The Lions have lost for the second time on this tour: a 23-22 reversal to the Highlanders. They finally found an attacking spark in this game, scoring three tries: the only game in which they've scored more than once. It looked good for the Lions when they led 22-13 through Sam Warburton's try, but they collapsed from there, the decisive score a penalty kicked by Marty Banks. The Lions discipline was the biggest issue: conceding 12 penalties overall.
Here are the Lions player ratings from the second defeat of the 2017 tour.
15 - Jared Payne - 6
A missed opportunity for Payne. His handling was largely poor, which featured a really poor knock on from the restart after Warburton's try, along with a clumsy end to an encouraging Sinckler break.
14 - Jack Nowell - 5
Nowell is having a bit of a nightmare tour: shredded by Rieko Ioane against the Blues, and today's experience was no less torrid. Offered nothing in attack, and the Highlanders found plenty of space around him when they attacked.
13- Jonathan Joseph - 6
Spent the first half being thrown about in defence like a rag-doll, bouncing off every Highlander that ran at him. Atoned somewhat for that with an electric finish for the Lions' first try, but didn't replicate that in the second-half, with the game ending with his knock-on from Farrell's pass. His footwork is terrific, but suspicions over defence loom over him.
12 - Robbie Henshaw - 6
Henshaw started well: he made a critical, try-saving tackle on Fekitoa but struggled to make an impact from there. Was unfairly obstructed on the first Highlanders try, but really struggled to put his hand up for test selection.
11 - Tommy Seymour - 5.5
The Highlanders paid tribute to their Scottish heritage by presenting Sam Warburton with a Claymore Sword before the game, and that was about as incisive a Scottish instrument as featured in the first half as Seymour struggled when confronted by Naholo. Exploded into life in the second-half, however: he read an errant cross-field kick brilliantly to touch down. Other than that, however, he was largely dominated in the air.
10 - Dan Biggar - 7.5
The jostling for the No.10 Test jersey has become more intense: Biggar had a fine game. While his kicking out of hand was less precise than Farrell's has been, his work with the ball in hand was superb at times: brilliantly attacking the gain line and offloading to conjure space for Joseph's try. Hobbled off to be replaced by Farrell.
9 - Rhys Webb - 8
A performance to confirm his position as Murray's reserve. His box-kicking isn't on the level of Murray's, so he won't start the first test, but Webb was electric around the fringes, making two scintillating line-breaks, and made 54 metres overall: more than anyone else.
1 - Joe Marler - 6
Was anonymous around the field, but helped lock a relatively solid scrum. Adequate.
2 - Rory Best - 6.5
A better outing from the Irish captain, with the highlight an outstanding turnover on 24 minutes that earned him a bloody nose. The line-out functioned well.
3 - Kyle Sinckler - 6
Sinckler's youthful exuberance has been one of his great virtues on this tour thus far, but here it proved to be a double-edged (claymore) sword: in one column a fantastic line break blemished by a Payne knock on; opposite an utterly stupid penalty conceded for a late shoulder barge in front of his own posts. It proved to be his final action.
4 - Courtney Lawes - 7
He had an outstanding 26 minutes in the loose and in the lineout before being forced off with a head injury, groggy having been shunted by Naholo as he scored the game's first try.
5 - Iain Henderson - 8.5
After an indifferent start against the Provincial Barbarians, this was a different Henderson: all power and ballast. He voraciously gobbled up ground with every carry, while one of the moments of this match was his sending four Highlanders skittling away with a monstrous counter-ruck five metres from his own line. The Lions are well-stocked at second-row, but Henderson has forced his way into the conversation.
6 - James Haskell - 5.5
Worked hard, making ten tackles, but while he shares a room with Sean O'Brien, he won't be sharing a pack with him against New Zealand.
7 - Sam Warburton (captain) - 6
Anonymous for 53 minutes, before finishing off a seven-phase move with his first try of the tour. He is clearly struggling for fitness, and despite that finish, this performance offered little justification for changing the O'Brien/O'Mahony/Faletau axis that worked so well against the Crusaders. Lasted 67 minutes.
8 - CJ Stander - 7
A mixed night for Stander: he was shut down well by the Highlanders, and struggled to make an impact from a ball-carrying point of view, although this was not for the want of trying: he was top carrier, with 18. While he was indisciplined - conceding two penalties - he secured a magnificent turnover with three minutes to go, that teed up Elliot Daly's 57-metre penalty. The best performing of the back-rowers tonight.
Replacements
Ken Owens - for Best (48') - 5.5
Held the line-out pretty well, and did little otherwise.
Jack McGrath (for Marler, 55') - 5.5
Struggled to make an impact when he came on for Marler, and is tainted by association with a scrum implosion.
Dan Cole (for Sinckler, 48') - 5
Cole came on as the Lions scrum imploded, and spent much of his game looking at the officials in bewilderment as he conceded two penalties.
Alun-Wyn Jones (for Lawes, 27') - 5.5
Some canny blocking allowed Sam Warburton space to score his try, but was oddly indisciplined: conceding two penalties.
Justin Tipuric (for Warburton, 67') - N/A
Made little impact.
Greg Laidlaw (for Webb, 48') - 4
When Laidlaw came on, the Lions lost much of their attacking thrust: he made a sum total of zero metres and did nothing else.
Owen Farrell (for Biggar, 67') - N/A
Replaced Biggar, and like Tipuric, he had no time to make an impact.
Elliot Daly - (for Payne, 62') - 6
Had a shot at being the hero with a penalty from 57 metres late on. He was spotted by the referee trying to steal a metre, which led to his match-winning penalty dropped a sliver short. Those are the breaks.
