BLUES
No.Name
15Michael Collins, -
14Matt Duffie, -
13George Moala, -
12Sonny Bill Williams, -
T
11Rieko Ioane, -
T
10Stephen Perofeta, -
9Augustine Pulu, -
1Ofa Tu'ungafasi, -
2James Parsons, -
3Charlie Faumuina, -
4Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, -
5Scott Scrafton, -
6Akira Ioane, -
7Blake Gibson, -
8Steven Luatua, -
Replacements
16Hame Faiva, -
17Alex Hodgman, -
18Sione Mafile’o, -
19Jimmy Tupou, -
20Kara Pryor, -
21Sam Nock, -
22Ihaia West, -
T
23TJ Faiane, -

*Players currently on the pitch are shown in bold

Game Info

Venue: Eden Park
8:35 AM, June 7, 2017
All CommentaryKey Events

Match Commentary

81'For those of you still looking through the commentary trying to figure out where it went wrong for the Lions, take a look at Tom Hamilton's piece from Eden Park on the key learnings for Warren Gatland's men.
81'22-16 End of second half
80'Stay tuned to ESPN Scrum for plenty of reaction from Auckland to the Lions first loss on tour in New Zealand. Have a look at some of the match stats here. It's the attacking stats that are telling.
80'What. A. Game. Sonny Bill Williams and Steven Luatua were enormous for the Blues. Huge pressure now on the Lions. Let's remember the Blues are 5th out of the five New Zealand franchises in Super Rugby. Next up, the unbeaten Crusaders in Christchurch.
80'And the Blues win it!!!!
80'Best with the the throw in and he's stuffed it!!
80'PENALTY! Sexton puts it in the corner.
80'Luatua has had a monster of a game. 60 seconds now.
79'Luatua wins the lineout. 90 seconds.
78'West with a shaky kick to touch on the Blues 22. Can they hold on for the next two minutes?
78'PENALTY! Lions blow it.
78'Five metres away now.
77'Lions just shy of the 22.
76'Lions get the ball back off the restart.
76'West converts and the Blues lead by six.
76'Substitute on - Greig Laidlaw , British and Irish Lions
76'Player substituted - Rhys Webb , British and Irish Lions
76'Player substituted - Courtney Lawes , British and Irish Lions
76'Substitute on - Iain Henderson , British and Irish Lions
75'More on the try, Luatua with a lovely offload to Sonny Bill Williams who finds plenty of space before he offloads to Ihaia West who turns on the speed to score under the sticks. What a moment!!!
75'22-16 Conversion - Ihaia West , Blues
74'TRY! What a score from Ihaia West!!!
74'Sexton goes to the sky again and its well taken by Collins.
74'20-16 Try - Ihaia West , Blues
72'Blues have the ball on halfway but the Lions win the ball. Itoje and Sinckler let out a huge roar.
72'Substitute on - Sam Nock , Blues
72'Player substituted - Augustine Pulu , Blues
72'Player substituted - James Parsons , Blues
72'Substitute on - Hame Faiva , Blues
71'Halfpenny steps up and nails it.
71'15-16 Penalty goal - Leigh Halfpenny , British and Irish Lions
70'Lions monster the Blues scrum and win a penalty. Marler put the twist on big time. And Halfpenny will try and put his side back in the lead.
69'Lions restored to 15 with Williams back on.
69'Owens not straight from the lineout. That's his last act of the game as Rory Best comes on.
69'Substitute on - Rory Best , British and Irish Lions
69'Player substituted - Ken Owens , British and Irish Lions
68'He's been everywhere. Does this performance justify an All Blacks start in a few weeks?
67'Daly clears but it goes dead. Relief for the Lions though as the referee was playing advantage.
66'Lions set up a strong drive from the restart.
66'No mistake from Halfpenny. 15-13 Blues.
66'Substitute on - TJ Faiane , Blues
66'Player substituted - George Moala , Blues
66'Substitute on - Kara Pryor , Blues
66'Player substituted - Blake Gibson , Blues
66'15-13 Penalty goal - Leigh Halfpenny , British and Irish Lions
65'Lions opt for the penalty to reduce the deficit to two points.
64'Penalty Lions. Choice to make here.
64'Sonny Bill with a crucial spot tackle on Henshaw.
63'Lions on attack in the Blues half. Williams still has four minutes to serve on the sidelines.
