Maori All Blacks: 10 British & Irish Lions: 32
Fulltime: Well that was very impressive – an absolute clinic in possession and territory rugby. I honestly think this side has a shot next week if they can control the ball…Their scrum was very good tonight and their ball retention was next level. If they can hold 65% of the ball next week they will go along way to winning the first test. Thanks for your company tonight!
80mins: Late scrum penalty for the Lions..how apt..and that should just about do it. Sexton bangs it into touch and the game is over rover.
78mins: Crowd is super flat - they were fired up throughout the first half but it's almost dead now.
77mins: TMO looking at potential foul play. Ben Te'o is blowing up big time. There was a bit of push and shove on the ground between about five players. Hard to tell with the vision so far. There is no camera angle available…it seemed James Lowe was just about to do something naughty when all the camera's shifted focus. O'Brien is blowing up about copping an elbow but the vision doesn't show that..well it almost does but you can't officiate on what you don't see.
76mins: Game getting messy as both sides are keen for the final whistle. Still four minutes to go. The Maori have a scrum on their own 10m line.
74mins: Got to 16 phases in the end - an attempted intercept is dropped by TKB and the Lions have a scrum 20m out.
73mins: Te'o opens them up with a great run…but fantastic cover tackle from James Lowe. The Lions hot on attack but the Maori defending very well here..pushing them back 15m. Lions still with ball through 12 phases.
72mins: Some ball for the Maori ABs, Milner-Skudder trying to create something..shifts it out to Lowe who chips but it floats out into touch. He's had a shocker tonight.
71mins: PENALTY GOAL LIONS: That's 7-7 for Halfpenny and he hasn't missed a kick on tour. Bit of a blowout but to be honest there has only been one team in this.
70mins: Lions just rolling up-field with consummate ease. Good link play between forwards and back. Maori's pinged for multiple players being offside at ruck time 25m out. Halfpenny will knock this over.
66mins: Maori ABs finally get some ball and they are throwing it around but not making too much of a dent in to the Lions defence. Ball shifts out to the right but James Lowe is bundled out into touch.
64mins: Turnover by Elliot Dixon at the resulting ruck from the scrum. Better scrum from the Maoris. McKenzie clears it into touch, Lineout on the 22 for the visitors.
62mins: Another scrum penalty. They are just destroying the Maori scrum.Murray should have scored under advantage - but couldn't get his pass away...but they should make something of this...Could be another penalty try coming up.
61mins: Good defence form the Maori ABs, but the Lions earn a scrum 5m out and that spells trouble for the homeside. West is on at 10...McKenzie shifts to fullback.
60mins: Turnover for the Lions in centre field. McKenzie has been poor tonight and coughs it up again. The Lions go on attack again.
59mins: Ben Teo and Jonathan Davies causing havoc in the midfield but a wayward pass from O'Brien bring relief for the homeside. McKenzie with a decent touch finder. Lions lineout on the Maori 10m line.
57mins: George North earns a penalty for his side after James Lowe impeded him on a high kick. Lineout for the Lions on the Maori 10m line.
56mins: TKB back on - 14-0 the scorline while he was in the bin.
55mins: TRY LIONS: MARIO ITOJE - Just absolutely clinical from the tourists. Nice platform with scrum…a couple pick and go's – Itoje crashes over from a metre out. Halfpenny bangs it over nicely. He is scary good with the boot.
53mins: Brilliant offensive defence from the Lions. Lovely kick from Davies and North just smashed Ioane and pushed him back into the in-goal. Scrum 5m for the Lions. This is getting super ugly for the homeside. Proctor looks to be in trouble with a shoulder injury. Stop in play.
50mins: PENALTY TRY LIONS: Referee Peyper had no choice. The Lions scrum just monstered the Maori ABs. Wasn't even close. 12 point lead for the Lions. The Maori boys can't get their hands on the ball .
49mins: Scrum penalty for the Lions. Maori ABs need to be super careful not to lose another player here. Six straight penalties in eight-minutes. Scrum 5m again for the Lions.
48mins: Could be a try for the Lions. Jamie George is claiming it. TMO having a look. It's close..the ball is down but it's a matter of it is over the line. TMO has been asked Try or No Try. TMO says it's inconclusive. Scrum 5m Lions.
47mins: TKB could be in some trouble here. Looked to be a shoulder tackle on halfpenny close to the line. TMO having a look. Yep he copped him right in the face with a reckless shoulder. It doesn't look great..this could be a red card. Okay so because Halfpenny was going down - he escapes the red but cops a yellow..TMO seemed keen on the red but Peyper was happy with a yellow. Scrum 5m for the Lions.
46mins: James Lowe makes a crucial error. A wasted up and under from Sexton is way to long but Lowe lets it slip through his hands. Scrum 15m out here for the Lions.
