Lions 35 - 41 All Blacks

Full time

25 Aug 2026

International Tour

Stage: Regular Season Round 1

Ellis Park

Lions vs All Blacks head to head

🎉 1

👏 1

💩 1

🔥 2

😭 1

The match at Ellis Park saw New Zealand narrowly defeat the Lions 41-35 in a thrilling contest. The Lions took an early lead with tries from Steyn and Mahashe, followed by a strong performance from Chris Smith with five conversions. New Zealand responded with tries from Hotham and Narawa, but the Lions maintained their advantage at halftime, leading 28-17. In the second half, New Zealand mounted a comeback, with Ioane scoring two tries and Blackadder adding another to shift momentum. The Lions struggled to contain New Zealand's relentless attack as they surged ahead. Despite a valiant effort from the Lions, including a try from Horn, New Zealand sealed their victory with a late try from Narawa. This match showcased the resilience and skill of both teams, with New Zealand emerging victorious in a high-scoring affair.

Broadcasters

Where to watch in: Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom

Weather

Temperature: 19.0°C (Feels like 16.8°C) Condition: Clear Wind: 8.0 km/h, gusting to 22.5 km/h Humidity: 22% Cloud Cover: 0%

Highlights

Events

Kickoff
4'

Try

Nico Steyn · Lions

5 - 0
5'

Conversion

Chris Smith · Lions

7 - 0
6'

Try

Sibabalwe Mahashe · Lions

12 - 0
7'

Conversion

Chris Smith · Lions

14 - 0
10'

Try

Noah Hotham · All Blacks

14 - 5
10'

Conversion

Beauden Barrett · All Blacks

14 - 7
19'

Substitution

Hyron Andrews on for Etienne Oosthuizen · Lions
24'

Try

Emoni Narawa · All Blacks

14 - 12
32'

Try

Kelly Mpeku · Lions

19 - 12
33'

Conversion

Chris Smith · Lions

21 - 12
35'

Try

Ethan Blackadder · All Blacks

21 - 17
38'

Substitution

RF Schoeman on for Sebastian Lombard · Lions
40'

Try

Erich Cronje · Lions

26 - 17
40'

Substitution

Sebastian Lombard on for RF Schoeman · Lions
Halftime 26 - 17
Second Half
41'

Conversion

Chris Smith · Lions

28 - 17
46'

Try

Francke Horn · Lions

33 - 17
47'

Conversion

Chris Smith · Lions

35 - 17
48'

Substitution

Jamie Hannah on for Patrick Tuipulotu · All Blacks
49'

Try

Rieko Ioane · All Blacks

35 - 22
50'

Conversion

Richie Mo'unga · All Blacks

35 - 24
51'

Substitution

Boan Venter on for SJ Kotze · Lions
51'

Substitution

Morne Brandon on for PJ Botha · Lions
51'

Substitution

RF Schoeman on for Sebastian Lombard · Lions
53'

Substitution

Anton Lienert-Brown on for Fehi Fineanganofo · All Blacks
53'

Substitution

Haashim Pead on for Nico Steyn · Lions
54'

Substitution

Peter Lakai on for Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa · All Blacks
54'

Substitution

Kyle Preston on for Noah Hotham · All Blacks
55'

Try

Rieko Ioane · All Blacks

35 - 29
56'

Conversion

Richie Mo'unga · All Blacks

35 - 31
60'

Substitution

Saula Ma'u on for Pasilio Tosi · All Blacks
61'

Try

Ethan Blackadder · All Blacks

35 - 36
62'

Substitution

Bradley Slater on for Samisoni Taukei'aho · All Blacks
63'

Substitution

JC Pretorius on for Bathobele Hlekani · Lions
63'

Substitution

Sikhumbuzo Notshe on for Francke Horn · Lions
64'

Substitution

Josh Jacomb on for Timoci Tavatavanawai · All Blacks
70'

Substitution

Xavier Numia on for Siale Lauaki · All Blacks
71'

Substitution

Boeta Chamberlain on for Erich Cronje · Lions
79'

Try

Emoni Narawa · All Blacks

35 - 41
Fulltime 35 - 41

Player ratings

Lions

15 Quan Horn 6.3
14 Kelly Mpeku 6.3
13 Henco van Wyk 5.5
12 Richard Kriel 6.6
11 Erich Cronje 6.6
10 Chris Smith 7.1
9 Nico Steyn 8.1
1 SJ Kotze 6.4
2 PJ Botha 6.2
3 Sebastian Lombard 5.7
4 Etienne Oosthuizen 6.2
5 Ruan Delport 6.9
6 Sibabalwe Mahashe 7.6
7 Bathobele Hlekani 6.6
8 Francke Horn 7.0
16 Morne Brandon 6.6
17 Boan Venter 5.8
18 RF Schoeman 6.0
19 Hyron Andrews 6.0
20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe 6.0
21 JC Pretorius 5.5
22 Haashim Pead 5.9
23 Boeta Chamberlain –

All Blacks

15 Beauden Barrett 7.0
14 Fehi Fineanganofo 8.1
13 Rieko Ioane 10.0
12 Timoci Tavatavanawai 9.9
11 Emoni Narawa 10.0
10 Richie Mo'unga 7.0
9 Noah Hotham 6.5
1 Siale Lauaki 6.3
2 Samisoni Taukei'aho 7.6
3 Pasilio Tosi 6.8
4 Sam Darry 5.9
5 Patrick Tuipulotu 6.6
6 Wallace Sititi 6.9
7 Ethan Blackadder 9.1
8 Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa 6.6
16 Bradley Slater 6.7
17 Xavier Numia 6.5
18 Saula Ma'u 6.6
19 Jamie Hannah 6.3
20 Peter Lakai 6.5
21 Kyle Preston 6.9
22 Josh Jacomb 6.2
23 Anton Lienert-Brown 6.8