62'He's still got 18 minutes.
62'Greg Growden ain't happy!
62'Scrum penalty for the Lions.
60'Rieko Ioane is over AGAIN, but its brought back from a forward pass. He's had three tries disallowed now, and one scored.
59'Referee spots a Lions knock on at the break. Blues have a midfield scrum just shy of the 22. Can they make the most of the numerical advantage?
58'Big kick from West to take the Blues into the Lions 22.
58'Player substituted - Gerard Cowley-Tuioti , Blues
58'Substitute on - Jimmy Tupou , Blues
58'Substitute on - Sione Mafile’o , Blues
58'Player substituted - Charlie Faumuina , Blues
58'Substitute on - Alex Hodgman , Blues
58'Player substituted - Ofa Tu'ungafasi , Blues
57'Yellow card for Williams. Repeated infringement.
57'Another contest between Duffie and Williams in the air. Duffie showing all the skills he picked up playing rugby league for the Melbourne Storm. Referee stops play again.
57'Henshaw chips through but it goes into touch. Strong defence from the Blues.
57'Yellow card - Liam Williams , British and Irish Lions
56'Nine phases now for the Lions and counting...
55'Lions back with the ball. Itoje with a strong run.
55'Penalty reversed after Liam Williams brought Matt Duffie down in the air. No more than a penalty, still costly for the Lions who were in good field position.
55'Substitute on - Kyle Sinckler , British and Irish Lions
55'Player substituted - Dan Cole , British and Irish Lions
54'Duffie went high to claim the kick and he was taken in the air by the looks. The referee wants the TMO to have a look. Penalty might be reversed.
54'Lions win the lineout and they opt for the drive. They have the penalty advantage as Sexton goes high.
54'Pulu with a tidy clearance from the restart.
54'Player substituted - Jack McGrath , British and Irish Lions
54'Substitute on - Joe Marler , British and Irish Lions
54'Player substituted - James Haskell , British and Irish Lions
54'Substitute on - Peter O'Mahony , British and Irish Lions
53'West nails the penalty and the Blues lead by five.
53'15-10 Penalty goal - Ihaia West , Blues
52'Blues march into the Lions 22. And there's another penalty against the Lions. Skipper Parsons opts for the posts, West will have his first shot.
52'Blues change at fly-half, Ihaia West on for Perofeta.
52'Player substituted - Stephen Perofeta , Blues
52'Substitute on - Ihaia West , Blues
51'Jack Nowell now drops the ball cold and Akira Ioane lets him know about it.
51'Blues hot on attack as the Ioane brothers combine. Nowell once again outdone by Rieko before he passes to Akira who tries to offload to Matt Duffie but he knocks on.
49'Huge run by big James Parsons! He'll be talking about that for years.
49'Jared Payne is off for Liam Williams who makes his Lions debut. Elliot Daly shifts into the midfield.
48'Sexton is still on, and he gets thumped by Cowley-Tuioti. Henshaw recognises they're going backwards and puts in a tidy kick into the corner to turn the Blues around.
48'Substitute on - Liam Williams , British and Irish Lions
48'Player substituted - Jared Payne , British and Irish Lions
47'Webb clears and Rieko Ioane returns where he is met by Dan Cole. Pulu with a wayward pass down the blindside that goes into touch.
46'Strong scrum for the Lions and Halfpenny opts to run it out of his 22. Don't see that often.
45'Lovely behind the back pass from Pulu to find SBW. Luatua follows up with a strong carry. But then there's a little knock on, relief for the Lions. Blues have started the second half well.
44'Lions win the lineout and Webb exits to touch. Hasn't made much distance. Blues will have a lineout just outside the 22.
44'Great pick up from Ioane after the pass from Pulu hit the deck. He's in touch. Redemption for Jack Nowell who made the tackle. Lions lineout.
44'TRY! Or is it? Rieko Ioane might have his second. TMO required.
43'Blues attack one off the ruck from the lineout. Parsons with a couple of industrious carries.
42'Perofeta finds touch around 10 metres from the try line.
42'Penalty Blues, Lions not rolling away at the ruck.
41'Matt Duffie is back on after receiving treatment at the break.
41'Back underway as Stander returns with interest.
41'Some interesting reaction at the break.
