Battling the Lions: Old foes put quarrels aside in third test of 1993

For the Lions it was a week of burning hope while the All Blacks were battered by the nation's expectations.

It was the toughest week in Laurie Mains' short international coaching career, the pressure was up many notches after the close first-test win and the miserable second-test defeat in Wellington.

The All Blacks were no worldbeaters but there was nothing really special about the 1993 Lions either. They had looked dangerous, perhaps more menacing than the measured offerings of their opposites.

Changes came for the All Blacks, bold decisions about dropping Eden Park favourites Zinzan Brooke and Eroni Clarke. A test debut for Lee Stensness countered those departures while Arran Pene and Ian Jones were moved into the pack.

Mains even asked former antagonist Andy Haden to give his forwards some lineout tuition. This was no time to be sidetracked by any old quarrels, the nation had to put its shoulder to the wheel.

Signs of the early tension came with the All Blacks heavily penalised but they were also playing with the ferocity of a team fighting the fear of failure.

They conceded a 10-point start before Stensness laid on a chipkick for a Frank Bunce try, skipper Sean Fitzpatrick ground his way over and the All Blacks had a halftime lead.

Much of the chirping from the British and Irish media contingent had also eased. It expired when halfback Jon Preston scored, dummy runners either side of him allowing him to slip untouched through the Lions' defences.

The All Blacks' passionate aggression came through in much the same way the Lions had squared the series in Wellington.

Pene, Robin Brooke, Jamie Joseph and Michael Jones were powerful contributors while the Lions, even with a decent lead after the first quarter, did not play with any triumphant strut.

Mains and Fitzpatrick agreed it was a week they did not want to endure again. They criticised the Lions for their negative play while Mains lambasted the media for criticising the All Blacks after their limp loss in Wellington.

Some of the comments seemed ungracious but were probably a reflection of the tension Mains and Co had lived with all week, the risk they would become only the second All Black side to lose a series to the Lions.

The 30-13 final test win for the All Blacks put the 45,000 Eden Park crowd into fine voice, it eased a nation's worries while on the other side of the world another register of Lions postmortems started.

* 3rd test, 1993



All Blacks 30
Frank Bunce, Sean Fitzpatrick, Jon Preston tries, Grant Fox 3 penalties and 3 conversions.

Lions 13
Scott Gibbs try, Gavin Hastings conversion, 2 penalties

Half-time: All Blacks 14-10