(Owen Farrell goal kicking)
Series tied 1-1 (third's test score: 15-15).
What a game, the
Lions put on a defensive effort. I don't think any other country or countries
could have withstood the All Black onslaughts, so good and heavy was the defense
that I have never seen the All Blacks drop so much ball. At one stage the All
Blacks had 78% possession and whilst the Lions never looked like scoring a try
they continually repelled the All Blacks.
I don't think
the All Blacks tight 5 have received enough praise, they virtually dominated
the scrum and negated the Lions platform over the advantage line, something
they could do in the 2nd test although with a man advantage. I was slightly
perplexed with some of the penalties given in the latter stages of the game by
Poite to the Lions that evened up the possession somewhat. Warburton was
fantastic at breakdown and stole or slowed down so much ball, with Johnathon
Davis a colossus in the mid field.
The question
asked earlier in the tour who of the Lions players would make the All Blacks
team, currently I would say Davis and Warburton, whilst Itoje is the flavour of
the month in the press, I still don't believe he could oust Retallic and
Whitlock. I was skeptical with Hansen calling in Laumape and Barrett for their
first run on debuts however they were both fantastic, I am not saying Smith and
Crotty could have done better however we will never know. It was also good to
see the fridge running over people as is his want, with himself and B Barrett
making incredible running metres along with the Lions Williams.
Both Hansen and
Gatland showed their collective coaching nous and in the end finished with one
apiece. I would however be fearful if I was teams in the upcoming Rugby
Championships as they now can see what they are up against in this new look All
Black team. The Lions can go home with the knowledge they have dented the
mighty All Blacks in way not seen since 1971 and all players have finished way
ahead in so far as many pundits had given them credit prior to the tests.
I do believe the
NZers are in long-term decline. You can feel a drop-off in self-belief after
McCaw's departure. They are jittery in possession when subjected to sustained
pressure against sides who are fit enough (i.e., most sides now) to make
front-on tackles and scramble defend for 80 minutes. The captain Read has no
instinct for bargaining with referees. Carter used to convert the goal kicks
that mattered. Your current kicker (as well as the other candidates) is flaky
to say the least. They are no longer able to get away with head shots on pesky
opponents (viz., Williams' and Kaino's sending-offs), something they relied on
during the McCaw era as a way of subduing opposition. You can tell also that
Hansen has been in the job too long, is too cosy with his favorite players, and
cannot see what is going on objectively any more. Moreover, I sensed that
having beaten the Lions in 2005, he wasn't desperate enough to do the job this
time. Instead, he has been spouting his naff homilies about how rugby is just a
game and we'll all have a chuckle and a beer over it later. That is a loser's
mentality.
A draw’s a fair
outcome of the series, a series dominated by the All Blacks and showed by
scoring tries and not allowing the Lions to score a try in the last game,
however the style of play by the Lions was the conduit to force the All Blacks
to play different styles, styles they have not had to play for a long time, so
end in the end it was fitting that a draw is what the game amounted to. A
cricket draw is often a slow buildup of mutual respect in terms of skill and
mental fortitude Football, basketball, tennis and others are interesting peaks
on a cardiogram that soon enough return to a spell in bed and some warming soup.
Rugby though, played across a series like this, is something else. The
staggering physicality, the mental pressure, the ballet of contradicting
genetic attributes and the absolute inherent base respect, conjour a unique
cauldron that cannot be replicated anywhere else. Fair play to both teams; they
created history by winning nothing. They made more rugby fans proud than if
either side had dominated. They walked a path that even those of us who have
played at any level, have never walked.
I think rugby is
the only sport in existence where a draw can elicit the feeling that this
series did. It's just an unmissable sporting spectacle. Bit like the Ryder cup,
it's not about the money or fame. They're playing for the love of the game and
it's great to see. From my armchair, it seems that this series breathed life
into the spirit of rugby. Both sides honoured their shirts on and off the
pitch.
