It was more of a squeak than a roar. So the whole build-up, the whole here’s-hoping segment of the pre-tour, ended with this — a scratchy, tentative win by less than a converted try, over a new conglomerate from the semi-professional ranks in New Zealand, led by a captain in Sam Anderson-Heather who has to be back at work tomorrow, bless him.
And yet before we write off the tour or any individual players, we must ask those tending towards dismissing the 2017 Lions the following question. What, exactly, did you expect?
The sporting lunatics both among the hosts and the visitors, and also those officials safe back at home who imposed this dangerous shocker of an itinerary on the cream of British and Irish rugby, and who arranged a rugby match within 72 hours of arrival after a 12,000-mile journey (via a roundabout route) in the aftermath of a savage season, have one value. They make any harsh criticism of the Lions yesterday preposterous.
To attack the Lions would also deny the bravery, dash and spirit of the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians, well marshalled by Bryn Gatland at fly-half — and well done to the family Gatland for sharing their joy at the unusual family match-up. They gave it the kitchen sink, the washing machine and the cutlery drawer as well. They were superb.
There was also the occasion — it was fine, the ground was full and the Lions came to a small town now off the beaten track for touring teams. They mucked in with the locals a little, won the game and as far as we knew last night, suffered no injury. Rugby tour. Magic.
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Likewise there were some successes among those launching this tour. Ben Te’o had an excellent evening at inside-centre. He has been peripheral in the England squad, rarely starts and hardly ever at inside-centre. Yet he looked clever, quick-witted and accomplished yesterday. Tasty Te’o. In the pack, Taulupe Faletau was outstanding, pulling off a brilliant defensive play to stop a certain try, and Alun Wyn Jones, still hammering along at the end, played with a vast engine. Kyle Sinckler made some rampages and Ross Moriarty showed a pleasing ability to break the line moving on to short passes.
It was, however, disappointing that the Lions could never impose themselves in the scrum — even against a home side that had spent a priceless eight days together, the Lions should have been able to score from a succession of five-yard scrums and Greig Laidlaw at scrum-half did not quite have the pace to break or to entice the defence around the fringes.
At least there was physicality from Johnny Sexton at fly-half. Owen Farrell was more effective when he arrived for Sexton, but Sexton was trying to draw teamwork from a back division which had never played together as a whole or even in its component departments. There was hesitancy born of unfamiliarity and Sexton did his best to make the introductions.
As ever on these occasions, the referee helped nobody. He did give three blessed penalties for rear-feet offside. But it was all the other laws he had problems with. Watching the riot of free-for-all play at the breakdown in the Crusaders-Highlanders Super Rugby match earlier in the day, the theory gathered strength that when they sent the laws book to New Zealand half the pages were missing.
Elsewhere, the Lions back three of wings and full-back never imposed themselves. Stuart Hogg, as well as costing the Lions a try with a lamentable pass to Anthony Watson when Watson was preparing to walk in to score, could not dominate under the high ball. But again, they all deserve another chance, with a team more rested and grooved in.
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The home team could easily have scored in the opening quarter, when they were devils to stop. Luteru Laulala burst through after the Lions back three had again failed to deal with a high ball. He raced up to Hogg with Inga Finau alongside in the clear. But for some reason, the full-back held on, then passed as he absorbed the tackle. This checked Finau’s momentum so that Faletau was able to make an extraordinary chase and tackle and then held the ball up off the ground behind the Lions line as Finau tried to touch down.
Soon afterwards, again after a clever high kick by Gatland that the Lions could not secure, the forwards charged around the fringes and Anderson-Heather scored. The 7-3 lead was nothing less than the Barbarians deserved.
Captain Sam Warburton, Faletau and Jonathan Joseph went close to responding for the visitors before the break but they were continuously held up on the line by the men in black shirts. Warren Gatland rung the changes shortly after half-time, bringing on the Saracens quartet Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, George Kruis and Farrell, alongside Leinster’s Tadhg Furlong. Their impact was instant.
The Lions’ second penalty brought them to within a point, and in a short but effective period of pressure in the second half, they managed their one try. Vunipola made some ground after arriving, Farrell moved the ball to his right and Watson, who had not been sharp in the first half, twisted past three defenders to score. Farrell was jeered as he took the conversion — if the crowd only knew Farrell they would have realised that their reaction made his kick a racing cert.
That was that for the scoring, the match died a rather lingering and boring death, albeit with the Barbarians on top in terms of field position. If they had won, nobody would really have had grounds for complaint, although the five times when the Lions has been stopped within millimetres in the first half could just have changed the whole contest had they travelled those extra millimetres. Looking ahead to Auckland and the Blues on Wednesday and Christchurch and the 14-match unbeaten Crusaders on Saturday, Gatland said: “There are certain things we’ll look at individually, through to some decision-making from tonight’s game and where we can improve.
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“That’s a learning from tonight, there’s a few things collectively, but definitely individually some of the decision-making that will help us improve moving forward in the next few games.”
Yesterday we saw two games which gave us a banquet of food for thought. The Lions had no teamwork to speak off and against the fast-moving Crusaders they may well not have the levels of organisation to compete with their opponents’ levels of unstructured disorganisation.
But teamwork is everything. The Crusaders may be top of Super Rugby, but Saracens, with their teamwork and systems and power and skill, would have polished off the Crusaders and the Highlanders and still have time for a sorbet afterwards.
But the Lions are not as good as Saracens, and to become as good, they have to work fanatically.
Star man: Ben T’eo (British & Irish Lions)
New Zealand Provincial Barbarians: Try: Anderson-Heather 22 Con: Gatland
British & Irish Lions: Tries: Watson 51 Con: Farrell Pens: Sexton, Laidlaw
Referee: A Gardner (Australia)
Attendance: 19,591
New Zealand Provincial Barbarians: Laulala; Vaka, Finau, Sweeney, Reece, Gatland, Stratton, Ross, Anderson-Heather (capt), Jager, Goodhue, Mewett, Tucker, Boshier, Dunshea
British & Irish Lions: Hogg; Watson, Joseph, Te’o, Seymour; Sexton (Farrell 49min), Laidlaw (Webb 57min); Marler (Vunipola 49min), Best (George 49min), Sinckler (Furlong 49min), Jones, Henderson (Kruis 49min), Moriarty, Warburton (capt) (Tipuric 66min), Faletau