45mins: Poor mistake from D-MAC..restart doesn't go the 10 metres. Scrum on halfway for the visitors.
43mins: PENALTY GOAL LIONS: Halfpenny is a sniper. Makes no mistakea gain and the Lions stretch the lead to five-points.
42mins: Another penalty. Referee issues a warning to Elliot Dixon. 'Next time you get a card' – Halfpenny to have another shot at three-points.
41mins: Early penalty for the Lions. Kane Hames penalised for taking down the maul from the kick-off. Lions have an attacking lineout just outside the Maori 22.
Second half – Damian McKenzie gets the game restarted. Big 40mins coming up for the Lions….for the morale of this side they need to win here.
Halftime: No dramas at the lineout for the Lions and Murray bangs it into touch. Interesting half – Lions with 65% of the ball but not making the most of it although, for the most part, they have defended very well and if not for that mistake from North, they would have a very handy lead. Be back in 10 mins.
40mins: A decent period of attack here for the homeside. Through 11 phases but Messam is pinged for holding on at the ruck. Mario Itoje with good work at the ruck and that should be halftime but Murray kicked it out on the full without tapping it first. Lineout 5m out for the Lions. Weird.
39mins: Furlong off his feet at the ruck. 40m out close to the touchline but this time the Maori's opt for a lineout.
36mins: Bloody good effort from the 'Smiling Assasian'. He had the distance by a good 5m but it floated just away to the left.
35mins: Itoje pinged on halfway for not rolling away – McKenzie will attempt a monster of a shot from 55m.
33mins: PENALTY GOAL LIONS: Gift three-points. Halfpenny throws it over from in front.
32mins: Another penalty for the visitors. TKB penalised at the ruck for going off his feet. Another shot at goal here for Halfpenny.
29mins: Lions have a lineout 10m out thanks to a penalty won by Vunipola at the breakdown. Proctor was hammered in the midfield and the Lions prop was there in a flash, legally and the penalty was won.
28mins: Lions with the ball inside the Maori half but it's turned over by Ngatai who toes it ahead and McKenzie is flying after it. North cleans it up this time and eventually Murray with a great clearing kick into opposition territory.
26mins: Great touch finder from Sexton – Mackenzie with the exit play kick and Sexton replies with a beauty. Lineout 5m for the NZM.
25mins: Play held up due to a couple of injuries to prop fowards.
24mins: Jonathan Davies makes his second break of the evening but he loses the ball in contact on the Maori 22. Lucky escape there for the hosts. Scrum for the Maori – will look for a good exit lay here to relieve the pressure.
23mins: PENALTY GOAL MAORI ALL BLACKS: McKenzie nails it. Maori ABs back in front.
21mins: Vunipola gives away a fairly needless penalty with a little bit of 'Hows your father' at the ruck. D-MAC will have a shot at three.
19mins: PENALTY GOAL LIONS: Leigh Halfpenny makes no mistake from pretty much in front – Lions back in front.
17mins: Penalty for the Lions – Multiple Maori players offside at the ruck. The TMO is happy with the tackle on Lowe from before.
15mins: Lineout for the NZM on the Lions 10m line but Wheeler knocks the ball on and the Lions clear well but its swallowed up by Reiko Ioane. Wipers kick from McKenzie finds Halfpenny and he fires it back to James Lowe. Kickathon right now – TMO looking at potential foul play on the run by one of the Lions players on James Lowe while play is live. Lions on attack here and Davis busts through. Lions 2m out. Good cover defence by Milner-Skudder.
11mins: TRY MAORI ALL BLACKS: LIAM MESSAM - The Maori take a quick lineout throw through Milner-Skudder – 2 phases in and it comes back out to NMS who dabs a little grubber through – George North makes a mess of it, toed through by Messam who collects and scores. Poor from North. Mckenzie (The Smiling Assasian) nails the extra two.
9mins: PENALTY GOAL LIONS: Leigh Halfpenny makes no mistake from another handy angle.
8mins: Halfpenny will have another shot here – great box kick from Conor Murray – The NZM are penalised for diving in at ruck time.
7mins: Great tackle by TKB in the midfield – crushed Geroge North. Turnover for the NZM but Lowe is bundled out over the touchline.
6mins: Messy start from the Maori side, Tom Franklin knocks on a high kick from Halfpenny and the Lions have a scrum midfield on halfway.
5mins: PENALTY GOAL LIONS: Halfpenny makes no mistake – deserved lead after a positive start.
4mins: 17th phase and referee Peyper awards a penalty to the Lions for a ruck infringement. Great ball control from the Lions. Halfpenny will have a shot at goal from a handy spot. Messam was the player penalised.
2mins: Early mistake from James Lowe – kick out on the full and the Lions go on attack inside the Maori half – shifting the ball well to start with – Maori defence holding up form however. Good start from the Lions as we hit 12 phases.
