Zippy's Player Ratings - Lions vs Auckland

14. M Cueto (8) – Best game on tour by a distance, surprised me with his defensive appetite. Can go home with head held high after a big game.

13. W Greenwood (4) – Marshals the defence well but got shown up and looked an old player out of form, remains the mystery of the tour how he was on the bench for the 1^st test.

12. G D'Arcy (6) – Better game but still not the player of old, seems to have played a lot of rugby on this tour and hasn’t really performed, the injury might have had the better of him.

11. D Hickie (7) – Looked a danger throughout the game and should have scored, defended well as well.

10. C Hodgson (8) – Attacking flair aplenty and the Lions looked less of a team when he went off, take a chance Clive and play him in the last test, go on.

9. M Dawson (8) – Lions MOTM, ran the show and gave the Lions an experienced head when they were under pressure, marked down a point for his whinging mouth.

8. M Owen (7) – Neat and tidy with the hands and kept the Lions flowing, looked short of confidence.

7. M Williams (8) – Such a great attacking link man and was at his best today, if Sir Clive wants to go and win the last test rather than lose by less here is your man.

6. J White (6) – A big tackler, what else?

5. B Kay (3) – Horrendous attempt at fighting.

4. S Shaw (6) – Not as good as last week, maybe the realisation he will not play in the test team?

3. J Hayes (4) – After 2 decent performances the Bull once again was tamed, goes home with huge doubts over his international career.

2. G Bulloch* (7) – The word is "solid", should be on the test bench, you want a hooker who can come on and steady the ship and this is Gordon, has done nothing wrong on this tour.

1. G Rowntree (5) – The old head has played with aggression to spare on this tour and has been cited for foul play, sure Sheridan will be on the test bench.

Subs of note

RoG – Negative, one style of play and its negative and backwards.

B Cockbain – Showed his aggressive nature and presence.

Lions midweek team dogged it out and kept a 100% record, the dirtrackers as they are affectionately known, just like the full Lions side they have rarely played with any fluency or looked like they have a gameplan. Still it must be difficult for them to motivate themselves for dead rubber games like todays against decent opposition and they came away and won.

Bunch of individuals with a useless hooker and fly half, enough said.

Auckland: (3) 13
Tries: Nacewa
Cons: Ward
Pens: Ward 2

Lions: (14) 17
Tries: Williams
Pens: Hodgson, O'Gara 3