PA
The Lions take on the Hurricanes in the final midweek game of the tour
22 mins – Hurricanes 0 Lions 13
PENALTY! And it’s over from halfway from Dan Biggar.
The Hurricanes are pinged again – these penalties are really costing them here.
Biggar steps up from long range and powers it over with plenty to spare.
What. A. Start.
Our man Neil Squires in Wellington:
“So the Scots are on this Lions tour after all. Greig Laidlaw’s interception is finished off by Tommy Seymour in a splendid piece of burglary.
“Nice moment for Seymour but that’s the way things are rolling for George North at the moment. If he’d lined up on the left wing as his No 11 jersey implied it would have been his try.
“North looks like playing the rest of the match at centre after Robbie Henshaw’s exit with shoulder damage.
“It’s frantic stuff but the Lions are having the better of it on the scoreboard so far.”
18 mins – Hurricanes 0 Lions 10
TRY! Made in Scotland, finished in Scotland!
Greig Laidlaw is back defending for the Lions deep inside the 22 but he comes up with a vital intercept after Tommy Seymour puts in a big hit.
Laidlaw hasn’t got the pace to go the whole length and is felled just after halfway – but he has the presence of mind to deliver a pass to, you’ve guessed it, that man Seymour.
He storms clear of the Hurricanes defence to go in under the post for his second try of the tour.
Brilliant start from the Lions.
BPI
Tommy Seymour scores the first try for the British & Irish Lions
13 mins – Hurricanes 0 Lions 3
Five penalties given away now – in just 13 minutes – from the Hurricanes. Lions are in the 22 again now but can they make it count?
No. The Lions attack is static this time and they’re like sitting ducks for the Hurricanes defence to rush up upon.
They end up holding up Dan Cole in the tackle to regain possession.
10 mins – Hurricanes 0 Lions 3
PENALTY! Dan Biggar kicks the Lions into the lead.
They’re camped in the Hurricanes 22 and earn a penalty advantage after the Canes are penalised for going offside.
They try to run it on the advantage, it comes to nothing and Biggar slots over a kick that my 90-year-old nan could have made from in front of the posts.
Is this a rugby pitch or a bowling green? It’s absolutely pristine out there.
Still, an error-strewn start from both sides . Hurricanes showing signs of wanting to play the game at pace in front of their 39,000-strong crowd but knock-ons from either side makes it a scrappy affair thus far.
And there’s even some early handbags from both sides after the Canes are pinged for a penalty at scrum time.
08:35: AND WE’RE OFF!
08:34: We’ll leave the final words before kick-off to our man Nigel Squires in Wellington.
“The Hurricanes in Wellington is the last chance for would-be Test Lions to break out of the midweek team in what is their final fixture of the tour.
“Top of the wannabes is George North, a talisman in Australia four years ago but quiet on this trip so far, followed by Courtney Lawes and CJ Stander. If the Test pack requires more muscle, these are two men who could supply it.
“It could well be a tough day at the office for the Lions though against the defending Super Rugby champions in the New Zealand capital.
“The Hurricanes might be without half-backs Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara, who are being saved for Saturday by the All Blacks, but they still have plenty of menace personified by discarded Test wing Julian Savea.
“The Lions could do with a morale-boosting win after the disappointment of Eden Park but they will have to earn it.”
08:32: Rory Best leads the Lions out into the (also briliantly-named) Cake Tin in Wellington. It’s a hostile roar as he does so from a home crowd baying for more Lions blood.
Brad Shields then follows by leading the Hurricanes side on to the pitch. A reminder: they’re the highest try scorers in Super Rugby. The noise? Far, far louder.
This one will be tasty…
08:29: Kick-off is now just six minutes away. Warren Gatland has given a last-minute interview to Sky Sports.
In it, he said: “There are a few opportunities today, there were aspects of our game on Saturday which were positive, we have to be really physical today.
“This group of players were excellent last week and they saw what happened with performances being rewarded with Test spots.
“Sometimes, for different reasons, players’ chances come later in a tour.”
08:25: Bizarre moment of the night number one. They are delivering the matchball for the game via… helicopter.
It’s just landed on the pitch and out gets a young girl – presumably with her mum – with the ball.
She proceeds to wave the helicopter off. You don’t see that on a cold November afternon at Twickenham.
08:22: Huge claim from Scott Quinnell on Sky Sports before the game.
He sensationally reveals: “I think if George North scores three or four tries tonight, he will come into Warren Gatland’s thinking.”
Really?! Who’d have thought it… man scores tries for a team struggling for tries and he may somehow get into the ‘thinking’ stage. Ahem.
PA
Warren Gatland’s side need a pick-me-up after losing the first Test
08:11: As well as Jordie Barrett – the brother of Beauden – and captain Brad Shields, the Hurricanes include the brilliantly-named Nehe Milner-Skudder, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi and Jeffery Toomaga-Allen in their line-up.
Cue me rushing to my copy and paste buttons at every available opportunity…
08:02: The Kiwis have upped the ante before the Hurricanes clash – in the media
The New Zealand Herald have put the boot into Warren Gatland by mocking up a picture of him as a clown on their front page this morning.
It follows Gatland’s accusations that New Zealand were involved in some foul play in the first Test.
The headline reads: “If the nose fits, Warren.”
07:55: Late change in the Lions line-up. Leigh Halfpenny has come in as a replacement for Jared Payne, who drops out with a… wait for it… headache.
07:50: Warren Gatland has opened the door to including anyone who shines today in his side for the second Test on Saturday. A reminder – they are one down after a 30-15 loss in the opener.
Gatland said: “A few players put their hands up for selection from the Chiefs game and played their way into the Test team, so they know that there is another opportunity for them on Tuesday against the Super Rugby champions.”
07:40: It’s the final midweek match of the tour, the last chance for the fringe players to nail down a place in the Test side.
For Courtney Lawes, George North and Jonathan Joseph, the stakes have never been higher. A big performance today and they could be facing up to the All Blacks on Saturday.
While for others, they’ll never wear the Lions jersey again.
The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are Super Rugby champions – and they have released New Zealand trio Jordie Barrett, Nehe Milner-Skudder and Julian Savea for the clash. Kick-off at 8.30am. Here are your team line-ups.
British and Irish Lions: J Nowell (England); T Seymour (Scotland); J Joseph (England), R Henshaw (Ireland); G North (Wales); D Biggar (Wales); G Laidlaw (Scotland); J Marler (England), R Best (Ireland, captain), D Cole (England), I Henderson (Ireland), C Lawes (England), J Haskell (England), J Tipuric (Wales), CJ Stander (Ireland). Replacements: K Dacey (Wales), A Dell (Scotland), T Francis (Wales), C Hill (Wales), G Kruis (England), G Davies (Wales), F Russell (Scotland), J Payne (Ireland).
Hurricanes: J Barrett, N Milner-Skudder, V Aso, N Laumape, J Savea, O Black, T Toiroa-Tahuriorangi, B May, R Ricitelli, J To’omaga-Allen, M Abbott, S Lousi, V Fifita, C Gibbins, B Shields (captain). Replacements: L Apisai, C Eves, M Kainga, J Blackwell, R Prinsep, K Hauiti-Parapara, W Goosen, C Jane.
