AUCKLAND – Owen Farrell
slotted a 78th-minute penalty to give the British and Irish Lions a 15-15 draw
with the All Blacks and ensure the visitors tied the three-match series 1-1 at Eden Park
on Saturday.
The match was not without some late drama, however, with
referee Romain Poite overturning an All Blacks penalty in the final minute that
would have given Beauden Barrett a routine kick at goal from in front.
The tied series is the second for the Lions after they drew
with South Africa in 1955,
with the All Blacks winning the first game 30-15 at the same Auckland
venue two weeks ago, while the visitors won the second match 24-21 in Wellington last week.
The All Blacks were reduced to 14 men early in the second
half when Jerome Kaino was sin-binned by Poite for a high tackle on Alun Wyn
Jones.
The All Blacks, who were disappointed with their intensity
in last week’s loss, were far more aggressive, dominating territory and
possession, but were never able to pull clear of the resilient Lions in a
pulsating match.
They created numerous opportunities, but were only able to
turn their superiority into two first-half tries as Ngani Laumape and Jordie
Barrett touched down to give the hosts a 12-6 halftime lead.
Farrell slotted two first-half penalties for the visitors,
who were pinned inside their own territory for much of the first spell.
They were, however, unlucky not to have scored their own try
when they stretched the All Blacks defence, only for Beauden Barrett to
intercept and launch a counter-attack that ended after a desperate cover tackle
by Jonathan Davies.
Elliot Daly slammed over a long-range penalty early in the
second half to narrow the gap to 12-9 before Kaino was sin-binned, and the
Lions levelled when Farrell added his third penalty just before the loose
forward returned.
Barrett slotted his first penalty with about 12 minutes
remaining to give his side the lead after Poite penalised the Lions for
collapsing a defensive scrum.
Farrell, however, then stepped up with his fourth penalty to
level the game, and ultimately the series.
Points-Scorers
All Blacks – Tries: Ngani Laumape, Jordie Barrett. Conversion: Beauden Barrett (1). Penalty: Beauden Barrett (1).
Lions – Penalties: Owen Farrell (4), Elliot Daly (1).