Great Britain 20 New Zealand 14
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The Kiwis regained their passion after the record thumping by Australia in Wellington and showed they will make a decent fist of the series against Great Britain by toughing out a close loss in game one yesterday.
They led until the 49th minute, when a horror error
by fullback Sam Perrett allowed the Lions an easy try. The home team then built their composure while the Kiwis slipped to a narrow loss.
Unlike Wellington, there was no disgrace in losing at Huddersfield.
The Kiwis played an entertaining game, their completion rate was good and the attack was always threatening. The Lions produced some clever attack and created numerous chances which the Kiwis shut down with defensive vigour. By the end, fatigue told, because the tourists' bench was cut to two.
In a continuation of the bad injury run after Perrett's predecessor Krisnan Inu and wing Luke Covell were invalided out of the Wellington test, Bradford wing Tame Tupou tore his anterior cruciate ligament seconds before halftime and Epalahame Lauaki suffered a calf tear soon afterwards, with neither able to return to the field and both highly unlikely starters at Hull next weekend. Clinton Toopi rejoins the squad from New Zealand and looks sure to slot in.
Lauaki's replacement on the bench is likely to be the only other change next weekend, with Kiwis coach Gary Kemble desperate for a win and wary of the wily Brits. "It's too early to bring more youngsters in next week," he said.
Kemble was pleased with the effort and attitude and with his two rookies, Lauaki and Perrett, and did not blame the latter's defensive mistake which gifted Great Britain a try.
"The new boys found out what test football is all about tonight and how tough it is. With Sam - these things happen, the bounce of the ball, and that's what I said to him afterwards. He came back well."
The Lions had deserved their win and one mistake did not give it to them, Kemble added. "In the last 20 minutes, maybe because we were down on the interchange, I thought we didn't execute as well as we should have. We had some chances, we should have scored."
Captain Roy Asotasi and fellow prop Fuifui Moimoi were outstanding, Kemble said, also mentioning Simon Mannering for his usual high game. Moimoi had to leave the field at one stage after a high shot from Lions debutante Sam Burgess which was put on report by referee Tony Archer. It was one of several swinging arm tackles from the Lions and Kemble drew the officials' attention to that for games two and three. "We have some battered and bruised faces in here," he said in the dressing room afterwards. "The refs have to have a look at it."
They would take great confidence into the next two games, Kemble said. "We spoke about that afterwards, the players know what they are in for now. We know we can improve."
Both sides scored three tries yesterday but Lions halfback Rob Burrow kicked four goals while Kiwis five-eighth Lance Hohaia managed just one. He seemed to forget he was kicker, returning to halfway while video ref Ashley Klein reviewed a touchdown by Shontayne Hape off Thomas Leuluai's grubber to the in-goal, then skiving the kick.
Burrow was man of the match, living up to his surname with probing darts around the ruck and searching dummy-half runs that got the Lions moving forward. It was he who deflected another Leuluai chip, regathered and broke the Kiwis open for their first try to transplanted Samoan Maurie Fa'asavalu who barged through the defence close to the line at 28 minutes.
Fa'asavalu went from hero to villain in minutes, dropping a pass which Leuluai kicked through for Paul Whatuira to score. After a penalty to the Lions, New Zealand led 10-8 at the break.
The Kiwis collected five consecutive penalties as the Lions slowed their go-forward in the play-the-ball. After forcing two goal-line drop-outs, Hape eventually got his second touchdown.
Great Britain coach Tony Smith said his side was also rusty and missed chances. "We did a nice solid job. I thought we could have won by a little more had we been a bit better in our execution on a couple of breaks but that may not have done us any good - we may have got carried away with it.
"We will be more threatening," said Smith, "but so will they."