Sonny Bill Williams produced a moment of magic to allow the onrushing Ihaia West to race home for the winning try as Auckland Blues overcame the British and Irish Lions 22-16 at Eden Park.
Leigh Halfpenny’s third penalty of the match had edged the Lions 16-15 ahead in the 71st minute. Halfpenny earlier converted the tourists’ only try, scored by CJ Stander in the 18th minute.
But Williams’ late piece of brilliance helped get the hosts over the line, with try-scorer West adding the extras. Rieko Ioane had put Blues ahead with the game’s opening try before Williams also touched down at the end of the first half, Stephen Perofeta converting. West added a penalty early in the second period.
Superb try from Blues to win the match – Lions far too many unforced penalties.
— Brian Moore (@brianmoore666) June 7, 2017
Moment of the match
Sonny Bill Williams pounced on Steven Luatua’s offload to cut loose and do justice to Ihaia West’s excellent line by producing a smart scoring pass. In a flash, the Lions went from a one-point lead to a six-point loss.
Great team effort great atmosphere and thanks to @lionsofficial for the exciting game!!!
— Sonny Bill Williams (@SonnyBWilliams) June 7, 2017
Star man
Sonny Bill Williams. Only the most special talents can win man-of-the-match awards in rugby for one moment’s magic.
Thanks @BluesRugbyTeam for a great contest. #BLUvBIL#AllForOne pic.twitter.com/xqz9knGqzc
— British&Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 7, 2017
The Haka hits the right notes
The Blues’ performance of a new haka, He Toa Takitini, The Strength of Many, paid homage to late former stars Jonah Lomu and Kurtis Haiu. The pomp and ceremony added another layer of intrigue to an already compelling Lions tour.
