Lions grasp lifeline to turn pressure up on All Blacks

After a hectic five weeks on the road and eight searching examinations to this point, the 2017 Lions tour reached the point of no return in the aptly named windy Wellington last Saturday night.

To keep this tour alive and relevant for the last week of action, Warren Gatland’s men had to find a performance of substance to halt the all-powerful, all-consuming All Black machine.

Gatland was always a good man for a flutter and in a win or bust scenario finally opted for the much touted double playmaking option of Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell, despite discounting it as a viable option for most of the tour.