Kick-off – Johnny Sexton gets the game underway with a kick deep into Maori territory. TKB clears for the hosts.
7.37pm: Okay that was the best Haka I have ever seen in my life – amazing!
7.35pm: Hika Elliot leading a spine-tingling Haka from the New Zealand side. Just awesome with the mist setting in as a backdrop.
7.33pm: Rotorua pumping out their collective pipes as one for God Defend New Zealand. Nice. Looks like some rain might be setting in.
7.29pm: No late changes in either side – although sad news for Lions backrower Ross Moriaty, he is out of the tour with injury. Gatland has called in four Welsh players and two Scots as additions to the squad for the rest of the tour.
7.27pm: No late changes in either side – although sad news for Lions backrower Ross Moriaty, he is out of the tour with injury. Gatland has called in four Welsh players and two Scots as additions to the squad for the rest of the tour.
7.24pm: Conditions are okay in Roto-Vegas tonight – a bit of a dew around as they say. I would expect a pretty tight gameplan from the visitors – and the complete opposite from the homeside.
7.21pm: Thanks for joining me tonight – should be a cracker of a game…..News just in – Scotland has beaten the Wallabies 24-19 in Sydney.
Hello and welcome to live updates of the New Zealand Maori hosting the British and Irish Lions at Rotorua International stadium in the Bay of Plenty.
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Commentary will start from around 7:20 pm (NZT).
Lineups:
New Zealand Maori
15.James Lowe, 14.Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13.Matt Proctor, 12.Charlie Ngatai, 11.Rieko Ioane, 10.Damian McKenzie, 9.Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8.Liam Messam, 7.Elliot Dixon, 6.Akira Ioane, 5.Tom Franklin, 4.Joe Wheeler, 3.Ben May, 2.Ash Dixon (capt), 1.Kane Hames.
Reserves: 16.Hikawera Elliot, 17.Chris Eves, 18.Marcel Renata, 19.Leighton Price, 20.Kara Pryor, 21.Bryn Hall, 22.Ihaia West, 23.Rob Thompson.
British & Irish Lions
15.Leigh Halfpenny, 14.Anthony Watson, 13.Jonathan Davies, 12.Ben Te'o, 11.George North, 10.Johnny Sexton, 9.Conor Murray, 8.Taulupe Faletau, 7.Sean O'Brien, 6.Peter O'Mahony (c), 5.George Kruis, 4.Maro Itoje, 3.Tadhg Furlong, 2.Jamie George, 1.Mako Vunipola.
Reserves: 16.Ken Owens, 17.Jack McGrath, 18.Kyle Sinckler, 19.Iain Henderson, 20.Sam Warburton, 21.Greig Laidlaw, 22.Owen Farrell, 23.Elliot Daly.
Match facts and stats
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistants: Jerome Garces and Romain Poite
TMO: Ian Smith
Past meetings
Head to head: Played 8, NZ Maori 1, B&I Lions 7, drawn 0
Last time played: NZ Maori 19 def B&I Lions 13, June 11, 2005
Head-to-head: Crusaders $1.62 - Lions $2.30
To get you in the mood…….
Maori All Blacks unite ahead of Lions clash
Maori All Blacks warhorse Liam Messam says unshackling from the rivalries of franchise and provincial rugby to unite for the British and Irish Lions' challenge was a cinch.
The 33-year-old Messam, a 12-time Maori All Black and 45-Test stalwart, has been named at No.8 for the clash in Rotorua on Saturday, part of a fearsome loose forward unit including Elliot Dixon and All Blacks ring-in Akira Ioane.
Hailing from Ngai Tuhoe in the eastern North Island, Messam - a former captain of the Maori - told reporters he and his teammates had bonded immediately, as they aim to repeat the feat of the 2005 Maori side by downing the star-studded Lions.
"It's pretty simple to break the boundaries - you know, the first thing is that we're bound by blood, automatically we come in as a group," Messam said.
"You still need to work on those small connections inside the group, but we've got that silver fern on our chest, so we're still representing New Zealand, Aotearoa.
"You put away your Super side, and come in as one - the quicker we can do that, then we can use that to our advantage on Saturday."
Despite their shaky early form and losses to the Blues and Highlanders, the Chiefs veteran said the Lions side was one of the strongest he could recall.
Bustling Welshman Taulupe Faletau, a certain Test starter, will oppose Messam in the Lions No.8 jumper, potentially setting him up for a tough night at the office.
But the 2015 Rugby World Cup winner insisted he was ready for anything - whether wearing the black jumper, Maori black jumper or Chiefs colours.
He may also double up and take on the Lions for the Chiefs on Tuesday.
"I'm a very proud of person and whatever jersey I wear, I do it with 110 per cent, and give everything I have for that moment and jersey," Messam said.
"I try and express (myself) every time."
