NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / All Blacks

Player ratings: All Blacks v British and Irish Lions

Andrew Alderson
By Andrew Alderson
Reporter·NZ Herald·
24 Jun, 2017 10:30 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

All Blacks player Israel Dagg evades Liam Williams of the Lions. Photo / Alan Gibson

All Blacks player Israel Dagg evades Liam Williams of the Lions. Photo / Alan Gibson

See who stood out and who struggled in the first All Blacks v Lions test.

All Blacks

15. Ben Smith - 4
Three high balls in 1st 20 mins resulted in scrambled eggs. Exited after a concussion check before half time.

14. Israel Dagg - 8
Fort Knox tackling to prevent
second minute try to Daly. Hung in the air like a black balloon to take high balls. Ravenous for action.

13. Ryan Crotty - 7
Useful tackling, particularly 29th minute effort to prevent Daly offloading for try. 33rd minute hamstring ping.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

12. Sonny Bill Williams - 6
More of a grafting than spectacular performance as Te'o kept him in check. Never overplayed his hand(s).

11. Reiko Ioane - 7
Minimal input then scores match-winning try using Michael Jones' Eden Park bronze statue pose. Wins Earle Kirton "gas" award.

10. Beauden Barrett - 7
Move to fullback after Ben Smith's exit saw his attacking flair wasted, but drilled his place kicks with aplomb.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

9. Aaron Smith - 7
Slick service and bounteous energy kept a harness on direction. Perenara kept momentum when he tagged in.

8. Kieran Read - 8
Remains a reliable lineout target on return. Put in some outstanding tackles, especially as Lions surged early in second half.

7. Sam Cane - 8
Robust running game and gritty presence at the breakdown. Stepped up in contest between world's two best teams.

6. Jerome Kaino - 6
Subbed in 46th minute for Savea. Did not seem to enforce with his usual aggression as a red jerseys swarmed.

Discover more

New Zealand

All Blacks show class in first test win over Lions

24 Jun 09:39 AM
All Blacks

Three key moments from the first test

24 Jun 09:49 AM
New Zealand

All Blacks captain Kieran Read reaches new heights against Lions

24 Jun 09:59 AM
All Blacks

Pulsating tussle as both sides show mettle

24 Jun 05:00 PM

5. Sam Whitelock - 8
The thought of an All Blacks team without Whitelock would be like NZ telly without Country Calendar.

4. Brodie Retallick - 8
Power on feet at ruck. Looked like he was shearing Lions when hunting for ball. A Soviet era tractor in the channel.

3. Owen Franks - 7
Bushwhacker #1 offered fearless tackling and looked hungry to preserve Eden Park fortress record.

2. Codie Taylor - 7
Hands like Martin Snedden at MCG in Feb 1981 to score the opening 18th min try. NZ relief banks burst to overflow.

1. Joe Moody - 7
Bushwhacker #2 gave an honest account of himself to set the standard required to keep team on front foot.

Reserves

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

16. Nathan Harris - N/A
17. Wyatt Crockett - 7
18. Charlie Faumuina - 7
19. Scott Barrett - N/A
20. Ardie Savea - 7
21. TJ Perenara - 7
22. Aaron Cruden - 6
23. Anton Lienert-Brown - 5

Lions

15. Liam Williams - 7
Mesmerising run to set up O'Brien try rolling 80m. Shades of JPR namesake. Spilt high ball that saw Ioane blitz to second try.

14. Anthony Watson - 6
Capable of weaving his way through opponents like a knitting needle. Unfortunately defence susceptible to unravelling.

13. Jonathan Davies - 7
Found opening hole in ABs defence and punched through. No surprise to see him feature in the continuity for O'Brien try.

12. Ben Te'o - 6
Gave Williams a 42nd minute hammering. Cost a penalty but memorable. Brought cohesion and stability.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

11. Elliot Daly - 7
Offered a peek into his turn of pace, especially playing a cameo in the footy poetry which became their opening try.

10. Owen Farrell - 5
Struggled to make an impact, given Lions lack of possession at times. Set backs free on occasion but verve absent.

9. Conor Murray - 6
Knitted team together with his linking but Lions could not capitalise on weaknesses exposed by pinpoint box kicks.

8. Taulupe Faletau - 7
Contributed the most tackles as he maintained vigilance. Likely to wake bruised after confronting black juggernaut.

7. Sean O'Brien - 7
Roved with intent at breakdown. Worthy try-scorer as home nations showcased expansive mastery.

6. Peter O'Mahony - 7
Solid lineout work. 54th minute exit to make way for Warburton but the side were in their pomp under his leadership.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

5. George Kruis - 7
An 80-minute exercise in commitment, but hard to maintain resilience against the might of Whitelock and Retallick.

4. Alun Wyn Jones - 7
Support play handy. Played at a high tempo and brought experience before Itoje added impact, as per tactical plan.

3. Tadhg Furlong - 7
Useful basketball passing skills on occasion. Charge down of Smith box-kick added pressure. Tackled ferociously.

2. Jamie George - 7
Marksman at the lineout, especially finding O'Mahony. Presumably a gutterboard specialist at primary school.

1. Mako Vunipola - 6
Busied himself in the tight setting the platform for a backline. Subbed in 52nd minute as the fuel light flickered into life.

Reserves

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

16. Ken Owens - N/A
17. Jack McGrath - 4
18. Kyle Sinckler - 7
19. Maro Itoje - 6
20. Sam Warburton - 6
21. Rhys Webb - 6
22. Johnny Sexton - 5
23. Leigh Halfpenny - N/A

Save

    Share this article

Latest from All Blacks

Premium
All Blacks

Robertson shakes up All Blacks with bold squad selection

23 Jun 08:40 AM
Premium
Opinion

Ben Francis: The unlucky five players who missed All Blacks selection

23 Jun 08:10 AM
Premium
Opinion

Gregor Paul: The questions raised by Razor's All Blacks cuts

23 Jun 04:55 AM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from All Blacks

Premium
Robertson shakes up All Blacks with bold squad selection

Robertson shakes up All Blacks with bold squad selection

23 Jun 08:40 AM

Scott Robertson's second year sparks a notable selection shake-up for the All Blacks.

Premium
Ben Francis: The unlucky five players who missed All Blacks selection

Ben Francis: The unlucky five players who missed All Blacks selection

23 Jun 08:10 AM
Premium
Gregor Paul: The questions raised by Razor's All Blacks cuts

Gregor Paul: The questions raised by Razor's All Blacks cuts

23 Jun 04:55 AM
Scott Robertson names his first All Black selections of 2025

Scott Robertson names his first All Black selections of 2025

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP