All Blacks need late surge to overcome the Lions 41-35 in scare at Ellis Park

Johannesburg (AP) — A resilient Lions team led for more than an hour before ultimately falling short to New Zealand 41-35 at Ellis Park on Tuesday. The All Blacks maintained their undefeated record on tour, but were given a challenging encounter in this 12-try contest. New Zealand initially struggled with their defense, missing 19 tackles and trailing by 14 points after seven minutes.

They were also behind at halftime, with the Lions down 35-17 in the 47th minute. Despite threatening to become the first South African provincial side to beat New Zealand since 1976, the Lions were out of season and not match fit, having not played since May 30. New Zealand, despite backing up only three players from the previous Saturday's victory over South Africa, involving five injury replacements and a debut, eventually overcame the Lions' late surge.

New Zealand coach Dave Rennie praised flanker Ethan Blackadder, calling him phenomenal, while Lions flyhalf Chris Smith played a pivotal role in the game. Lion captain Francke Horn scored a try early on, with New Zealand's player of the match being Saula Ma’u.