wynne Grey. He used to be employed by the NZ Herald, and although he is no longer there, he still writes for them from time to time. Jim Kayes is pretty good too.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Pretty much agree with the Jones Boy's take on most of this. Daly's not a wing,you'll never beat the ABs with box kicking and you have to get in their faces more. Don't agree that we can get a result next week.

The ABs weren't perfect, but as ever they were clinical and seemed able to step on the accelerator at will. But the real difference was their raw intensity, especially at the breakdown. They instinctively hit harder, faster, lower. Retallick put some of the hype about our locks into perspective.

Some game efforts from the Lions, some individual performances to be proud of and one brilliant try. But that's not enough. This was their best chance and the ABs won at a canter.

From an England perspective Teo's put the cat right among the pigeons. Bizarre that a Lions test XV had two Englishmen with virtually no starting caps between them.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

I agree. Rattue is a troll (he's the Stephen Jones of NZ Rugby writers). Reason is a useless prick, he should just bugr off back to England where he belongs. Gregor Paul is not quite as bad as the first two plonkers.

If you want a genuine balanced view from a NZ sports journalist try Marc Hinton, Senior sports writer at Fairfax Media

Another good one is Wynne Grey. He used to be employed by the NZ Herald, and although he is no longer there, he still writes for them from time to time. Jim Kayes is pretty good too.

According to Stephen Jones in today's Sunday Times he scored ABs players a total of 105 and Lions players 102. I don't know what he was smoking. He really hates the ABs.

 

[Caitlyn Jenner]

Chris Rattue and Gregor Paul seem to be far more balanced in their writing

Chris Rattpoo is a joke. Literally no one in NZ takes him seriously. He has made some of the most shocking calls ever over the years. As already mentioned, he's just a troll.

According to Stephen Jones in today's Sunday Times he scored ABs players a total of 105 and Lions players 102. I don't know what he was smoking. He really hates the ABs.

He's probably the biggest cuntbag in rugby journalism. I'm generally pretty tolerant of journos because I know being controversial is part of the job, but he's just something else. He genuinely despises NZ rugby and doesn't make the slightest attempt at being objective, but does do everything in his power to slander the ABs. He has me blocked on every twitter account I've ever owned LOL! Wish idiots like him didn't get air-time.

 

[The Jones Boy]

According to Stephen Jones in today's Sunday Times he scored ABs players a total of 105 and Lions players 102. I don't know what he was smoking. He really hates the ABs.

Sometimes when we get gobby kiwi's ranting on rugby forums, i can't help but feel they are venting their spleen over reading the bile that pours out of the mouth and keyboard of a vile hideous creature like Stephen maggot breath Jones.
What a hideous vile creature.
Truthfully there are times when the AB's are worthy of a hard judgement, as with any teams, nor should they be constantly praised and applauded by sycophantic authors.
Stephen Jones has a personal one idiot crusade against the AB's, he has mental issues that cretin.

Chris Rattue is a disgrace to our flag.
He is a traitor to the good natured fair play loving regular Kiwi person.
Bind hm to Stephen Jones and sink them both as great white bait off the shores of Dunedin, and watch the big carnivorous fish turn up their nose at the hateful smelling dinner.

 

[anderton46]

According to Stephen Jones in today's Sunday Times he scored ABs players a total of 105 and Lions players 102. I don't know what he was smoking. He really hates the ABs.

What I hate the most is that one of Wales greatest 10's ever has to share his name with this twat.