All Blacks stage stunning comeback to escape Lions scare

by Chumasande Matiwane

The New Zealand All Blacks survived a huge scare at Ellis Park last night, recovering from an 18-point second-half deficit to defeat the Lions 41-35 and maintain their unbeaten record on their South African tour.

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All Blacks tame the Lions

New Zealand looked in danger of suffering a historic upset after the Johannesburg-based Lions raced into a 14-0 lead inside the opening seven minutes and remained in front for most of the contest.  

The hosts were still 35-17 ahead in the 47th minute before the All Blacks produced a stunning late comeback. 

The Lions’ 35 points were the most scored by a provincial or club side against the All Blacks, underlining just how close the visitors came to a major embarrassment. 

Lions make dream of start

The All Blacks made a heavily rotated selection after their 33-16 victory over South Africa in the opening Test of the four-match series.  

Only three players who started that Test were retained, while New Zealand also fielded five injury replacements and handed prop Saula Ma’u his debut, according to Reuters. 

These changes appeared to disrupt New Zealand’s defensive cohesion early on. 

The Lions attacked with confidence, exposing missed tackles and taking advantage of opportunities created by their powerful forward play. They led 14-0 after just seven minutes and continued to trouble the visitors throughout the opening half. 

But the New Zealand team eventually found rhythm, and the Lions continued to answer every challenge, stretching the lead to 35-17 shortly after the restart, putting themselves within sight of what would have been one of the biggest provincial victories in rugby history. 

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All Blacks finally find another gear

With the match slipping away, New Zealand suddenly produced the attacking surge that has characterised much of its tour. 

Rieko Ioane scored twice, while Ethan Blackadder also crossed for his second try as the All Blacks began to dismantle the Lions’ defence. New Zealand’s Blackadder’s second score in the 62nd minute finally put New Zealand ahead for the first time. 

Despite the result, the Lions produced a performance that will be remembered as one of the most impressive by a South African provincial side against New Zealand. 

But the scare also exposed defensive weaknesses that will concern coach Dave Rennie ahead of Saturday’s second Test against South Africa in Cape Town. 

But for now, however, New Zealand remain unbeaten — and their escape from Ellis Park may prove to be one of the most valuable lessons of the entire tour. 

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Featured image: X/@SuperSportRugby

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