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Home / Sport

Player ratings: Lions pack roars the loudest

Andrew Alderson
By Andrew Alderson
Reporter·NZ Herald·
17 Jun, 2017 10:10 AM4 mins to read

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A solid victory for the Lions and some strong words from Warren Gatland make for an entertaining night in Rotorua
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The Lions forwards impressed and the New Zealand Maori backs disappointed in the tourists' 32-10 win in Rotorua tonight. Find out how each player rated on both sides.

British and Irish Lions

15. Leigh Halfpenny 8
Place kicking accuracy becoming pivotal on this tour. Slip into Kerr-Barlow shoulder unfortunate, but running
also shows verve.

14. Anthony Watson 5
Game generally as quiet as the Rotorua home crowd but why worry? The forwards negotiated the triumph.

13. Jonathan Davies 6
Bobbled Milner-Skudder grubber and opened the way for Messam to score. Recovered to form solid link with Sexton.

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12. Ben Te'o 7
Struggled to make presence felt until bang... made a couple of line breaks. Power running a welcome weapon.

11. George North 5
Struggled to hit a 7th minute gap in defence. Compass needed a rejig on defence. Couldn't find customary rhythm.

10. Johnny Sexton 7
Combination with Davies had some shining moments. Wipers kick 27th minute into corner flag was a treat.

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9. Conor Murray 8
Tick box for box-kicking alone. Looks like he punts at a basketball hoop for practice. Halfback skills executed with aplomb.

8. Taulupe Faletau 8
Strength in tackle. Coughed up to Ngatai in 28th but was a kauri for his team. No Hone Heke could cut him down.

7. Sean O'Brien 8
Tenacious running and unrelenting work around ruck. Sam Warburton has a tough job ousting him from No 7 test jersey.

6. Peter O'Mahony 7
Kept team's line speed effective, which prevented Maori moving ball quickly. Credible display as captain.

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5. George Kruis 7
Charge to knock down Lowe seemed legit. Energy hunting box kicks. Olivia Newton-John award for getting physical.

4. Maro Itoje 7
Body position struggled on occasion but his athleticism compensated. Seemed omnipresent for first tackles off ruck.

3. Tadhg Furlong 9
Direct running and support in early phases. Scrummaging against him looks like trying to shift a refrigerator.

2. Jamie George 7
At heart of drive for the tour's fourth try. Eventually awarded to P.Enalty. A compelling effort with front row chums.

1. Mako Vunipola 8
No one seemed to get utu by tying his shoelaces together. Never relinquished his duties at the scrum or in tackle.

Reserves:

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16. Ken Owens 6/10
17. Jack McGrath 7/10
18. Kyle Sinckler 6/10
19. Iain Henderson 7/10
20. Sam Warburton 6/10
21. Greig Laidlaw 7/10
22. Dan Biggar NA
23. Elliot Daly NA

New Zealand Maori

15. James Lowe 5
Couple of odd grubbers and chips. Defence suspect on Davies break. Looked like imagination was bereft of options.

14. Nehe Milner-Skudder 6
Grubber to break structure set up Messam try. Efforts to thread defence shut down like Waterview Tunnel.

13. Matt Proctor 4
Left with what looked a devastating shoulder injury. A subdued game until that point with muted opportunities.

12. Charlie Ngatai 6
Good counter-attacking in 28th minute with grubber but limited chances as Warrenball smother gave tour a boost.

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11. Rieko Ioane 5
Minimal input. Steve Hansen and Co will need to ensure wings have a more bespoke role when the tests roll in.

10. Damian McKenzie 5
The Kupe of the team but couldn't navigate with so few stars. Dropped a 57th minute ball to underline the woe.

9. Tawera Kerr-Barlow 6
Try-saving tackle of Davies in 17th minute. Looked hungry trying to get ball invested in runners. Yellow card cost 14 points.

8. Liam Messam 6
Tane Mahuta of the pack looked exhausted after Lions initial blast and was on back foot most of the game.

7. Elliot Dixon 5
Looked a tough workout ferreting through the Lions' warren at ruck and maul. Hard to generate swift regurgitation.

6. Akira Ioane 6
Looked mobile and fend unveiled on occasion but too few opportunities to stamp mark. Nabbing possession an issue.

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5. Tom Franklin 6
In thick of action preventing George try in 49th minute. Maori scrum power wilted against red blanket.

4. Joe Wheeler 6
Rigorous tackling at times, but who wasn't putting shoulders to work throughout? Endured northern punishment.

3. Ben May 6
Bruising tackling for periods but a gruelling day against such a commanding opposition, especially at scrum.

2. Ash Dixon 6
Led haka effectively but couldn't translate that leadership and practice into his charges against a relentless wall.

1. Kane Hames 4
Conceded penalty try as 15-man Lions closed on 14-man Maori prey. Look exhausted early in second half.

Reserves:

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16. Hikawera Elliot NA
17. Chris Eves 7/10
18. Marcel Renata 6/10
19. Leighton Price 6/10
20. Kara Pryor 6/10
21. Bryn Hall NA
22. Ihaia West NA
23. Rob Thompson 6/10

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