All Blacks coach Steve Hansen compared Saturday’s first Test with the British and Irish Lions to a World Cup final as they prepare to take on a touring party that has been growing in confidence and form.
The Lions have shaken off a slow start to their tour to develop into a formidable force, but they now face the task of handing the world champions their first defeat at Auckland’s Eden Park in 23 years.
When the Lions last visited in 2005, New Zealand ‘blackwashed’ the series 3-0, continuing a run that has seen them win 29 of 38 Tests dating back to 1904.
Ahead of the big game in Auckland, we identify five talking points.
The All Blacks have won two World Cup finals at Auckland’s Eden Park and have not been beaten there since 1994. Their run at the ground includes 37 straight wins, including last week’s 78-0 humiliation of Samoa. The Lions will hope their vocal supporters can help nullify the ground’s intimidation factor. However, in nine Tests against the Lions at the venue since 1930, the All Blacks have won seven, drawn one and lost one, with the hosts’ sole defeat back in 1959.
The once-every-12-years Lions tour is one of world rugby’s most anticipated series and its history abounds with legendary players. But the truth is that the composite team’s record in New Zealand is distinctly underwhelming. The Lions have contested 11 Test series against the All Blacks since 1904 and won only one, when the John Dawes-led 1971 vintage battled to a 2-1 victory with one drawn Test. The Lions’ Test record in New Zealand is six wins, three draws and 29 losses, a success rate of just 16 percent.
All Blacks.
This year is the first time the Lions have toured New Zealand with a Kiwi at the helm in the form of head coach Warren Gatland. Critics, including All Blacks mentor Steve Hansen, have dismissed Gatland’s “Warrenball” tactics as one-dimensional. But Gatland is no fool and his resume includes leading the Lions to victory over Australia in 2013 and Wales to three Six Nations championships, as well as enjoying club success in Britain and New Zealand. Former All Black Gatland has an intimate knowledge of his homeland’s rugby but complained when he brought Wales over last year that he lacked the players to compete for 80 minutes. With the cream of Home Nations talent at his disposal, he will have the depth he has long craved against the world champions.
Steve Hansen.
Differing rule interpretations between northern and southern hemisphere referees have already caused confusion in Lions’ lead-up games, particularly at scrum time. South Africa’s Jaco Peyper will officiate in the first Test and the All Blacks will hope he allows the free-flowing game seen in Super Rugby. He took a hands-off approach when New Zealand downed Ireland 21-9 to exact revenge for their loss in Chicago last year, with some critics claiming he allowed dangerous play. However, he showed a willingness to punish spoiling tactics last week when he awarded the Lions a penalty try against New Zealand Maori. Much could hinge on which Peyper turns up at Eden Park, the facilitator with a light touch or the by-the-rules disciplinarian.
Jaco Peyper.
Hansen has made a bold selection move in choosing Rieko Ioane over Julian Savea on the left wing. Nicknamed “The Bus”, Savea is fourth on the all-time list of All Blacks try-scorers, with 46 in 53 Tests. Ioane has two Test appearances off the bench against Italy and France last year. He has shone in Super Rugby this season and scored a try when the Auckland Blues beat the Lions early in the tour. But Hansen must have supreme confidence in the 20-year-old’s temperament to pitch him into a Lions Test with so little experience.
Rieko Ioane.
