The All Blacks produced one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent memory, rallying from 17-35 down to defeat the Lions 41-35 in a breathtaking 12-try spectacle at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Tuesday evening.
It was a result that completed a clean sweep of South African franchise sides for New Zealand on their Greatest Rivalry tour, but the manner of the victory will linger long in the memory. The Lions led for 62 minutes and appeared firmly in control before Rieko Ioane's second try turned the tide and the All Blacks surged home.
Lions Start Like a House on Fire
The visitors wasted no time establishing their authority. From the opening whistle, the Lions' big pack charged onto the ball at pace, and within six minutes they had crossed twice. Halfback Nico Steyn pierced the defence from a ruck to score under the posts, and flanker Siba Mahashe intercepted a Noah Hotham pass to sprint 35 metres untouched. Fly-half Chris Smit converted both, and suddenly the All Blacks were staring at a 14-0 deficit.
The hosts steadied through Hotham, who finished off a slick move involving Emoni Narawa after the wing beat two defenders from the base of a ruck. But the Lions continued to pose problems, with Steyn pulling the strings at the base of scrums and rucks while Mahashe was a constant menace with ball in hand.
A flowing team move ended with Patrick Tuipulotu delivering a perfect pass to Narawa to score, but Kelly Mpeku responded for the Lions after 32 minutes, diving in at the corner following a clever break by fullback Quan Horn. Ethan Blackadder capped a powerful first-half display by crashing over from a quick lineout, but the Lions still led 21-17 at the break.
Second-Half Blitz Turns the Match Upside Down
If the Lions' first-half start was electric, their second half was nuclear. Within a minute of the restart, Erich Cronje finished a sweeping counter-attack after a Chris Smit box kick. Then from a five-metre scrum in the 46th minute, the Lions pushed New Zealand back for number eight Francke Horn to score. At 17-35, the All Blacks were staring at defeat.
But what followed was a masterclass in resilience. Ioane cut through two defenders and raced 40 metres to score, then six minutes later picked off an errant midfield pass and sprinted 50 metres to bring the All Blacks within four points.
The lead changed for the first time after 61 minutes when a turnover in their own territory sparked a sweeping move that ended with Blackadder carrying two defenders over the line for his second try. The All Blacks' scrum dominance told in the final 10 minutes, and Narawa sealed the win by cutting back past four cover defenders to score his second try.
Ma'u's Emotional Debut
Among the most poignant moments was the introduction of Tongan-born prop Saula Ma'u off the bench in the 60th minute. The 26-year-old Highlanders front-rower, called up as an injury replacement for Ollie Norris, fought back tears after the match as he described his All Blacks debut as a "dream come true."
Scoreline
**Lions 35** (Steyn, Mahashe, Mpeku, Cronje, F. Horn tries; Smit 5 cons) — **All Blacks 41** (Hotham, Narawa 2, Blackadder 2, Ioane 2 tries; Barrett con, Mo'unga 2 cons). Half-time: 21-17.
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