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British and Irish Lions vs NZ Provincial Barbarians player ratings: Ben Te’o makes strong start in nervy win

A player-by-player look at Warren Gatland's Lions after their opening match

Jack de Menezes

Toll Stadium

Sunday 04 June 2017 10:22 BST

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

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1/15Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Stuart Hogg - 5 out of 10

Butchered a try-scoring opportunity when his poor pass forced Watson to sprawl just to catch the ball, and also should have got over the line following good work from Te’o. Failed to collect the ball when chipped through by Inga Finau in defence.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Anthony Watson – 6 out of 10

Finished his try well, dancing his way past Laulala to touch down and score what proved to be the match-winning try. Otherwise he was fairly anonymous.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Jonathan Joseph – 5 out of 10

Apart from being held up with the final play of the first half, he did little of note and was outshined by his centre partner.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Ben Te’o – 7 out of 10

Looked the most lively Lion out there as he made two surging breaks in the first half, the second of which should have sent Hogg over. Continued to work hard after breaks and made another telling run into the Barabarians 22, and he also did a shift in defence with a crucial ball-rip in the closing minutes.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Tommy Seymour – 6 out of 10

Starved of the ball which gave him little to do. One good kick-chase forced a knock-on, but that’s about it.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Jonathan Sexton – 5 out of 10

Did not cover himself in glory at all as his passing was wayward and kicked straight into touch on the full from an attacking scrum. Missed his first effort at goal, and was receiving treatment when the next shot at goal came around, meaning Greig Laidlaw had to take it. His withdrawal and the introduction of Owen Farrell changed the game.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Greig Laidlaw – 6 out of 10

Lacked the direction needed to guide a pack that has barely played together and he was too slow to take the ball from the breakdown. Looked unsure of his options whenever he took the ball to the line, that meant he at times needed to take the ball into contact unnecessarily.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Joe Marler – 6 out of 10

Didn’t enjoy the scrum advantage that you would have expected from the big Harlequins prop, and his high work-rate at the start of the game tailed off slightly as the barbarians fought fire with fire. Replaced in a full front-row switch in the 50th minute.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Rory Best – 6 out of 10

Solid at the lineout as the Lions were at least able to battle on that front, but he was off the pace in the loose.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Kyle Sinckler – 7 out of 10

Enjoyed a good start to the match, and while he was carrying well, it was his slight of touch that impressed with neat offloads and long passes to the back line standing out. He left the field after a silly decision to tap-and-go from a penalty that resulted in conceding one, but the fact that that proved to be his final contribution should not take away from a good outing.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Alun Wyn Jones - 7 out of 10

Wore a big hit from replacement hooker Andrew Makalio but recovered well and dished out his own punishment when Sevu Reece ran down his channel. One of the more reliable players and showed his experience at the death to see out the match.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Iain Henderson - 6 out of 10

Failed to collect the kick-off that resulted in seven minutes of pressure without the Lions escaping their half. Carried well though that freed up his teammates, but didn’t have the impact that he would have wanted.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Ross Moriarty - 7 out of 10

Two big tackles and one strong run saw him bounce off two defenders before surging into the opposition 22. One of the Lions’ more prominent runners and put in a few powerful tackles, while it was his insurgence in the Barbarians 22 that set-up the Lions’ try.

Getty

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Sam Warburton - 5 out of 10

Fairly anonymous in the first half, both as a leader and as an openside flanker. He looked shattered at the start of the second half, which is no surprise given he has not played for two months. He was replaced by Justin Tipuric shy of the hour mark.

Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians player ratings

Taulupe Faletau – 7 out of 10

Two good runs in the first half got the Lions onto the front foot, and he also showed strength to stay on his feet before hitting the deck when the support arrived. Looked to take on some responsibility when it wasn’t all going the Lions’ way, and he further cemented his place in the Test line-up with a simply brilliant try-saving tackle on Reece Suva.

Owen Farrell answered the misfiring British and Irish Lions' distress call to sink the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians 13-7, as Johnny Sexton endured a wretched night in Whangarei.

Ireland fly-half Sexton trudged off after just 48 minutes of the Lions' opening tour clash in New Zealand, removed in part due to a potential leg injury - but also after a miserable performance.

Self-employed maintenance engineer Sam Anderson-Heather's try put the Barbarians 7-3 ahead at the break, with Farrell forced to rescue the tourists in a wholly unconvincing victory.

Sexton boasts 66 caps for Ireland and three for the Lions, but was eclipsed by his opposite number, Bryn Gatland, the 22-year-old son of Lions boss Warren.

England star Farrell had hardly set foot on the sodden Toll Stadium turf when he launched the killer move, then supplied the scoring pass for Anthony Watson's decisive try.

Sexton had admitted in advance of this clash that he was already lagging behind Saracens talisman Farrell in the race for the Lions' number 10 Test shirt.

And against a scratch team of part-timers and youngsters, the vastly experienced Sexton ceded considerable ground in that individual battle with Farrell.

The Lions' gruelling schedule has been dissected ad nauseam in the build-up to their punishing 10-match tour. And playing their first match after just four days in the country took a clear toll on head coach Warren Gatland's men.

Anthony Watson celebrates scoring for the Lions (Getty)

Tour captain Sam Warburton insisted jet-lag would be no excuse for the Lions on their first hit-out, so on this evidence Gatland's side have much work to do to build a side to challenge New Zealand.

The Lions move quickly onwards to face Blues in Auckland on Wednesday, and will know full well they must improve out of sight to cope with full-strength Super Rugby sides - let alone the back-to-back world champion All Blacks.

So how the Lions fare? See the gallery above for our player ratings.

Additional reporting by PA

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