A display of vim, vigour, belief and determination has seen the Blues pile on the agony for the British & Irish Lions with a 22-16 win at a wet and windy Eden Park. The tourists were much improved from the lacklustre effort put out against the NZ Provincial Barbarians a few days earlier, but still looked like a side trying to lock down combinations, particularly in attack.

This was a little too close for comfort. The opening game of a ten-match tour that on paper at least, offered the British & Irish Lions their easiest challenge in terms of the quality of their opponent, proved instead to be a banana skin on which they slipped, fell badly, but recovered just in time to save face and start with a 13-7 win thanks to a second half try from Anthony Watson.