The New Zealand All Blacks showed their superiority in the first Test, pulling away in the second half to move to within a win of sealing this much-talked about series over the British and Irish Lions. With the series on the line, the Lions need to find their mojo, and quick, when the second Test comes calling at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
For a while, it looked like we might just have an upset on the cards, as the Lions started out strong. But then, the All Blacks decided to move into power mode and, as is so often the case, the opponents just could not stay with them.
The key for the Lions is to sustain their intensity, the quality and the pace of the game for the entire 80 minutes.
New Zealand are so good, that all it takes is one mistake, one small lapse in concentration or judgement for them to be charging through to a try.
In a packed ground, with the crowd against you, doing that can be extremely difficult, but this is the best of the best from the British Isles and they certainly have the capability to keep the All Blacks in check if they stick to their plans for the entire duration of the match.
"We need to keep our discipline but we also need to show some intent, show what it means to represent the Lions and not lose as many confrontations and physical battles as we did last week," Jonny Sexton, named in the starting XV by Warren Gatland for this second Test, said.
"If we can play to our potential and clean up our discipline and some of the mistakes we made last week, I think we'll be able to push them a lot closer and get the win."
New Zealand will know all the pressure will be on the British and Irish Lions to bounce back, and all they will plan to do is carry on doing what they did in the first Test – wear the Lions down and take advantage of any mistake.
"I can't wait for that battle," All Blacks captain Kieran Read said. "We've got to expect that. If anything it's going to be more physical.
"We can't just be waiting for what they are going to bring. We've got to go out there and take it for ourselves and try and lead with our game."
When and where to watch live
All Blacks vs Lions is scheduled for a 7.35pm local time, 1.05pm IST, 8.35am BST, 3.35am ET start. TV and live streaming information is below.
India: TV: No live coverage.
UK & Ireland: TV: Sky Sports 1. Live Streaming: Sky Go.
New Zealand: TV: Sky Sport 1. Live Streaming: Sky Go NZ.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
South Africa: TV: SuperSport 1. Live Streaming: SuperSport Live Video.
USA: TV: ESPN3. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
Canada: TV: TSN. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