41'Rieko Ioane and Michael Collins have been most impressive on attack for the Blues. Three clean breaks between them. James Haskell with the lone clean break for the Lions.
41'Some interesting stats at the break as you get a cuppa: Lions had 55% possession and 62% territory. Blues have 275 metres run in hand compared to the Lions 193.
41'+512-10 End of first half
41'+512-10 Conversion - Stephen Perofeta , Blues
41'+210-10 Try - Sonny Bill Williams , Blues
41'+1Substitute on - TJ Faiane , Blues
41'+1Player substituted - Matt Duffie , Blues
40'Perofeta converts and its the BLUES who lead at the break.
40'Looking at the grounding. Must be happy with it. It's a TRY!
40'Nowell and Faine contested the ball. Very hard to see who palmed it first. Much closer than how it looked on first inspection.
40'Perofeta hits the upright, the ball bounces around before Sonny Bill Williams latches onto it and claims a try! Going upstairs. Think there was an earlier knock on from a Blues player.
40'High tackle from Stander on Luatua just as the Blues looked threatening. The hosts will take a shot at goal.
40'Akira Ioane with a big run. Blues near the Lions 22.
40'Half time hooter sounds. Blues have possession around halfway.
40'Substitute on - Matt Duffie , Blues
40'Player substituted - TJ Faiane , Blues
40'12-10 Start of second half
39'Sexton goes with the up-and-under which is well taken on the second attempt by Michael Collins. He claims the mark, goes quick but the Lions weren't back 10.
39'Pulu returns with a chip kick which is brilliantly tided up by Lions captain Ken Owens. It's properly bucketing down now.
38'It's raining again in Auckland. Blues awarded another penalty but Perofeta misses touch.
37'Lions into the 22 but the Blues win a penalty. Pulu over the ball, and now there's a bit of 'how's your father' between Dan Cole and Akira Ioane.
36'No try. Tu'ungafasi it was who was offside when he tackled Biggar which forced the ball loose. Lions penalty. And Johnny Sexton is on for Biggar, the Welsh fly-half is having a HIA.
36'TMO. Rieko Ioane has run under the sticks potentially for his second. Looked a bit suspect after what may have been a tackler from an offside position forced a turnover.
36'Two lovely offloads from SBW and then Luatua gets the Blues over the gain line. Another chip through on the next phase ends the Blues attack though.
36'Substitute on - Johnny Sexton , British and Irish Lions
36'Player substituted - Dan Biggar , British and Irish Lions
34'Perofeta with another grubber through and Halfpenny collects. Becoming an obvious tactic now from the young Blues playmaker.
34'Perofeta with a nice touch finder on the Lions 22.
33'Blues win another penalty, Lions crept offside.
32'Payne gets in the way of Haskell and the referee awards the Blues a penalty for obstruction. Was that Warrenball 2.0?
30'Strong Lions scrum, and they get a penalty. Faumuina the guilty party.
29'Blues win the lineout, go for a variation drive move but the Lions shut it down and then they're awarded a scrum with the ball unplayable.
28'Lions conceded a penalty at the lineout. Lawes guilty of taking a player in the air. Perofeta finds touch five metres from the try line despite the best efforts of Daly. Big opportunity here for the Blues.
27'Dan Biggar finds a safe touch near halfway.
27'Biggar with the up-and-under, well taken by Rieko Ioane.
26'Blues with possession after Webb's exit. Perofeta with a little chip kick behind the Lions defence by Daly does well to tidy up.
25'Halfpenny slots the penalty and the Lions lead by five.
25'5-10 Penalty goal - Leigh Halfpenny , British and Irish Lions
24'Lions win a penalty at the scrum. This time they opt for the points, crowd not happy.
24'Ball unplayable and the Lions are awarded a scrum. Great position to attack from, right in the middle of the park 10 metres out from the try line.
22'Back underway and Webb clears well. Matt Duffie throws into himself and rushes his clearance. Lions will have a lineout right on the Blues 22.
21'He's only 20-years-old!
21'Stoppage here as Halfpenny adjusts his contact lenses.
20'Collins with a strong return from the Webb box kick. Perofeta is then smashed by Courtney Lawes and then the Blues knock on. Sloppy play.
19'Strong lineout drive from the Lions, very patient and Stander, as he does so often for Ireland and Munster scores the try. Halfpenny converts and the Lions have the lead.
