The British & Irish Lions went down to their first defeat on their tour to New Zealand after The Blues scored a brilliant late try to win 22-16.
A try for CJ Stander and 11 points from the boot of Leigh Halfpenny had given the Lions a one-point lead going into the closing stages at Eden Park.
But a brilliant late try from Ihaia West secured victory for the Auckland side, the replacement fly-half latched onto Sonny Bill Williams’s superb offload to scorch under the posts from halfway.
Dan Cole played 54 minutes of his first start of the tour and stood out at scrum time, and around the tackle area. The Leicester Tigers prop had to wait 20 minutes for the first scrum, but he helped set the tone for a dominant set-piece display for the Lions that earned them a series of penalties throughout the contest.
The Lions went behind to Rieko Ioane’s try in the seventh minute before Stander finished off a lineout drive to give the Lions a 7-5 lead on 18 minutes. Halfpenny added three points with a scrum penalty seven minutes later.
Sonny Bill Williams scored an opportunist try on half-time to give the Blues a 12-10 lead after Stephen Perofeta’s penalty hit a post, though there was a suggestion that the hosts profited from a knock-on which went unspotted by the TMO.
West kicked his Super Rugby side further ahead with a penalty. Liam Williams saw yellow for making contact with Matt Duffie in the air for the second time in quick succession.
But the Lions steadied themselves and, with their set-piece still on top, two Halfpenny penalties edged the tourists into the lead after 71 minutes. But West’s brilliant try won it for the hosts.
A try for CJ Stander and 11 points from the boot of Leigh Halfpenny had given the Lions a one-point lead going into the closing stages at Eden Park.
But a brilliant late try from Ihaia West secured victory for the Auckland side, the replacement fly-half latched onto Sonny Bill Williams’s superb offload to scorch under the posts from halfway.
Dan Cole played 54 minutes of his first start of the tour and stood out at scrum time, and around the tackle area. The Leicester Tigers prop had to wait 20 minutes for the first scrum, but he helped set the tone for a dominant set-piece display for the Lions that earned them a series of penalties throughout the contest.
The Lions went behind to Rieko Ioane’s try in the seventh minute before Stander finished off a lineout drive to give the Lions a 7-5 lead on 18 minutes. Halfpenny added three points with a scrum penalty seven minutes later.
Sonny Bill Williams scored an opportunist try on half-time to give the Blues a 12-10 lead after Stephen Perofeta’s penalty hit a post, though there was a suggestion that the hosts profited from a knock-on which went unspotted by the TMO.
West kicked his Super Rugby side further ahead with a penalty. Liam Williams saw yellow for making contact with Matt Duffie in the air for the second time in quick succession.
But the Lions steadied themselves and, with their set-piece still on top, two Halfpenny penalties edged the tourists into the lead after 71 minutes. But West’s brilliant try won it for the hosts.
