Thursday 8 June 2017 09:32, UK
Five key lessons from Auckland as the British and Irish Lions fell to their first loss of the tour against the Blues.
The Lions lost 22-16 in Auckland on Wednesday, with Sonny Bill Williams starring for the hosts.
The pressure will mount after the defeat and it does not get any easy for Warren Gatland's men - next stop is Christchurch on Saturday where they take on the Crusaders, who are unbeaten in this year's Super Rugby campaign.
The Lions will be bitterly disappointed by the result but they will be judged on the Test matches against the All Blacks and Gatland's main aim in these warm-up matches is to find a team who can deliver.
Here are five key lessons from the Lions' first defeat on their 2017 tour.
The Lions can be pleased with their scrum and maul
The tourists bossed the scrum battle with Jack McGrath especially potent at the coal face. Gatland's men also produced several dangerous rolling mauls, with CJ Stander capping one such ruse for a try. The Lions must gain dominance up front to stand any chance of making a dent on the All Blacks once the Test series comes around. This was a vast improvement on set-piece work against the Provincial Barbarians.
Lions need to find an attacking edge
The Lions need to work on their ability to score tries. There were limited opportunities against the Blues, despite their dominance upfront. Jared Payne came close but apart from that, there was no real attacking purpose to their gameplan. They showed encouraging signs whenever they retained possession for multiple phases but they just did not manage to do so often enough. If they find a way to make the most of their possession, then the Lions can become a genuine threat.
Discipline
The Lions gave away far too many penalties, which stopped their momentum. Ken Owens spoke about giving away too many unforced penalties which put them under pressure. However, these penalties came from the Blues attack which came at one heck of a pace. The speed of the ball often caught the Lions on the hop and the pressure told as they gave away penalties.
Rhys Webb will push Conor Murray hard for the number nine Test jersey
Wales scrum-half Rhys Webb was so desperate to impress that he had to be dragged off the field owing to cramp. His spiky, sharp, aggressive and astute performance will have boosted his chances on this tour no end - despite his tactical kicking not being accurate enough.
Ireland's Conor Murray most likely remains the favourite to start at nine in the Tests, but many more showings like this and Webb might just start to sway boss Warren Gatland's thoughts.
Sonny Bill Williams will be at his peak for the Test series
The combative All Blacks centre is simply easing his way back into top form with more than one eye on the three-Test series that starts on June 24. His break and offload to send Ihaia West home for the winning score floored a stunned Lions outfit. Unless the Lions find a way to shut down the 31-year-old, he could prove the difference for the All Blacks.
