British and Irish Lions 2017: Jonathan Davies focusing on small issues as tourists know they must make history

The British and Irish Lions know they must make history if they are going to get back into the Test series against the All Blacks, but centre Jonathan Davies believes the squad are more than capable of fixing the small issues that cost them the first Test on Saturday.

Rather than allow the loss at Eden Park leave them down in the dumps, many of Warren Gatland’s squad believe that they are capable of exacting revenge on New Zealand to level the series at one win apiece this Saturday. However, they have won a series after losing the first Test just twice before, in 1899 and 1989, and have never done so against New Zealand.

“We have to win the second Test now,” Davies said. “Everyone wants to get off to a head start by winning the first match but the best thing about the series is we have another chance next week. I’m sure everyone will be looking forward to that already.”

The Lions had the chance to lead early when a good break from Davies led to Elliot Daly going for the line in the left corner, only for an excellent tackle from Israel Dagg to prevent him from touching the ball down in the second minute. They were then the creators or their own downfall, with repeated penalty infringements allowing to All Blacks to rack up 13 points that included a try from hooker Codie Taylor when Aaron Smith caught the Lions sleeping with a quickly taken penalty.

What followed though was a moment of magic and, in All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen’s own words, “one of the best Test tries I’ve seen” from the Lions. It was a score born out of west Wales, with Scarlets full-back Liam Williams, who will join Saracens this summer, breaking from his own 22 after beating Kieran Read, Aaron Cruden and Sonny Bill Williams, before passing out to Davies on the run.

Davies shipped the ball on to Daly, whose pass back inside to the Welsh centre took him to within a metre of the line and flanker Sean O’Brien was on hand to take the offload and crash over to reduce the lead to 13-8 and put the Lions on the ascendancy. “It was a great try,” said Davies, “and it is making sure we take those opportunities. It was a great counter-attack from Liam, and we had to make sure we took the chance.

After hearing of Hansen’s reaction, Davies added: “That’s not bad is it? We were happy to create something like that and finish it off, but we probably left three tries out there, and that is the most disappointing thing.”

It was this wastefulness that cost the Lions a shot at victory, and the All Blacks would not be so guilty. After a second break from Davies and Anthony Watson put Williams into space, the Lions took aim at the line in a bid to level the scores, only for Ben Te’o to hold onto the ball and slip at the crucial moment when he had two men outside him. Coming back for a penalty advantage, Owen Farrell kicked to the corner, and the Lions promptly lost the ball in the ensuing maul. The All Blacks would make them pay.

The Blues wing, Rieko Ioane, had already shown the Lions what he was capable of by scoring in the warm-up defeat two weeks prior. There was little that the tourists could do to stop him from scoring his first try that extended the All Blacks’ lead, with the New Zealand pack doing their bit by decimating the Lions scrum. A beautiful scoop-flick from Read off the turf triggered a swift move that saw Ioane go over in the corner, touching down one handed, and he soon had his second try when Williams failed to collect a TJ Perenara box-kick to see the Kiwis out to a 30-8 lead.

Rhys Webb’s try in the final minute proved nothing but a consolation for the Lions, but they already know what they need to do this week to level the series.

“What we can take from that game is a lot of positives,” said Davies. “We created chances, but we didn’t finish them. We need to be more clinical against the best team in the world.

“Our discipline and error count in that first 20 minutes gave them a 10-point head-start. We didn’t take our chances, and we didn’t get any scoreboard pressure on them. At 13-8, if we score just after the start of the second-half, it could have been a different story. The pressure comes on them, then.”