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Home / Sport / Rugby / Super Rugby

Player ratings: British and Irish Lions v Crusaders

Andrew Alderson
By Andrew Alderson
Reporter·NZ Herald·
10 Jun, 2017 11:11 AM5 mins to read

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Ben Te'o on the burst against the Crusaders. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Ben Te'o on the burst against the Crusaders. Photo / Brett Phibbs

See who starred and who played poorly in Andrew Alderson's player ratings.

British and Irish Lions

15. Stuart Hogg - 5
Defence sound. Copped an elbow in the eye from Murray after hoisting and chasing a bomb. Exited as the blood gushed forth.

14. George North - 8
Made massive defensive
dents. Shadowed Bridge like the Hound of the Baskervilles. Formidable test starter.

13. Jonathan Davies - 6
Found gap early, worked well with Farrell. Copped what looked like a blow to the snout on cut back near the line 30 mins in.

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12. Ben Te'o - 7
Looks like a guaranteed test selection. Stable as an oak armoire in the tackle and offers flair as and when required.

11. Liam Williams - 6
Restricted leaps in air this time. Touch saver flicked through legs reminded of Bill McLaren's "demented mole".

10. Owen Farrell - 8
Drew defenders well, robust running. Love pre-kick "that bloke's pinched my sandwich" look. Is he 2017's Barry John?

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9. Conor Murray - 9
Box kicking. Tick. Slick pass. Tick. Stamina. Tick. A first choice versus All Blacks. Missed one tackle of Goodhue.

8. Taulupe Faletau - 7
Wrestled and initiated turnovers. Has fend like Inspector Gadget which will be hard to contain if he gets a head of steam.

7. Sean O'Brien - 7
Snaffled at will. Omnipresent in the vicinity of the ruck. Admirable 2-I-C to Warburton.

6. Peter O'Mahoney - 6
Pinched lineout throw off Romano early. Not intimidated by New Zealand's leading Super Rugby juggernaut.

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5. George Kruis - 7
Body position good at the ruck. Took clean lineout ball on regular occasions. Looks a powerful unit. Hard to contain.

4. Alun Wyn Jones - 8
Spoke about playing for the 41-player squad as much as the match-day 23 in the lead-up. Didn't disappoint.

3. Tadhg Furlong - 6
Anchoring of the scrum could need some work. Handy lieutenant work in the tight to keep them advancing.

2. Jamie George - 7
Hungry for work. Accurate throws. Could moonlight as a piano-mover. Mighty hoof after 33rd min defused attack.

1. Mako Vunipola - 7
Has mastered the "Dancing Bear" swivel pass. Gritty tackling and quick recovery must place him in the test mix?

Reserves

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16. Ken Owens - N/A
17. Jack McGrath - 6
18. Dan Cole - N/A
19. Maro Itoje - 6
20. CJ Stander - 4
21. Rhys Webb - 6
22. Johnny Sexton - 6
23. Anthony Watson - 6

Crusaders

15. Israel Dagg - 7
High ball catching was fearless and sound for the most part. Could imagine Steve Hansen issuing a grunt of appreciation.

14. Seta Tamanivalu - 5
Minimal involvement with the game often getting shut down in midfield. The odd tackle to keep the blood flowing.

13. Jack Goodhue - 6
Play didn't seem to go his way in the 1st half. Given a sniff in the 2nd stanza he made a couple of useful breaks and chases.

12. David Havili - 6
Quieter game without an impact to give the Lions nightmares. No significant errors but couldn't offer definitive moments.

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11. George Bridge - 7
Saved first-minute try. Vaseline-legged elusiveness. Bet he won the bullrush at primary school. Tired later on.

10. Richie Mo'unga - 6
Prepared to defend. Made the odd handy break from loose ball. Kicked soundly. Did not command to the extent he can.

9. Bryn Hall - 6
Up against the might of Murray was a tough ask. Played behind a pack that didn't give him the usual time to work.

8. Jordan Taufua - 5
Won early penalty ferreting for turnover but lost one in contact against Faletau. Struggled with securing possession.

7. Matt Todd - 7
Continues his consistent tackling and reassuring presence in most facets of play. Every province needs a Todd.

6. Heiden Bedwell-Curtis - 6
Rigorous contribution without doing anything too flash. No seagull though, prepared to soil hands.

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5. Sam Whitelock - 6
Unrelenting but couldn't inspire side to an international victory, despite march through Super Rugby ranks.

4. Luke Romano - 7
Met his match in the opposition pack but provided sturdy commitment in the tight five.

3. Owen Franks - 7
Put bruising scrum technique into overdrive at times. Socks stayed low as he pumped calves to the max around field.

2. Codie Taylor - 7
A fourth loose forward with a V8 engine which will be needed come test time in Dane Coles' absence.

1. Joe Moody - 6
Maintained steady presence and will have got bearings for test series. Exited in 50th min with front row chums.

Reserves

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16. Ben Funnell - 6
17. Wyatt Crockett - 6
18. Michael Alaalatoa - 6
19. Quinten Strange - 6
20. Jed Brown - N/A
21. Mitchell Drummond - 6
22. Mitchell Hunt - N/A
23. Tim Bateman - 5

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