All Blacks head coach-elect’s touring squad, fielding six injury replacements and a debutant prop, survived a 35-17 deficit at Ellis Park on Tuesday to defeat the Lions 41-35, extending New Zealand’s unbeaten provincial record in South Africa to four matches.
The result preserved the All Blacks’ clean sweep of South African provincial opposition on tour and kept them 1-0 up in the Test series against the Springboks. It did not come easily. Saula Ma’u made his debut at prop, just two of the six injury replacements summoned during the tour had arrived as recently as Monday, and only three players backed up from the previous Saturday’s Test victory on the same ground.
The Lions, operating out of season and short of match fitness, established a 14-0 lead within seven minutes. They held a four-point advantage at half-time and pushed it to 35-17 by the 47th minute, placing themselves within reach of becoming the first South African provincial side to defeat New Zealand since Orange Free State, now known as the Cheetahs, did so 50 years ago in 1976.
What changed: the final thirty minutes.
New Zealand scored four successive tries to overturn the deficit entirely. Flanker Ethan Blackadder crossed in the 62nd minute to give the All Blacks their first lead of the match, a psychological shift that the Lions could not reverse. Rieko Ioane added two tries during the rally, and winger Emoni Narawa sealed the result in the 79th minute, settling the visitors as they held on through the closing stages.
The Lions’ competitive showing reflected a structural reality familiar to every provincial side the All Blacks have faced on this tour. Like the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls before them, the Lions last played competitively on May 30 in the United Rugby Championship quarter-finals, a layoff that appeared to tell as the match wore on. Their early dominance was genuine; their inability to sustain it was, at least in part, a consequence of that extended break.
The tour now moves forward with New Zealand undefeated against provincial opposition, their Test series lead intact, and their injury list still growing. Whether a depleted squad can maintain that record against whatever opposition remains is the question South African rugby will be watching closely. More details on the encounter are available at https://sportnation.nz/article/all-blacks-need-late-surge-to-maul-lions-in-s-africa.