Ten of the Greatest All Blacks Games: #04
New Zealand 48
British Lions 18
2nd test: Westpac Stadium, July 2, 2005
Background
Bad blood had boiled in the first test after Lions skipper Brian O’Driscoll was taken out of a ruck in the opening minute - possibly illegally - and his series ended with a dislocated shoulder. The saga left the Lions bitter and they hoped the injustice would be the catalyst to an improved performance after having been awful in the first test. The All Blacks had targeted the Lions series as the key campaign for the season and they were determined to make a statement in Wellington with an emphatic performance.
How it Played Out
The Lions scored an early try and penalty and played with pace and passion hinting they had found a new lease of life. But after 20 minutes Dan Carter split the defence and exchanged passes with Tana Umaga to score a length-of-the-field try. That was the beginning of a brilliant 60 minutes in which the All Blacks dominated every phase of the game and ran the Lions ragged. It was fast, adventurous, skilled rugby, supported by set-piece accuracy. The All Blacks kept the ball alive in the tackle, had support runners everywhere and were expertly able to win turnovers by using their backs as well as their forwards to forage for loose ball.
Heroes
The night belonged to one man - Daniel Carter. He scored a staggering 33 points, 10 coming from two brilliant tries where he showed his pace, skill, vision and determination. He was sublime in the way he ran the show and at one stage he coasted past his opposite Jonny Wilkinson. It was a defining moment - the Englishman lying prostrate on the turf as Carter skipped down the wing - it was the official changing of the guard - the coronation of Carter as the new king of world rugby. Richie McCaw also happened to be magnificent that night and Umaga gave a performance that confirmed he, and not O’Driscoll, was the best centre in world rugby.
Context
The All Blacks went on to clean sweep the series and then win the Tri Nations and a Grand Slam later in the year. That performance in Wellington marked the 2005 team as being something special and a handful of players such as Carter, McCaw, Umaga, Ali Williams and Keven Mealamu as being potential greats.
They only lost one test all season – to South Africa in Cape Town – and it was the beginning of a revolution of sorts where the All Blacks would play multi-phase rugby off turnover ball where they looked to off-load out of the contact. As for the Lions, the tour forced them to re-think the number of players they selected on future tours and badly damaged Sir Clive Woodward’s reputation.
Scorers
New Zealand 48
D. Carter (2), R. McCaw, S. Sivivatu, T. Umaga tries; Carter 4 cons, 5 pens.
British Lions 18
G. Thomas, S. Easterby tries; J. Wilkinson con, 2 pens.
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