Lions lose first game on their 2017 tour

The British and Irish Lions have lost their first match of the 2017 tour, falling to the Blues in Auckland’s Eden Park. The Blues won the game 22-16, scoring three tries to the Lions’ sole effort.

It was a much better performance from the Lions than their opening effort against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians last Saturday, but they still were unable to win.

The Lions started strong, with Jared Payne forced into touch at the try line. But the Blues were the first team to touchdown, winger Rieko Ioane catching the Lions defence flat-footed within the first ten minutes.

Twenty-year-old out-half Stephen Perofeta seemed to succumb to the pressure of his first start for the Blues, missing a relatively simple conversion. But while his place kicking was less than exemplary, Perofeta marshalled the team well.

The Lions managed to claim the lead, with CJ Stander getting over the line after a driving maul. The differing scores showed the contrast between the two side’s methods of play. The Blues scoring through invention, the Lions forced to rely on forward dominance.

Leigh Halfpenny slotted a conversion and later a penalty to make the score 10-5 in the Lions’ favour. While the visitor’s defence was good, the backs never managed to create any really good attacking play.

Jonny Sexton replaced Dan Biggar five minutes before the break but was unable to get the back-line moving with any great authority, even with fellow Irishmen, Payne and Robbie Henshaw, outside him.

With the torrential rain falling, Stander conceded a penalty. Perofeta hit the upright/crossbar but the ball bounced into the waiting hands of Sonny Bill Williams to touch down.

Williams, making his return after injury, was one of the best players on the field and will certainly have caught the eye of New Zealand coach Steve Hansen, who was due to select the All Blacks squad for the Lions series the day after this game. Blues coach Tana Umaga was full of praise for his player post-match.

The Blues went into the break 12-10 ahead, and almost scored after the restart, but were forced off into touch. They did manage to come away with a penalty, however, with replacement No.10 Ihaia West handing them a 15-10 lead.

Payne then went off injured after a recurrence of an ankle problem, which had kept him out of the first game, and was replaced by Liam Williams.

(AAP Image/David Rowland)

Williams had impressed on his last performances in New Zealand – Wales’ 3-0 series whitewash of the All Blacks in the summer of last year – but seemed too eager to get involved. He was caught tackling Matt Duffie in the air twice in as many minutes and was sent to the sin-bin for his second infringement.

The Blues were unable to capitalise on their one-man advantage throughout the ten-minute period, and even conceded a penalty, which Halfpenny kicked. Halfpenny kicked a second penalty soon after, and the game went into the last ten minutes with the Lions 16-15 ahead.

The Blues regained the lead, however, West touching down under the posts after the play of the game. No.8 Steven Luatua off-loaded to Williams, again, who showed great hands to pop to West, who cantered in. West converted his own try and the Blues were leading 22-16.

The Lions threatened the Blues’ line but were unable to take full advantage. They had a line-out close to the Blues’ try line but Rory Best’s throwing was awry and the hosts stole the ball to seal the victory.

It was the Lions’ first loss of this tour and while the performance was an improvement it still wasn’t up to scratch. Jack McGrath tackled well (13) and the second rowers were dominant, but the backs weren’t up to the task.

Both wings, especially Jack Nowell, were poor. None of the half-backs impressed and there was no invention or creativity in the back line. Only Halfpenny looks a possibility for the Test series, and that was down to his kicking.

It would be wrong to panic just yet. It’s only the second game. Warren Gatland has claimed that he doesn’t see losses in these games as something to get too concerned about. The focus is on the Tests.

Losses can sometimes even help a team. The 1997 Lions talk about how losing a game against Northern Transvaal two weeks before the first Test helped them knuckle down and win the series against South Africa 2-1.

Conversely, the 1989 Lions went into the first Test against Australia unbeaten and were duly thrashed. The players have since admitted that they were complacent. They also eventually won the series 2-1.

The 1993 Lions lost six of the 13 games they played, but still could have won the series against the All Blacks. They won the second Test and were denied in the first by a dubious penalty that is still argued about today. It was only in the third Test that they were soundly beaten.

The Lions camp have talked about how they’re concentrating on the positives of the game, however few they may be, and are not letting defeat get to them. That’s all well and good but too many defeats are bad for morale, which is of paramount importance on a tour like this.

In the Lions’ first two games they have failed to impress anyone, either in New Zealand or Britain and Ireland. They struggled to beat a makeshift side of semi-professionals and were comprehensively outclassed (the score could have been higher in the Blues’ favour) by the weakest of the Super Rugby sides they will face.

At the current standing, the Lions seem to have very little chance of beating the Crusaders, the top club side in the southern hemisphere. But I’m hoping that I will be proven wrong.