Lions push All Blacks to the brink in Ellis Park thriller

The Lions produced a courageous display before the All Blacks edged a 41-35 victory at Ellis Park in a thrilling Greatest Rivalry contest on Tuesday.

New Zealand scored seven tries to the Lions’ five, with their ability to create opportunities from deep ultimately proving decisive. The result was the All Blacks’ first lead of the match coming in the 63rd minute, before Emoni Narawa’s second try in the final minute finally settled the contest.

The Lions made the quicker start. A clever kick forced Beauden Barrett to hack the ball into touch, and the hosts then applied pressure through a scrum after Ethan Blackadder knocked on.

After several close-range phases, Nico Steyn produced an excellent dummy from the base of a ruck to deceive the New Zealand defence and give the Lions a 7-0 lead.

The advantage doubled only a minute later when Siba Mahashe intercepted a loose pass from Noah Hotham and raced clear of the All Blacks defenders.

New Zealand responded in the 11th minute, with Hotham finishing a flowing passing move for a converted try to reduce the deficit to 14-7.

The All Blacks’ expansive approach continued to trouble the Lions, and Emoni Narawa completed another long-range attack in the 25th minute. Barrett missed the conversion, leaving New Zealand 14-12 behind.

The Lions, however, continued to attack with confidence. Steyn again unsettled the All Blacks’ defence before releasing Kelly Mpeku, who finished in the corner in the 33rd minute.

New Zealand hit back almost immediately. They moved the ball from one side of the field to the other, with Blackadder completing a sweeping attack to make it 21-17 at half-time.

The hosts restored their momentum after the interval. Erich Cronje gathered an up-and-under and found Mahashe, who flicked the ball back inside. Cronje then kicked ahead, regathered and scored, with Chris Smith converting to extend the Lions’ lead to 28-17 in the 42nd minute.

The advantage grew again five minutes later when Francke Horn powered over after the Lions demolished the All Blacks scrum close to their line. Smith added the conversion to put the home side 35-17 ahead.

New Zealand’s response was immediate. Rieko Ioane broke through the Lions defence from the restart and scored a converted try in the 50th minute.

Ioane struck again five minutes later, intercepting a loose pass before sprinting clear. The conversion reduced the gap to four points at 35-31, and the momentum had swung sharply towards the visitors.

The All Blacks moved in front for the first time in the match in the 63rd minute. Another attack built from deep through rapid handling, allowing Blackadder to score his second try and give New Zealand a 36-35 lead.

The Lions continued to fight and produced a series of defensive efforts to stay in contention. They stopped an All Blacks maul, won a scrum and forced New Zealand into mistakes at the breakdown, but could not regain the lead.

With the clock in its final minute, Narawa scored his second try of the evening to seal the All Blacks’ victory.

The attendance was 15,956, and the Lions’ performance offered encouragement despite the defeat. Their attacking display showed that the All Blacks’ defence can be breached, a lesson the Springboks will note before their second Test in Cape Town on Saturday.

Match details

Lions 35 (21) Tries: Nico Steyn, Siba Mahashe, Kelly Mpeku, Erich Cronje, Francke Horn Conversions: Chris Smith (5)

All Blacks 41 (17) Tries: Noah Hotham, Emoni Narawa (2), Ethan Blackadder (2), Rieko Ioane (2) Conversions: Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga (2)

Team sheets

Lions: Quan Horn, Kelly Mpeku, Henco van Wyk, Richard Kriel, Erich Cronje, Chris Smith, Nico Steyn, Francke Horn (captain), Batho Hlekani, Siba Mahashe, Ruan Delport, Etienne Oosthuizen, Sebastian Lombard, PJ Botha, SJ Kotze. Replacements: Morne Brandon, Boan Venter, RF Schoeman, Hyron Andrews, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, JC Pretorius, Haashim Pead, Boeta Chamberlain.

All Blacks: Beauden Barrett, Fehi Fineanganofo, Rieko Ioane, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Emoni Narawa, Richie Mo’unga, Noah Hotham, Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa, Ethan Blackadder, Wallace Sititi, Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), Sam Darry, Pasilio Tosi, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Siale Lauaki. Replacements: Bradley Slater, Xavier Numia, Saula Mau, Jamie Hannah, Peter Lakai, Kyle Preston, Josh Jacomb, Anton Lienert-Brown.