British Lions savaged by New Zealand media after scraping win in opening match
Warren Gatland's side could only sneak past the Provincial Barbarians 13-7 in what is expected to be easiest tour game
THE LIONS have been savaged by New Zealand media for fluffing their lines in their opening tour game.
Warren Gatland's side could only sneak past the Provincial Barbarians 13-7 in what is expected to be the easiest game of the tour.
Anthony Watson's try proved the difference, with the Lions having gone into the break trailing their hosts in Maori heartland.
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Here are how the Kiwi rugby union writers saw the first game of the summer... and it doesn't make pleasant viewing for Lions fans...
Gregor Paul, New Zealand Herald
The Lions got their heavily predicted opening game victory but it was one that saw them reach unimaginable levels of mediocrity.
It was one that saw them embarrassed by a side that had no business putting them under as much pressure as they did and getting so close to a shock victory.
If coach Warren Gatland had a worst case scenario in mind for the Lions performance, his team surpassed it. It was, frankly, a ghastly night for them where, with the exception of Toby Faletau and Ben Teo'o, they spectacularly failed to impress.
And given what lies ahead for the Lions, they'd have to be worried. New Zealand should be worried for them. Maybe even say a little prayer because they need some kind of miracle to survive the next five weeks if what they offered in Whangarei is what they are all about.
There they were, up against a group of hastily thrown together provincial battlers, and...nothing.
Phil Gifford, Stuff
In blunt terms the Lions looked incompetent.
To be down 7-3 at halftime, and not take the lead until the 56th minute, was a disgrace to the jersey.
How could a team stacked with nothing but internationals for so long look so leaden footed, so lacking in confidence they took kicks at goal instead of looking for tries from a lineout, so lacking in co-ordination and attacking ideas?
It's also worth mentioning that it took referee Angus Gardner 46 minutes to penalise a Lion for what had been a stream of tackles around the neck and head. Aura is one thing. Letting a team ignore rules designed for safety is another.
Of course the Lions will improve. A cynic might say they could hardly play worse than they did in the first half.
It's tough to measure, but off the pitch they should be better served than the shambles that was 2005. Sir Clive Woodward, as I discovered during weekly radio interviews during that tour, was so intense, so obsessed with detail, and so concerned with perceived plots against his team, he appeared to live in a parallel universe.
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Warren Gatland is an infinitely more grounded proposition. He knows, from front row, hard grinding, first hand experience, as a player with Waikato and the All Blacks, that his team should have had their last relaxed hit out on tour.
The problem is he has such a short amount of time to stitch together a side that actually looks like a test team.
If the Lions struggled to pin down runners in the Baabaas' ranks, how will they deal with the Blues on Wednesday, and how much should they fear the prospect of humiliation when they get to Christchurch next weekend?
Patrick McKendry, New Zealand Herald
The fireworks which lit up the crisp Whangarei air high above Toll Stadium before this extraordinary match kicked off had little on the collisions against the famous visitors by the players from the second tier of the game here or the shining star quality of one Bryn Gatland.
This, unfortunately for the British and Irish Lions, was a damp squib of a performance in the opening match of their highly anticipated tour.
And for that Clayton McMillan's unheralded men deserve a huge amount of credit.
The Lions only arrived in the country on Wednesday but the bulk of their squad had been together for more than two weeks, honing combinations and analysing their opposition, many of whom would struggle to be recognised in their own street.
The Baabaas had been together only since last Saturday, and they didn't bother with the analysis bit - they concentrated only on themselves and their performance and boy did that get that right.
There was plenty of talk beforehand about the merits of Lions' first-fives Jonathan Sexton, who started, and Owen Farrell, who began this match on the bench, but it's no exaggeration to say that 22-year-old Gatland was the best No10 on the field.
Mark Reason, Stuff
Anyone seen the Lions?
All Friday night the Northland rain battered the tin roofs of Whangarei and so when morning dawned dreich, it came so no surprise that Warren Gatland's travelling red army stayed in their tents and campervans.
But we did at least expect the Lions players to turn up for the match in the evening.
The Lions did not even have the excuse of a dreadful playing surface.
After the torrents which had fallen, we envisaged Toll Stadium to look more like Toll Puddle Stadium, but the top of the ground was perfect. There was no plea to be made for so abject a Lions performance.
Only Toby Faletau and Ben Te'o furthered their reputations. And they aren't even British. The Lions trailed 7-3 at halftime and the score distinctly flattered them.
Liam Napier, Stuff
If the British and Irish Lions were under any illusions about just how tough this tour of New Zealand would be, they surely aren't now.
Don't get too cocky too early, New Zealand. This is game one, and the Lions should drastically improve.
But even considering the excuses at play, the Lions' lacklustre 13-7 win over the Provincial Barbarians in Whangarei was a very poor start for Warren Gatland and his 41-man squad.
The result could well have been different but for a first half try-saving tackle from Lions No 8 Toby Faletau on Baabaas centre centre Kaveinga Finau.
Perhaps the Lions were nervous. But the worry for Gatland is this will be the weakest side they face in terms of player quality in their 10 matches, and the Lions' collective body language already does not look good.