Ioane stars as New Zealand recover to beat Johannesburg Lions
JOHANNESBURG: Centre Rieko Ioane played a key role as New Zealand came from 18 points behind to defeat the Lions franchise 41-35 in Johannesburg on Tuesday and maintain a perfect tour record.
New Zealand's centre Rieko Ioane played a crucial role as the All Blacks staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Johannesburg Lions 41-35 in Johannesburg on Tuesday, preserving their perfect tour record. This victory followed wins against the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls franchises, as well as a surprising 33-16 Test win over South Africa on Saturday.
The All Blacks trailed 35-17 after 49 minutes, but Ioane scored his first try six minutes later after an interception, cutting the margin to four points. Following Ioane's second try, New Zealand took the lead on 62 minutes when he set up flanker Ethan Blackadder to score. Despite fly-half Richie Mo unga's missed conversion, the All Blacks led 36-35 with 17 minutes left and sealed the win in the final minute through winger Emoni Narawa's unconverted try.
Lions captain Francke Horn praised the All Blacks' performance, while Lions skipper Horn expressed excitement about playing against the best. Narawa, Blackadder and Ioane each scored two tries for New Zealand, while scrum-half Noah Hotham and fly-half Beauden Barrett contributed one try each. Mo unga, representing the All Blacks for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, scored two conversions and one try.
The Lions' key players included scrum-half Nico Steyn, flanker Siba Mahashe, wings Kelly Mpeku and Erich Cronje, and captain Francke Horn, who also scored a try. The Test series is set to continue on Saturday in Cape Town, followed by matches in Johannesburg on September 5 and Baltimore on September 12.
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