A minute of glory, then it's all over

Lions captain Gareth Thomas celebrates scoring an early try against the All Blacks. Picture / Reuters

For just a minute, or three, it looked like the Lions were on to something.

If karma has any part to play in sport, those wearing red will feel it rained down in buckets early on.

Skipper Gareth Thomas, forced to centre and forced to wear the captain's armband after what he thought was an act of rugby terrorism on Brian O'Driscoll, made one of the alleged terrorists, Keven Mealamu, look foolish as he skipped out of the defensive line close to the ruck and allowed the Welshman to waltz in under the sticks.

The Lions were playing with the pent-up fury of the aggrieved.

This was an abandonment of the English principles of possession and territory, replaced with the Celtic eye for a half chance.

The problem over the past few years is the passion lasts as long as the adrenaline rush and it's all downhill from there.

Sir Clive Woodward must have feared a similar outcome. The Lions should have been up by 10 but Jonny Wilkinson missed. They should have made more of a couple of decent break-outs but ran out of ideas and support.

Daniel Carter chipped three points away. Then six.

Then karma came dressed in black.

All week the All Blacks had felt their skipper was unfairly maligned after his role in the Speargate.

Tana Umaga scooped up a pass dropped by his opposite and fed it to Carter, whose pace embarrassed Gavin Henson and Shane Williams. When he was finally collared Umaga was trailing up the middle to collect his hand-off.

It was not difficult to gauge where it will rank in Umaga's list of favourite tries.

Wilkinson and Carter traded penalties, the Lions No 10 nudged the reds up to 13, but Sitiveni Sivivatu used his strength to continue his remarkable introduction to test rugby.

He would be the first to thank Aaron Mauger, whose brilliant ball allowed Rico Gear to put the Fijian in space.

Mauger's involvement to that point had been exemplary but it was not to last, his hamstring failing him before the half was out.

It looked like Ma'a Nonu was going to replace him before Leon MacDonald was sent on at fullback and Mils Muliaina went to centre.

At the break the All Blacks carried an eight-point lead that was quickly extended to 11 when Carter goaled again.

Playing the game of his life, Carter then put the Lions away, one had to believe for good, with a scintillating individual try.

Collecting a pass from Rodney So'oialo while hugging the touchline, he showed pace and poise to chip it past Josh Lewsey and touch down with centimetres to spare.

When he nailed the conversion he allowed himself the smallest of smiles. No one would begrudge him that luxury.

The Lions were desperate by now and that desperation was translating to errors.

Carter goaled again, before Graham Henry rang the changes.

The impressive Byron Kelleher and Jerry Collins departed while the All Blacks were pinned back on defence.

Simon Easterby took advantage of the confusion and scored. But Carter replied.

It was that sort of night.

If anyone aside from Carter deserved to ice this match, it was Richie McCaw.

He was outstanding, no surprise there, and barrelled over to score from a metre out.

Shane Horgan, a late replacement, nearly stole a try at the death but that would have been the opposite of karma. 

- HERALD ON SUNDAY