Warren Gatland may be calling up a couple of Scots and a rake of Welshmen but the Lions would not have beaten the Maori All Blacks without some important Irish contributions.
Leigh Halfpenny kicked 20 points, Maro Itoje powered over for a second half try and the Anglo-Irish front row of Vunipola-George-Furlong creamed their opposite numbers for a penalty try as the Lions won out 32-10 in Rotorua.
Six Irish players featured in the tourists third win since landing in New Zealand with, to our mind at least, Sean O’Brien and Johnny Sexton starring.
The New Zealand media feel the same way about O’Brien, with many reporters predicting ‘The Tullow Tank’ will now start at No.7 in the First Test against the All Blacks, next Saturday.
O’Brien scored the highest of all the victorious Lions in the Stuff player ratings. Coming home with an 8.5 out of 10, Robert Van Royen declared:
‘[He was] part of a loose forward trio which helped shut the home side out of the game. Immense at the breakdown.’
The Leinster flanker certainly was and he personally secured two turnovers for his team while playing a large part in another.
While O’Brien also gets an 8/10 in the New Zealand Herald, the top rated player is Ireland tighthead Tadhg Furlong. Their reporter, Andrew Alderson, writes:
‘Direct running and support in early phases. Scrummaging against him looks like trying to shift a refrigerator.’
He’s not far off!
Elsewhere in the ratings, on both sites, Lions captain Peter O’Mahony was praised for backing his pack when the Maori were temporarily reduced to 14 men.
Johnny Sexton averaged out at 7.5, with both outlets praising his kicking out of hand and running lines that ’caused all sorts of problems’ for the hosts. Conor Murray was awarded an 8 by both reporters and his box-kicking abilities were lauded.
The Lion with the worst player rating was George North, who scored 5 and 6 in the respective outlets. The Welsh winger’s first half mistake gave up an easy Maori try and he is by no means certain of a Test place next weekend.
