Referee Jaco Peyper looks assured in the Lions opener as New Zealand take a firm grip at 30-15.
Lions outclassed in the first test
I know I am supposed to be commenting on refereeing matters, but I need to mention the stunning score by the Lions which started with Liam Williams sidestepping like Phil Bennett - reminding me so much of the beginning of that famous Barbarians try way back in 1973 - and ended with Sean O'Brien, which for me was one of the greatest tries in Test match history.
An exceptional ref
The first half in general was exceptional, and so was the refereeing.
I thought New Zealand pulled a lineout maul down close to the line which went unpunished in the first five minutes of the second half, and perhaps some clean-outs from the attacking side were missed as the game wore on, which admittedly is a penalty not many want to give.
That said, I loved the way the referee allowed the turnovers to happen and did not oversanitize the breakdown.
There were great advantages and good communication between officials and the television match official (TMO) for the All Blacks' second try by Rieko Ioane regarding those two areas of contention, the potential knock-on by Kieran Read and the finish.
Lions fatigue
As the Lions fatigued they gave the All Blacks way too much quick-phase ball and weren't able to slow anything down which ultimately allowed New Zealand to get their world-class attack firing on all cylinders.
What I also found very interesting was that the TMO, George Ayoub of Australia, seemed to come in unprompted and advise the referee of foul play incidents which may not have been picked by the on-field team of three officials.
As long as those inputs are accurate, it allows for greater fluidity in the game and can be a huge help to the officials down on the field.
Overall I thought the Lions had their fair share of chances in the first 60 minutes. However they will have to learn how to slow the ball down in the those latter stages of the contest, or how to hold onto the ball for longer passages of play, in order to turn the tide next week in Wellington.
interesting that your only way of winning is to slow the game down.
Southern rugby is a fast ball game, with every chance of a try being taken. Instead of having scrums/mauls and live of the penalties the ref give you.
That's what our rule based games do Len ... they sloooooow things down! I hate it myself!!
If you can, when you get home, have a look at southern rugby style and compare it with the northern style. If there is a southern ref then you will see the difference .
Series prediction: 2-1 ;)
It was a great game to watch - i am trying to get a couple of tickets for the Wellington game - shoot over stay at my place and we will go :)
Lucky bugger! Sweet as bro'! I can go visit my ex- in Palmy too! Enjoy the game mate! Steem on live from there ... I promise to write up on that game too :)
Hey @mindhunter, The lions Kept the score a lot closer that I expected, see if they can get game 2. Cheers
They might steal one game, but I don't see them winning the Test.