Coming into the third match of the tour, the Lions were standing with a win and a loss from their first two gamed. Facing them was the daunting challenge of the undefeated Crusaders, currently the best team in Super Rugby.
After a disappointing loss to the Blues, the lowest ranked side in Super Rugby, many felt the Lions would struggle again but they showed no signs of this early on.
A mistake from the kickoff by the Crusaders almost, and probably should have, resulted in a try for the Lions. An early Owen Farrell penalty settled nerves and he added another to make it 0-6. Richie Mo’unga got the Crusaders on the board with a penalty of his own but another Farrell penalty made it 3-9 at halftime.
The only points in the second half came from the boot of Farrell again and the game finished with a Lions’ victory by 3-12. However, it should have been more. CJ Stander dropped the ball just metres from the line and superb scrambling defence from the Crusaders kept the Lions out multiple times.
A good defensive performance from the Lions but still work to do in taking opportunities. With all that considered, let’s look at how the players rated:
