Player Ratings: New Zealand

OPINION: There were a lot of nervy moments for the All Blacks as they laboured to a 41-35 win over the Lions at Ellis Park on Tuesday.

There will be a few things Dave Rennie can take out of this performance, but it should be clear that a number of these players will not be used against the Springboks.

See below for the Player Ratings:

15 Beauden Barrett
The veteran looked much better than his previous performance, but it is still not at a level Dave Rennie will want in a Test match. He ran a great line and produced a good pass in the build-up to Narawa’s second try. More often than not he looked dangerous at first receiver, and that was evident in his side’s third try. However, his cover defence was exposed on a few occasions.
6/10

14 Fehi Fineanganofo
He punished the Lions a few times when there was space and his great run was the catalyst for the All Blacks’ third try. However, it was just too predictable at times
6/10

13 Rieko Ioane
Got caught off-guard by Nico Steyn’s dummy for the first try of the game. He also got beaten by Quan Horn later in the half. However, he still showed some class on attack by gliding through the Lions’ defence in the 50th minute to score a try. He also showed off his vision a few minutes later with an intercept try.
7.5/10

12 Timoci Tavatavanawai
He looked like he had a lot of fun out there. Showed his speed and guile with a few runs, one of those featured in his side’s second try. There was also a try assist for Ethan Blackadder and a bulldozing run in the 51st minute made it look like a Lions defender was being dragged behind him.
8/10

11 Emoni Narawa
Caught the Lions’ defence napping with a great pick and go before producing the final pass to Northam for his team’s opening try. Got beaten in the air early in the second half and it was costly as it led to a Lions try. However, he was a constant threat with the ball, and he scored two tries.
7/10

10 Richie Mo’unga
It took him some time to get into the game. He was a bit rusty, and that was evident by kicking the ball out on the full after his team received a penalty in the 16th minute. However, he came to life on attack in the second half, and he was involved in a few tries.
7/10

9 Noah Hotham
Looked nervous in the opening minutes, and his pass was intercepted by Siba Mahashe, who scored the Lions’ second try. His distribution seemed slow at times, and there wasn’t enough variation in his play.
4/10

8 Semisi Ta’eiloa
There were a few carries, but he didn’t really have an impact against some of the Lions’ big boys.
5.5/10

7 Ethan Blackadder
An industrious performance by Blackadder. Carried the ball like a man with a point to prove to Dave Rennie. He also scored two tries.
9/10

6 Wallace Sititi
Some good work in the physical exchanges, and his link play on attack with the backline was an eye-catcher on a few occasions. However, he can be much better.
6/10

5 Patrick Tuipulotu (captain)
A very quiet game by the leader, and he seemed off the pace for large periods when he was on the field.
4.5/10

4 Sam Darry
There were some neat skills with his passing in open play, but he was not a dominant force in the pack.
6/10

3 Pasilio Tosi
There was one run that will make the highlight reel. However, it was not his best showing in the scrums. He gave away a scrum penalty in the 40th minute before getting absolutely destroyed in another scrum in the 47th minute, and it resulted in a try for the Lions.
4/10

2 Samisoni Taukei’aho
He was quite hard to bring down when he had a bit of momentum with the ball. There was one bad throw-in in the 29th minute in a great attacking position. The rest of his line-out work was satisfactory.
5.5/10

1 Siale Lauaki
It was a huge shift on the park, but he wasn’t the best in the scrums. There were a few carries and some good tackles.
5/10

Replacements:

16 Bradley Slater (on for Samisoni Taukei’aho)
He contributed to an improved set-piece in the second half.
7/10

17 Xavier Numia (on for Siale Lauaki)
He came on very late, but he did his part in the scrums.
7/10

18 Saula Ma’u (On for Pasilio Tosi)
There were a couple of big scrums in the last 10 minutes when the Lions got pummelled.
8/10

19 Jamie Hannah (on for Patrick Tuipulotu)
A very energetic performance by the lock, and that was evident when he was standing in the backline trying to draw some defenders for his outside backs.
7/10

20 Peter Lakai (On for Semisi Ta’eiloa)
Brought some dynamism to the All Blacks’ back row and his offloading is always a threat.
7/10

21 Kyle Preston (On for Noah Hotham)
The tempo increased when he was on the field, and there was more direction as well.
7/10

22 Josh Jacomb (on for Timoci Tavatavanawai)
Not enough time to be rated.

23 Anton Lienert-Brown (On for Fehi Fineanganofo)
With the Lions tiring in the latter stages, he had free rein to run at them, and he looked good.
7/10