19'5-7 Conversion - Leigh Halfpenny , British and Irish Lions
18'Stander in the boot, and he scores!
18'Itoje takes the lineout and the Lions drive...
18'5-5 Try - CJ Stander , British and Irish Lions
17'Lions lineout drive brought down. Rhys Webb goes very close but is held up inches short. Referee playing advantage and he blows his whistle for a high tackle. Lions go for the corner again.
16'The Lions are awarded a penalty and much to the delight of the crowd they kick for the corner. Different approach to Whangarei.
15'They don't call him 'Pero-future' for nothing.
15'Ball bouncing round like a hot potato before Haskell latches onto it and makes some good ground. Lions up to the Blues 22.
14'Tipuric takes the lineout and Webb clears from the base.
13'Strong rush defence by Itoje forces the ball loose. Michael Collins kicks for territory and the Lions return serve. Collins kicks again and it bounces into touch.
12'Perofeta finds touch near the halfway.
12'Blues lose the lineout but they've been awarded a penalty.
11'TMO says the player is in touch. Lineout.
11'Very close, Perofeta came across with the last ditch attempt. Payne's foot might have grazed the touchline. Don't think this will be given.
11'Would be a special moment for Payne, who onced played for the Blues at this ground.
11'Close! Could be a try here in the corner for Jared Payne. Going to the TMO.
11'Lions march into the Blues 22. Nice run by Rhys Webb.
10'Blues have trouble exiting from the re-start as a pass goes to ground. Pulu cleans up from the box but it doesn't find touch.
9'Perofeta misses the conversion to the left. 5-0.
8'Great move by the Blues, Charlie Faumuina stands in at first receiver who finds Perofeta with the skill ball to Ioane who has speed to burn as he leaves Nowell in his wake. Conversion to come.
7'TRY! Rieko Ioane turns on the gas on Jack Nowell and is in for the first score of the match.
7'Perofeta goes for the cross field kick and it finds Duffie. Blues into the Lions 22.
7'5-0 Try - Rieko Ioane , Blues
6'Scrum between the 22 and 10 metre line. Can the Blues launch an attack? Strong scrum by the hosts.
6'Lions lose possession and Blues counter attack through Rieko Ioane. He chips through but can't collect, but there looks like a little knock on and its picked up by the referee. Scrum Blues.
4'It's messy and Jared Payne toes the ball through but it just evades him in the dead ball area. 22 metre restart. Blues go short but it goes out. Lions lineout.
4'SBW forced the penalty at the ruck. Good start for him. Referee awards a free kick at the lineout and the Blues take the quick tap.
3'Penalty! The Lions attack comes to nothing. Perofeta clears to touch.
3'Patient build up here as Rhys Webb directs traffic. Couple of strong carries from Robbie Henshaw.
2'Lions into the Blues 22. 7th phase and counting...
1'Lions with some early ball in the Blues half. Jack Nowell with some early involvement.
1'Kick-off taken by Michael Collins and he's buried in the tackle. Augustine Pulu exits from the ruck but it doesn't find touch.
1'Dan Biggar gets us underway!
1'What a haka to set the stage for this occasion.
1'Now its time for the Blues to do the first haka in their history. It's called He Toa Takitini which translates to 'Strength of Many.'
1'First a minute of silence to acknowledge those affected by the recent attacks in London and Manchester. Blues huddling in a circle formation while the Lions are in a line.
1'And now Owens' opposite James Parsons leads the Blues onto Eden Park.
1'Here come the Lions led by Ken Owens!
1'Around 10 minutes to kick-off. The Lions want to bring 'rugby chaos' but the weather might see both sides revert to, dare I say it, Warrenball. It's a term that got Mr. Gatland a little fired up earlier in the week.
1'Our man Tom Hamilton is staying out of the rain at Eden Park.
1'One of the intriguing match-ups to this game comes in midfield where Robbie Henshaw will be marking up against Sonny Bill Williams. Henshaw says he has hatched a plan to shut down SBW.
1'One late change for the Blues side. All Blacks lock Patrick Tuipultou has been dropped from the bench for a breach of team protocol. You can read more about that here. The weather in Auckland isn't looking great either with heavy rain falling as we approach kick-off.
1'Good morning to those of you waking up in the UK and Ireland and welcome to the live commentary of the second match of this British & Irish Lions tour in New Zealand!
1'0-0 Start of first half